Stellantis is Charging Ahead with Second Battery Plant to Power BEVs LIke the 2025 Ram REV

Despite the ongoing strike with the UAW, Stellantis is charging ahead with plans to build a second battery plant near the one being built in Indiana.

Stellantis plans to build a second battery plant in Kokomo, Indiana. The automaker says that it will build a second US StarPlus Energy Gigafactory in a joint venture with Samsung SDI. The new battery plant will help supply batteries for vehicles like the 2025 Ram 1500 REV BEV as well as the 2024 Charger Daytona SRT Electric Muscle Car.

Second Stellantis StarPlus Energy Gigafactory in Indiana

According to the automaker, the new joint venture will invest more than $3.2 billion to build the new plant near the one already being built in Kokomo. The combined annual production capacity of the Kokomo plants is estimated at 67 gigawatt hours. Production at the second plant should start in 2027. The facility is expected to create 1400 new jobs. The total investment for both facilities will be more than $6.3 billion and create 2,800 total new jobs. Stellantis has four other battery plants planned globally, one has been announced for Windsor, Canada.  

“Our battery ecosystem is the foundation of our electrification strategy, and our great partners Samsung SDI, the state of Indiana and the city of Kokomo have created a compelling case for locating our sixth gigafactory in Kokomo,” said Mark Stewart, Stellantis COO North America. “The BEVs coming to our North America brands play an important role in our drive to offer clean, safe and affordable mobility for all and achieve the bold goal of carbon net zero by 2038.”

“Through construction of the second battery plant of StarPlus Energy, Samsung SDI will be establishing its largest production base for electric-vehicle batteries in North America,” said Yoon-ho Choi, president and CEO of Samsung SDI. “We expect Stellantis brand vehicles powered by Samsung SDI batteries, featuring supreme technologies, to contribute to accelerating the U.S. transition to an era of electric vehicles.”

Battery Facilities are in High Demand

This announcement made no mention of the UAW, which is currently striking all three of the Detroit-based automakers. The UAW wants to organize the battery production facilities. 

“Indiana’s economy is on a roll,” said Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb. “Today’s commitment from Stellantis and Samsung SDI will double the capital investment, the new jobs created, and the impact this joint venture will have on Kokomo and the state of Indiana for decades to come. This decision puts Hoosiers squarely at the center of innovating and developing the future of mobility, catalyzing Indiana’s leadership position in tomorrow’s global economy.”

Stellantis’ EV Plans

Some people have criticized Stellantis for being slow to initiate EV production. The Ram 1500 REV BEV will arrive two years behind the Ford F-150 Lightning and Chevrolet’s Silverado EV is due out later this year. As part of the Dare Forward 2030 strategic plan, Stellantis wants to reach a 50% passenger-car and light-duty truck BEV sales mix in the United States by 2030. Wagoneer is planning a smaller, full battery electric SUV called the Wagoneer S. Jeep is also planning a smaller Recon SUV EV.

Ram Photo

Mary Conway is a professional automotive journalist and has decades of experience specializing in automotive news analysis. She covered the Detroit Three for more than twenty years for the ABC affiliate, in Detroit. Her affection for the Motor City comes naturally. Her father ran a gas station while Mary was growing up, in Wisconsin.

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