FLEET & BUSINESS SOLUTIONS
Employee expertise & great location will help create a ‘sustainable hub’ for van production
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Stellantis goes all-in with £50m investment in electric-only Ellesmere Port
Retaining a presence in the UK is of strategic importance to Stellantis, which reaffirmed its commitment to the plant with the announcement of a £50 million investment to expand production to medium-sized battery electric vans (BEVs).
Currently, it builds the small eLCV range of Citroën ë-Berlingo, Vauxhall Combo Electric, Peugeot E-Partner and E-Rifter, and Fiat Professional E-Doblo.
Fernando Andreu, Ellesmere Port Plant Director, says the investment will create a “sustainable vehicle hub” with the start of production of the Vauxhall Vivaro Electric, Peugeot E-Expert, Citroën ë-Dispatch and Fiat E-Scudo scheduled by the end of 2027.
“This will contribute to greater production efficiency,” he explains. “Ellesmere Port was chosen as the new UK LCV hub to take advantage of our employees’ expertise on the new line, the site’s footprint and proximity to both the Green Automotive Hub at the adjacent Queen Elizabeth II Eastham docks and the recently constructed 59,500m² Stellantis UK parts distribution centre.
“The planning and development of the site continues in a bid to make this happen as soon as possible.”
Last year, Ellesmere Port produced 14,500 electric vehicles, of which 4,000 were passenger cars. It also built more than 30,000 bodies for another plant to assemble, a figure which will rise to more than 40,000 this year.
The investment will ensure the plant and its team of more than 1,000 employees is adaptable to any increase in demand, with Andreu stating that “all customers should have no concern over lead times or supply”.
Last year, the team implemented a number of important changes to remove bottlenecks in the production process, improve cycle times and reduce downtime.
These actions have enabled Stellantis to produce higher volumes of vehicle with the same number of people and the same line running time, which has more than halved transformation costs.
Andreu was appointed last year. He has almost three decades of automotive experience which began as a junior engineer with Opel in 1996. He stresses the company’s commitment to product quality, with processes constantly re-evaluated to ensure they meet bestin- class production values.
“Quality is one of the overriding priorities of the plant,” he says. “We constantly develop our processes, an example of which is the introduction of new vision system controls and cameras that can further secure production against any defects.”
He adds: “Every day, we build vehicles to the highest standard. And every day, with a ‘kaizen’ (continuous improvement) mindset, the team is constantly researching and developing new ideas to increase our efficiency even further.”
Stellantis is keen to grab a larger share of the conversion and personalisation markets, and production facilities such as Ellesmere Port are crucial to enable the company to achieve its global aspirations.
Andreu says: “A focus area will be widening the portfolio of customisation and personalisation opportunities. We have the mindset, expertise and flexibility to accommodate fleet customer needs.”
The Ellesmere Port team remains committed to continuing its kaizen improvements with successes measured against other plants within the global organisation. It also shares best practice to ensure that every production facility can be elevated to achieve the higher standards of quality and customer care.
“In this sense, no matter how much we have improved efficiency, productivity, cost, safety and quality, and how proud the team can truly be for it, we all need to remain humble and with our feet on the ground,” Andreu says.
“We continue to look to our internal competitors and benchmarks to continue improving.”
He also acknowledges the important relationship the plant has with the local trade union, a relationship that is underpinned by trust and cooperation.
“Nothing would have been possible without the right mindset and support from them,” he adds.
As part of its ongoing improvements plan, Stellantis also welcomes the “invaluable feedback” it gets from fleet customers.
“These include development of specific physical requirements for individual needs and special colours for example,” Andreu says.
“We have the engineering know-how, processes and flexibility to adapt our business to fleet requirements.”
Ellesmere Port is a jewel in the Stellantis production ‘crown’. Globally, it is the company’s sole dedicated EV-only manufacturing facility.
NEW SERVICE PACKS EXTEND CONNECTIVITY
Stellantis is simplifying and enriching its connected services offer with a new structure based on two service packs: Connect ONE, included in the vehicle purchase price and valid for 10 years, and Connect PLUS, available by subscription after a trial period.
The Connect ONE pack is now enhanced with e-Remote Control for all Stellantis brands and e-ROUTES by Free2move Charge for Vauxhall and Peugeot.
This feature enables drivers of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles to manage charging and preconditioning directly from their smartphone, which helps to preserve battery range at the start of each journey.
It supports optimised trip planning by calculating the most suitable route based on several criteria, including range, charging station availability, traffic conditions, total distance and driving behaviour.
This enables a more accurate estimation of vehicle range and more efficient planning of required charging stops during a journey.
The additional Connect PLUS pack is expanded with two additional services that enhance both onboard and remote vehicle use:
: Amazon Alexa voice services (Alexa Vehicle to Home): drivers can control their smart home devices directly from their vehicle via Amazon Alexa.
: Theft prevention and assistance (Stolen Vehicle Tracking Assistance): this system allows the vehicle to be tracked in the event of theft and enables law enforcement assistance by providing access to the vehicle’s location mode for quicker recovery.
These services are now included in the Connect PLUS pack at no additional cost.
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STELLANTIS AND MICROSOFT TO DEVELOP AI
Stellantis and Microsoft have announced a five-year strategic collaboration aimed at accelerating Stellantis’ digital transformation through the co-development of advanced AI, cybersecurity and engineering capabilities.
Building on a longstanding alliance, this collaboration will bring together Stellantis’ automotive engineering expertise, multi-brand scale and global operations with Microsoft’s cloud, AI and security capabilities to accelerate stronger, more agile, more connected digital processes across its ecosystem.
More than 100 AI initiatives are being developed including: : AI powered product development and validation : Predictive maintenance and testing : Faster deployment of new digital features and services Stellantis will also deploy an AI driven global cyber defence centre spanning its IT systems, connected vehicles, manufacturing sites, and digital products.
This will embed cybersecurity into every digital vehicle experience, safeguarding interactions across mobile apps and in vehicle services.
CROSS-PAVEMENT CHARGING SOLUTION
Vauxhall has welcomed Kerbo Charge, leaders in cross-pavement installation for at-home electric vehicle (EV) charging, into its Electric Streets of Britain campaign, providing drivers with greater means of access to practical charging solutions.
It coincides with new research by Vauxhall which revealed that 42% of councils will have cross-pavement charging available by the end of 2026.
Currently, seven councils out of the 134 which responded to the Freedom of Information request have live cross-pavement charging in their constituencies, with a further 21 in the trial stage, and 28 planning to roll it out in 2026.
Eurig Druce, Group Managing Director, Stellantis UK, said: “Cross-pavement charging is a great way to ensure EV charging access is available for the millions of drivers wanting to be able to charge at home, opening the door for many who are thinking about making the switch but still have concerns about practical charging near
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