Stellantis STLAM.MI announced on Friday that it would take a stake in the French sodium-ion battery manufacturer Tiamat in order to diversify its range of technologies for its electric vehicles.
The amount of the investment by the car manufacturer resulting from the merger between PSA and FCA has not been made public, but it is part of a first fundraising of 150 million euros from Tiamat, specified the general director of the start-up, Hervé Beuffe, during a press conference call.
These funds should be used in particular for the construction of a battery factory in the North of France. This site, the fifth gigafactory in the region, should have an initial capacity of 0.7 GWh by 2026, which could be increased to 5 GWh in 2029, he added.
“The entry of Stellantis into the company’s equity capital allows us to carry out this industrialization in France and secondly to support the evolution of technology for other medium and long term needs,” continued Hervé Beuffe.
A spin-off from the French public scientific research institute CNRS, founded in 2017, Tiamat claims to be the first marketer in the world of a consumer device – a screwdriver – equipped with a sodium-ion battery.
This technology makes it possible to do away with lithium, a metal that is in high demand today due to the electrification boom, by replacing it with much more abundant sodium, and to offer cheaper batteries for small vehicles. The disadvantage – reduced autonomy – can be compensated by faster charging capacity.
Before proving itself on 100% electric cars, Tiamat technology will find its first applications in portable power tools, stationary electricity storage and hybridization, or even in the replacement of traditional lead batteries used to start vehicles. thermal vehicles.
“Exploring new options for more sustainable and affordable batteries, using widely available raw materials, is a key element of the ambitions of our ‘Dare Forward 2030’ strategic plan which calls for us to achieve net carbon neutrality. “by 2038”, declared Ned Curic, Director of Engineering and Technology at Stellantis, quoted in a press release.
(Report by Gilles Guillaume, edited by Blandine Hénault)