StarPlus Energy, a joint venture of Samsung and Stellantis, has become a prime investor, employer, and expanding influence on Kokomo, Indiana’s industrial capacity. The StarPlus Energy venture will employ approximately 3,000 people in its new “Gigafactory,” which is really two electric vehicle battery manufacturing plants put together.
One of the two plants is complete and is already operational—ahead of the announced early-2025 start date. At time of writing, StarPlus Energy is actively recruiting for several dozen open positions (ranging from lab supervisor to Korean translator) listed on their website.
This first facility was the product of a $2.5 billion investment. The combined Gigafactory is part of a broader strategy to support both parent companies’ goals, such as Stellantis' clean power benchmarks enumerated under its Dare Forward 2030 plan.
The StarPlus Energy facilities also mean good news for Purdue; the first internships at the company have just recently concluded, and included among their number were Purdue Polytechnic students such as Emily Zhang in the Department of Computer and Information Technology.
“Being among the first round of interns and the first to complete the program has made me realize how much I will value and cherish this experience,” Zhang said. “I had the opportunity to analyze top defects and track correlations between parameters for [Samsung’s] battery [which is used in] Stellantis vehicles.”
The Gigafactory is also located about 10 minutes up the road from Purdue Polytechnic in Kokomo, a location offering many Purdue engineering technology degrees to nearby students and adult learners looking for a Purdue tech degree, just closer to their hometown.
Purdue Polytechnic’s locations around the state of Indiana make it a point to connect students with local industry both for internships and full-time job opportunities; StarPlus Energy in particular can serve as a boon to Purdue Polytechnic in Kokomo students, given the sheer size of the facility and the learning opportunities.
Stellantis retains a long-term set of objectives, which include achieving a 50% battery electric vehicle sales mix in the U.S. by 2030, and becoming a carbon net-zero company by 2038.
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