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Stellantis, Samsung SDI to build second EV battery plant in the US

Peng Chen, DIGITIMES Asia, Taipei 1

Credit: AFP

Stellantis and its battery partner Samsung SDI will build a second plant in the US to support the carmaker's EV ramp-up. The facility is expected to begin production in 2027. In addition, BYD is poised to commission a joint battery factory with automaker FAW in China.

Stellantis and Samsung SDI said on July 24 that they have signed an MoU to construct another battery plant in the US without revealing the location. The pair said the initial annual production capacity will be 34GWh. The facility will be Stellantis' sixth battery manufacturing base.

The automaker is building a plant with Samsung SDI in Indiana, the US. The facility ultimately targets an annual production capacity of 33GWh and will be launched in the first quarter of 2025.

Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares said in a statement that the latest battery plant will support the company in rolling out at least 25 battery EV models in the North American market by the end of 2030.

With its Dare Forward 2030 strategic plan, Stellantis plans to reach 100% of passenger BEV sales mix in Europe and half of electric passenger and light-duty truck sales mix in the US by the end of the decade. The company said it is securing close to 400GWh of battery capacity.

On the other hand, China-based BYD's joint battery plant with FAW is on track to start production in September. The two company's joint venture FAW-FinDreams saw its first battery pack roll off the production line on July 21, according to China-based CnEVPost.

The manufacturing facility is located in Changchun, China, with an investment of CNY13.5 billion (US$1.87 billion). It aims to reach 45GWh in annual production capacity and support about one million EVs.

Construction at the plant is close to the end. CnEVPost reported that FAW-FinDreams had said it wants to build a strategic base of EV batteries in northeast China to accelerate green technology adoption in the area.