November 21, 2023 , Windsor, Ontario – The first of 228 steel structural columns weighing over 800 tonnes have begun to take shape in the ongoing construction of the new cutting-edge Stellantis North America Battery Technology Centre located at the Automotive Research and Development Centre (ARDC) in Windsor, Ontario.
Spanning an impressive 100,000 square feet, this state-of-the-art facility will soon house 35 walk-in climatic test cells for testing up to 63 packs, and 11 reach-in test cells for testing up to 132 cells. The facility will also perform testing through a climatic operation range of -40 degrees Celsius to +80 degrees Celsius.
The Battery Technology Centre will serve as the Stellantis North America hub for the development and validation of advanced Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV), Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) and Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV) cells, modules and battery packs with a storage area capacity of 120 EV Battery Packs. The new Battery Technology Centre will also build on the ARDC’s academic partnership with the University of Windsor on various testing projects.
“At Stellantis, we recognize the pivotal role that battery technology plays in electrifying the automotive industry. Our forthcoming North America Battery Technology Centre in Windsor will be key to design, test and produce class-leading products that will meet our customers’ needs,” said Ned Curic, Stellantis chief engineering & technology officer. “With multiple walk-in climatic test cells, we will rigorously evaluate batteries for pack testing, environmental durability tests, life cycle tests, and systems validation. This comprehensive testing process ensures our EV batteries are built to withstand the test of time, performing optimally in various conditions and accelerates bringing cutting-edge electric vehicles to our meet the needs of our customers.”
The Battery Technology Centre is part of the major $3.6 billion CAD ($2.8 billion USD) investment Stellantis announced in May 2022, with support from all three levels of government, securing the future of its Windsor and Brampton assembly plants, and expanding the ARDC to accelerate the company’s move to a sustainable future.
Construction is expected to be completed in mid-2024 with full-scale operations scheduled to begin for the first quarter of 2025 and will create an estimated 55 new highly qualified positions that will consist of engineers and technicians onsite.
Just recently in September, Stellantis celebrated the grand opening of its Battery Technology Center for Europe, in Turin, Italy, as part of a global battery development and manufacturing network that will include six gigafactories.
These projects represent Stellantis’ steadfast commitment to advancing battery technology for the electric vehicles of tomorrow as part of the Dare Forward 2030 strategic plan and its long-term electrification strategy to invest $45 billion CAD ($35 billion USD) through 2025 in electrification and software globally.
SOURCE: Stellantis North America
