Stellantis Adding Battery Production in France

Stellantis will open the first of three automotive gigafactories it plans to build in Europe with the inauguration of the plant in Billy-Berclau Douvrin, France

The Automotive Cells Co. (ACC) plant, a joint venture with TotalEnergies and Mercedes-Benz, will give Stellantis an initial production line capacity of 13 GWh upon opening around the end of 2023, rising to 40 GWh by 2030.

This gigafactory is expected to contribute to Stellantis’ goal of increasing battery manufacturing capacity to 250 GWh in Europe by the end of the decade.

Stellantis is securing about 400 GWh of capacity by 2030, supported by five gigafactories in Europe and North America, as well as additional supply contracts. The company now has 24 BEVs in market globally and says it will nearly double that to 47 by the end of 2024.

Stellantis is exploring other battery supply chain solutions such as Factorial’s solid-state battery technology and Lyten’s lithium-sulfur batteries. The company says these battery chemistries may be suitable for enhanced performance in some vehicle segments and may be an alternative to lithium-ion batteries.

CEO Carlos Tavares says: “Stellantis is actively contributing to the European electrification transition with state-of-the-art EV solutions and supporting France’s crucial role in a sustainable future. I applaud every person involved in ACC, for together we are building a strong coalition to strengthen Europe’s competitiveness.”