VoltR raises €22M to scale second-life battery production in Europe
What's the deal? French lithium battery remanufacturer VoltRDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has raised €22 million to scale its second-life battery production, backed by DecathlonDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →'s investment arm Decathlon PulseDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →. The round combines a €16 million equity raise with €6 million in grants through France's Première Usine programme.
The details: The equity portion came alongside the SPI 2 Fund, managed by Bpifrance on behalf of the French government via its France 2030 initiative. VoltR recovers cells from end-of-life batteries, assesses their remaining performance, and repurposes them in new ones — cutting reliance on new cells.
What's the endgame? The money moves VoltR from proof of concept to industrial scale. It plans to double its factory in Verrières-en-Anjou and increase production capacity sixfold over two years.
Chief executive officer Maxime Bleskine said the funding would take the company past its proof of concept. "Within two years, we aim to increase our production capacity sixfold and double our workforce, creating about 40 jobs," he added.
Where the money goes: The expansion covers manufacturing capacity, production automation, diagnostic and cell repurposing technologies, and an ICPE-certified storage facility. VoltR employs around 40 people and makes batteries for power tools, micromobility, home automation, smart cities, and mobile storage.
Why Decathlon? Decathlon Pulse invests in businesses that support Decathlon's strategic ambitions, with circular economy solutions a stated focus. Chief executive officer Franck Vigo said the firm shared VoltR's conviction that circularity should become a central part of future industrial models.
By the numbers: VoltR has placed more than 20,000 batteries on the market to date and now aims to prove its model works at far greater scale. Its longer-term goal is a European circular battery supply chain spanning collection, storage, diagnosis, remanufacturing, production, and recycling.
The signal: The round ranks in the 96th percentile among all-time early-stage VC deals in French AI, a sign of investor appetite for industrial circularity. With Bpifrance framing its backing as part of building a more self-sufficient European battery industry, second-life applications are emerging as a distinct stage between first use and recycling.
Read more: greenretail.world
Image credit: VoltR
