This project, named IBIS, aims to reduce the size and cost of electric vehicle batteries.
One of the solutions is to integrate the inverter and charger into the battery itself.
The automaker expects to use this technology in vehicles by the end of the decade.
Stellantis is working with battery specialist Saft and the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) to develop a new generation of electric batteries and powertrains.
The units that will result from the IBIS project (Intelligent Battery Integrated System) are meant to be more compact, more reliable, more efficient, and cheaper to manufacture than current electric vehicle batteries.
One of the ways the partnership will achieve those results is to integrate both the charger and the inverter directly into the lithium-ion battery cells.
By replacing these individual components with electronic conversion cards, the automaker expects lower production costs and a more compact physical size for the powertrain, two important factors in affordable EVs.
A longer range is also expected when compared to regular lithium-ion batteries due to the increased efficiency of the integrated inverter.
While Stellantis wants to use this technology in its electric vehicles by the end of the current decade, Saft will also make it available to its own customers.
Indeed, the company will sell the new batteries to individuals and businesses that need a compact but powerful energy-storing device.
This is why the first IBIS prototype is a stationary battery that has been running for about a year already.
The next step is to develop a prototype vehicle that will use the same technology in order to begin tests at Stellantis’ various facilities.
Since all of the development work is happening in France with the help of French partners, it wouldn’t be surprising if the first vehicles to use these new batteries wear the Peugeot and Citroën badges.
If the project is deemed successful, Stellantis could then expand its reach to its other brands, which include Fiat, Opel, Jeep, and Ram, among others.
