French container ship giant CMA CGM Group has become a founding member of the next generation of electric vans venture “Flexis SAS” alongside Renault Group and Volvo.
Three global players in their respective industries are creating “a joint venture for the revolutionary generation of electric vans,” as the European market for electrified vans is expected to grow by 40% per year until 2030.
Flexis SAS will be based in France, and the all-electric vans based on connected electronic platform will be produced in the Renault Group Sandouville plant in France.
CMA CGM, through PULSE, its energy investment fund, acquired a 10% stake in Flexis SAS and has confirmed its interest for a strategic investment up to €120m by 2026.
Created by Rodolphe Saadé in 2022, CMA CGM Group’s Energy Fund PULSE has a €1.5b allocation towards decarbonization of the logistics value chain and focuses on direct and indirect investments in both innovative companies as well as sustainable industrial projects.
Volvo Group and Renault Group, holding each a 45% stake in Flexis SAS, plan to invest respectively €300m over the next three years.
The vehicles will be built on a new fully electric LCV skateboard platform that will offer high modularity for different body types at a competitive cost, and breakthrough on safety requirements, as CMA CGM claims.
Adopting the new connected electronic platform, the vehicle will onboard unprecedented capabilities to monitor users’ delivery activity and business performance, reducing up to 30% the global cost of usage for logistic players.
“The connected services enabled by the software defined vehicle technology will enable customers to benefit from up-to-date vehicles during their whole lifecycle. The van itself will offer outstanding compacity for urban mobility, and high polyvalence for tailor made solutions with different battery capacities, as well as the first 800V architecture on the market for vehicles in this category,” says the container line.
The vehicles will be produced in Renault Group’s Sandouville plant, expert in the LCV manufacturing, which will recruit 550 people over the next four years.
