Their presence will highlight the long tradition of innovative automotive engineering seen on the streets of the principality, nestled on the French Côte d’Azur, since the first Monaco Grand Prix in 1929.
Renault: a Formula E pioneer
French Auto icon, Renault, was one of the founding teams of Formula E, in 2014, and ABB ambassador Sébastien Buemi became champion in the series’ second season, driving for the Renault eDams team.
Renault’s early participation underscored its growing commitment to EV's, and as the global auto industry continues to shift its manufacturing emphasis to EVs (see side panel), Renault is making significant investments in its production capacity, for example by increasing levels of factory automation.
At Renault Group’s advanced e-motor assembly lines in Cléon and Douai, France, ABB’s state-of-the-art robotic automation solutions will help deliver increased capacity. Since 2022, ABB has delivered the majority of the 160 units of the large industrial robot portfolio, to help automate Renault’s production network across several key markets.
At the company’s Douai facility, ABB technology will help manufacture the next generation of electric vehicles with new advanced body-in-white facilities. [Body-in-white (BIW) is a stage of automobile manufacture at which a vehicle’s bodyframe is joined together, before painting and before other components such as the motor, suspension, glass and interior fittings have been added.]
The collaboration is the latest chapter in a partnership between Renault and ABB that has existed for more than 20 years.
ABB is proud to have worked with Renault Group for more than two decades and we’re delighted to support them again as they accelerate the electrification of their product line-up.
Marc Segura, President of ABB Robotics division.
The partnership with ABB helps support Renault Group’s ‘Renaulution’ strategy, which is intended to generate sustainable profitability. It also cements ABB’s position as one of the largest EV manufacturing technology providers to Renault Group, while highlighting how ABB’s technology and solutions can support the entire production process.
Increasing safety through software solutions
In addition to the the large industrial robot portfolio, ABB is providing Renault with SafeMove software, which provides safety-rated supervision of robot motion.
Renault Group has established itself as a pioneer in the electric vehicle market with successes such as the Renault Zoe. With our expertise in flexible manufacturing, we look forward to ensuring these successes continue as we all move towards a sustainable transport future.
Mark Segura, President of ABB Robotics division.
The global EV boom in numbers
- The global EV market is valued at over £200 billion.
- As of 2023, more than 10 million EVs are on the road, with over 6 million plug-in EVs sold annually
- The industry’s growth is projected to continue, with EVs expected to account for 46% of light-vehicle sales by 2025, growing to 68% by 2030 and 83% by 2035
- In 2022, 14% of all new cars sold were electric, up from around 9% in 2021 and less than 5% in 2020
- China is the largest market for electric cars, with 40% of total sales projected by 2030.
Source: IEA and Statista
