French automaker Renault said Monday it has partnered with China’s Envision AESC and France’s Verkor to manufacture electric car batteries in northern France.
Automobile manufacturers around the world are struggling to stay ahead of the competition in producing cleaner vehicles, a technological shift that is already causing Germany’s Volkswagen to build six of its own battery cell plants in Europe.
Renault made the announcement, backed by previous media reports, ahead of President Emanuel Macron’s visit to the Douai site in northern France, where Envision is selling up to € 2 billion ($ 2.4 billion) near the Renault ElectriCity “Invested in order to create 2,500 euros of new jobs by 2030.
Renault also said it has signed a letter of intent with French startup Verkor to jointly develop and manufacture high-performance batteries with the aim of owning more than 20% of the shares in Verkor.
“The combination of these two partnerships with Renault ElectriCity will create nearly 4,500 direct jobs in France by 2030 while developing a robust battery manufacturing ecosystem in the heart of Europe,” the statement said.
Envision AESC’s Gigafactory in Douai will have a capacity of 9 gigawatt hours (GWh) in 2024 and reach 24 GWh by 2030.
The proximity of Envision AESC’s Gigafactory to Renault ElectriCity’s production facilities in Douai, Maubeuge and Ruitz will create 700 additional jobs in the Hauts-de-France region.
(With contributions from agencies)
