On July 5, 2022, Renault inaugurated a new production line dedicated to the ePT-160kW electric motor, at the Cléon plant in Normandy. A new step for the group in its transformation to electric.
Renault inaugurates a new production line dedicated to electric vehicles
For the occasion, Jose Vicente de los Mozos, industrial director of Renault Group, had even made the trip. Since 2018, Renault has invested 620 million euros in the Cléon site to accelerate the production of 100% electric motors and hybrids of the group. Renault specifies that, “This plant, considered a real center of expertise in the manufacture of very high performance electrical and mechanical components, will have a production capacity of more than 1 million electrified motors per year from 2024, including 500,000 electric motors and 510,000 hybrid engines”.
For the manufacturer, the idea is to sustainably permeate its activities with the electrical value chain in France. Indeed, Renault aims to be 100% electric for private vehicles in Europe by 2030. The ePT-160kW electric motor, which will be produced in Normandy, will have a power of 160 kW and will equip Renault’s 100% electric models, including the electric Megane E-Tech which is due out soon. An engine that is lighter and more compact than that of the Renault Zoé. Within the Cléon plant, there will be 4 assembly lines and 2 winding lines.
The Norman Cléon factory is transformed into a Megafactory
In its press release, Renault states that “this new generation motor, at the forefront of innovation, is a wound-rotor synchronous motor, a technology on which the Renault Group has been relying for ten years which offers better efficiency than the permanent-magnet motor”. In addition, the manufacturer specifies that the absence of rare earths secures the supply while by limiting its environmental impact and production costs.
Over the years, Renault transformed this Normandy factory into an electric Megafactory. Indeed, since 2015, the Cléon plant has also produced the electric powertrain for Renault Zoé, Twingo ZE, Kangoo ZE and Master ZE. To support this major transformation, Renault Group is taking the lead and trains its employees in new electrical trades.
An essential step for this transition to take place in good conditions. There is in particular the E-Mobility Academy. A “on-site campus” equipped with line-schools, the purpose of which is to train plant employees. Renault has also planned to recruit 100 new employees to support the electrical transformation of the site, as part of the Renouveau France 2025 plan.
