The factory went into production.

The first super factory of French power battery manufacturer Verkor has officially started production in the "Battery Valley" in northern France. The factory has a total investment of 1.5 billion euros and is the third large-scale battery production base in the region to be put into operation after ACC and Yuanjing Power. The factory will start construction in November 2023, with an initial annual production capacity of 16GWh and plans to gradually increase to 50GWh by 2030. It is expected to provide batteries for approximately 300000 electric vehicles annually by 2027.

Deepening cooperation

Verkor was founded in 2020, jointly initiated by European innovation energy agency EIT InnoEnergy, Schneider Electric, and IDEC Group. Its shareholders include industries and investors such as Renault Group (holding approximately 10% of the shares), Kejie, EQT Ventures, among which Renault Group is its primary customer. The two parties established a strategic cooperation in 2021 and signed a long-term supply agreement in April 2023. The plan is to supply 10 GWh of batteries annually from 2026 and increase to 20 GWh from 2030, mainly for Renault C-Class and above models and the Alpine brand.

Technical layout

Verkor currently focuses on ternary batteries as its main direction, while actively promoting the research and development of lithium iron phosphate and solid-state batteries. It is worth noting that its partner Renault has simultaneously laid out its Asian supplier system in the lithium iron phosphate route: Renault's electric vehicle subsidiary Ampere has partnered with CATL (Hungary factory) and LG New Energy (Poland factory) to provide lithium iron phosphate batteries starting from 2026, with LG New Energy supplying a 39GWh battery pack to Ampere before 2030. Keywords: New Energy Latest News, New Energy Latest Reports

The commissioning of this factory marks significant progress in the construction of the European domestic battery supply chain, but in the face of global competition, its cost control, technological iteration, and capacity ramp up capabilities still face long-term tests. Jiandao Network Battery Column Editor/Gao Xue