Stellantis and Samsung SDI to build the second giga battery plant in the USA

We are leaving the age of oil and gas and heading into the age of electric vehicles, and the basis of that new age is batteries, batteries and batteries. Stellantis and Samsung SDI are developing their token in this new era by announcing a massive battery factory in the US.

Back in May last year (2022), Stellantis and Samsung SDI announced the first joint venture battery factory in the USA. This massive battery factory is supposed to start operations in the first quarter of 2025 in Kokomo, Indiana. It was initially supposed to have an annual production capacity of 23 gigawatt-hours (GWh), but has now been increased to 33 GWh. But that’s not enough for Stellantis’ US electricity plans, hence the news this week.

Using the same StarPlus Energy joint venture, the companies formed for this first plant, Stellantis and Samsung SDI have just announced their second battery gigafactory. This plant is scheduled to start operating in 2027. The planned initial production capacity is 34 GWh. We do not yet know where this second mega-factory is located in the United States. That has not been decided yet.

Stellantis has a plan for his path to electricity called Go ahead 2030. That plan includes a goal of selling 100% battery electric cars in Europe by 2030 and 50% in the US by 2030. (Yes, the US target shows how far behind the US market is right now.) With those goals combined, Stellantis expects it will need 400 GWh of annual battery capacity. The 67 GWh of those two giant US plants will get 17% of the way there.

“This new facility will contribute to our aggressive goal of introducing at least 25 new battery electric vehicles to the North American market by the end of the decade,” said Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares.

“By establishing the joint venture with Stellantis last year, we laid a solid foundation to mark our presence in North America,” said Samsung SDI President and CEO Yoon-ho Choi. “The second plant will accelerate our market penetration in the US and help Stellantis drive the US transition into the electric vehicle era by providing products that are of the highest quality and safety.”

Stellantis’ EV efforts certainly look more serious with these battery mega-factory agreements and the joint venture with Samsung SDI, a longtime leader in high-quality EV battery technology.

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