24/7 Space News
ENERGY TECH
Stellantis, Chinese firm CATL plan $4bn battery plant in Spain
Stellantis, Chinese firm CATL plan $4bn battery plant in Spain
By Valentin Bontemps with Frederique Pris in Paris
Madrid (AFP) Dec 10, 2024

Car giant Stellantis and Chinese manufacturer CATL said Tuesday they would build a $4.3-billion factory to make electric vehicle batteries in Spain, the latest bid to boost Europe's troubled EV drive.

They said they aim to start production by the end of 2026 at the site in the northern city of Zaragoza.

It "could reach up to 50 GWh capacity, subject to the evolution of the electrical market in Europe and continued support from authorities in Spain and the European Union", the companies said in a statement.

The two firms signed an agreement in 2023 to produce battery parts for the manufacture of electric vehicles in Europe.

CATL, which has received robust financial support from Beijing, has launched two other European factories, in Germany and Hungary.

Its chief executive Robin Zeng met late on Monday with Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, ahead of the announcement of the 4.1-billion-euro deal.

In a message on X, the Socialist premier thanked the presidents of the two firms for their "firm commitment" to Spain, adding he was "very pleased".

During a visit to China in September, Sanchez urged the European Union to "reconsider" a plan to impose tariffs on Chinese electric cars, calling for a "compromise" between the economic powerhouses.

Spanish Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo called the announcement "excellent news for industry and employment in our country".

Spain has been playing a growing role in European vehicle production, assembling 1.87 million cars in 2023 -- the second-biggest producer in the continent after Germany, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association.

- Bumpy patch for carmakers -

The announcement comes at a turbulent time in the car industry as countries seek to switch to low-carbon electric vehicles to curb the climate crisis.

Sweden's financially strained electric car battery maker Northvolt last month announced the resignation of its chief executive Peter Carlsson.

That came hours after the company sought bankruptcy protection in the United States.

The company said in September it was slashing 1,600 jobs -- a quarter of its staff -- and suspending the expansion of its site as it struggled with strained finances and a slowdown in demand.

The company had been seen as a cornerstone of European attempts to catch up with China and the United States in the production of battery cells, a crucial component of lower-emission cars.

Stellantis's former chief executive Carlos Tavares also resigned on December 1, with the company signalling differences over how to save the group's slumping profits.

Like other auto groups, Stellantis has blamed competition from China and the difficult transition to electric cars for much of its troubles.

It announced on November 26 that it was closing a factory at Luton in England with the loss of 1,100 jobs.

- 'High-quality' EVs -

Founded in 2011 in Ningde, eastern China, CATL produces more than a third of the electric vehicle batteries sold in the world.

Italian-US-French company Stellantis produces 14 brands including Fiat, Peugeot-Citroen, Opel, Maserati, Chrysler, Ram and Jeep.

The Zaragoza plant will make lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries, which are cheaper to produce but less powerful compared with nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) ones, the other current mainstream technology.

The companies said the factory, which will be designed to be completely carbon neutral, would enable Stellantis "to offer more high-quality, durable and affordable battery-electric passenger cars, crossovers and SUVs".

Stellantis chairman John Elkann said in the statement that the venture "will bring innovative battery production to a manufacturing site that is already a leader in clean and renewable energy".

Zeng said CATL's goal was "to make zero-carbon technology accessible across the globe".

The deal is expected to be closed in 2025, subject to regulation.

fmp-vab/ds/rlp

Stellantis

X

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles

GROUPE PSA

Related Links
Powering The World in the 21st Century at Energy-Daily.com

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
ENERGY TECH
Existing EV batteries may last significantly longer under real-world conditions
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Dec 10, 2024
Electric vehicle (EV) batteries subjected to typical real-world driving scenarios-such as heavy traffic, urban commutes, and long highway trips-could last up to 40% longer than previously projected, according to new research from the SLAC-Stanford Battery Center, a collaboration between Stanford University's Precourt Institute for Energy and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. This finding suggests EV owners may delay the costly replacement of battery packs or the purchase of new vehicles for several ... read more

ENERGY TECH
Trump names billionaire private astronaut as next NASA chief

India's Gaganyatris complete initial astronaut training for ISRO-NASA mission to ISS

ISS crew members prepare space botany study and pack Dragon capsule for return

McGill Professor leads AXIS mission in final phase of NASA selection process

ENERGY TECH
Rocket Lab prepares to launch Synspective EO satellite

India launches European 'artifical eclipse' satellites

SpaceX reaches milestone with 300th successful booster landing

ESA launches spacecraft that will eventually create artificial solar eclipse

ENERGY TECH
Liquid on Mars was not necessarily all water

Purdue scientist expecting new world to reveal itself to Mars rover

China's Tianwen-1 probe reveals new insights into Martian internal gravity waves

Mars Ocean Analogs Completes Winter Solstice Voyage and Plans Future Expeditions

ENERGY TECH
Long March 12 set for inaugural launch from Hainan space center

China inflatable space capsule aces orbital test

Tianzhou 7 completes cargo Mission, Tianzhou 8 docks with Tiangong

Zebrafish thrive in space experiment on China's space station

ENERGY TECH
China launches third batch of 18 communication satellites

FibreCoat raises 20m euro to advance coated fiber technology in space and defense sectors

AST SpaceMobile teams with Cadence to drive space-based cellular broadband

Parsons and Globalstar demonstrate first software-defined LEO satellite solution

ENERGY TECH
A new way to create realistic 3D shapes using generative AI

Speaking crystal AI predicts atomic arrangements to aid material discovery

Cracking the Code for materials that can learn

A film capacitor that can take the heat

ENERGY TECH
Unveiling a hydrogen-controlled nano-switch in electron transport proteins

Towards independent robotic exploration of ocean worlds

A caving expedition highlights the complexities of field research

New planet in Kepler-51 system unveiled with JWST observations

ENERGY TECH
Magnetic tornado is stirring up the haze at Jupiter's poles

Uranus moons could hold clues to hidden oceans for future space missions

A clue to what lies beneath the bland surfaces of Uranus and Neptune

Europa Clipper deploys instruments on journey to icy moon of Jupiter

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.