Renault Group and supplier Minth Group have signed a memorandum of understanding for a joint venture to produce battery casings, based in France.
The JV will locate this at the Ruitz plant in Renault ElectriCity and will supply ElectriCity Douai and Maubeuge plants.
The battery casing, a set of extruded aluminium parts assembled by friction welding in which the battery modules are housed, is a key component of the electric vehicle and contributes to the vehicle’s durability and safety. The JV will install two new production lines in Ruitz in 2023 with a capacity of 300,000 battery casings per year by 2025, for electric models, including the future R5.
This JV will draw on the pioneering experience of Renault Group in the production of electric vehicles, the technical skills of Ruitz’s teams and its knowledge of the ecosystem in France, as well as Minth Group’s recognized know-how of battery casings.
This JV will support the strong growth of the electric vehicle market and the development of Renault ElectriCity industrial cluster, which aims to reach an annual output of 480,000 electric vehicles by 2025 from factories in the north of France.
Jose-Vicente de los Mozos, EVP industry, Renault Group said: “This new strategic partnership with Minth Group, alongside with our partnership with Envision AESC to set up a gigafactory in Douai to manufacture cost-competitive, low-carbon batteries allows Renault Group to position itself as a leading player in the entire value chain of electric vehicles. By integrating this new high-tech activity of battery casing assembly in Ruitz, this joint venture is perfectly in line with the group’s strategy to create a best-in-class ecosystem as close as possible to our production sites.”