FCA is to construct a new EUR50m (US$56m) battery assembly complex in Turin as part of its e-mobility strategy.
The new Battery Hub will be located in the Mirafiori complex and preparations will start in early 2020.
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“The automotive industry is undergoing a period of profound change and one of the major trends is closely linked to electrification,” said FCA EMEA Region COO, Pietro Gorlier.
“With its new car battery assembly centre at Mirafiori, FCA accelerates its drive to electrify, adding now another element to the ecosystem that starts from supply chain and ends with customer support.
“A journey passing through the recent partnerships on recharging infrastructure, Vehicle–to-Grid and services to support customers of hybrid and full electric cars, from Italy to the rest of the world.”
A complete battery assembly centre will be created in a specially designed building, with the potential to be expanded for future projects. The technology will be used with modular and flexible processes, including the use of collaborative robots working with operators.
The new Battery Hub will also have space for training courses as well as prototyping and experimentation during the pilot process. The Hub will also have a technology centre dedicated to quality control and testing of components provided by suppliers.
After assembly, electronically-controlled systems will be used to test the efficiency of the batteries. Comau will be a partner in the initiative.
Initial investment will be around EUR50m.
The announcement comes a few months after FCA said it would build a new electric-powered Fiat 500 at the Mirafiori plant starting in the second quarter of 2020. Around 1,200 people will be dedicated to the production of the vehicle with initial production of 80,000 units per year and the potential to increase production in the future.
A few weeks ago, FCA also announced that the new GranTurismo and GranCabrio would be the first Maserati models to run 100% on electricity and they would both be manufactured at the Turin-based production hub.
At the Turin complex, which includes both the Mirafiori and Grugliasco sites, around 20,000 people are employed in production and connected activities such as engineering and design, sales, financial services and spare parts, making it the largest FCA complex in the world.
In total, FCA will invest more than EUR5bn in Italy during the 2019-2021 period in support of a renewal of the product range, with the introduction of 13 all-new or significantly refreshed models.
The electrification of the product range includes the introduction of 12 electric versions of new or existing models.
