Our Chief Executive Officer, Yann Vincent, was the guest on BFM business yesterday morning (12 June); The aim was twofold: to put the evolution of ACC's strategy in context, and to demonstrate that the overall direction has been maintained.

 

‘I have no doubt that our project, which contributes to Europe's sovereignty, industrialisation and job creation, is a project that will continue to be supported’. On the set of BFM Business, Yann Vincent echoed the motivation and determination of the teams at ACC. After recalling and explaining the background to the electric vehicle market, our CEO detailed ACC's future prospects.   

Yann Vincent recalled that, in addition to our high-performance batteries, we are now broadening the spectrum of our technologies to develop new products that will make electric mobility more affordable in Europe. Prototypes of these new cells are currently under development at our R&D centre in Bruges, near Bordeaux. This product is designed to meet consumer expectations: access to electric mobility at lower costs than the current market offer. Yann Vincent sums up the strategy as follows: ‘To take the time to study very seriously this solution, which is less expensive for customers and will help the market to start growing significantly again’.

Investing in these technologies of the future is possible thanks to the support of our shareholders, who give us the strength of a large group, combined with the agility required to make the right decisions at the right time. For Yann Vincent, the decision to put the development of the Kaiserslautern plant in Germany and the Termoli plant in Italy on hold is a sign of ‘prudence’, the proof of an informed and reasonable management style. Projects put on hold, but by no means abandoned! While production at our Billy-Berclau / Douvrin Gigafactory is ramping up, the next stage in our development will be the implementation of a new industrial schedule for our German and Italian plants, scheduled for late 2024 - early 2025.  

In order to face up to the competition and the challenges of the market, we still need to ‘build up our strength, forge partnerships to accelerate’. This is an ambitious goal, and one towards which ACC is moving with confidence: ‘Today, we're more than 1,600 people, we're starting from 0’, said Yann, referring to the challenges already met.

Watch the full interview here. 

Solid partnerships, a sustainable future

We've had not one, not two, but four visits from our shareholders in recent weeks to our Nersac site and our Gigafactory at Billy-Berclau Douvrin.
On 31 May, we welcomed the Board of Directors of TotalEnergies to our Industrial Excellence Center in Nersac, near Angoulême.  
As for our shareholder Stellantis, its CEO Carlos Tavares was welcomed to the Gigafactory on 3 June. Later that week, the entire Board of Directors had the opportunity to discover the Gigafactory and appreciate its developments.  
Finally, Markus Schäfer, a member of the Mercedes Executive Committee, also visited us in Billy-Berclau Douvrin on 7 June.

Our three shareholders were able to salute the remarkable progress made by ACC and expressed their satisfaction with the achievements to date.
These visits, which had been planned for a long time, were an opportunity to strengthen the close links that unite us, and to consolidate our strategic partnership. With ambitious targets, this vote of confidence and support also represents recognition of our efforts and expertise. This support encourages us to continue our path towards developing sustainable mobility via an industrial project with European roots.

Together, we will continue to push back the boundaries of innovation and offer cutting-edge, affordable battery solutions tailored to the needs of our customers and the expectations of the market. An exciting collective adventure!