CMA CGM Group has become a founding member of the next generation of electric vans venture, Flexis SAS, alongside Renault Group and Volvo as already announced on March 22, 2024, according to the company's release.
CMA CGM, through PULSE, its energy investment fund, acquired a 10% stake in Flexis SAS and has confirmed its interest for a strategic investment up to EUR 120 million by 2026.
Created by Rodolphe Saadé in 2022, CMA CGM Group’s Energy Fund PULSE has a €1.5 billion allocation towards decarbonization of the logistics value chain and focuses on direct and indirect investments in both innovative companies as well as sustainable industrial projects.
Volvo Group and Renault Group, holding each a 45% stake in Flexis SAS, plan to invest respectively EUR 300 million over the next three 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 until 2030.
Adopting the new connected electronic platform, the vehicle will onboard unprecedented capabilities to monitor users’ delivery activity and business performance, reducing up to 30% the global cost of usage for logistic players.
The connected services enabled by the software defined vehicle technology will enable customers to benefit from up-to-date vehicles during their whole lifecycle The van itself will offer outstanding compacity for urban mobility, and high polyvalence for tailor made solutions with different battery capacities, as well as the first 800V architecture on the market for vehicles in this category.
The vehicles will be produced in Renault Group’s Sandouville plant, expert in the LCV manufacturing, which will recruit 550 people over the next four years.
Led by Rodolphe Saadé, the CMA CGM Group, a global player of sea, land, air and logistics solutions, serves more than 420 ports around the world across five continents, with a fleet of around 620 vessels. In 2023, it carried a total of 21.8 million TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit) containers.