The SERMA Group signs a new partnership with Renault and doubles its dedicated testing test area for drivetrain of electric vehicles

The SERMA Group, a long-standing partner of Renault, announced a major new milestone in its collaboration with the French carmaker. To keep pace with the strong growth of the electric energy industry e, SERMA is strengthening its commitment to the development of electric vehicles in France.

For nearly 20 years, SERMA has built a strong partnership with Renault, based on innovation and excellence. To meet the new challenges of electromobility and support Renault’s vision of electric mobility, SERMA inaugurates a new 3,500 sqm testing center within Renault’s Lardy Technical Center.

This state-of-the-art infrastructure will be dedicated to electric and abuse testing, ensuring the availability of the necessary testing capacity for the electrification of Renault’s entire vehicle lineup.

This 7-year partnership reflects a mutual commitment to promote and develop electric vehicles in France, and marks an significant milestone in SERMA’s development, nearly doubling its testing and validation capacity dedicated to electric vehicle powertrains.

According to the terms of the partnership, Renault Group will bear the investments for the building transformation, while SERMA Group will invest in state-of-the-art electrical test equipment and facilities.

By integrating SERMA into the site’s electrical activities, overall engineering performance is enhanced, particularly in terms of responsiveness and innovation capacity.

The first tests carried out by SERMA in Lardy are expected to start in early 2025.

SERMA, at the Renault Group Technical Centre in Lardy, will have state-of-the-art facilities to carry out several types of tests, including:

Electrical testing :

• Testing of energy storage systems: conducted on cycling benches and climate chambers.
• Electric motor testing: reproduction of cycling and characterization of electric motor technologies.
• Power electronics testing on chargers, converters and DC/DC.

Abuse testing :

• Study of battery behavior and reactions beyond standard specifications to understand batteries behavior in extreme conditions.
• Generation of feared events: extreme scenarios that could lead to failures or incidents.