Ampere, Renault’s electric subsidiary, inaugurates its Battery Cell Innovation Laboratory, a center of excellence designed to anticipate technological breakthroughs and strengthen Renault Group’s competitiveness in the electric vehicle sector.
Operational since September 30, 2025, in the Lardy Technical Center, this cutting-edge laboratory is fully dedicated to battery cell prototyping and evaluation. It will play a strategic role in the development of Renault Group’s next-generation electric vehicles.
In parallel, the creation of the E-Tech Campus is part of this dynamic, with a clear ambition to develop skills specific to electric vehicle technologies.
Pathfinder role
Spanning 3,000 m² across two levels, the building features over 120 state-of-the-art pieces of equipment, including a 600 m² dry room. It brings together two key and complementary activities: cell prototyping and electro-physico-chemical characterization, enabling the assessment of battery cell performance and behavior (including durability, fast charging, disassembly, and internal analysis).
“With this new laboratory, Ampere fully embraces its role as a pathfinder for Renault Group,” says Josep Maria Recasens, CEO of Ampere. “Our mission is to explore breakthrough technologies, identify the right partners, and secure the technological choices that will make a difference tomorrow.”
“In such a strategic field as batteries, this ability to anticipate and guide is essential to ensure the competitiveness and sustainability of our electric vehicles,” he adds.
This laboratory will enable Ampere to identify promising technologies and strategic partners early in the process. The goal is to gain control over the entire battery value chain, from upstream to downstream, by relying on a trusted network of partners.
“Having our own laboratory dedicated to battery cell innovation marks a major step forward for our engineering,” says Philippe Brunet, CTO of Renault Group. “Together with the E-Tech Campus, they play a key role in our ambition to lead cutting-edge innovation in engineering. Our goal is to make the Lardy Technical Center a true center of excellence in the field of electric vehicles,” he adds.
Lardy Technical Center
“The creation of this new laboratory is fully aligned with the transformation of the Lardy Technical Center into a benchmark ecosystem for electric vehicle technologies, says Ampere in the press release.
In addition, the E-Tech Campus of the ReKnow University will soon open its doors to offer training dedicated to electric vehicle technologies to Ampere and Renault Group employees, and eventually to other companies.
Established in 1951, the Lardy Technical Center has lived and supported all major evolutions in the automotive industry. Historically dedicated to the development and validation of internal combustion powertrains for Renault Group vehicles, its transformation toward electric mobility is now fully complete.
Strategic shift
This strategic shift has been structured around three central pillars: a comprehensive redesign of the site, the development of new skills, and the introduction of high-value-added activities. Today, Lardy stands as a central pillar of Renault Group and its subsidiary Ampere’s electric vehicle ecosystem.
Among the flagship initiatives, the Battery Cell Innovation Laboratory and the E-Tech Campus embody this new momentum. They play a key role in anchoring electric activities at the site and actively contribute to job sustainability.
“The Battery Cell Innovation Laboratory is a key component of our battery strategy It will enable us to improve performance and strengthen our evaluation capabilities through closer collaboration with our partners,” concludes Nicolas Racquet, EV Engineering Director at Ampere.
“We are making sure to stay ahead in the design of our electric vehicles and ensure they anticipate our customers’ expectations,” he adds.
