The Renault Group has just taken another important step on the strategic path “Renaulution“, by announcing the signing of two partnerships in the area of design and production of batteries for electric vehicles.
In a statement, the French group led by Luca de Meo confirmed the entry into a strategic partnership with Envision AESC, which will develop a gigafactory in Douai, and revealed a principle of understanding with Verkor, which will translate into a participation of the superior Renault Group to 20% in this start-up.
The combination of these two partnerships with the Renault ElectriCity industrial complex in northern France will create around 4,500 direct jobs in that country by 2030, which will be the “heart” of the industrial strategy for Renault's electric vehicle batteries.
Luca de Meo, CEO of Renault GroupOur battery strategy is based on the Renault Group's ten-year experience and its investment in the electric mobility value chain. The latest strategic partnerships with Envision AESC and Verkor greatly strengthen our position as we secure the production of one million electric vehicles in Europe by 2030.
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As part of its strategy for electric vehicles, the Renault Group has teamed up with Envision AESC which will develop a gigantic factory in Douai, northern France, with a production capacity of 9 GWh in 2024 and which will be producing 24 GWh in 2030.
In an investment by Envision AESC that will cost around 2 billion euros, the Renault Group hopes to “significantly increase its competitive advantage and greatly improve the efficiency of its electric vehicle production chain”, with the objective being to “produce the latest battery technology with competitive costs, low carbon emissions and safe for electric models, including the future R5”.
Lei Zhang, founder and CEO of Envision GroupThe Envision Group's mission is to be the carbon neutral technology partner of choice for global businesses, governments and cities. We are therefore thrilled that the Renault Group has chosen Envision AESC batteries for its next generation of Electric Vehicles. By investing in the construction of a new gigantic factory in northern France, our aim is to support the transition to carbon neutrality, making high-performance, long-range batteries and Electric Vehicles more affordable and available to millions of motorists.
Renault Group acquires more than 20% of Verkor
In addition to the partnership with Envision AESC, the Renault Group also announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding to acquire a stake of more than 20% — the percentage was not specified — in Verkor with the objective of developing a high-performance battery for electric cars. Renault C and higher segments, as well as for Alpine models.
This partnership will give rise, in a first phase, to a research and development center and a pilot line for the prototyping and production of battery cells and modules, in France, as of 2022.
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In a second phase, in 2026, Verkor will implement a plan to create the first gigafactory of high-performance batteries for the Renault Group, also in France. The initial capacity will be 10 GWh, reaching 20 GWh by 2030.
Benoit Lemaignan, CEO of VerkorWe are proud to be associated with the Renault Group and we hope to realize, through this partnership, our common vision of implementing electric mobility on a large scale.
44 GWh of capacity in 2030
These two gigantic plants can reach a production capacity of 44 GWh in 2030, a decisive number for the Renault Group to be able to reach the commitments already made, which aim to achieve carbon neutrality in Europe by 2040 and worldwide by 2050.
According to the French group, sales of electric vehicles will already represent 90% of all Renault brand sales by 2030.
In a statement, the Renault Group confirms that these two new partnerships “are in line with existing programs”, including the “historic agreement with LG Chem, which currently supplies battery modules for the range of electric models of Renault and for the next MeganE”.