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Advanced chemistry, technological sovereignty: the Ampere offensive on electric batteries

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Ampere makes batteries the lever of a key ambition for the
Group: democratizing electric mobility in Europe.
The focus on a project already well underway, between advanced technologies, cost control and industrial partnerships.

Ampere, the group’s intelligent electric vehicle pure player, has an uncompromising vision: federate the best partners, establish Europe as its epicentre, strengthen local sectors, deploy technologies for every use, and reach price parity with thermal vehicles. At the heart of these challenges: the battery, the vital organ of the electric vehicle.

Expand the range of technologies

Until then, the NMC (Nickel-Manganese-Cobalt) battery had dominated. Dense, solid chemistry, but whose cost rises with the volatility of metals. Ampere expands the spectrum by incorporating Lithium-Iron-Phosphate (LFP). This option, although less energy dense but cheaper, is perfectly suited for urban or peri-urban segments. No compromise on quality: customers enjoy a tailor-made autonomy, without inflation of rates.

This technological shift requires working hand in hand with the best in their field. Working closely with LG Energy Solution and CATL, Ampere is building an integrated European value chain, ensuring cell supply and competitiveness of the LFP technology until 2030. Several Renault and Alpine models will benefit from this.

“These technologies, integrated in a record time of 18 months, allow us to offer customers the best range at the best price, according to their use. It is essential to Ampere’s mission of democratizing electric vehicles in Europe.”

Philippe Brunet

SVP Powertrain and EV Engineering, Ampere

In parallel, Ampere led the development of a «Cell-to-Pack» architecture with LG Energy Solution. The world’s first «pouch»1 battery, this innovation concentrates more cells in an identical volume, thus increasing onboard energy.

The result: a greater autonomy, adapted to different uses, and a key step forward in making electric vehicles more accessible.

The integration of LFP and “Cell-to-Pack” technologies - and soon “Cell-to-Chassis” - will reduce the cost of batteries on vehicles by about 20% as early as 2026. A big step towards the democratization of electric vehicles, a leap forward in the next evolution: that of a cobalt-free battery, as dense as the NMC, as affordable as the LFP, rechargeable in less than 15 minutes.

1 The "pouch" cells of lithium-ion batteries have a flattened and flexible shape, giving the possibility to create custom configurations, adapted to the needs of the electric vehicle.

“Our battery strategy builds on Renault Group’s ten years of experience and investments in the electric mobility value chain. Our new partnerships will significantly strengthen our position. This is a major step to increase our competitiveness, anchor our Group in the French industrial dynamic and achieve our carbon neutrality objective. The Group reaffirms its commitment to producing popular, affordable and cost-effective electric cars.”

Luca de Meo

CEO Renault Group

Anchoring value in Europe, aiming for net zero carbon

This strategy is rooted in the Ampere ElectriCity cluster in the Hauts-de-France region. The cells are produced in Europe, the batteries assembled within the manufacture of Douai (except CATL batteries), then integrated into electric vehicles manufactured locally. Around this industrial core, four leading partners reinforce the Group’s technological sovereignty: AESC (for NMC technology), CATL (LFP batteries), LGES (NMC and LFP) and Verkor (NMC). This combination is supported by the joint venture Minth ElectriCity for battery tanks.

Production de batterie Ampere
Production of electric batteries at Ampere ElectriCity – Manufacture de Douai (France)

Under the Ampere banner, processes are becoming more agile and carbon-efficient. The Verkor site in Dunkirk, for example, relies on waste heat recovery from neighbouring industries and drastically reduces the process footprint. The AESC gigafactory a few meters from the Douai factory paves the way for the production of a low carbon battery.

The goal: to achieve net carbon neutrality in Ampere ElectriCity factories by 2025, in Europe by 2030 and worldwide by 2050.

Gigafactory AESC
Manufacture of battery cells at gigafactory AESC (Douai - Hauts-de-France)

Extend the life of batteries

For Renault Group, the environmental impact of batteries is taken into account throughout their life cycle (design, use, recycling). In 2020, the Flins site was transformed into a Refactory laboratory for the circular automotive economy. Located on the site, our subsidiary Gaia extends the life of batteries and reorients used cells to new horizons, such as renewable energy storage, in partnership with Mobilize.

The Group also aims - with The Future Is Neutral - to become a European leader in closed-loop battery recycling, where nothing gets lost, thanks to the combined know-how of experienced partners like Indra.

By mastering the value chain, diversifying chemistries and anchoring its industrial ambition in the heart of Europe, Ampere is rethinking battery as a strategic lever for efficient, accessible and responsible electric mobility.