Stellantis, together with TotalEnergies and Mercedes-Benz, celebrated the inauguration of Automotive Cells Company’s (ACC) battery gigafactory in Billy-Berclau Douvrin, France, the first of three planned in Europe.
With an initial production line capacity of 13 gigawatt-hours (GWh), rising to 40GWh by 2030, the facility will deliver high-performance lithium-ion batteries with a minimal CO2 footprint. The first of the site’s three European production units will be operational before the end of 2023, according to Stellantis.
The gigafactory will contribute to Stellantis’ goal of increasing battery manufacturing capacity to 250 GWh in Europe by 2030 and advance the Company on its mission to offer a comprehensive suite of battery technologies that supports customers’ needs across the entire Stellantis brand portfolio, the company says. Stellantis is securing approximately 400 GWh of capacity by 2030, supported by five gigafactories in Europe and North America and additional supply contracts.
Stellantis adds it now has 24 BEVs in market and will nearly double that to 47 by the end of 2024, and is targeting having more than 75 BEVs globally and global BEV sales of 5 million by 2030. Today, Stellantis says its electric vehicles the Peugeot e-208 and Fiat New 500 are among the top five best-sellers in France and in the top 10 in Europe.
Alongside battery production, Stellantis, ACC, the Union of Metallurgies Industries, the state and region are establishing the Battery Training Center of Douvrin as part of its upskilling and reskilling program. Through a 400-hour course, Stellantis employees will acquire new skills in battery manufacturing, helping the Hauts-de-France region compete in a sector that is crucial to the electrification transition. By 2025, at least 600 employees will join the battery manufacturing plant, the company says
