CMA CGM Group has joined Renault Group and Volvo Group as a founding member of Flexis SAS, a joint venture for the next generation of electric vans.
Through its PULSE energy fund, CMA CGM Group has acquired a 10% stake in Flexis SAS and will invest up to 120 million euros by 2026. Renault Group and Volvo Group each will hold 45% equity stakes and are planning to invest 300 million euros each over the course of the next three years.
Philippe Divry has been appointed CEO of the new company, and Krishnan Sundararajan will serve as chief operations officer. Flexis SAS will be based in France, and the all-electric vans based on a connected electronic platform will be produced in Renault Group’s Sandouville plant, which will recruit 550 people over the next four years.
New expectations for electrified vans are emerging as professional customers are facing increasing pressure from climate change and CO2 regulations, while e-commerce and logistics are booming. The European market for electrified vans is expected to grow by 40% per year on average until 2030.
Volvo Group, Renault Group and CMA CGM Group are creating Flexis SAS to address the decarbonization of transport and logistics sectors. The three companies are known for leadership in specific areas:
• Renault Group — Electric vehicles and software, as well as light commercial vehicle (LCV) manufacturing.
• Volvo Group — Transport solutions with expertise in tailored services, uptime and productivity.
• CMA CGM — Logistics, notably for the automotive industry, and as a pioneer in the decarbonization of supply chain.
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. Adopting the connected electronic platform, the vehicle will onboard new capabilities to monitor users’ delivery activity and business performance, reducing up to 30% the global cost of usage for logistic players.
These connected services will enable customers to benefit from up-to-date vehicles during their whole lifecycle. The van itself will offer outstanding urban mobility and high versatility for tailor-made solutions with different battery capacities, as well as the first 800-volt architecture on the market for LCVs.
