The Renault-Nissan Alliance has confirmed that its second European battery production site will be at the Renault CACIA (Companhia Aveirense de Componentes para a Indústria Automóvel) industrial complex located in Aveiro, about 160 miles (250km) north of the Portuguese capital, Lisbon.
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The announcement was made by Portuguese prime minister Jose Socrates and Carlos Ghosn, chairman and CEO of the automakers’ alliance.
Earlier this year, the alliance picked identified Sunderland – also home to a Nissan car plant – in the north east of England for its first European battery production site. Both facilities will produce lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles to be produced by the alliance. Construction of the Portuguese plant will start next year with production commencing in 2012. Projected annual capacity is 50,000 units.
Socrates said: “After becoming a leading country in renewables, Portugal aims to be a pioneer in electrical mobility as it is developing a nationwide charging network for EVs. The [alliance] battery factory reinforces Portugal’s role as a place to research, produce and test components and solutions for EVs.”
Ghosn added: “We have been consistently impressed with the forward looking and proactive attitude of the Portuguese government towards the introduction of mass marketed zero emission vehicles. Our ability to make this investment utilising the Renault CACIA facility makes this a win-win for Portugal and for the alliance.”
The alliance will invest around EUR160m (US$240m) in the new facility creating 200 new jobs.
The investment follows the announcement almost exactly a year ago that Portugal would work with the alliance to implement a zero emission mobility programme from 2010. Under this plan, the alliance will supply electric vehicles from January 2011 and the Portuguese government will oversee the provision of an extensive network of 1,300 recharging stations that will be installed across the country over the next two years.
Hideaki Watanabe, alliance managing director of the Renault-Nissan zero emission business unit, said: “Portugal joins a growing list of countries making significant commitments to the reality of zero-emission mobility.”
