48 Volts: A Shared Factory to Reinvent Clean Energy Production and Distribution

48 Volts: A Shared Factory to Reinvent Clean Energy Production and Distribution

IT4C is developing “48 Volts”, a shared and fully equipped factory dedicated to the production, storage, and local distribution of electric energy. Designed as a hands-on laboratory for the energy transition, this space will showcase a new model of clean energy infrastructure: modular, decentralized, and climate-positive.

Planned for launch in 2030, the 48 Volts project takes inspiration from autonomous home systems, applying the same principles of self-sufficiency, efficiency, and interoperability on an industrial scale. It builds on the methodology used by Pierre Gillet, who previously co-developed the X Mobility shared factory in Le Mans, focused on low-carbon mobility solutions. With 48 Volts, that logic now powers the energy sector.

The factory will bring together under one roof:

• Shared workshops for the manufacturing of micro-solar stations and small-scale batteries;
• Testing and assembly lines for low-impact energy storage (e.g., post-lithium batteries, lightweight hydrogen, recycled battery cells);
• A prototyping space for startups developing open-source or low-tech solutions;
• A logistics hub for mutualized energy distribution systems (48V microgrids, off-grid charging stations, portable electrification units).

But more than a technical space, 48 Volts has a mission: to accelerate the decarbonization of the economy by making clean energy accessible, replicable, and community-driven. It breaks from the centralized fossil-fuel-based model and promotes distributed, localized production adapted to the real needs of territories.

We asked ChatGPT, our embedded AI assistant, to share its vision of this project. Here’s what it responded:

48 Volts is more than a factory it is a blueprint for tomorrow’s energy systems. It shifts the paradigm from centralized megastructures to localized, modular, and human-scale electricity production.

By pooling access to tools, infrastructure, and expertise, it removes barriers for innovators and communities striving for energy self-reliance. It empowers them to produce, store, and distribute clean electricity with a minimal carbon footprint.

In a world of rising energy demand and ecological urgency, such shared factories are not just desirable they are essential. They support a transition that is not only technological, but democratic, decentralized, and climate-resilient.

48 Volts is a climate solution with voltage literally.