In Russia, the state has allocated $900 million over the next three years to be spent on investments in a platform for electric cars.
Russia, which is increasingly isolated from the Western world, has put the brakes on plans for the Putin regime to have its own production of electric cars and thus reduce dependence on foreign car manufacturers.
After the invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent sanctions, many international car manufacturers have left Russia. Renault, for example, sold Lada for just 10 Danish ore. This has led to a drastic drop in new car sales in the large country.
To address this challenge, the Russian government plans to invest up to $900 million in the development of an electric vehicle platform over the next three years. The platform, the Russians say, will form the basis for the production of a wide range of vehicles, with a particular focus on hybrid and electric vehicles.
This is what Carscoops writes.
The majority of the funding for the project comes from the Russian parliament, while the Central Scientific Research Automobile and Automotive Engines Institute (NAMI) is leading the development. NAMI is already known for owning Aurus Motors, a Russian brand that produces luxury cars for the president.
– By designing such a modular platform, we are laying the foundation for developing our own car production, said Alexey Matushansky, director of the Department of Strategic Development and Corporate Policy at the Industry and Trade Ministry, in connection with the announcement of the project.
– It will be used to assemble cars of different classes from Golf (compact) class to business class.
– NAMI will play a leading role in the implementation of this project, while their main task will be to unify the component base for this platform. The new platform will also be used for serial production of hybrid cars and especially electric cars in the future.
Rosatom, Russia's state nuclear power company, also plays a central role. The company is already in the process of establishing two gigafactories to produce battery cells for future electric cars. Rosatom is also working on the development of an electric motor.
Local car production in Russia has fallen sharply since the invasion of Ukraine. In 2021, about 1.34 million cars were produced in the country. But that number fell to 448,246 in 2022. While many established car manufacturers have left Russia, a number of Chinese brands have arrived to start licensed production at the abandoned factories.
Whether Russia can actually produce an electric car that looks anything like the horrible university project "Amber" from December 2023, time will tell.
