Joint venture StarPlus Energy will take charge of the plant
South Korea’s battery manufacturer Samsung SDI announced on July 24 that it would team up with global automaker Stellantis to build their second battery factory in the United States.
Their StarPlus Energy joint venture, which was established last year, will take charge of building the facilities to start production in 2027 with an annual capacity of 34 gigawatt-hours.
Samsung SDI did not disclose how much it and Stellantis would invest in the facilities and where they will be situated. Its location is expected to be decided later.
The two firms also announced to set up their first U.S. battery plant in Indiana near a Stellantis auto part factory to launch in the first quarter of 2025 with a yearly production of 33 GWh.
When completed, the two factories will come up with batteries enough to power about 750,000 electric vehicles. And the two firms are expected to expand their capacity.
“This new facility will contribute to reaching our aggressive target to offer at least 25 new battery-electric vehicles for the North American market by the end of the decade,” Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares said.
“We are continuing to add more capacity in the United States together with our great partner Samsung SDI and laying the next steps to reaching our carbon neutrality commitment by 2038.”
Samsung SDI CEO Choi Yoon-ho said that the firm would lay a solid groundwork for making its presence in the North American market.
“The second plant will accelerate our market penetration into the U.S. and help Stellantis push forward the U.S. transition to an era of electric vehicles by supplying the products featuring the highest levels of safety and quality,” he said.
On top of Samsung SDI, other South Korean battery makers, including LG Energy Solution and SK Innovation, have come up with plans to build battery plants in the U.S.
This March, for example, LG Energy Solution vowed to spend $5.5 billion in the U.S. to set up a factory complex to churn out EV batteries by 2026 at the latest.
