Mercedes-Benz partners with Stellantis to manufacture battery cells for electric vehicles

Mercedes has invested around half a billion euros in the joint venture

See the pictures

Mercedes plans to go all-electric by 2030

Mercedes has announced a partnership with Stellantis to develop and manufacture battery cells that will power electric cars. The two auto giants have made huge commitments to go fully electric and emission-free by the 2030s. The two will be equal partners in the Automotive Cells Company (ACC) which will manufacture batteries for electric cars. ACC was founded by Stellantis last year.

“Mercedes-Benz will install a battery cell capacity of more than 200 gigawatt hours with partners, plans for eight Gigafactories,” revealed the German giant. “On the road to a fully electric future, Mercedes-Benz is taking a stake in European battery cell maker Automotive Cells Company (ACC) to step up the development and production of next-generation high-performance battery cells and modules. As announced In July 2021, Mercedes-Benz will be ready to go all-electric by the end of the decade - wherever market conditions permit. To meet its target, the company needs a total battery production capacity of over 200 gigawatt hours by the end of the decade and plans to build eight-cell factories around the world with partners, including four in Europe. Joining ACC is the next step on the luxury automaker’s strategic journey from “Electric first” to “Electric only”, the German giant has revealed.

The EQE is basically the E-Class but with an electric powertrain

ACC will spend 7 billion euros to reach a production capacity of 120 GWh in Europe by the end of the decade. Mercedes has a bolder ambition and ACC is now only based in France. ACC was founded by Stellantis and Total Energies last year.

“Mercedes-Benz is pursuing a very ambitious transformation plan and this investment marks a strategic step on our path to CO2 neutrality. Together with ACC, we will efficiently develop and produce cells and battery modules in Europe - tailor-made for Mercedes-Benz specifics. This new partnership allows us to secure supply, take advantage of economies of scale and provide our customers with superior battery technology. In addition to this, we can help ensure that the ‘Europe remains at the heart of the automotive industry - even in an electric age: with Mercedes-Benz as a new partner, ACC aims to more than double the capacity of its European sites to support Europe’s industrial competitiveness in the design and manufacturing battery cells, ”said Ola Kallenius, CEO of Daimler AG and Mercedes.

Although Mercedes did not disclose the full investment, it did reveal that it was in the 3-digit million euro range, or around 500 million euros. Recently, Mercedes introduced the electric versions of the E-Class, the Maybach SUV, the G-Class and even the AMG EQS underlining its ambition.

comments

For the latest automotive news and reviews, follow UKTN.com on Twitter, Facebook and subscribe to our YouTube channel.