MILAN (Reuters) -Carmaker Stellantis (NYSE:STLA) aims to expand its battery building capacity to 400 GWh to support growing production of electric vehicles, its head of global propulsion systems said on Friday.
The group was also working to secure key long term supplies of materials and chemicals that are necessary to feed this capacity expansion, said Micky Bly, Stellantis Senior Vice President, Head of Global Propulsion Systems.
"We have already announced about 250 gigawatt hours of capacity around the world. We believe we need to go to 400 gigawatt hours of capacity around the world," Bly said during the inaugurating the group's new Battery Technology Center in Turin, Italy.
"We have committed to delivering six gigafactories around the world, and more to come," he said.
Bly, however, did not specify whether the group planned to build more gigafactories on top of those already announced to expand the capacity.
The world's third largest carmaker by sales earlier this year opened its first European gigafactory, in France, to be followed by ones in Germany and in Italy, all through the ACC joint venture Stellantis has with Mercedes and TotalEnergies (EPA:TTEF).
Three more facilities are planned in the U.S and Canada.
As part of its effort to boost capacity, Stellantis on Friday said it had invested 40 million euros ($43 million) in its Turin's Battery Technology Center, in the Mirafiori complex, which will be focused on in-house testing and development of EV battery packs for upcoming group vehicles.
More than 100 people will be employed in the Turin's Battery Technology Center, mostly retrained Stellantis workers, the group said adding that a similar facility for North America was being built in Windsor, Canada. ($1 = 0.9349 euros)