Stellantis and LG Energy Solutions have just announced a new battery production plant in Ontario. With an investment of over $5 billion coming, Stellantis calls it the first large-scale lithium-ion battery production plant for electric vehicles (EVs) in Canada.
The new plant will be built in Windsor, Ont., where Stellantis (formerly Fiat Chrysler Automobiles/FCA) already has a factory that builds the Chrysler Pacifica and Grand Caravan minivans. Breaking ground for the new facility is expected to happen this year and the facility is expected to start producing batteries for electric vehicles in the first quarter of 2024.
The two companies plan to have an annual production capacity of more than 45 gigawatt hours at the facility, enough to supply around 625,000 vehicles per year. Stellantis expects to have a total of 400 GWh of battery capacity by 2030, with plans to build five plants globally as well as source some capacity from suppliers.
Stellantis has yet to announce what vehicles these EV batteries will be placed in or where those vehicles will be assembled.
“Our joint venture with LG Energy Solution is yet another stepping stone to achieving our aggressive electrification road map in the region, aimed at hitting 50 per cent of battery-electric vehicle sales in the U.S. and Canada by the end of the decade,” said Carlos Tavares, Stellantis CEO. “We are grateful to the municipal, provincial and federal levels of government for their support and commitment to help position Canada as a North American leader in the production of electric-vehicle batteries.”
Once up and running, the plant is expected to create 2,500 new jobs in Windsor and the surrounding areas.
“Stellantis is Windsor’s largest employer and has a rich history in this community. Chrysler began operations in this community in 1925 and has employed generations of Windsor–Essex workers at its facility. With this announcement, we are securing the future for thousands more local workers and securing Windsor’s strategic location as the home of Canada’s electric vehicle future. As the world pivots to EVs, Windsor will soon be home to the battery manufacturing facility that powers it all,” said Mayor of Windsor Drew Dilkens.
