Peugeot gives sneak peek of EV factory

Peugeot has lifted the lid on its growing team of technicians who are responsible for assembling and testing each and every battery that goes into its electric cars (100 percent electric or plug-in hybrid) and vans.

According to the French automotive marque, the experts represent “excellence,” which is a key brand value for Peugeot. They are specially trained before joining the carmaker's European factories in Spain, Slovakia, and France. Each battery is tested to ensure its reliability, performance, and lifecycle.

Peugeot shared that its strides in electrification are accelerating in 2022 with the new 408 that will strengthen its plug-in hybrid car offer, reinforced by the new 308 and the 100-percent electric light commercial vehicles (LCV). In 2022, more than 70 percent of the Peugeot vehicles sold around the world are electrified.

In the first half of 2022, the Lion brand said that one out of four passenger cars in Europe is a Peugeot. In 2021, it was one out of six.

Come 2025, all of Peugeot's  offerings will offer an electrified variant. The move will require a substantial uplift in the number of batteries being produced. The Paris-based automotive firm estimates it will assemble up to 10,000 batteries a month for its car range by next year, and as many as 7,000 batteries a month for its advanced LCV range.

Peugeot said that it takes roughly 60 minutes for skilled technicians to assemble a 50 kilowatt-hour (kWh) battery unit (pre-assembled cells and components) and about 90 minutes for the larger 75kWh units.

The team subjects each battery to a series of critical tests. Therefore, each unit is guaranteed an eight-year/160,000 kilometers warranty policy for 70 percent of its charge capacity. The whole testing process, which involves three phases, takes 15 minutes and is mandatory to sign off the batteries for the assembly.

The first test simulates the operation of the battery in a vehicle to validate reliability while the second performance test stimulates the battery at full rate. Finally, the batteries are subjected to a sealing test where the battery unit is pressurized by gas to check for leaks by monitoring pressure loss. A proper seal will prevent water or dirt from getting inside the battery cells and compromising its lifecycle or performance.

Skilled operators work in the dedicated battery assembly workshops of five plants of the Stellantis Group: Vigo & Saragossa (Spain), Trnava (Slovakia), Sochaux and Mulhouse (France), and soon Hordain (France). Both electric and conventional combustion engine vehicles are assembled on the same line.

Stellantis owns automotive brands like Citroen, Opel, and Vauxhall as well as Fiat Chrysler Automobile’s (FCA) Fiat, Chrysler, Dodge, Ram, Jeep, Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Lancia, and Maserati.

The technicians who test and assemble the Peugeot vehicles’ batteries come from Stellantis’ factories. They are selected on the basis of their electrification skills and are given a month's specialist training. As a consequence of the energy transition and of the increasing mix of electrified models, Peugeot and the wider Stellantis Group are increasing the number of technicians qualified to assemble and work on electrified vehicles.

”The electrification of the Peugeot range is a success: LEV (Low Emission Vehicles) models represent one out of four passenger car sales in Europe in the first half of 2022. Peugeot provides a wide range of electrified vehicles with the full-electric e-208 and e-2008. The New 408, the New 308 (hatch and SW) as the 3008 and 508 (sedan and SW) come with plug-in hybrid engines. The LCV offer is complete with 100 percent electric versions, with e-Partner, e-Expert, and e-Boxer,” said Peugeot Product Director Jérôme Micheron.

Photos from Peugeot

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