What is Flexis, the new entity of Renault Group?

CMA CGM joins Renault and Volvo as a founding member of Flexis, a joint venture dedicated to the development of electric vans.

Through Flexis, three major players in mobility have decided to unite their forces to develop a revolutionary generation of electric vans. Climate change, combined with the increasing weight of CO₂ emission regulations, poses new challenges to e-commerce and the associated logistics. Professional clients are expressing new expectations for electrified vans. The European market for these vehicles is expected to grow by 40% on average per year until 2030.

To meet this demand and lead the decarbonization of the transportation and logistics sectors, Volvo, Renault, and CMA CGM have created Flexis. Renault and Volvo will each hold 45% of the capital and plan to invest €300 million each over the next three years. CMA CGM will have a 10% stake in Flexis SAS and will invest up to €120 million by 2026.

Optimizing logistics down to the last mile

The vehicles will be assembled on a new type of “skateboard” platform dedicated to 100% electric light commercial vehicles, offering great modularity for different body types at a competitive cost, along with real advances in safety. By adopting the new connected electronic platform, the vehicle will include unprecedented features for managing delivery activities and monitoring commercial performance, reducing the overall cost of use for logistics players by up to 30%.

The connected services will allow customers to have up-to-date vehicles throughout their lifecycle. The van itself will offer exceptional compactness suited for urban mobility, great versatility for customized services, different battery capacities, as well as the first 800 V architecture on the market for vehicles in this category.

The new generation of models will be produced at the Renault Group factory in Sandouville, which specializes in the manufacture of light commercial vehicles and will hire 550 people over the next four years.

ALSO READ: Record autonomy for the Renault Master