Blue Solutions will produce the solid-state batteries of the future in France
Today, on 17 May 2024, Mr Bruno Le Maire, Minister of the Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty, Mrs Valérie Debord, Vice-President of the Grand Est Region, Mr Loig Chesnais-Girard, President of the Brittany Region and Mrs Isabelle Assih, President of Quimper Bretagne Occidentale visited the battery factory based in Ergué-Gabéric.
Blue Solutions plans to develop and produce batteries for new generation electric vehicles in Brittany and Grand Est. Blue Solutions aims to create nearly 1,500 jobs by 2032, with an overall investment of over €2.2 billion. In the long term, the Blue Solutions gigafactory could represent an annual production capacity of 25 GWh, the equivalent of 250,000 vehicles per year, for the benefit of French and European consumers.
Against a backdrop of profound transformation of the automotive sector, today Blue Solutions is the only company to manufacture solid-state lithium-metal batteries on an industrial scale. It will rely on major technological breakthroughs for its new generation solid-state batteries (Gen4) which will offer 40% more autonomy compared with the maximum capacities currently estimated for lithium-ion batteries. They will enable France and Europe to meet the requirements of the automotive market in terms of performance, safety, cost and environmental protection. Advanced R&D activities will take place and an initial pilot line will be set up in Brittany, in the area of Quimper Bretagne Occidentale, which is also a supporter of the project.
These new Gen4 solid-state batteries may be produced in Alsace by 2030.
While the battery sector faces global competition largely dominated by Asia, the Blue Solutions projects will help to maintain France’s sovereignty and safeguard the future of its automotive sector, which represents more than 4,000 companies and 400,000 jobs.
At this key moment for Europe and France, the State, the Brittany Region and the Grand Est Region are proud to support these major projects as part of the ecological transition and the re-industrialisation of territories.
Within the framework of the France 2030 aim of producing nearly 2 million electric vehicles per year in France and the national battery strategy, development of the innovative and competitive supply of French batteries is essential. The industrial sector is being supported in particular by the green industries investment tax credit (C3IV), which is unprecedented.
“Blue Solutions has chosen France for the industrialisation of its solid-state batteries, which will be some of the most efficient in the world. This decision is good news for the country and for the planet. It has been made possible by a stable economic policy which attracts industrial investment and by an exemplary collaboration between the State and the regions.” Bruno Le Maire, Minister of the Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty.
“With this new gigafactory project, the Grand Est Region is making Alsace a pioneering region in the automotive sector. Through Blue Solutions, our Region, supported jointly with Brittany, will be able to write a new chapter in the region’s industrial history with the creation of almost 1,500 jobs while contributing to French and European sovereignty!” Franck Leroy, President of the Grand Est Region.
“These projects with a European dimension demonstrate that Brittany is a land of innovation and that the industrial automotive and low-carbon mobility sector has a bright future there. We are proud to support this project, which underlines the dynamism, appeal and intelligence of western Brittany!” Loig Chesnais-Girard, President of the Brittany Region and Isabelle Assih, President of Quimper Bretagne Occidentale.
“We are pleased that France is supporting an activity in which we have been investing for 30 years, which represents a real breakthrough enabling the European automotive industry to win the technological race of the next decade.” Cyrille Bolloré, Chairman and Managing Director of the Bolloré Group.
About Blue Solutions
Blue Solutions, a Bolloré Group entity, is a global designer and manufacturer of solid-state electric batteries, based in Ergué-Gabéric (Brittany) and Boucherville (Quebec, Canada). Since 2011, Blue Solutions has been the only company in the world to mass-produce solid-state batteries with lithium metal technology with a view to meeting the growing needs for sustainable, low-carbon transport. The Blue Solutions production sites are ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certified. Further information can be found at www.blue-solutions.com
