Perhaps the week that it was revealed that 300 mile range EV promiser and battery startup Envia Systems’ deal with GM was canceled after Envia failed to produce breakthrough battery results and that Envia is facing a lawsuit over an allegation that it stole battery tech from another company, is the perfect time for Renault to make the claim that it’ll produce a sub-compact with a 250 mile range by 2020. Right?

From an AutoExpress interview with Renault’s head of research Remi Bastien:

Bastien believes the industry is only at 50% in terms of exploration of battery technology, and that further development will improve range, outlining, “by 2020 the range of an EV like the Zoe will double to around 250 miles.”

It’s been pointed out repeatedly that there is no Moore’s Law for battery technology because there are basic challenges of chemistry and physics which stand in the way of quick advances. Fred Schlachter from the American Physical Society noted, “Significant improvement in battery capacity can only be made by changing to a different chemistry.”

And this statement is born out when we look at venture investment. Money flows to exciting new battery chemistry technologies with the hope that the new chemistry might just improve energy density. Even small improvements like 20-30 percent would give the startup a major edge.

So while I think ranges for EVs will creep up, I remain skeptical that we’ll see a doubling in the next 6 years.