Renault confirmed Monday it will be in partnership with China’s Envision AESC and France’s Verkor for producing electric car batteries in northern France.
Automakers worldwide are racing to keep ahead of competitors in producing cleaner vehicles, a technology shift that is already prompting Germany’s Volkswagen for building six battery cell plants of its own in Europe.
Renault made the announcement, which verified earlier media reports, before a visit of President Emanuel Macron to the Douai site in northern France where Envision is investing up to 2 billion euros ($2.4 billion) close to “Renault ElectriCity” electric car hub for generating 2,500 new jobs by 2030.
The automaker also said it signed a memorandum of understanding with the French start-up Verkor to co-develop and then produce high-performance batteries, with a view to owning over 20% stake in Verkor.
“The combination of these two partnerships with Renault ElectriCity will generate almost 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 is going to have a capacity of 9-gigawatt hours (GWh) in 2024 and with intention of reaching 24 GWh by 2030.
The proximity of the Envision AESC’s gigafactory to Renault ElectriCity production sites located at Douai, Maubeuge and Ruitz, will create 700 extra jobs in the Hauts-de-France region.
