This electric minivan wants to make the MPV cool again

This story is about a car concept, not home energy upgrades, so it doesn't affect your house or any rebate programs. Still, here's what it covers: Renault showed off an electric minivan concept called the E-Space at the Paris Motor Show. It's a modern take on the company's original Espace minivan from 1984 and is meant to make minivans feel fun again instead of just practical. It's roughly the size of vehicles like the Kia PV5 or VW ID. Buzz.

The design leans into a low, glassy cabin with a roof spoiler and extra-large windows that let people see inside the car when standing next to it. Inside, there are six seats that can each rotate, including second-row seats that spin around to face the back row, creating a lounge-like seating area. There's also a fold-out table, a small fridge, an air purifier, game controllers, and even a Connect 4 board built into a center console. The dashboard has a large curved display plus a separate center touchscreen, and the steering wheel uses steer-by-wire technology instead of a traditional mechanical link.

Renault has not said whether or when this concept might become a car you could actually buy. For now, it's just a design study meant to show the company's ideas about future electric family vehicles.