Stellantis and its battery joint venture partner Samsung SDI announced Kokomo, Indiana, as the site for their second battery cell plant in the US.
This will be the second StarPlus Energy gigafactory in Kokomo, and it will be built next to the gigafactory currently under construction. The companies’ StarPlus Energy joint venture will invest more than $3.2 billion to co-locate the new battery plant with the first one.
The new site is expected to begin production in early 2027 with an annual capacity of 34 gigawatt-hours. The facility will create 1,400 new jobs in Kokomo and the surrounding areas.
The first StarPlus gigafactory that’s already under construction is expected to go online in the first quarter of 2025 with an annual production capacity of 33 GWh. Both Kokomo battery cell plants are estimated to have a combined annual production capacity of 67 gigawatt-hours, according to StarPlus Energy.
The total investment for both facilities will be more than $6.3 billion – including $3.2 billion for the second one – and will create a total of 2,800 new jobs.
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“Our battery ecosystem is the foundation of our electrification strategy, and our great partners Samsung SDI, the state of Indiana and the city of Kokomo have created a compelling case for locating our sixth gigafactory in Kokomo,” said Mark Stewart, Stellantis COO North America.
“The BEVs coming to our North America brands play an important role in our drive to offer clean, safe and affordable mobility for all and achieve the bold goal of carbon net zero by 2038.”
As part of its Dare Forward 2030 strategic plan, Stellantis has announced plans of reaching a 100 percent passenger-car battery-electric vehicle (BEV) sales mix in Europe and 50 percent passenger-car and light-duty truck BEV sales mix in the United States by 2030. To make that possible, Stellantis said it wants to secure about 400 GWh of battery capacity.
The new plant is the sixth battery facility globally to support Stellantis’ electrification plan and the third in North America – there’s also one under construction in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. The automaker owns brands such as Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Alfa Romeo, Fiat, and Maserati – to name only those that are present in North America.
The two battery gigafactories in Kokomo, Indiana, will represent Samsung SDI’s largest production base for EV batteries in North America. The Korean company also has a battery joint venture with General Motors, and construction of their first battery plant will begin in 2024, also in Indiana.