Renault Group and Verkor, a European manufacturer of low-carbon batteries (earlier post), have entered a long-term commercial partnership for the supply of batteries for electric vehicles. Verkor will supply Renault Group with the equivalent of 12 GWh of batteries each year. These batteries will be used in the upper segments of Renault Group’s brands, starting with the future Alpine 100% electric C-Crossover GT, manufactured in Dieppe, France, from 2025.

These high-performance and low-carbon batteries will be produced in France at the future Verkor Gigafactory in Dunkirk. (Earlier post.)

This announcement marks an important step in Verkor’s development, and consolidates the strategic partnership started with Renault Group’s acquisition of a stake in Verkor in June 2021. (Earlier post.)

Since then, Renault Group and Verkor have approved the technical quality of the product, its economic competitiveness, and its industrialization process, from the Verkor Innovation Centre in Grenoble (VIC) to the construction of the Dunkirk Gigafactory, which will be operational in 2025.

Renault Group confirms its confidence in Verkor and its innovative, high-performance, low-carbon technology. This commercial partnership allows us to secure a long-term supply of electric batteries and to ensure a reinforced traceability of the elements which compose them. It is in line with the ambition of the Group and its future entity Ampere dedicated to electric vehicles and software, to control the entire electric value chain. Renault Group is thus continuing to develop in France, at the heart of Europe, a robust electrical ecosystem of technology centres, vehicle, engine, and battery factories.

—François Provost, Renault Group Chief Purchasing, Partnerships, and Public Affairs Officer

Verkor will produce two types of battery cells in its Gigafactory: large pouch cells and smaller cylindrical cells (size form 2170 and up). The cells will then be assembled into modules for delivery to clients. Verkor has chosen to focus on high‑volume battery-cell manufacturing for the electric vehicle and large‑scale stationary storage markets.

Verkor says that the Gigafactory will have an initial production capacity of 16 GWh per year, which could be expanded to 50 GWh per year by 2030. Verkor plans to open its fully digital 4.0 pilot line in 2023.