Chinese battery cell manufacturer Svolt has won a supply contract with Stellantis, providing the carmaker with a "broad" product portfolio ahead of its electrification.

The undisclosed deal was announced by Svolt on 12 July, a few days after Stellantis unveiled its strategy to electrify the line-ups of its 14 brands, Kallanish notes. Under the partnership, Svolt will supply items ranging from battery cells and high-voltage storage systems to battery management systems.

“For the order, Svolt will use its production capacities in China and future production capacities in Europe,” says the battery maker, noting supplies will start from 2025.

Stellantis estimates its battery supply sourcing to reach over 130 gigawatt-hours by 2025 and 260 GWh by 2030. The auto company plans to use two battery chemistries to support various customer needs – a high energy-density one and a nickel cobalt-free alternative.

Svolt, a spin-off of the Chinese carmaker Great Wall Motors, has a European subsidiary in Germany. The company is developing a 24-GWh multi-phase gigafactory in Saarland. The plant is slated to start its first phase production (6 GWh) at the end of 2023. Once fully operational, it would meet battery demand for 300,000-500,000 EVs per year.

Earlier this year, Svolt started mass production of cathode material for its cobalt-free battery cells, set to be market-ready this year. The nickel manganese (NMX) cells are produced in Jintan, eastern China. The cathode material consists of 75% nickel and 25% manganese and relies on special doping and coating processes.