Renault’s new Alpine A390 is a sportscar among SUVs
In order to fulfil Alpine’s demands for driving pleasure and versatility, the A390 is only available with electric all-wheel drive, at least at the launch. The French company relies on three electric motors, one on the front axle and two on the rear axle. With the two drive units at the rear, the engineers were able to implement the ‘Alpine Active Torque Vectoring System’, as stated in the press release.
Alpine offers the all-wheel-drive in two power levels, with 294 kW or 346 kW in the GTS model. The maximum torque of the three electric motors totals 808 Nm, which is far higher than that of most combustion-powered sports cars. The three-motor drive system is rather unusual in electric cars, especially in the mid-size class. In addition, the Alpine A390 is based on the AmpR Medium, an electric platform from Renault that is actually used for electric volume models with front-wheel drive – and if so, then the all-wheel drive AmpR Medium models only have an electric motor on the rear axle.
All three motors are manufactured by Renault or Ampere at the Cléon plant. Alpine states that the two permanent magnet synchronous motors on the rear axle, in particular, have been tuned so that the handling of the A390 should resemble that of a rear-wheel drive vehicle. The electric motor on the front axle should therefore only intervene when the maximum traction of the all-wheel drive system is required. Active torque vectoring also has the special feature that different amounts of torque can be transferred to the outer and inner rear wheels in corners to support cornering and stabilise the vehicle.
The three motors are powered by a battery with a net capacity of 89 kWh for a range of up to 555 kilometres. The cells and modules were specially developed by Verkor for Alpine. On the one hand, this concerns the NMC chemistry of the cells with a high nickel content, which should result in a higher energy density. The cooling system also offers a higher water flow so that the battery can offer the maximum discharge capacity of 345 kW at 1,200 amps several times in succession. This means that even with a charge level of 30 per cent, the full power of the drive can still be called up. The software not only offers preconditioning for fast charging, but also to “achieve maximum performance for intense sporting
use or to lower the temperature after laps on the track.”
| A390 GT | A390 GTS | |
|---|---|---|
| Drive | AWD | AWD |
| Power | 294 kW | 345 kW |
| Torque | – | 808 Nm |
| Acceleration | 4.8 s | 3.9 s |
| Top speed | 200 kph | 220 kph |
| WLTP range | 555 km | 520 km |
| Battery | 89 kWh | 89 kWh |
| Charging capacity DC | 190 kW | 190 kW |
| Charging time DC 15-80% | 25 min | 25 min |
| Price | – | – |
Speaking of fast charging: This is possible with up to 190 kW, whereby, according to Alpine, it was more important to the developers to maintain a high charging capacity over long periods of time than to achieve a short-term high peak power. With the intelligent charging management system, the battery should be able to charge sufficient energy for two hours of motorway driving in “less than 20 minutes.” A charging process from 15 to 20 per cent should take less than 25 minutes. Alpine does not specify the usual comparison window from ten to 80 per cent, but the A390 is likely to be in the range of 26 to an estimated 28 minutes. The navigation is based on Google Maps and can not only take the battery temperature and real-time consumption into account with the EV route planner, but also automatically preconditions the battery for scheduled charging stops.
An 11 kW onboard charger is installed ex-works for AC charging, while a 22 kW charger is available as an option. Alpine is not yet revealing the price for the world premiere. Both have a V2L and V2G function for bidirectional charging. However, vehicle-to-grid will probably not be directly available in all markets; Alpine is making the introduction dependent on local conditions.
In the industry, the body shape would probably be described as an electric crossover or SUV coupé, but Alpine has come up with the name ‘Sport Fastback’. A length of 4.62 metres and a width of 1.89 metres could also fit the bill for a sedan, but the height of over 1.53 metres speaks more for the SUV coupé than for a sports car. Many elements of the A390_β show car presented in the autumn were taken up in the design of the production model, and Alpine also sees many similarities to the brand icon A110. There is talk of a ‘spectacularly shaped bonnet’ and ‘aerodynamic elegance in perfection’.
Alpine manufactures the A390 in the brand’s historic factory in Dieppe. The battery cells and modules are manufactured by Verkor in Dunkerque and assembled into ready-to-install battery packs by Ampere in Douai. The tyres developed exclusively by Michelin for the A390 and the audio system from Davialet also come from France.
Orders are due to start in the fourth quarter of 2025, exact prices are not yet known, however, Alpine writes that “the A390 price in GT and GTS versions will range from €65,000 to €76,000.”
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