Stellantis and Samsung SDI have announced plans to establish a second battery plant in the United States.
Set to be operated by their StarPlus Energy joint venture, the facility is slated to begin production in 2027 and have an initial capacity of 34 GWh. That would make the Gigafactory even more impressive than the Kokomo plant, which is slated to come online in the first quarter of 2025.
The Indiana facility will have an initial annual production capacity of 23 GWh and the companies aim to eventually increase that to 33 GWh. This suggests the new facility will be significantly larger as it will have an initial capacity of 34 GWh and could potentially grow in the future.
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Unfortunately, a number of questions remain unanswered and it’s not even clear where the latest Gigafactory will be located. However, the automaker said the location is “currently under review and further details will be shared at a later date.”
While the companies were tight-lipped on specifics, Stellantis reiterated plans to have 50% of U.S. passenger car and light-duty truck sales come from electric vehicles by 2030. This requires a lot of battery capacity, especially when the Ram 1500 REV will be offered with massive 168 and 229 kWh battery packs that promise to deliver up to 500 miles (805 km) of range on a single charge.
In a statement, Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares said “This new facility will contribute to reaching our aggressive target to offer at least 25 new battery-electric vehicles for the North American market by the end of the decade.” He added, “We are continuing to add more capacity in the United States together with our great partner Samsung SDI and laying the next steps to reaching our carbon neutrality commitment by 2038.”
