The third gigafactory in Europe of Stellantis will be in Italy. The CEO Carlos Tavares this was announced at the opening of the group’s Electrification Day, a streaming convention where the electric mobility strategies of the company born from the merger of FCA and PSA are outlined. “After France and Germany we have reached an agreement with the Italian government to build our third gigafactory in Termoli for the production of batteries for electric vehicles in Europe,” said Tavares. This is the Mechanics plant in Termoli, in Molise, where over 2,000 employees work.
The choice of planting the site in the South depends on the company’s will, as already done in France and Germany, not to penalize the factories where engines are produced, by converting them to electricity. In recent weeks, a location in the South of the country had already been thought of, where the main factories of the group are located, including Meldi, where 4 full electric models will arrive from 2024, in Cassino and Pomigliano. Turin had also come forward as a bid to host the battery factory. Tavares had already said that there was an ongoing discussion with the Italian government. Confirmation today. “The Stellantis group will invest over 30 billion euros by 2025 in electrification and software, maintaining exemplary efficiency for the automotive sector, in particular with an investment efficiency that is 30% higher than the industry average. The objective is that electrified vehicles will represent over 70% of sales in Europe and more than 40% of those in the United States by 2030, “the company explains in a statement.
All 14 brands are committed to offering best-in-class fully electrified solutions with a range of 500 and 800 kilometers and a fast charging capacity of 32 kilometers per minute. The overall global battery supply strategy for electric cars expects over 260 Gwh by 2030 with the help of five gigafactories in Europe, three of them in France, Germany and Italy, and in North America. The plans also include offering dual battery technology: an energy-dense option and a nickel- and cobalt-free alternative by 2024. The introduction of solid-state battery technology is scheduled for 2026.
Tavares added that the commitment “is to offer iconic vehicles with characteristics of performance, functionality, style, comfort and electric range capable of integrating perfectly into everyday life”. And he added: “The strategy we have defined today assigns the right amount of investments to the technologies necessary to reach the market at the right time, ensuring that Stellantis can strengthen freedom of movement in the most efficient, economic and sustainable way”.
The choice of Italy as the seat of the third gigafactory in Europe is welcomed in a positive way by the trade unions: “The gigafactory in Italy is an important step in the right direction. It is an act of responsibility and trust towards the Italian workers of Stellantis, is an important signal of investment and attention of the Stellantis group in our country “, he underlines Ferdinando Uliano, secretary of the End-Cisl. “It is taking shape – he adds Gianluca Ficco, number one of the Uilm – the new industrial plan, the first elements of which had already emerged with the production assignments in the Melfi factory. These are very important steps for the industry and for Italian workers. The choice of Termoli seems appropriate because in that territory there is a large engine factory, which, as is well known, due to the electrification process, will inevitably have to undergo transformation and reconversion processes ”. There Fiom he considered the news positive, but the CGIL metalworkers had focused on Turin and Mirafiori for the battery plant, organizing a Mirafiori Day last Monday. Edi Lazzi general secretary of Fiom of Turin underlines that this is “an extraordinary result for our country even if I still think that the ideal allocation was Mirafiori. Now we must immediately start thinking about which production mission for the Italian plants as a whole and in Particularly for those from Turin. In Turin, 14,000 people still work directly for Stellantis, an overall and very ambitious plan is needed for the workers and office workers who make up 50% of the total.
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