FranceStellantis will pause production at two French plants in late October because it is not receiving enough long-range batteries for its electric cars. Sochaux will not run from 23 to 30 October, and Rennes from 22 to 30 October, according to Reuters.
Which cars are affected
Sochaux builds the electric versions of the Peugeot 3008 and 5008, and Rennes builds the Citroën C5 Aircross. The shortage hits the long-range versions, which use a pack of about 97 kWh, and it is most acute on the C5 Aircross. The shorter-range versions are not named as constrained.
Stellantis says demand for the long-range versions, particularly from company-fleet customers, is higher than its supplier can currently deliver. Fleet cars cover more kilometres than private ones, which is why range matters to those buyers. Stellantis has said it is not yet receiving enough of the batteries “despite big progress” at the supplier.
Where the batteries come from
The cells are made by Automotive Cells Company (ACC), a joint venture of Stellantis, Mercedes-Benz and TotalEnergies. ACC’s plant at Douvrin in northern France is still ramping up, so supply grows only as fast as that line does. Stellantis has not said how many cars the stoppages will cost.
The Mulhouse stoppage is separate
Stellantis’s Mulhouse plant also stops, from 15 to 30 October, but for reasons unrelated to the battery supply. The two stoppages overlap in time but have different causes.
