Stellantis wants to put the world on battery-powered wheels and to that effect the newly formed global automotive giant is investing 30 billion euros (around R500 billion) in electrification and software development between now and 2025.
This will take place across its 14 vehicle brands, which include Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Lancia, Maserati, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Opel, Peugeot and Citroen. The end result, it hopes, will be low-emission vehicles accounting for over 70% of its European sales by 2030.
To achieve this, Stellantis has announced four electric-focused modular platforms to underpin its future vehicles, these being STLA Small with a range of up to 500 km, STLA Medium that enables up to 700 km of range as well as STLA Large and STLA Frame (AKA bakkie platform), which both target 800 km between charges. These platforms are designed with a high level of flexibility in terms of vehicle size and will save the company money through extensive component sharing.
At the other end of the scale, however, Stellantis will also concentrate on bringing more affordable battery-powered passenger cars to market. To that end, the company is hoping to reduce the cost of electric vehicle battery packs by 40 percent by 2024 (vs 2020), and by an additional 20 percent by 2030.
“Affordability is a priority at Stellantis, as the Company is targeting for the total cost of ownership of EVs to be equivalent to internal combustion engine vehicles by 2026,” Stellantis said during the presentation of its new electrification strategy in Amsterdam this week. Stellantis aims to make battery packs cheaper by simplifying the format of the modules, increasing the size of the battery cells and upgrading the battery chemistry.
It’s likely that Fiat will lead the affordable electric vehicle charge, given that its new motto, announced at the aforementioned event, is “It’s only green when it’s green for all”. Last month Fiat’s new CEO Olivier François said he felt it was his company’s duty to bring electric cars to market at the same price as traditional ICE models, although this could only realistically happen once batteries become cheaper.
“Electrification is not a ‘one size fits all’ plan at Stellantis,” the carmaker said. “Each of the company’s 14 iconic brands is committed to offering best-in-class fully electrified solutions and doing so in a way that enhances the DNA of each brand.”
To that end, the auto giant released the following statements, defining the electrification approach for each brand:
- 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”
