Renault says the results it has achieved with the CEA (Commissariat à l’énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives) in developing new-generation EV batteries have made it possible to enter the preparation phase for industrial production, set to begin in 2017 in France, with co-investment from LG Chem.
CEA Chairman Bernard Bigot said, “The strategic cooperation agreement between Renault and CEA, begun in 2010, perfectly illustrates the effectiveness of close scientific and technical cooperation between a private company and a public organisation, something we have been able to achieve. Creating economic value and employment, this model has enabled France to quickly take a leading world position in zero-emission technologies for automobiles.”
As part of a tripartite Renault-CEA-LG Chem agreement, to be signed this month, LG Chem will work on developing the technology of the new-generation battery which will be produced in new facilities to be constructed in France. The Renault laboratory, which has received an annual budget of around €15m (US$19.3m) since 2010, has now reached a sufficient stage of maturity to plan “life-sized” tests with a manufacturer.
The partnership currently involves 200 people (two-thirds CEA, one-third Renault) working at CEA sites in Grenoble and Saclay and at Renault’s Technocentre in Guyancourt.
The CEA has a role in co-developing automotive technology similar to the US Department of Energy’s National Laboratories or the UK’s Cenex and TSB government-funded technology development agencies. Within the umbrella of three ‘competitivity poles’ – Systematic, Mov’eo and ID4Car – the CEA’s CEA-List unit has partnered with France-based automotive electronics specialists including Renault, Valeo, Delphi, See4sys (Groupe Sherpa), Krono-Safe, Scaleo chip and Esterel Technologies in R&D to develop advanced electronics and connectivity systems.
