Boss Stellantis says automotive industry will continue to experience shortages throughout EV transition

Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares says the automotive industry will continue to face a shortage of batteries and raw materials in the coming years.

Tavares believes the industry continues to transition to electric cars will inevitably lead to supply problems, especially with batteries, around 2025 or 2026, when demand for them reaches new heights. Boss Stellantis has also expressed concern over the lack of vision of regulators to help change EV.

“If there is no shortage of batteries, there will be a significant dependence of the Western world on Asia. This is something we can easily predict, ”Tavares said in a recent speech Financial Times The Future of the Car 2022 conference.

Read also: Stellantis has no plans to split its electric car business and ICE

Tavares added that supplies of raw materials, especially those needed to make lighter frames for EVs to nullify the weight gain caused by their heavy batteries, could also be triggered.

“It means big production of raw materials, it means ultimately a shortage of raw materials, it means ultimately geopolitical risks,” he said. “We may not like the way these raw materials will be delivered in a few years. What’s next? Where is the clean energy? Where is the charging infrastructure? Where are the raw materials? Where are the geopolitical risks of obtaining these raw materials? Who is looking at the full picture of this transformation? ”

Like many of his competitors, Stelantis has big ambitions for a fully electric future. In March, the company announced that all of its brands would become fully electric in Europe by 2030 and that the firm would reach pure zero by 2038. From 2024, all new models of the Stellantis brands will include all-electric options, including commercial vans and light pickups from Ram, 4×4 SUVs and Jeep family SUVs, Dodge production oil trucks and Chrysler family cars.

Stellantis is preparing more than 75 EVs by 2030, of which more than 25 will be EVs for the US market. The carmaker is also looking to increase battery production to 400 GW / h, up 140 GW / h from previous plans.