A total of 62 companies, led by Volkswagen and Seat, have presented the bases of Future: Fast Forward, the first project that aspires to obtain part of the budget assigned to the PERTE of the Electric and Connected Vehicle.
It has a budget of 10 million euros, which makes it the largest industrial investment in Spain. With this money the partners of the initiative, in case of a positive resolution, hope to “electrify Spain”.
If everything goes according to plan and they get the go-ahead from the Executive, the project will start up in the first quarter of 2023 and will create more than 3,000 jobs.
The keys to Future: Fast Forward
Fulfilling the requirements to qualify for aid from the first Strategic Project for Economic Recovery and Transformation (PERTE) aimed at promoting electric and connected mobility, the Volkswagen Group project has the support of “national, international and leading companies in the different sectors”.
The PERTE-VEC bases impose that the aspiring projects must have repercussions in at least two autonomous communities and Future: Fast Forward will have it in 11 (Andalusia, Aragón, Cantabria, Castilla y León, Catalonia, Community of Madrid, Valencian Community , Extremadura, Galicia, Navarra and the Basque Country).
It also meets the requirement that a high percentage of the participating entities be SMEs (61% in this case); and between all of them they cover the entire value chain of the electric vehicle.
If it becomes a reality, Volkswagen, Seat and their partners will implement a plan based on four pillars:
- The tractor project aims to electrify the Martorell and Pamplona factories.
- The second pillar of the business group’s project is the creation of the entire battery ecosystem for electric cars in Spain, which encompasses everything from lithium extraction in mines to battery assembly, including a battery gigafactory in Sagunto (Valencia).
- The third axis contemplates the location in Spain of essential components for electric vehicles
- And, the fourth, includes areas related to training, digitization and the circular economy
“As a whole, the project covers the nine blocks of the PERTE of the Electric and Connected Vehicle”, explain those responsible.
Project partners Future: Fast Forward
The list of companies that will collaborate with the Volkswagen Group in the implementation of the project to electrify Spain includes Altech, Asai Industrial, AZTERLAN, Balidea, BeePlanet Factory, Bosch, Brose, CARTO, CELSA Group, CETIM, CIDETEC, CENIM – CSIC , CERLER Global Electronics, CYP Core, Delta Vigo, ENSO, Fenie Energía, FORMINSA, GCR Group and Gestamp.
Also Glavista, Gonvarri, Grupo Sesé, Grupo Simoldes, Iberdrola, Intrustial, IMS Technology, Ingedetec, University Research Institute (CIRCE) Zaragoza University, isEazy, ISEND, Kapture.io, Kautenik, Kivnon, Lazpiur, Leartiker, Libelium, Lithium Iberia, Malena Engineering, Mindcaps, Mol-Matric, Motorland Aragón, NTDD, NUTAI, Órbita Ingeniería and Pomceg Electronics.
Completing the list are POWER Innotech, Power HoldCo Spain, SEAT CODE, SEAT MÓ, SEAT SA, Silence, Grupo SPR, Sumitomo Electric Bordnetze, Técnicas Reunidas, TECOI, Valeo, Vega Chargers, Vicomtech, Volkswagen Navarra, WIP and Zylk.
“This investment of 10,000 million euros will electrify Spain, the second-largest European car manufacturing country, creating a battery gigafactory in Sagunto, producing electric vehicles at the Martorell and Pamplona plants, and creating a broad ecosystem of suppliers. It is the largest industrial investment made in the history of Spain”, explained Herbert Diess.