French Startup VoltR Just Raised $24 Million to Give Old Batteries a Second Life

Jan de Vries · 2026-10-07

VoltR, a French company that remanufactures lithium batteries, just raised about $24 million (€22 million) to scale up its operations. That's a mix of $17.4 million in equity and $6.5 million in grants. The money comes from Bpifrance's SPI 2 Fund and Decathlon PULSE, Decathlon's investment arm. Not bad for a startup founded just two years ago. ### So, What Exactly Does VoltR Do? You know how we all toss batteries when they stop holding a charge? VoltR sees that differently. They collect used lithium cells, test them, and rebuild them into new batteries. The idea is simple: a battery that's done its first job might still have plenty of life left for a second one. Maxime Bleskine, VoltR's CEO, put it this way: "A lithium cell that has reached the end of its first life cycle has not necessarily reached the end of its industrial life." They've already proven this with over 20,000 batteries on the market. Now they're ready to go big. ### The Big Plan: Six Times the Capacity, Double the Jobs Within two years, VoltR wants to increase production capacity sixfold and double its workforce, adding about 40 jobs. They're expanding their plant in Verrières-en-Anjou, France, and automating more of the process. - **Production capacity:** Up 6x in two years - **Workforce:** Doubling, with ~40 new hires - **Plant size:** Doubling in Verrières-en-Anjou - **Expansion:** Accelerating across Europe This isn't just about making more batteries. It's about proving that remanufacturing can work at an industrial scale. ### Why This Matters for Europe's Battery Industry Europe relies heavily on imported batteries. VoltR's approach adds a step between first use and recycling, squeezing more value out of every cell. That means less dependence on foreign supply chains and a smaller environmental footprint. Jean-Philippe Richard from Bpifrance's SPI Fund said, "We are now completing the value chain by giving batteries a second life." It's a circular economy play that could make Europe more self-sufficient. ### What's Next for VoltR? With this funding, VoltR will expand its facilities, automate production, and improve its diagnostic tech. They're already selling batteries for power tools, micromobility, smart cities, and home automation. And they're just getting started. In April 2024, VoltR raised $4.3 million in seed funding. Now, with this new round, they're poised to become a key player in Europe's battery value chain. If they pull it off, it could change how we think about battery life—and waste.