All of Stellantis’ 14 brands have committed to selling “best-in-class fully electrified solutions,” according to today’s announcement, but Europe will be a more extreme changeover than the US. The target is for 70% of sales in Europe, but just 40% in the U.S., to be low-emission vehicles by 2030.
New battery-electrics (BEVs) are to have ranges of 300-500 miles and fast charging of 20 miles per minute. The company is developing four flexible platforms engineered from ground up for BEVs, with three electric drive modules and standardized battery packs (which is directly counter to the now-ancient DaimlerChrysler setup). The platforms will be designed for software and hardware upgrades.
The new cars will be supported by five battery factories in Europe and North America, capable of producing 260 GWh of batteries by 2030. Two chemistries will be used, a high-energy-density version and a nickel cobalt-free alternative, which is to be ready by 2024. A solid state battery chemistry is planned for 2026.
Stellantis has signed memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with two lithium geothermal brine process companies in North America and Europe, since lithium is the raw material most likely to come up against supply constraints (separately, General Motors recently announced a deal to provide massive quantities of lithium in the United States).
The company believes battery pack cost can be cut by over 40% from 2020 to 2024, and another 20% by 2030. Stellantis is also planning for the batteries’ life after they leave the cars.
Overall, Stellantis believes BEVs and internal combustion versions of the same vehicles will have the same total cost of ownership by 2026.
Solutions will be developed for each of its many brands. The slogans are:
- Abarth – “Heating Up People, But Not the Planet”
- Alfa Romeo – “From 2024, Alfa Becomes Alfa e-Romeo”
- Chrysler – “Clean Technology for a New Generation of Families”
- Citroën – “Citroën Electric: Well-Being for All!”
- Dodge – “Tear Up the Streets… Not the Planet”
- DS Automobiles – “The Art of Travel, Magnified”
- Fiat – “It’s Only Green When It’s Green for All”
- Jeep® – “Zero Emission Freedom”
- Lancia – “The Most Elegant Way to Protect the Planet”
- Maserati – “The Best in Performance Luxury, Electrified”
- Opel/Vauxhall – “Green is the New Cool”
- Peugeot – “Turning Sustainable Mobility into Quality Time”
- Ram – “Built to Serve a Sustainable Planet”
- Commercial Vehicles – “The Global Leader in e-Commercial Vehicles”
The four new platforms will be (as announced before, but not in relation to BEVs):
- STLA Small, with a range up to 300 miles (500 kilometers)
- STLA Medium, with a range up to 440 miles (700 kilometers)
- STLA Large, with a range up to 500 miles (800 kilometers)
- STLA Frame, with a range up to 500 miles (800 kilometers)
The three electric drive module families (EDMs) combine the motor, gearbox, and inverter, and can be easily scaled and configured for front-drive, rear-drive, all-wheel drive, and 4xe.
