STMicroelectronics to supply Renault & Arrival

Semiconductor manufacturer STMicroelectronics has forged two new partnerships in the eMobility sector: both the Renault Group and the British developer Arrival will be relying on semiconductor products from the Swiss group in their electric vehicles in future.

STMicroelectronics has entered into a strategic cooperation with Renault. The core of the cooperation is “the development, manufacture and supply of STMicroelectronics products and associated packaging solutions for the power electronics of Renault Group’s electric vehicles”, according to an accompanying statement. With the help of the Swiss semiconductor specialist, Renault aims to achieve higher ranges, lower battery costs and improvements in charging processes.

The aim of the collaboration is to further enhance the performance of Renault Group’s electric and hybrid vehicles based on STMicroelectronics’ wide bandgap semiconductor technologies, the French company specifies. The Geneva-based semiconductor company is pushing the launch of components based on innovative materials such as silicon carbide and gallium nitride under the slogan Wide Badgap.

To put this into perspective: If silicon is replaced in semiconductors by silicon carbide, for example, the switching times are reduced and operation at higher temperatures is also possible. In the future, the material will also be used in other applications in electric cars, as it can increase efficiency.

Renault and STMicroelectronics now intend to work closely together on the development of such components and Renault announces that STMicroelectronics will “benefit as a key innovation partner (…) from significant and guaranteed volumes for the annual use of these power modules and transistors from 2026-2030”.

Commenting on the deal, Renault Group CEO Luca de Meo said: “We are delighted to work with market leader STMicroelectronics to integrate their advanced power electronics and to co-develop technologies to further improve the energy capacity of our electric and hybrid vehicle batteries and their performance on the road and when charging.” He said the partnership will secure future supplies of key components that will be instrumental in reducing energy loss by 45 per cent and lowering the cost of the electric drive train by 30 per cent, “helping us fulfil our ambition of making electric vehicles affordable, profitable and popular,” de Meo said.

STMicroelectronics has entered into another partnership in the eMobility sector with Arrival. The British EV developer will also rely on semiconductor products from STMicroelectronics for its future vehicle range. This concerns the electric delivery van as well as the electric bus and the electric car for ride-hailing services recently announced by Arrival, which is being created in cooperation with Uber. Among other things, the company is talking about microcontrollers for device control as well as smart power and battery management devices for the efficient electrification of vehicles.

“STMicroelectronics makes some of the best technology on the market today. At Arrival, choosing the most advanced technologies is critical to extending the life of our products, increasing their value while making them even more sustainable by extending their useful life,” expresses Sergey Malygin, EVP of Technology at Arrival.

renaultgroup.com, newsroom.st, arrival.com, newsroom.st.com (both Arrival)