MILANO – Mercedes becomes a partner of Automotive Cells Company (Acc), a company set up by Stellantis and TotalEnergies for the production of batteries.
The announcement was made on Friday morning: with the entry of the German group, the partners, who will each have a third of the share, undertake to increase Acc’s industrial capacity to at least 120 GWh by 2030, doubling production capacity at European sites . The transaction is subject to the final documentation agreement and customary closing conditions including regulatory approvals.
Acc is the result of the initiative undertaken in 2020 by Stellantis and TotalEnergies, together with its subsidiary Saft, and enjoys the support of the French, German and European authorities to create a European leader in the sector of batteries for electric vehicles. Acc’s main goal is to develop and manufacture battery cells and modules for electric vehicles with a focus on safety, performance and competitiveness while ensuring maximum quality and minimum carbon footprint. Acc’s planned capacity increase will involve an investment of over seven billion euros, which will be supported by grants and funded by equity and debt. The creation of this European leader in the battery sector will help Europe meet the challenges of the energy transition in the field of mobility, ensuring the security of supply of a key component for the electric car industry.
Acc – underlines a note – “will be able to count on a winning trio of partners who combine: the deep technological expertise in the development of batteries of Saft, a subsidiary of TotalEnergies, which boasts over 100 years of experience in the sector of long-life batteries and battery systems; a protagonist of global mobility such as Stellantis, whose clear mission is to ensure freedom of movement for all through exclusive, attractive, accessible and sustainable mobility solutions, Mercedes-Benz’s experience in research and development, in addition to its support for the expansion of Acc’s production facilities on the basis of the reference quality standards of the brands “.
“This new partnership allows us to take advantage of economies of scale and provide our customers with superior technology batteries. Furthermore, we can help ensure that Europe remains at the heart of the automotive industry, even in the age of electrification.” , comments Ola Källenius, CEO of Daimler and Mercedes-Benz. “Today’s announcement is the next step in our plan to become the leader of the automotive industry, with all 14 brands committed to offering the best solutions that are fully electrified and able to meet customer needs. This partnership is built on sharing. of technical skills and production synergies and ensures that Stellantis continues to show the world how to move in the most efficient, convenient and sustainable way “underlines the CEO of Stellantis (a company headed by Exor, which controls the publisher of Republic Gedi), Carlos Tavares. “The entry of Mercedes Benz demonstrates the credibility of our initiative taken a year ago with Stellantis and will clearly support our ambition to create a European battery champion” adds Patrick Pouyanné, president and CEO of TotalEnergies.