PSA Group And Saft Announce Two EV Battery Gigafactories

Two plants – first in France and the second one in Germany – with a total of 48 GWh of installed manufacturing capacity.

French battery manufacturer Saft (part of Total since 2016) and the PSA Group (with its Opel brand) officially announced plans for two lithium-ion EV battery cell plants in Europe.

The French-German alliance intends to establish a joint venture named Automotive Cell Company (ACC), with a total output of 48 GWh annually by 2030 (not as high as earlier rumors were suggesting – 64 GWh), through a €5 billion investment, supported by nearly €1.3 billion in public funding from the European Union.

“The project will leverage cutting-edge R&D, notably provided by Saft, in order to produce EV batteries starting in 2023. The technology used will offer the highest level of energy performance, both in terms of range and charging time, and a lower carbon footprint than that of the competition, setting a new standard in Europe.”

The plan is divided into phases:

According to the expected demand for 400 GWh of lithium-ion cells for EVs in Europe around 2030, the ACC would account for about 10-15% market share.

The Automotive Cell Company (ACC) ownership to be 50-50 Saft and Groupe PSA/Opel initially but then PSA will take control:

“The Automotive Cell Company (ACC) will be a 50-50 Saft and Groupe PSA/Opel joint venture for the pilot production line. During the commercial production phase, Saft’s share in ACC will decline to 33%.

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