Global automotive powerhouse, Stellantis, marked a pivotal moment in its pledge to sustainable mobility by unveiling its flagship Battery Technology Center at the Mirafiori complex, Turin, Italy.
This pivotal €40 million investment catapults Stellantis to the forefront of battery design, development, and testing – crucial components for the forthcoming generation of Stellantis brand electric vehicles (EVs). With a workforce exceeding 100, predominantly consisting of upskilled Stellantis employees, the center not only stands as the most expansive facility in Italy but also ranks among the largest in Europe.
Expanding the Global Battery Infrastructure
The Mirafiori Battery Technology Center is a keystone in Stellantis’ comprehensive strategy to build a network of battery development and manufacturing facilities, inclusive of six gigafactories. Another pivotal Battery Technology Center is currently under construction in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.
Stellantis Chief Engineering and Technology Officer, Ned Curic, commented, “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.”
This center’s establishment reaffirms the company’s commitment to its Italian workforce and the overarching objective of producing premium Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) centered on customer-focused performance. Stellantis has outlined ambitious targets: attaining a 100% passenger car BEV sales mix in Europe and a 50% passenger car and light-duty truck BEV sales mix in the United States by 2030. To facilitate these targets, the company is securing approximately 400 GWh of battery capacity, buttressed by six battery manufacturing plants situated across North America and Europe.
State-of-the-Art Testing and Development Facilities
The Mirafiori center, encompassing 8,000 square meters (86,111 square feet) distributed across three levels, hosts 32 climatic test chambers. Among these, 24 are walk-in chambers designated for testing battery packs, and eight are allocated for cell testing. The climate within the 24 walk-in chambers can be meticulously regulated for humidity and temperature, fluctuating from -40 to 60 degrees Celsius (-40 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit) with a maximum alteration of 20 degrees per minute. The facility is equipped to simultaneously test up to 47 battery packs, and the eight-cell chambers can concurrently assess 96 cells.
Pledging a Sustainable Future
The center aligns seamlessly with the objectives of Stellantis’ Dare Forward 2030 strategic plan, which encompasses becoming a carbon net zero corporation by 2038, with a single-digit percentage compensation of residual emissions.
This pivotal investment in the Mirafiori Battery Technology Center underscores Stellantis’ unwavering commitment to fostering innovation, enhancing its workforce, and contributing to a sustainable, greener future.
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