AUTONEWS

Carlos Tavares(CEO Stellantis) concerned about excess weight of batteries in electrified models

During the Freedom of Mobility forum, the CEO of Stellantis, the Portuguese Carlos Tavares, shared his concerns regarding the future of the automotive industry, pointing the finger at the excessive weight of batteries used in electric cars, as well as the greater amount of matter -raw that is necessary for its manufacture. It is clear how important these two themes are for Stellantis, as this group hopes to sell only electric vehicles in Europe from 2030 onwards, that is, within six years, while in the USA this percentage should be 50%. at the end of the decade.

According to Carlos Tavares, an electric car with 400 km of autonomy needs 500 kg of additional raw material, when compared to a similar model equipped with a combustion engine. “From an environmental point of view, it doesn’t make sense to use such heavy batteries,” the manager told Reuters. In addition to the costs and environmental impact, there is another aggravating factor: the increase in weight also causes a loss of vehicle efficiency, which translates into higher consumption and lower ranges.

Stellantis is preparing solutions to overcome this difficulty, with the manager guaranteeing that the group “will be able, over the next decade, to reduce the weight of the battery by 50%, thus also cutting 50% in raw materials”. In the process, the need for smaller quantities of lithium, cobalt, nickel and manganese will allow a reduction in the cost of batteries and, by extension, electric vehicles.

Tavares did not say how Stellantis intends to achieve the aforementioned weight reduction, but, to have a concrete idea of the advantages, it is enough to bear in mind that a small, utility-type vehicle, such as the Peugeot e-208, has a weight of approximately 1500 kg and mounts a 400 kg battery. The possibility of reducing the weight of the battery by 200 kg will allow for a utility vehicle weighing only 1300 kg, a value substantially closer to the 1200 kg claimed by a similar model with a gasoline engine.

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