Quick Takeaways
- Stellantis EV battery research facility in Windsor continues full operations despite NextStar Energy stake sale
- Ontario EV investment and battery pack testing lab plans remain unchanged
Stellantis EV battery research facility operations in Windsor remain fully intact despite the company’s decision to divest its 49% stake in the NextStar Energy battery plant to LG Energy Solution. The move, announced on February 9, has prompted industry scrutiny regarding the automaker’s long-term electrification roadmap in Canada. Nevertheless, company leadership has confirmed that all research, development, battery validation, and engineering programs at the Windsor location continue without disruption and remain strategically embedded within North American vehicle development cycles.
The transfer of equity in the NextStar Energy battery plant does not represent a withdrawal from Canada’s electric vehicle ecosystem. Company officials have reiterated that engineering, electrification architecture development, battery integration, and validation activities at the Stellantis EV battery research facility in Windsor are proceeding as planned. The Automotive Research and Development Centre (ARDC) maintains its mandate to support a broad portfolio of vehicle programs across North America, spanning both battery-electric platforms and internal combustion engine architectures, thereby ensuring propulsion-agnostic engineering continuity.
Following the announcement of a CAD 3.6-billion investment in Ontario operations in 2022, Stellantis expanded its Windsor R&D infrastructure substantially. Approximately 650 incremental engineering and technical roles were introduced as part of the ARDC scaling initiative, increasing total site employment to roughly 800 personnel. These roles remain unaffected by the change in ownership structure of the NextStar Energy battery plant. Engineering teams at the Windsor facility are engaged in vehicle systems validation, battery pack integration, propulsion calibration, and platform-level testing activities that support nearly every Stellantis vehicle retailed in North America, in addition to select global development programs.
The 2022 capital allocation framework encompassed modernization initiatives at Windsor and Brampton assembly facilities, in parallel with capacity enhancements at the Stellantis ARDC Windsor site. Federal and provincial authorities collectively committed close to CAD 1 billion in public funding to accelerate Windsor Ontario EV production capabilities and strengthen domestic electrification infrastructure. A core technical deliverable within this roadmap is the establishment of a next-generation battery pack testing lab in North America.
Development plans for the battery cell validation center remain active and aligned with the original execution timeline. The Windsor site is engineered to function as a technical competence hub for advanced lithium-ion battery cells, modules, and complete pack assemblies serving battery-electric, plug-in hybrid, and hybrid-electric vehicle applications. Structured in alignment with a comparable validation center in Turin, Italy, the Canadian facility will emphasize electrochemical performance characterization, thermal management validation, durability cycling, safety compliance testing, and system-level optimization. This capability reinforces the Stellantis electrification strategy by consolidating in-house expertise in battery pack testing, lifecycle validation, and performance benchmarking critical to scalable EV deployment.
As segments of the global automotive industry recalibrate EV rollout trajectories in response to demand variability and regulatory dynamics, Stellantis continues executing a multi-energy propulsion strategy. Vehicles such as the Windsor Assembly-built Dodge Charger are available in both internal combustion engine and fully electric variants, enabling manufacturing flexibility and market-responsive product planning.
The sustained operation of the Stellantis EV battery research facility highlights the company’s engineering-centric approach to electrification in Canada. By preserving its R&D workforce, advancing battery pack testing lab capacity in North America, and maintaining previously announced Ontario EV investment commitments, Stellantis strengthens Windsor’s role as a strategically significant innovation node within its global product development network.
Stellantis EV battery research facility to continue operations in Windsor
The transfer of equity in the NextStar Energy battery plant does not represent a withdrawal from Canada’s electric vehicle ecosystem. Company officials have reiterated that engineering, electrification architecture development, battery integration, and validation activities at the Stellantis EV battery research facility in Windsor are proceeding as planned. The Automotive Research and Development Centre (ARDC) maintains its mandate to support a broad portfolio of vehicle programs across North America, spanning both battery-electric platforms and internal combustion engine architectures, thereby ensuring propulsion-agnostic engineering continuity.
ARDC workforce and engineering scope remain stable
Following the announcement of a CAD 3.6-billion investment in Ontario operations in 2022, Stellantis expanded its Windsor R&D infrastructure substantially. Approximately 650 incremental engineering and technical roles were introduced as part of the ARDC scaling initiative, increasing total site employment to roughly 800 personnel. These roles remain unaffected by the change in ownership structure of the NextStar Energy battery plant. Engineering teams at the Windsor facility are engaged in vehicle systems validation, battery pack integration, propulsion calibration, and platform-level testing activities that support nearly every Stellantis vehicle retailed in North America, in addition to select global development programs.
Ontario EV investment and battery testing strategy
The 2022 capital allocation framework encompassed modernization initiatives at Windsor and Brampton assembly facilities, in parallel with capacity enhancements at the Stellantis ARDC Windsor site. Federal and provincial authorities collectively committed close to CAD 1 billion in public funding to accelerate Windsor Ontario EV production capabilities and strengthen domestic electrification infrastructure. A core technical deliverable within this roadmap is the establishment of a next-generation battery pack testing lab in North America.
Advanced battery validation center in development
Development plans for the battery cell validation center remain active and aligned with the original execution timeline. The Windsor site is engineered to function as a technical competence hub for advanced lithium-ion battery cells, modules, and complete pack assemblies serving battery-electric, plug-in hybrid, and hybrid-electric vehicle applications. Structured in alignment with a comparable validation center in Turin, Italy, the Canadian facility will emphasize electrochemical performance characterization, thermal management validation, durability cycling, safety compliance testing, and system-level optimization. This capability reinforces the Stellantis electrification strategy by consolidating in-house expertise in battery pack testing, lifecycle validation, and performance benchmarking critical to scalable EV deployment.
Multi-powertrain approach amid EV market recalibration
As segments of the global automotive industry recalibrate EV rollout trajectories in response to demand variability and regulatory dynamics, Stellantis continues executing a multi-energy propulsion strategy. Vehicles such as the Windsor Assembly-built Dodge Charger are available in both internal combustion engine and fully electric variants, enabling manufacturing flexibility and market-responsive product planning.
- This dual-architecture capability allows Stellantis to dynamically balance ICE and EV output while sustaining investment in battery research, validation infrastructure, and propulsion system optimization.
The sustained operation of the Stellantis EV battery research facility highlights the company’s engineering-centric approach to electrification in Canada. By preserving its R&D workforce, advancing battery pack testing lab capacity in North America, and maintaining previously announced Ontario EV investment commitments, Stellantis strengthens Windsor’s role as a strategically significant innovation node within its global product development network.
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