Stellantis Opens Its First Battery Technology Center In Italy

Stellantis marked a significant milestone with the inauguration of its inaugural Battery Technology Center, situated at the Mirafiori complex in Turin, Italy. This $45 million investment exemplifies Stellantis’ commitment to advancing its capabilities in designing, developing, and testing battery packs, high-voltage cells, modules, and accompanying software to power its upcoming line of vehicles. Notably, this facility is the largest of its kind in Italy and ranks among the most substantial in Europe.

Over 100 professionals, a majority of whom are upskilled Stellantis personnel, will oversee a range of crucial tasks at the Mirafiori Battery Technology Center. These responsibilities will encompass climatic stress testing, battery management system (BMS) software development and calibration, durability assessments, and tear-downs of packs and cells for comprehensive analysis and benchmarking.

In parallel, Stellantis is actively constructing a Battery Technology Center in North America, based in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. This initiative is part of Stellantis’ broader commitment to establishing a global battery development and manufacturing network featuring six Gigafactories.

Ned Curic, Stellantis Chief Engineering and Technology Officer affirmed, “We are in the midst of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to redefine mobility, providing smart and sustainable solutions for our customers. Our new Battery Technology Center at Mirafiori brings together the tools and talented people we need to design, test, verify, and produce class-leading products that will meet our customers’ needs and accelerate bringing class-leading electric vehicles to customers around the world.”

The inauguration of the Mirafiori Battery Technology Center further solidifies Stellantis’ steadfast commitment to Italy and its skilled workforce.

The core of Stellantis’ strategy lies in the vertical integration of pivotal stages in electric vehicle battery pack production, spanning from initial design to development, testing, and production. This approach is central to realizing Stellantis’ vision of producing top-tier Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) with a sharp focus on customer-centric performance. The EV Day 2021 presentation details that Stellantis’ battery plan incorporates a dual chemistry strategy to cater to a diverse customer base, ensuring design efficiency in battery cells and modules and streamlining housing and pack assembly for cost competitiveness.

Spanning 8,000 square meters (86,111 square feet) across three levels, the Mirafiori Battery Technology Center’s centerpiece comprises 32 climatic test chambers. Among these, 24 walk-in chambers are dedicated to battery pack testing, while eight chambers are earmarked for cell testing. The climate within the walk-in chambers can be precisely controlled for humidity and temperature, with an extensive range from -40 to 60 degrees Celsius (-40 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit) and a maximum change rate of 20 degrees per minute. This facility has the capacity to test up to 47 battery packs simultaneously.

Engineered for future expansion, the technology center’s power system is capable of handling up to 1.2 kilovolts (kV) and 2.2 megawatts (MW) per test cell. The eight-cell chambers can test 96 cells concurrently, predominantly to screen innovative battery chemistry and characterize cell behavior for future advancements.

Aligned with the Dare Forward 2030 strategic plan, Stellantis has announced its ambitious targets of achieving a 100% passenger car BEV sales mix in Europe and a 50% mix for passenger cars and light-duty trucks in the United States by 2030. To meet these sales goals, the company is securing approximately 400 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of battery capacity, supported by six battery manufacturing plants across North America and Europe. Stellantis is firmly on course to becoming a carbon net-zero corporation by 2038, inclusive of all scopes, with a commitment to single-digit percentage compensation of remaining emissions.

Stellantis Mirafiori Battery Technology Center Image Gallery:

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