Stellantis's 4 New EV Platforms Will Each Support the Production of 2 Million Vehicles Per Year

resource from: Reuters   

The four new electric vehicle platforms recently unveiled by automaker Stellantis are expected to each underpin the production of 2 million vehicles a year, the automaker's Chief Executive Carlos Tavares said on Wednesday.

Tavares, who was named Chief Executive of Stallantis on Jan 16, 2021, has pushed for a convergence of the combined group's 14 brands to achieve a goal of over 5 billion euros ($5.8 billion) in annual synergies and accelerate the automaker's transition to electrification.

Stellantis, which is now the world's fourth biggest automaker, was officially established in January after a merger between Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and French automaker PSA Group was finalized. The Stellantis brands include Fiat, Renault, Jeep, Dodge, Ram, Chrysler, Peugeot, Alfa Romeo and Maserati.

In July, Stellantis announced its plans to invest more than 30 billion Euros ($35.5 billion) through 2025 on electrifying its vehicle lineup. The plans included setting up the four new modular EV platforms for future models. The company is following Volkswagen, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, General Motors, Volvo and other global automakers that are investing billions to develop new electric vehicles.

"The four platforms are designed with a high level of flexibility and parts sharing, to create scale economies," said Santo Ficili, Stellantis country manager for Italy. "In this way, each platform will be able to support (the production of) up to 2 million units every year".

The four Stellantis EV platforms will support small and medium sized cars, larger SUVs and trucks models, like the Dodge Ram pickup. The automaker is targeting driving ranges for its EVs between 300-500 miles (500-800 km), along with fast charging capability of 20 miles (32 km) per minute.

Stellantis announced its four new EV platforms at the company's "EV Day 2021" event in July.

The vehicles built the the new platforms will be powered by a family of three electric drive modules (EDM) that combine the electric motor, gearbox and inverter in a single housing. The EDMs can be configured for front-drive, rear-drive, all-wheel drive and 4xe ("four by E"). The 4xe hybrid platform is offered in the 2021 Jeep Wrangler.

To execute its electrification strategy, Stellantis announced in July it will invest in software development and make equity investments in joint ventures to fund the development of future technologies for its vehicles. The joint ventures will range from e-powertrain and e-transmission development, battery cell development, as well as digital cockpits and personalized connected services. 

Stellantis is targeting for more than 70% of its sales in Europe to come from low-emission vehicles by 2030. The automaker aims to have 40% of its vehicles in the U.S. to be low-emission vehicles by then, which includes fully electric and hybrid vehicles. 

Stellantis aims to make the total cost of owning an electric vehicle equal to that of a gasoline-powered model by 2026. 

According to Reuters, Ficili said that while costs to produce electric cars were higher than for traditional combustion engine models, there was a more urgent need to give buyers access to electric cars through better financing options and building more EV charging infrastructure.

Last week, Stellantis and battery manufacturer LG Energy Solution entered into a memorandum of understanding to form a joint venture to produce battery cells and modules for North America. 

The plant aims to have an initial annual production capacity of 23 gigawatt hours, with the ability to increase up to 40 gigawatt hours in the future. The plant is scheduled to begin battery production in 2025. The company's long-term EV battery sourcing strategy is to secure more than 260 GWh by 2030.  

With its four new modular EV platforms, Stellantis is gearing up to better compete with segment leader Tesla, which became the world's most valuable automaker with a market cap topping one trillion dollars this week. The company will also be competing more with its European rivals Volkswagen and Volvo in the EV space, which are both transitioning to building only fully-electric vehicles over the next decade.

resource from: Reuters

Eric Walz

Originally hailing from New Jersey, Eric is a automotive & technology reporter covering the high-tech industry here in Silicon Valley. He has over 15 years of automotive experience and a bachelors degree in computer science. These skills, combined with technical writing and news reporting, allows him to fully understand and identify new and innovative technologies in the auto industry and beyond. He has worked at Uber on self-driving cars and as a technical writer, helping people to understand and work with technology.