European automotive giant Stellantis has promised to launch 29 new battery electric vehicles models by 2030 as part of a five year a €60 billion ($A97.5 billion) strategic plan to regain the initiative in electric mobility.
Stellantis – which consists of big-name car names such as Alfa Romeo, Chrylser, Dodge, Jeep, Maserati, Peugeot, Ram, and more – said it has overhauled its brand portfolio and product plan – dubbed Fastlane – and will debut 60 new vehicles and 50 “significant refreshes” between now and 2030.
Included in the lineup will be 29 BEVs, 15 plug-in hybrid EVs (PHEVs) or range-extended EVs, 24 hybrids, and 39 ICE or mild hybrids.
Stellantis will also be focusing specifically on its four core global brands – Jeep, Ram, Peugeot, and Fiat – with 70 per cent of the plan’s brand and product investment directed to these four brands, as well as the company’s commercial vehicles business unit, Pro One.
“FaSTLAne 2030 is the result of months of disciplined work across the Company and is designed to drive long-term profitable growth,” said Antonio Filosa, Stellantis CEO.
“With the customer at the center of everything we do, the plan will deliver our purpose – ‘to move people with brands and products they love and trust’ – powered by our unique combination of strengths.”
In its announcement, Stellantis doubled down on the consumer-centric language – phrases like “freedom of choice” and putting “the customer at the centre” – that have become the tools of the automotive press trade to hide the shift away from an electric only transition.
Even Stellantis’ new STLA One global modular vehicle architecture, also unveiled at the company’s Investor Day, has been designed to support multiple powertrains.
The 800-volt capable STLA One brings together five different platforms into one scalable architecture that covers segments B, C, and D, and will be the first platform slated to integrate the company’s STLA Brain, STLA SmartCockpit, and steer-by-wire technologies.
STLA Brain is a scalable central compute and software architecture, while STLA SmartCockpit is the company’s “new way for customers to interact with their vehicles”.
Stellantis hopes that this suite of technologies will support the faster rollout of features and enable each brand to tailor the customer experience. The modular scalable architecture also integrates common interfaces to reduce complexity, speed development, and target a 20 per cent cost efficiency.
The increased use of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries will also support affordability and reduce the company’s exposure to critical raw materials, while integrating batteries into the vehicle structure will also help to reduce cost, weight, and complexity.
By 2035, Stellantis hopes that STLA One will support over 30 models and grow to more than 2 million units.
“STLA One is a clear example of a truly modular strategy, giving us the flexibility of a multi-energy platform without carrying inefficiencies from one propulsion system to another,” said Ned Curic, chief engineering and technology officer.
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Joshua S. Hill is a Melbourne-based journalist who has been writing about climate change, clean technology, and electric vehicles for over 15 years. He has been reporting on electric vehicles and clean technologies for Renew Economy and The Driven since 2012. His preferred mode of transport is his feet.