When we last left Stellantis (STLA) -), the automaker was making a move on the low-priced electric vehicle market.
Stellantis, home to such brands as Jeep, Chrysler, Dodge, and Fiat, was looking to fill the gap left by General Motors (GM) -), which is planning to discontinue the Bolt by the end of the year, by delivering a new Citroën e-C3 electric car in early 2024.
DON'T MISS: Here's What Happened the Last Time Elon Musk Tried to Make X a Thing
The e-C3 will be priced at about $27,000 and is expected to have a range of 186 miles on a charge.
Stellantis is committed to EVs. The company is planning to reach 100% electric passenger car sales in Europe and 50% car and light truck electric mix in the U.S. by 2030.
Jeep
Plan to Offer 25 New BEVs
To do that, the company is going to need batteries and so the French-Italian automaker and South Korean battery maker Samsung SDI intend to open a second joint-venture plant in the US to build electric vehicle batteries.
Stellantis did not disclose the location of the facility, which is slated to start production in early 2027 with an initial annual production capacity of 34 gigawatt hours.
“This new facility will contribute to reaching our aggressive target to offer at least 25 new battery electric vehicles for the North American market by the end of the decade,” Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares said in a statement.
“We are continuing to add more capacity in the United States together with our great partner Samsung SDI and laying the next steps to reaching our carbon neutrality commitment by 2038," he said.
Last May, Stellantis and Samsung SDI announced their commitment to build a first battery manufacturing facility in Kokomo, Ind.
The facility, which is slated to launch in the first quarter of 2025, is projected to have an annual production of 33 GWh, up from the initial target of 23 GWh.
Stellantis also announced a $4.1 billion battery plant in Windsor, Ontario, a joint venture with LG Energy Solution, that would employ about 2,500 people.
Canadian Plant Construction Resumes
Construction had halted for seven weeks over a disagreement with the Canadian government on incentives it would provide the project, The Detroit News reported.
Canada, with the province of Ontario, ultimately agreed to provide $11 billion in subsidies to match what the United States is offering battery manufacturers under the legislation known as the Inflation Reduction Act.
The Windsor plant is expected to have more than 45 gigawatt hours of annual capacity. It still is expected to launch production next year.
In addition to the three battery plants planned for North America, Stellantis also is building battery plants in France, Germany and Italy. The company is securing 400 gigawatt hours of capacity to meet its production goals by 2030.
Separately, Stellantis, French battery company Saft, and the French National Center for Scientific Research unveiled the Intelligent Battery Integrated System (IBIS), which integrates the electric charger and inverter functions, according to PV Magazine.
The system can be used in automotive and stationary storage applications.
The project team intends to make the technology commercially available in Stellantis vehicles before the end of this decade.
The project partners said the integration of the inverter and charging functions enables a more efficient and less expensive energy storage system, which enhances the range and takes less space in the vehicle.
