News
July 29, 2021
Uncategorized
Verkor, the battery-cell manufacturer founded to ramp up and fast-track the production of batteries for electric vehicles and stationary storage in Europe, is celebrating its one-year anniversary. Our goal is manufacturing excellence, drawing on our digital-native processes and data architecture to achieve ultra-efficiency, and optimal profitability and reliability.
Origins
In July 2020, amidst a global pandemic that slowed down the economy and society, and urged by the growing climate issues facing the transport industry, six industry and battery experts and entrepreneurs, driven by the European Battery Alliance (EBA), came together to create Verkor.
On 29 July 2020, the first press release announcing a new European battery manufacturer in France was published. A new and exciting adventure — and an unprecedented industrial ambition in France to meet environmental and societal needs — had begun.
Verkor identifies itself as an expert manufacturer, and is creating a new and inherently sustainable approach to battery-cell manufacturing to gear up the production of electric vehicles and stationary storage.
By standing by our ambition to build a more sustainable future today, we have drawn the interest of important shareholders. With the support of EIT InnoEnergy, Groupe IDEC, Schneider Electric, Capgemini, and now Renault Group, EQT Ventures, Arkema, Tokai COBEX, and Demeter FMET, Verkor has reached the key milestones of its roadmap in less than a year, and is ready to hit the next targets.
Collective intelligence is our watchword. Our team that started as a panel of six co-founders now has some 40 experts from 14 different countries, all working together to fulfil Verkor’s ambitions.As an attractive and ambitious company, Verkor brings together multidisciplinary talents who are committed to building an innovative project on a European scale. More equally driven individuals will soon be joining us, bringing with them new skills to take Verkor even further down the road.
Key milestones of this first year:
July 2020 :
February 2021 :
Capgemini joins Verkor venture to reinforce the European low-carbon battery value chain
June 2021 :
Verkor partners with Renault Group to gear up its battery manufacturing in France
July 2021 :
Verkor and its growing team has aligned itself with key strategic and financial partners to see through the early stages of its development. In less than a year, it has raised a record €100M. Renault Group, our first partner-client, has also joined the adventure, giving Verkor partners that cover the full spectrum of the battery value chain.
In its first year, the entire Verkor team proudly announced and celebrated numerous successes and milestones.
Next steps
We are proud of our progress and of what we have achieved in just one year of existence, and will remain resolutely focused and committed to building an efficient and sustainable Gigafactory in France to meet the growing demand for batteries for electric vehicles and stationary storage in Europe.
Our next step is to build the Verkor Innovation Centre (VIC), operational in 2022. Located in Grenoble, it will be the base of the company’s future headquarters and will accommodate a pilot line for battery cell manufacturing, a R&D centre, testing facilities, module prototyping, and provide training for a new generation of engineers and technicians.
The VIC will turn the page to a new chapter in our company’s history: the construction of the first Verkor Gigafactory in 2024. Annual lithium-ion cell battery manufacturing capacity will be 16 GWh, and will use the innovations coming out of the VIC.
And this is only the start of our journey. Let’s respond to the challenges facing society and the environment by building together, here and now, the batteries of tomorrow.
Batteries. Now. For the future.
Highlights of the last 12 months:
