VoltR secures €22 Million in funding - including €16 Million raised from Bpifrance and Decathlon PULSE – to industrialise the second life of lithium batteries in Europe

VoltR, a French pioneer in lithium battery remanufacturing, has secured €22 million in funding to accelerate its industrial scale-up. The financing includes a €16 million equity investment from the SPI 2 Fund, managed by Bpifrance on behalf of the French government as part of France 2030, and Decathlon PULSE, Decathlon’s investment and innovation arm dedicated to building new growth engines. This is complemented by €6 million in grants secured through the “Première Usine” programme. The French company aims to demonstrate at industrial scale that a battery reaching the end of its first life can become a new resource for the production of new batteries in France. The funding will enable VoltR to double the size of its Verrières-en-Anjou (Maine-et-Loire) plant and increase its production capacity sixfold within two years, accelerating its expansion across Europe.

As electrification gathers pace, demand for lithium batteries is increasing, along with the volume of batteries reaching the end of their first life. This puts batteries at the heart of a dual strategic challenge: meeting growing demand in a context of scarce resources while minimising their environmental impact. This is precisely where remanufacturing comes in: tapping into the world’s largest urban mine – our waste – and turning used batteries into a resource and a strategic asset. A pioneer in this field, VoltR has developed a unique, fully integrated model spanning the entire value chain, from the collection of used batteries and cell diagnostics through to the production of new batteries.

“For the past four years, we have been working to demonstrate a fairly simple idea: a lithium cell that has reached the end of its first life has not necessarily reached the end of its industrial life. We have validated the proof of concept, with more than 20,000 batteries brought to market, and this funding now gives us the means to demonstrate our model at scale. Over the next two years, our ambition is to increase our production capacity sixfold and double our workforce, creating around 40 jobs. Having Bpifrance’s SPI Fund and Decathlon PULSE alongside us is particularly significant: together, they bring industrial scale-up expertise and deep, practical knowledge of use cases and markets. Our goal remains unchanged: to make remanufacturing a fully-fledged part of the European battery value chain, strengthening its sovereignty while reducing its environmental impact.”Maxime Bleskine, CEO of VoltR

From proof of concept to industrial scale

This funding will enable VoltR to accelerate the industrial deployment of its remanufacturing model. The investment will support the expansion and scale-up of its industrial facilities, the industrialisation and automation of its production processes, the development of its cell diagnostics and repurposing technologies.

This scale-up will enable VoltR to handle growing volumes of batteries reaching the end of their first life and extend its expertise to new products and markets.

“With VoltR, the SPI Fund is reaffirming its commitment to building a sovereign battery industry. Having already supported both new battery production and recycling, we are now completing the value chain by giving batteries a second life. With its expertise and unique positioning, VoltR has established itself as a key player in this circular revolution, and we are proud to support the company through this new phase of industrialisation.”Jean-Philippe Richard, Director of the SPI Fund, Bpifrance

Making circularity a driver of industrial sovereignty

By reducing the need for new cells and complementing recycling with an additional stage of value recovery, remanufacturing helps strengthen the resilience of a strategic supply chain that remains heavily dependent on imports.
It also addresses an environmental challenge by maximising the use of the resources and energy already invested in producing cells before they are ultimately recycled.
For Bpifrance, Decathlon PULSE and VoltR, this investment is underpinned by a shared conviction: circularity must move beyond the experimental stage to become a genuine industrial model that creates local jobs. Beyond VoltR’s own development, the broader objective is to build the industrial capabilities Europe needs for a complete circular value chain: collection, storage, diagnostics, remanufacturing, production and, ultimately, material recycling when reuse is no longer possible.

“We share VoltR’s conviction that circularity must be at the heart of tomorrow’s industrial models, and we are particularly pleased to partner with such a committed team. Their model provides a tangible response to a major environmental challenge. Together, we want to accelerate its development and help strengthen the industrial capabilities, expertise and supply chains needed to build a more circular industry in Europe.”Franck Vigo, CEO of Decathlon PULSE

ABOUT

VoltR

VoltR is a French manufacturer of eco-designed lithium batteries. Through a rigorous industrial process and advanced proprietary technology, VoltR recovers cells from batteries reaching the end of their first life and repurposes them in new batteries suited to their remaining performance. This enables VoltR to offer eco-designed, Made-in-France batteries that meet the same performance and certification requirements as conventional batteries. VoltR manufactures batteries for a range of markets, including power tools, micromobility, home automation, smart cities and mobile energy storage. This environmentally responsible solution maximises the lifespan of lithium batteries by giving them a second life. VoltR currently employs around 40 people and aims to build a European circular economy value chain for lithium batteries, with the goal of minimising their environmental impact.

More information: www.voltr.tech

Bpifrance

Bpifrance’s equity investments are operated by Bpifrance. Bpifrance finances companies – at every stage of their development – through loans, guarantees and equity investments. It supports them with their innovation and international expansion projects and also supports their export activities through a broad range of products. Advisory services, training, networking and acceleration programmes for start-ups, SMEs and mid-sized companies are also part of the services offered to entrepreneurs. Through Bpifrance and its 50 regional offices, entrepreneurs benefit from a local, dedicated and effective point of contact to help them address their challenges.

More information: www.bpifrance.fr: presse.bpifrance.fr
Follow Bpifrance on X (formerly Twitter): @Bpifrance and @BpifrancePresse, and on LinkedIn.

Decathlon PULSE

Decathlon PULSE is the investment and innovation arm of Decathlon, dedicated to building new long-term growth engines, accelerating Decathlon’s ambition to make sports and wellbeing accessible to everyone. An independent entity within Decathlon, Decathlon PULSE builds, invests in and acquires forward-thinking companies that complement Decathlon Group’s strategic ambitions and are shaping the global sports ecosystem. For the better.

More information: www.decathlonpulse.com
Contact: Sophie O’Kelly De Gallagh, Investment Leader – Circular Economy sophie.okellydegallagh@decathlon.com