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Official : Renault Ends F1 Engine Project, Viry Transforms for Alpine

01/10/2024

Renault officially ends its F1 engine project, transforming its Viry-Châtillon facility into Alpine’s advanced engineering center. A dedicated F1 monitoring unit will continue to oversee technological developments in the sport.

Alpine announced this evening the creation of Hypertech Alpine, its new advanced engineering center in Viry-Châtillon. This marks the official end of Renault’s F1 engine project.

To justify this move, Alpine and Renault Group highlighted the following points:

— Hypertech Alpine will be a future center of excellence, combining cutting-edge technical expertise in engineering and high-performance automotive knowledge, serving both Alpine and Renault Group.

— This engineering center, based in Viry-Châtillon, will begin operations by the end of 2024 and will immediately work on the Group’s and brand’s future projects while maintaining a strong focus on motorsport, including:

  • The future Alpine Supercar, contributing to its development,
  • R&D on battery cells and new chemistries, particularly solid-state battery technology,
  • Research into new electric motor technologies,
  • The continuation of sports programs managed at Viry-Châtillon, such as WEC Endurance and Dakar,
  • The establishment of an F1 monitoring unit to stay ahead of technical developments in the field,
  • The development of engineering services for other companies.

This site transformation will involve reallocating resources and expertise currently focused on the F1 engine. Every employee affected by the project will be offered a position within Hypertech Alpine in Viry-Châtillon.

This ambitious project, given its scope and focus on cutting-edge technologies, will support the brand’s growth strategy and its unprecedented goal of expanding its vehicle range, with seven models planned by 2030.

A CENTER OF ENGINEERING EXCELLENCE SERVING ALPINE AND RENAULT GROUP

Hypertech Alpine, the brand’s new advanced engineering center, will bring together some of the best talents to contribute to the development of high-performance vehicles and cutting-edge technology innovations, both for Alpine and Renault Group. This long-term approach will help secure the expertise of the Viry-Châtillon teams in advanced hardware and software technologies while safeguarding the Group’s intellectual property.

The projects undertaken by Hypertech Alpine include:

  • The future Alpine Supercar: The Viry-Châtillon center will contribute to the development of the upcoming Alpine Supercar.
  • The battery technologies of tomorrow: Hypertech Alpine will be responsible for the short- and medium-term development of batteries for the brand’s sports vehicles. In the longer term, these teams will also lead Research & Advanced Engineering activities on ultra-high energy density cell chemistry, particularly solid-state battery technology, for extreme use conditions such as Supercar applications.
  • New electric motor technologies: Hypertech Alpine will conduct Research & Advanced Engineering activities on these technologies in collaboration with Ampere, preparing for the technological breakthroughs expected in future generations of electric vehicles.
  • The motorsport program: Viry-Châtillon’s expertise in motorsport is widely recognized and will continue to grow through various existing programs. These include the World Endurance Championship (WEC), customer racing, as well as Formula E and Rally-Raid for partner brands.
  • The F1 monitoring unit: Following a consultation process and dialogue with social partners at Viry-Châtillon, Alpine has decided to establish an F1 monitoring unit. This unit will aim to preserve the knowledge and expertise of employees in this sporting discipline and maintain cutting-edge innovation, supporting various Hypertech Alpine projects.

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE HYPERTECH ALPINE PROJECT

Following the consultation process with social partners, during which constructive discussions took place and an independent review was conducted, Alpine management confirms its project to transform the site into a center of excellence in engineering and advanced technology, starting by the end of 2024. Viry’s F1 activities, excluding new engine development, will continue until the end of the 2025 season.

Each employee affected by this transformation project will be offered a new position within Hypertech Alpine.

A dedicated task force, consisting of members of management, human resources, and employee representatives, will be established to work on various support mechanisms for the transformation, including the necessary training plans to scale up new projects.

Philippe Krief, Alpine CEO, commented: “The creation of this Hypertech Alpine center is key to Alpine’s development strategy and, more broadly, to the Group’s innovation strategy. It marks a turning point in the history of the Viry-Châtillon site, preserving valuable expertise and embedding its rare skills into the Group’s ambitious future, while also reinforcing Alpine’s role as a ‘garage of innovation.’ Its sporting DNA remains a cornerstone of the brand and will continue to fuel, notably through Hypertech Alpine, an unprecedented industrial and automotive project.”

Renault Exits F1 Engine Game - Focus Shifts to Alpine

Renault Exits F1 Engine Game, Focus Shifts to Alpine Renault Exits F1 Engine Game, Focus Shifts to Alpine. f1 2024 Renault Exits F1 Engine Game, Focus Shifts to Alpine

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