More than 30 billion euros to be invested by 2025. It was with this number that Carlos Tavares, Stellantis' executive director, started the group's EV Day 2021 event, about the electrification plans of its 14 brands.
A figure necessary to reach targets of 70% of sales in Europe and more than 40% in North America corresponding to low-emission vehicles (plug-in hybrids and electric) by 2030 — today this sales mix is at 14% in Europe and 4% in North America.
And despite the amounts involved in the electrification of Stellantis, greater profitability is expected, with Carlos Tavares announcing a sustainable double-digit current operating margin in the medium term (2026), higher than today, which is approximately 9%.
To achieve these margins, the plan already underway will be supported by a strategy with greater vertical integration (more development and production "in-house", with less dependence on external suppliers), greater synergies between the 14 brands (annual savings in excess of five thousand million euros), a reduction in the price of batteries (expected to fall 40% between 2020-2024 and a further 20% by 2030) and creation of new sources of revenue (connected services and future software business models).
More than 30 billion euros by 2025 will be invested, more specifically, in the development of four new platforms, in the construction of five giga-factories for the production of batteries (in Europe and North America) with more than 130 GWh of capacity ( more than 260 GWh in 2030) and the creation of a new software division.
Let there be no illusions: in the electrification of Stellantis, all 14 brands will have electric vehicles as their main “battle horses”. Opel was the boldest in its ambitions: from 2028 it will be just and only one brand of electric cars. The first electric Alfa Romeo will be known in 2024 (announced as Alfa… e-Romeo) and not even the tiny, “poisonous” Abarth will escape electrification.
On the North American side of Stellantis, Jeep's efforts in this direction are already known, with the expansion, for now, of its 4x plug-in hybrids to the iconic Wrangler (which is already the best-selling plug-in hybrid in the US), to new Grand Cherokee and even the giant Grand Wagoneer won't escape this fate — electric and autonomous vehicles are the next chapter. More surprising, perhaps, was the announcement of the octane addict Dodge: in 2024 it will present its first electric muscle car (!).
4 platforms and up to 800 km of autonomy
In the words of Carlos Tavares, “this period of transformation is a wonderful opportunity to restart the clock and start a new race”, which will translate into a wide range of models that will be based on just four platforms that share a high level of flexibility between them to improve their performance. adjust to the individual needs of each brand:
- STLA Small, batteries between 37-82 kWh, maximum range of 500 km
- STLA Medium, batteries between 87-104 kWh, maximum range of 700 km
- STLA Large, batteries between 101-118 kWh, maximum range of 800 km
- STLA Frame, batteries between 159 kWh and over 200 kWh, maximum range of 800 km
STLA Frame will be the one with the least impact in Europe. It is a platform with stringers and sleepers, which will have as its main destination the Ram pick-ups that sell, mainly, in North America. From STLA Large, larger models will be derived, with greater focus on the North American market (eight models in the next 3-4 years), with dimensions between 4.7-5.4 m in length and 1.9-2 .03 m wide.
Most important for Europe will be the STLA Small (segment A, B, C) and STLA Medium (segment C, D). STLA Small should only arrive in 2026 (until then the CMP, coming from the ex-Groupe PSA, will be evolved and expanded to new models from the ex-FCA). The first STLA Medium model will be known in 2023 — it is expected to be the new generation of the Peugeot 3008 — and this will be the main platform to be used by the group's identified premium brands: Alfa Romeo, DS Automobiles and Lancia.
Stellantis sees the potential to produce two million units per year per platform.
Solid State Batteries in 2026
Complementing the new platforms will be batteries with two different chemistries: one with high energy density based on nickel and the other without nickel or cobalt (the latter to appear until 2024).
But in the race for batteries, solid-state ones — which promise higher energy densities and lighter weight — will also be part of Stellantis' electrical future, with these to be introduced in 2026.
Three EDM (Electric Drive Modules) will be powered by Stellantis' electric futures, which combine the electric motor, gearbox and inverter. All three promise to be compact and flexible, and can be configured for front, rear, all-wheel and 4xe (Jeep plug-in hybrid) models.
The access EDM promises a power of 70 kW (95 hp) associated with a 400 V electrical system. The second EDM will offer between 125-180 kW (170-245 hp) and 400 V, while the more powerful EDM promises between 150 -330 kW (204-449 hp), which can be associated with either a 400 V or 800 V system.
Rounding out the new platforms, batteries and EDM in the electrification of Stellantis is a program of hardware and software updates (the latter remote or over the air), which will extend the life of the platforms for the next decade.
Carlos Tavares, CEO of Stellantis“Our electrification trip is possibly the most important brick to lay, at a time when we are starting to unravel the future of Stellantis, doing so just six months after its birth, and the entire Company is now in full swing mode. execution to exceed each client's expectations and accelerate our role in redefining the way the world moves. We have the scale, skills, spirit and sustainability to achieve current double-digit Operating margins, to lead the industry with benchmark efficiencies and deliver electrified vehicles that ignite the passions.”