With 4.13 billion dollars in 2022, the automobile market in Morocco has never been in better shape. To maintain this trend, the government of the Cherifian kingdom is planning to build a factory for the local manufacture of electric batteries. This approach will make it possible to meet the demand for batteries on the international market and to develop green mobility in Morocco. The project will eventually enable the introduction of one million electric vehicles in the kingdom by 2026.
According to 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. “Renault and the multinational Stellantis already have a strong presence in Morocco and have a combined production capacity of 700,000 vehicles. The car manufacturer Citroën plans to double its production capacity to 50,000 electric mini-vehicles by 2024,” explains Ryad Mezzour.
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And the development of electric mobility is attracting more and more investors. The French car manufacturer Renault recently concluded an agreement with the Moroccan group Managem, which specialises in the mining and hydrometallurgy sector, with a view to acquiring 35,000 tonnes of cobalt sulphate between 2025 and 2032. This low-carbon metal should enable Renault to reduce the carbon footprint of its batteries by 35% in Europe by 2030.
Benoit-Ivan Wansi