PSA BDP inaugurated its new Electric Vehicle (EV) battery logistics warehouse in Dunkirk, France, on June 1.

With the newly built 22,000-square-meter warehouse, PSA BDP said it would offer contract logistics services to the region's rapidly growing Auto EV cluster.

PSA BDP said the facility is BREEAM certified and meets the highest standards for sustainable EV battery handling, including in-rack sprinklers, temperature and humidity cameras, quarantine containers and water basins.

"PSA BDP chose Northern France for its new warehouse as this region is becoming a prime location for the development of EV technology, with no less than four EV battery gigafactories announced to date," it added.

In April, PSA BDP shared news of the agreement to handle the contract logistics and hinterland transportation for Automotive Cells Company (ACC) in Dunkirk.

It noted that a joint venture between Stellantis, Mercedes-Benz and TotalEnergies, through its subsidiary Saft, ACC, is establishing its first gigafactory in Billy-Berclau in Northern France.

"With its proximity to the Port of Dunkirk logistics zone, the PSA BDP warehouse is ideally positioned to service the region's nascent Auto EV industry by offering enhanced connectivity to deploy sustainable solutions like e-trucks, e-barges, and rail transportation," the global port operator said.

It added that as such, PSA BDP could support EV battery producers' ambition of achieving zero emissions and enabling circular supply chains.

During the inauguration event, attendees witnessed a test drive from the eActros, the first all-electric truck from Mercedes-Benz, from ACC’s gigafactory in Billy-Berclau to PSA BDP's warehouse in Dunkirk.

Burgeoning EV battery industry in Northern France

"Our team is thrilled to commemorate this pivotal moment for PSA BDP and the industry as a whole with the inauguration of this state-of-the-art supply chain centre," said Mike Andaloro, CEO of PSA BDP.

"We are honoured to be surrounded by so many distinguished guests as we celebrate this new opportunity to offer enhanced, sustainable, and end-to-end solutions to EV customers in this flourishing region," he added.

Pascal Reinards, head of business development at PSA BDP, noted that the new specialized warehouse addresses all supply chain needs of the "burgeoning EV battery industry in Northern France."

"EV battery manufacturers are seeking to partner with companies that offer the full suite of services and are flexible enough to adapt to their constantly changing needs. This profile fits PSA BDP perfectly."