Atomic scientists respond to sanctions
The Russian automotive sector faced significant disruption due to sanctions, prompting a push to fill spare parts gaps with foreign suppliers. Today, a single passenger car can require as many as 1,500 assembly components and about 30,000 individual parts. Reliable supply chains are essential to keep assembly lines moving and vehicles rolling without interruption.
In response, TVEL, the fuel division of Rosatom State Corporation, has pivoted toward manufacturing vehicle components. Although this activity began in 1994, it long remained scattered across local projects. In 2020 it was organized into a separate business unit named “Special Chemistry.” This area oversees the development and marketing of chemical enterprises within the nuclear industry, which historically focused on nuclear fuel and related products but now includes broader materials and catalysts for industrial use.
Two companies now stand at the forefront of auto parts production in Russia—Ecoalliance in Novouralsk and Tochmash-auto in Vladimir.
Since 2021 TVEL has expanded its share of the automotive parts market from about 30% to 79% this year. This growth reflects strategic investment in capabilities and partnerships across the sector, strengthening the nation’s self-sufficiency in critical components.
As TVEL’s manufacturing footprint widens, Ecoalliance and Tochmash-auto operate with a unique foundation for production, research, and testing. Their capabilities enable the creation of highly pure metals and materials, as well as complex chemical compounds essential for innovative developments in automotive technology.
space standards
Autocatalysts, the catalysts used in exhaust gas treatment systems for internal combustion engines, play a pivotal role in reducing air pollution by limiting toxic emissions.
Today TVEL owns Ecoalliance, the only full-cycle industrial enterprise in Russia that produces automotive catalysts and related products. Rosatom notes that autocatalyst production contributes to sustainable development and the improvement of quality of life by lowering pollutant outputs.
Following the withdrawal of foreign competitors from the Russian market, Ecoalliance has emerged as a leader in catalytic exhaust gas aftertreatment systems for gasoline, diesel, and gas-powered vehicles. Its market share rose from 32% in 2021 to 79% in 2023 and is projected to surpass 80% by year’s end.
By-products from TVEL are currently used in about one in four cars produced in Russia. The company also acts as a supplier for AURUS vehicles. Plans call for producing up to 470,000 autocatalysts in 2023, with 400,000 destined for AvtoVAZ. The products meet Euro 5, Euro 5+ and Euro 6 standards, confirming compatibility with international regulations.
With a production capacity of up to 1 million units per year, Ecoalliance provides a broad spectrum of services to the automotive industry, spanning scientific research to mass production. Each product line is tailored to specific vehicle models, drawing on extensive experience in the development and manufacture of catalysts for fuel cells in space-related contexts. Ongoing research enables the creation of new materials to improve catalyst performance, including enhanced thermal stability and longer service life.
Ecoalliance CEO Taras Pekarsky noted that with the automotive sector’s revival in Russia by 2025, TVEL is considering expanding production capacity beyond current levels to more than 2.5 million units annually. Cooperation opportunities with Moskvich and the Haval plant are also under discussion.
Spare parts on request
Tochmash-auto supplies roughly 70% of steering wheel controlled derailleurs and other components used in the production of cars, buses, tractors, and combines across Russia. The company collaborates with more than 60 Russian vehicle manufacturers as counterparties.
The product lineup includes over 120 items across diverse groups such as electronic and electromechanical relays, fuses, sensors, switches, buttons, breakers, and switching elements. The range continues to expand to meet evolving market demands, with each item developed on a customized basis for specific needs.
The company operates its own design office and production facilities, enabling the manufacturing of many types of electrical equipment components for automotive vehicles and bringing them to market in serialized runs.
The Tochmash-auto localization is about 90%
Recent Tochmash-auto developments include a set of steering column switches, a keyless engine start button, a disk engine mode switch, a trunk unlock button, and brake signal clutch pedal position switches.
Kirill Danilov, Tochmash-auto manager, reported a 30% increase in production volume this year, with a projected 25–30% rise next year. He also anticipates revenues to grow by about 2.5 times by 2025 as the business expands.