A collaboration of reason will see the light of day, bringing together the car manufacturer Stellantis and Samsung SDI, a branch of the South Korean giant specializing in the production of screens, batteries and batteries. The two giants want to build a production site entirely dedicated to electric vehicle batteries.
Born on January 16, 2021 from the merger of PSA and FCA (Fiat Chrysler Automobiles), Stellantis markets fifteen brands including some big American names like Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, or Ram. The group recently set itself the goal of selling 5 million electric models by 2030. To get there, it will need to meet its own battery demand.
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For its first production site in the United States, Stellantis enlists the services of an expert in the sector. Located in Kokomo, Indiana, work on the plant co-built with Samsung SDI should start in 2022, for an opening during the first quarter of 2025. The two companies should in all shed 2.5 billion dollars , ultimately creating 1,400 jobs in the state of Indiana.
This announcement echoes another made a few days earlier. Another big name in South Korea, Hyundai, has announced an investment plan of more than 10 billion dollars in the United States. In this envelope, we also find the exit from the ground of a production site, mixing electric vehicles and batteries.
Behind the expansion projects, it is a quest for sovereignty that can be guessed. The supply difficulties from Asia, especially China, are reinforced by the chill cast in trade with the United States. The economic interests of globalization are then transformed into a danger for many companies, in particular car manufacturers.
Carlos Tavares, CEO of Stellantis. Photography: Stephane Sby Balmy
” We will have, around 2025 or 2026, a shortage of batteries. And if there is no shortage of batteries, then there will be a significant dependence of the Western world on Asia » highlighted Carlos Tavares, CEO of Stellantis.