Leclanché Selected as Part of Six Innovative Electric Vehicle Battery Projects for Funding under the EU Innovation Fund 24 Battery call
In a release published on Friday 4th of July, the European Commission announced that six pioneering electric vehicle (EV) battery cell manufacturing projects, including LECLANCHE GmbH, will receive a total of €852 million in grants from the Innovation Fund. These grants aim to accelerate the growth of and investment in the EU’s battery manufacturing industry providing support on capital and operational expenditures. They were selected from 14 proposals submitted by eight countries.
Leclanché submitted a project for the expansion of the Willstätt plant, Germany, scaling the water based and PFAS free manufacturing of cells. The project was recognised as a high-quality proposal in a fiercely competitive call, following an evaluation by an international panel of independent experts. It allows for the scaling of a low carbon cell manufacturing technology that removes PFAS materials from the lithium-ion cells.
“This selection marks a major milestone for Leclanché and confirms the strategic importance of our technology and local presence in Europe. It also highlights the maturity of our project, as only the most advanced proposals were selected,” said Pierre Blanc, CEO of Leclanché. “With the selection of our project for funding under the Innovation Fund call, our water based PFAS free technology has been recognised as innovative and technologically mature.”
The selected projects drive innovation in EV battery cell production through the deployment of sustainable manufacturing techniques, processes, and technologies. They represent strategic investments that will drive Europe’s transition to a clean, competitive, and resilient industrial base.
The next step for Leclanché will be the finalization and signature of its grant agreement with the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA), expected in the third quarter of 2025. The grant will be in support of funding provided by the company. The start of the project is expected in January 2026, once the final agreements are signed and the overall funding provided by the company is in place.
