This Crazy French Concept Car Is Made From Milk Bottles And Powered By Hydrogen

As with most new concepts nowadays (Mercedes-Benz Vision EQS), Renault’s newest concept car is all about electrification and sustainability. It’s made to be as electric and as recyclable as possible while showing off the technologies of the future. It uses milk bottles in the floor. Carbon fiber from airplanes. It also looks pretty damn good if you ask us.

Renault calls it the Scenic Vision, and says the concept “foreshadows the future 100% electric family vehicle in the Renault range.” Renault CEO Luca de Meo says the concept is designed to exemplify the brand’s “ESG strategy,” and its three pillars: environment, safety, and inclusion.

The Scenic Vision is 95% recyclable, made from 70% recycled materials, including milk bottles. That also includes the car’s electric battery, which is paired with a hydrogen powertrain. There are plenty of other examples as well, like the carbon fiber that features so prevalently throughout the car, which is recycled from the aeronautics industry. Some of that carbon, used on the fuel cell, is made from recycled paper waste. The same can be said for the plastics in the vehicle, 30% of which are biosourced.

There isn’t a scrap of leather in the car, either. Instead, Renault used 100% recycled low-carbon polyester. Even the tires are eco-friendly, sourced from sustainably made, natural rubber. Speaking of black things, the paint’s black pigments are derived from particles pulled from the atmosphere, meaning there’s absolutely no synthetic pigment anywhere in the paint.

As for the powertrain, a 16-kW hydrogen fuel cell is paired with an electric battery. However, that cell is more for use as a range extender than anything. Renault says the car will have a range of up to 497 miles, but only once “the network of hydrogen stations is large enough.”

Moreover, Renault says this concept has a 75% smaller carbon footprint than existing vehicles like the Megane E-Tech, which shares its platform with the Nissan Ariya. The battery in this is designed to be 60% less carbon-intensive than an equivalent battery, which Renault says is due to low-carbon sourcing of minerals.

Of course, the car has to be safe as well. A camera system worked into the front end of the SUV is supposed to enlarge the driver’s field of vision by up to 24%. It’ll show a wide-angle shot of whatever is in front on one of the screens positioned on the dash. The windshield is also larger, permitting even more visibility. Renault has also worked in some kind of driver-assist system, which it calls a “risk assessment interface.” That’ll help “anticipate last-minute stressful situations.”

Basically, the system will compensate for a driver’s lack of attention and give personalized advice to continuously improve their driving with possible notifications like “put that phone down, you moron.” It’ll also give personalized health advice via analysis of data collected by the car’s cameras and sensors inside the cabin, like your heart rate.

There’s also a facial recognition system that’ll open the door and adjust the car based on the current user’s preferences. Renault says this system could also be used to adapt to a possible handicap, like hearing impairment.

As for the rest of the interior, the cabin is dominated by a large display just under the windscreen, and seven smaller ones. Four of those are for the driver, two for the camera mirrors, and another range display to the right of the driver. There’s also a Formula 1-style steering wheel with trackpad screens on it.

Each of the car’s four seats is equipped with speakers and microphones, which Renault states will provide their own audio for radio and music streaming, as well as voice control. The car will also retransmit an occupant’s voice, and if necessary, amplify it. That should prove useful for hearing impaired occupants, again leaning into that “inclusivity” pillar.

The absence of a center pillar should allow greater access for those with mobility-related disabilities, or the elderly. We’ve all tried loading our grandparents into a car, and this should make things a little easier.

Renault teamed up with French electronic artist and sound engineer Jean-Michel Jarre to create the sound of its new concept, which should come from one of four door-located loudspeakers. Renault hasn’t given much of a description of the car’s sound, but the general idea is of a “less is more” approach, centered around “caring for the resources.” We guess Hans Zimmer wasn’t available for the soundtrack this time around.

Regardless, it’ll be interesting to see what aspects of this concept trickle down into production vehicles. The pillar-less center is an incredibly clever idea, but one that’ll be difficult to meet safety standards with. As for the speakers in the headrest, we’d love to see better ones. The ones currently found in some models are a bit weak. For now, we’ll simply have to sit tight and see what Renault cooks up.