Stellantis, which owns 14 of the world’s most renowned car manufacturers, is investing big in electrification to support its aim of being mostly electric by 2030. It’s not just the cars themselves; the company is going to start producing batteries to support its needs through five gigafactories in Europe and North America.

A total of 30 billion euros is being invested in the project between now and 2025 to support group-wide improvements in operational efficiency as well as the electrification of its brands. The ultimate aim is to become “the market leader in low emission vehicles (LEV)” – which suggests BEVs will be backed up with hybrid powertrains.

In Europe, it wants 70 per cent of its passenger car mix to be LEVs by 2030, and in the USA it is targeting 40 per cent for its passenger car and light-duty trucks by the same date. A total of 14 brands across both markets are covered: Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Citroen, Dodge, DS, Fiat, Jeep, Lancia, Maserati, Peugeot, Ram, Vauxhall/Opel and the commercial vehicle arm.

Supporting the move to EVs

Stellantis has set out targets for its BEVs in advance of developing them and is shooting for ambitious range and charging targets of between 300-500 miles, with the ability to add 20 miles per minute at the plug.

It will underpin a range of cars thanks to four ‘BEV-centric’ platforms which will be used across the Stellantis brands. Each is designed to be flexible for size and component sharing, and across the group there will be enough capacity for two million of each to be produced per year – totalling eight million units. The four platforms are:

• STLA Small with a range of up to 300 miles
• STLA Medium with a range of up to 440 miles
• STLA Large with a range of up to 500 miles
• STLA Frame with a range of up to 500 miles

They will be powered by a family of three electric drive modules (EDM) that combine motor, gearbox and inverter, and can be used in front-, rear- or all-wheel drive configurations. With regards squeezing those big ranges from the cars, two battery chemistries are planned to be in production by 2024: a high energy-density option and a nickel cobalt-free alternative.

Excitingly, the group reckons that it will have solid-state batteries ready to be introduced into its fleet by 2026.

Battery production

Stellantis is already in the process of securing 130GWh of battery capacity by 2025 to support its electric ambitions. By 2030, it aims to have 260GWh of capacity which it will meet through five gigafactories across North America and Europe.

These battery production facilities will be built in conjunction with third parties, and Stellantis has already got the initial building blocks in place to secure a supply of lithium and other raw materials. Second-life usage is also featuring in the plans, with repair, recycling and second-use strategies being developed to maximise sustainability.

Brand-specific plans

Stellantis is drip-feeding information pertaining to each of its brands, as they will have a certain autonomy to decide their own electrification strategies. We’ll bring you all of this news as it happens.