The Bolloré Group is investing in a battery factory in Montreal

A French billionaire who participates fully in the global race aimed at providing affordable and reliable electric cars the population says it has the energy to win.

Vincent Bollore announced Tuesday that his company, the Bollore Group, will invest $ 120 million in a battery plant in eastern Montreal.

The company was sold to Mr. Bollore by Hydro-Quebec in 2007, already produces hundreds of motors for electric cars per year. Thanks to its investment, businessman hopes to increase annual production 15,000.

The batteries will be manufactured according to the lithium-metal-polymer technology and allow vehicles to drive over a distance of 250 km has a maximum speed of 130 km / h. Vincent Bollore said that his company was a leader in the field and that its plant was the first in the world to produce lithium-metal-polymer. He argued that the product was safer than the lithium-ion batteries on which most automakers accounted for propelling the new electric cars, they will be launching shortly.

Mr. Bollore, the lithium-ion battery, often used in laptops and cell phones, are known to overheat and even catch fire. They therefore can not be used to generate a large amount of energy.

The billionaire said that he favored the technology did not include such risks.

Bluecar

In March, during the holding of the International Motor Show in Geneva, the famous Italian coachbuilder Pininfarina unveiled its Bluecar, a small car in compact template designed and developed with the participation of the French Bollore Group. This car was fully electric propulsion, is driven by an electric motor 50 kW (68 horsepower), which is associated to a metal-polymer battery Lithium-ion, concocted by a Quebec society, now property of Mr. Bollore.

It is therefore not surprising today, Bolloore Group invest in our intent to extend a production electric motors