Renault Group Partners Vulcan Energy for Lithium Supply
Like many automotive companies, Renault Group is working on its latest line-up of vehicles, which will be electrically powered to provide the next generation of Europe-produced motors. To achieve this goal, the company has entered into a partnership with the renewable energy company, Vulcan Energy.
Renault has announced a partnership that incorporates the supply of between 6,000 to 17,000 metric tonnes of lithium supply over a five year period. The agreement is said to meet the targets set out in Renault Group’s strategy for producing competitive, sustainable vehicles that are ‘made in Europe’.
‘We are very proud to partner with a European lithium producer with net-zero greenhouse gas emissions such as Vulcan Energy—a company that aims to become the world’s first lithium producer net-zero greenhouse gas emissions. Our environmental and social responsibility is at the heart of the Renaulution and this must also apply to the providers, we partner with if we want to create real value and offer the most sustainable vehicles in the market’, says Gianluca De Ficchy, Alliance EVP, Purchasing and Managing Director of Alliance Purchasing Organisation at Renault Group.
Renault Group is on board with the notion of meeting net-zero requirements by 2050 and will accelerate the development of its electric vehicle range. The partnership with Vulcan Energy will allow Renault to avoid new carbon emissions by 300 to 700kg for a 50kWh battery. It will provide Renault with a battery-quality lithium chemical product from its geothermal energy and lithium resource.
Dr Francis Wedin, Managing Director at Vulcan Energy, says, ‘It is important that we work with companies who share our ethos on sustainability. Renault Group is a pioneer in the EV space, with the successful introduction of truly affordable, mass-market models. Perhaps most importantly, the number one pillar of Renault’s strategy is “Carbon neutrality - Green as a business”, with a commitment to producing carbon-free batteries and becoming carbon neutral. We look forward to a long and productive relationship between Vulcan and Renault going forward’.
