As we progress towards the goal of a zero-emission automotive world, automakers and manufacturers across the industry have begun investing in electric mobility research. Stellantis adds another entry into the growing list by way of a new Battery Technology Centre in Italy that costs more than R800 million!
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“We are in the midst of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to redefine mobility, providing smart and sustainable solutions for our customers. Our new Battery Technology Center at Mirafiori brings together the tools and talented people we need to design, test, verify and produce class-leading products that will meet our customers’ needs and accelerate bringing class-leading electric vehicles to customers around the world.” – Ned Curic, Stellantis Chief Engineering and Technology Officer.
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The Battery Technology Centre is one of the largest facilities of its kind in Europe and is manned by 100 employees, many of whom are upskilled Stellantis employees. These 100 workers will be responsible for tests regarding the battery technology’s lifespan durability, performing climatic stress tests, development of Battery Management System (BMS) calibration, and benchmarking of said battery technology.
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The facility is designed and purposed to develop, test and manufacture battery packs and technology that will underpin a wide variety of BEVs under the Stellantis umbrella organisation. The three-layer, 8 000 square metre facility is home to 32 climatic and 24 walk-in chambers and eight chambers for testing battery cells. Geared towards future developments, the eight aforementioned chambers will be utilised to test various battery technology innovations ranging from generic screening of battery chemistry to screening the cell behaviour of said battery technology.
