Smoothing Steps Towards Electrification, Stellantis Opens Battery Development Facility In Italy

Stellantis battery development facility in Mirafiori, Turin, Italy. (Doc. Stellantis)

JAKARTA - Stellantis, a multinational auto giant, recently announced the official opening of the Battery Technology Center located in Mirafiori, Turin, Italy. This advanced facility is the result of a large investment of 40 million euros, which aims to stimulate the development and upgrade of battery pack capabilities used in future electric vehicles.

This news not only creates jobs for 100 experts, but also collects a number of talented individuals with high skills. They will take an important role in various activities, ranging from climate pressure tests, life security testing, to calibration of the battery management system software, and even dismantling battery and cell packages for in-depth analysis.

Ned Curic, Stellantis Chief Engineering and Technology Officer, stated that this Battery Technology Center facility is an important milestone in the company's efforts to provide their consumers with sustainable and environmentally friendly mobility solutions.

"The existence of the latest Battery Technology Center at Mirafiori is a collaboration between talented equipment and individuals that is indispensable for us to design, test, verify and produce the leading products in its class, which will meet the needs of our customers and accelerate the introduction of global leading electric vehicles," Curic said in a statement. company, Friday, September 8.

Stellantis insists that their steps in building this battery pack cover the entire spectrum, from design, development, testing, to production, in line with their commitments that have been disclosed in the 2021 EV Day presentation.

This amazing Mirafiori facility has an area of 8,000 square meters and is spread over three levels. The facility center is equipped with 32 climate test rooms, 24 walk-in rooms to test battery packs, as well as 8 spaces to test battery cells.

In the 24 walk-in spaces, temperature and humidity settings can be adjusted in the range of -40 to 60 degrees Celsius, with a maximum change of 20 degrees per minute. Stellantis proudly claims that this facility is capable of testing up to 47 battery packs simultaneously.

Designed for future growth, the power system at this technology center is able to manage up to 1.2 kilovolts (kV) and 2.2 megawatts (MW) per test cell. The 8 cell spaces have the capability to test up to 96 battery cells in parallel.

With the establishment of this facility, Stellantis is increasingly solid in carrying out their strategy, the Dare Forward 2030, which includes plans to launch 100 percent battery-based electric vehicles (BEVs) for the European passenger car market and 50 percent BEV for passenger cars and light trucks in the United States towards the end of the decade.

In addition, Stellantis has set an ambitious target to become a carbon-free company by 2038 in all aspects of their activities. It is important to remember that Stellantis is the parent company that manages well-known brands such as Alfa Romeo, Citroen, Fiat, Jeep, Opel, Peugeot, Chrysler, Lancia, and Maserati.