Renault’s plant in Cléon took a new step in its transformation towards electric power with the inauguration of the new “ePT-160kW” electric motor production line. Renault Group has invested €620 million since 2018 at the Cléon site to industrialise the group’s 100% electric and hybrid motors.
A centre of expertise in the manufacture of very high performance electrical and mechanical components, the plant 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 motors.
This transformation to electric vehicles, which was initiated in 2012, supports the group’s strategy of embeding its electric value chain activities in France on a long-term basis and the Renault brand’s ambition to be 100% electric for passenger vehicles in Europe by 2030.
Jose Vicente de los Mozos, Renault Group’s Industrial Director, said: “An emblematic site at the heart of the Renault Group’s industrial ecosystem, the Cléon plant is the largest production centre for electric motors in France. Today, it is a new stage in its conversion to electric power and a great source of pride for the plant’s 3,228 employees to produce this new electric motor for the Renault Mégane E-Tech. Cléon is the perfect example of the group’s industrial transformation towards the electric vehicle and its entire value chain, involving our employees, our social partners and our local stakeholders. Another future electric motor, developed jointly with Valéo, will also be assembled here and will reinforces the Renault Group’s commitment to the Cléon plant and its desire to base its activities in France.”
A new electric motor developed within the framework of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance, with a power of 160 kW, it will equip the 100% electric models of Renault, including the Megane E-Tech Electric, manufactured by the Douai plant within the ElectriCity cluster.
This new generation motor, at the cutting edge of innovation, is a synchronous motor with a wound rotor, a technology that Renault Group has been using for ten years and which offers better efficiency than the permanent magnet motor. In addition, the absence of rare earths secures the supply while limiting its environmental impact and production costs. More compact and lighter than the Zoe’s engine, it has more power (96 and 160 kW) and better torque (300 Nm). It offers all the pleasure of electric driving, including instant acceleration that is both dynamic and linear.
To accelerate this transition and to support the rapidly growing electric market, this new assembly line for the “ePT-160 kW” motor has been set up after the renovation of approximately 8,000 m2. The production workshop includes 4 assembly lines and 2 winding lines with a production capacity of 120,000 motors per year, and thanks to its flexible design, could produce 240,000 motors per year.
Since 2015, the Cléon plant has been producing the electric powertrain for Renault Zoé, Twingo ZE, Kangoo ZE and Master ZE. Today, it is expanding its range with the industrialisation of the ePT-160 kW, which will also equip the future Renault C-segment model. From 2024, production will be expanded with the ePT-100 kW engine for the future Renault 5 electric car and from 2027, with the new generation 200 kW electric motor, designed without rare earths and developed in partnership with Valeo and Valeo Siemens eAutomotive.
To support this large-scale transformation, Renault Group is taking the lead and supporting its employees to train them in the new electrical professions. In Cléon, a unique training facility has been set up: the E-Mobility Academy. Developed with the help of partners, this in situ campus, equipped with line-schools, aims to train the employees of the plant. This academic scheme is also accompanied by the announcement on 23 June 2022 of the recruitment of 100 new employees to support the site’s electrical transformation, as part of the Renouveau France 2025 plan.
