Ebusco (Euronext: EBUS), a pioneer and frontrunner in the development of electric buses and charging systems, announces that it has signed a letter of intent to lease 21,000m2 in the Metropole Rouen to facilitate its future growth ambitions in France and Southwest Europe.
Ebusco has elected the Renault Cléon site to set up its French headquarters and production facility. This location came available as part of a transformation and strategic shift of the Cleon site towards 100% electric vehicles thereby creating a new ecosystem focused on continued innovation. Ebusco will contribute to this ecosystem not only through its experience of the electrification of public transport but also with the company’s deep knowledge of the integration of lightweight materials in its unique bus design.
The Metropole has given a very favorable welcome to Ebusco as a new tenant of the Cleon site, mobilizing all public partners (State and Region Normandie) to create the best conditions for a long-term partnership for the benefit of innovation and employment.
The new Ebusco factory is expected to be fully operational by the end of 2023 and will have an initial capacity of 500 buses per year with the option to expand capacity in later years. The initial investment to equip the facility and convert it to Ebusco standards is expected to be EUR 10m.
Peter Bijvelds, CEO of Ebusco, comments: “After the establishment of a development team in France two years ago, the installation of a second production site in Europe, as well as a new headquarters for our French subsidiary, is an important step for Ebusco in its development in France and Southern Europe. France represents the largest bus fleet in Europe and is therefore a strategic market for the development of Ebusco. With this new local production facility we aim to enhance our service to our existing French clients and gain further traction with new French mobility authorities.”
Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol, President of Rouen Métropole Normandie and Mayor of Rouen: “After the success of the recent takeover of Chapelle Darblay in Grand Couronne, which was made possible by the decisive action of the Metropolis, the establishment of Ebusco France’s headquarters and one of its largest production facilities are a new positive signal for the territory and its attractiveness, based on a clear strategic vision: to develop the low-carbon economy, the economy of tomorrow.”
Thomas Denis, CEO of the Renault Cléon plant, comments: “The challenges linked to job creation, attractiveness, and low-carbon mobility in the Rouen-Normandy metropolitan area naturally led us to agree to host Ebusco on our grounds. This expansion project in France of Ebusco is a great opportunity to promote Normandy, the know-how around the electrical industry and boost the local industrial fabric”.