MOROCCO: Renault’s Tangier plant to go electric in October 2023

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MOROCCO: Renault's Tangier plant to go electric in October 2023 © Renault

In Morocco, the factory of the French automotive group Renault located in the port city of Tangier will manufacture its new electric vehicle model "Mobilize Duo". This vehicle, whose first range will leave the factory at the end of 2023, is intended for the European market.

Since its establishment in Morocco in 2012, the Renault automotive group has already produced around 2.4 million vehicles there, including the Dacia Lodgy and Dokker brands. To mark its tenth anniversary in 2022, the French manufacturer has announced that its Tangier plant will produce its “Mobilize Duo” range of electric vehicles from October 2023. This two-seater is equipped with smartphone-assisted driving software and a battery exchange charging system.

“The choice of the Moroccan site was motivated by its competitiveness, but also by its quality performance. Our Duo model is primarily intended for mobility and car-sharing professionals. Its neutrality in terms of CO2 emissions also played in favour of the Tangier site, as it aims to democratise sustainable mobility”, explains Clotilde Delbos, the general manager of the Mobilize brand at Renault.

According to Mohamed Bachiri, Managing Director of Renault Group Morocco, this new model will be assembled and manufactured locally in 17,000 parts using recycled materials at the end of its life. This is why the French carmaker’s subsidiary in Morocco signed an agreement in June 2022 with the Moroccan group Managem, which specialises in the mining and hydrometallurgy sector. This partnership aims to deliver 5,000 tonnes of cobalt sulphate to Renault each year between 2025 and 2027 in order to maximise its production of electric batteries and thus reach an annual capacity of 15 GWh. This cobalt is extracted from the Bou Azzer mine in the Ouarzazate region.

Read also-POLLUTEC MOROCCO: the 12th edition opens in Casablanca on 14 September 2022

At the same time, the Moroccan government plans to build a factory for the local manufacture of electric batteries to meet the demand on the international market and to develop green mobility within the Kingdom. The project will eventually allow for the introduction of one million electric vehicles by 2026. According to Ryad Mezzour, the Moroccan Minister of Industry and Trade, negotiations are underway with car manufacturers for the launch of this plant, which will make use of renewable energy, phosphate and the 1 900 tonnes of cobalt produced annually in Morocco.

Benoit-Ivan Wansi

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