Stellantis has officially confirmed plans to build a third Automotive Cells Company (ACC) battery factory in Termoli, Italy. For this purpose, Stellantis’ existing engine plant is to be converted into a battery factory.
By 2030, the joint venture of Stellantis, Total and, since September 2021, Mercedes-Benz, should have total battery cell capacities of at least 120 GWh. Details about the Termoli plant – such as the number of employees and the planned production capacity – are not given by Stellantis in the announcement.
Since the two other ACC plants in Douvrin (France) and Kaiserslautern (Germany) are planned with 24 GWh each, at least a fourth cell factory seems likely. In the other case, Termoli would have to come up with 72 GWh to reach the 2030 target with only three factories. With a total of four cell factories, Termoli and the other site would each have to come up with 36 GWh, and with five factories the mathematical result would be 24 GWh per factory.
The move to turn the Termoli engine plant into a battery cell factory had been in the offing for a long time. At the “EV Day” last July, Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares had confirmed that the group had concluded a corresponding agreement on the future of Termoli with the Italian government.
“We are grateful to everyone involved in this investment to secure the future of the great community in Termoli,” Tavares now says, according to the latest news release. “Transforming the existing plant to help support a more sustainable future positions ACC as the European leader in battery manufacturing and reaffirms, thanks to the collaboration with the Ministry of Economic Development, Italy’s role in supporting Stellantis’ transformation to a sustainable mobility tech company.”
It is not known when Stellantis or ACC will comment on further plans for Termoli and the potential sites 4 and 5. So far, the finalisation of plans for Termoli is still “subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals”, Stellantis writes.
What is clear, however, is that the entry of Mercedes-Benz is now signed and sealed, and in this case the regulatory approvals have been granted. The “agreement to include Mercedes-Benz as a new equal partner with TotalEnergies/Saft and Stellantis” has been concluded, according to the statement.
Keyword: ACC to build next battery factory in Italy