Stellantis and South Korean cell producer Samsung SDI have announced the location of their second joint battery plant. The joint venture, called StarPlus Energy, will also build a gigafactory in Kokomo, Indiana. The joint venture is already in the process of building a cell manufacturing facility on-site.
The second joint battery factory in Indiana is scheduled to open in 2027 and could employ an expected 1,400 people. The two companies will then have a combined annual production capacity of 67 gigawatt-hours at the Indiana production site. Production at the first joint plant is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2025.
The announcement comes at a time when Stellantis is dealing with losses due to the nearly four-week strike by the United Auto Workers. The union is demanding that Stellantis, General Motors, and Ford Motor Co. include their joint-venture battery factories for electric vehicles in the union’s framework agreements with automakers. Stellantis and Ford have resisted so far, saying the battery plants are stand-alone businesses that require lower labor costs. GM has already agreed to include its joint venture battery plants in its master contract.
Source: https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/samsung-sdi-stellantis-choose-indiana-second-joint-ev-battery-plant-2023-10-11/
