Maximilien Carlier (correspondent in the North), edited by Romain Rouillard / Photo credit: ROMAIN DOUCELIN / HANS LUCAS / HANS LUCAS VIA AFP 20:14 pm, May 12, 2023

A gigafactory of batteries for electric cars will be set up in the port of Dunkirk for a total investment of 5 billion euros. The announcement was made by Emmanuel Macron on Friday. The batteries, manufactured by Taiwanese group Prologium, are considered revolutionary.

Revolutionary batteries soon designed on the port of Dunkirk. The Taiwanese group Prologium will soon manufacture these devices, intended for electric cars, in a gigafactory. An investment of 5 billion euros announced this Friday by Emmanuel Macron who also promises the creation of 3,000 jobs. These batteries of another kind with the appearance of a board and measuring only twenty centimeters long have all the technological prowess.

80% charge in 12 minutes and longer battery life

All white, no thicker than a smartphone, it also contains no liquid and consists of ceramic. "If you cut it with scissors, there is no liquid running and the battery continues to work. So of course, it is amputated of some of these capabilities, but this technology has a lot of value, because it is safer. In the event of an accident, for example, it does not catch fire," he adds.

>>

READ ALSO – Emmanuel Macron promises to "halve the deadlines" for an industrial establishment in France

It also lasts longer and has a better autonomy, says this manager: "Our batteries can store twice as much electricity. A vehicle, which travels 500 km, will now be able, with this technology, to travel 1,000 km on a single charge. We will be able to charge our batteries 80% in 12 minutes." The German manufacturer Mercedes-Benz is now Prologium's main customer. Production is scheduled to start in Dunkirk by the end of 2026.