Renault: Joining forces to make electric cars more affordable, automakers Renault, Mitsubishi and Nissan are expected to announce an alliance this week to jointly develop new vehicles. The carmakers’ plan was unveiled Monday (24) by Reuters, after learning from sources associated with the case.
Pressured by the arrival of new competitors and increased demand, the three automotive giants are planning to triple investment for the production of electric cars. To do this, the brands must jointly invest a minimum of 23 billion dollars (126 billion dollars at the daily price) over the next five years.
The “2030 Alliance”, as the partnership between the automakers was dubbed, is set to be officially formalized next Thursday (27), when new information will be available. According to the news channel, the plan includes “enhanced cooperation” between the parties, as well as a “shared vision on electrification and connected mobility”.
Another part of the project is the co-use of the new solid-state lithium-ion batteries being developed by Nissan. The cobalt-free technology makes it possible to cut the production cost of the part by 65%, which is essential to make electric cars cheaper, according to the Japanese automaker.
30 new models by 2030
With this new Franco-Japanese alliance, at least 30 new electrified models are expected to be launched jointly by 2030, according to the publication’s sources. The vehicles will use five common platforms, four of which have already been developed and partially deployed, with the last expected to be launched around 2025.
Of these platforms, one is for more affordable cars and another for electric SUVs, while two are for small cars (kei cars) and light commercial vehicles. The fifth, which is still under development by Renault engineers, will focus on compact models.
