As the second PERTE VEC call ends, grants are being awarded to fifteen projects which will altogether receive 76 million euros. This was the announcement made by the Minister of Industry, Jordi Hereu, who has already made the launch of the third call public. Stellantis and Spain's Gestamp featured in the allocation of 29 and 35 million euros for their respective electric vehicle projects in Spain.

All funds foreseen for the first phase of the PERTE under the Ministry of Industry have already been allocated. Over 3.3 billion euros in grants will act as a catalyst to encourage investment by companies in the various relevant sectors.

Fifteen projects selected
The approval of the grants allocated in the second phase of the PERTE VEC, which focused on the electric vehicle value chain, coincided with Hereu's participation in a breakfast organised by Nueva Economía Forum. The minister told the audience that fifteen projects will receive 57 million euros in subsidies and 18.6 million euros in loans, and that eight autonomous communities will be involved.

Stellantis was one of the leading companies on this occasion, with 29.2 million euros earmarked for various projects to be carried out entirely at its Vigo plant. When added to previous grants, the company, which brings together brands such as Citroën, Fiat, Lancia, Opel and Peugeot, has now received 154 million euros for these facilities and those in Figueruelas and Madrid.

Innovative technologies
The projects presented by Stellantis are related to the development of new designs and innovative technology applicable to the electric vehicle assembly process. The company aims to use these initiatives to improve energy efficiency and environmental sustainability in production processes at the Galician plant. It also plans to implement new technological processes in the area of forging and deep drawing to create hollow parts from sheet metal.

Another company benefiting from this call for proposals was Robert Bosch España, which obtained one million euros to set up an R&D&I project at its Madrid factory; its project is related to the experimental development of manufacturing and assembly lines for electric motor components.

Once this phase has been completed, the Ministry of Industry and Tourism will launch the third PERTE VEC call for proposals in the battery funding area, with a budget of 300 million euros.

^{Photo: Ministry of Industry and Tourism}