The new platform promises a range of up to 700km from a charge for the forthcoming medium-sized cars and will use a 400V electric architecture instead of the newer 800V architecture that is currently in use on SA roads inside the Porsche Taycan and Audi e-Tron GT. Volvo’s upcoming EV models and the newer cars from new local market entrant BYD will also use 800V architecture.
Manufacturing targets for the new platform are around two million cars per year from a worldwide network of plants – which will include South Africa in the future.
Stellantis signed an MoU with the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) and the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) to develop a manufacturing facility in South Africa in May this year. The plant is supposed to start production in 2025.
“What we see today is the product of just over two years of no-compromise innovation to deliver clean, safe and affordable mobility, supported by our €30bn investment in electrification and software through 2025,” said Carlos Tavares, Stellantis CEO.
“The STLA Medium platform demonstrates the power of the global Stellantis technical community, delivering products that are hyper-focused on our customers and rewriting long-held assumptions of transportation.”
STLA Medium is the first of the planned four global BEV platforms that will help Stellantis achieve its goal of 100% EV production for the group’s passenger cars by 2030.
Future Stellantis EVs will store energy inside the group’s custom-built battery packs, most likely manufactured at a Canadian facility.
The Trudeau administration recently agreed to a R210bn ($11.3bn) incentive package for Stellantis to continue with construction on the battery manufacturing facility it is building in partnership with LG Energy.
This project is expected to create around 2,500 new jobs and produce more than 45GWh of batteries per year and received another boost with a similarly timed announcement of a rare earth offtake deal with NioCorp.
“Stellantis intends to lead the industry with the commitment to be carbon net zero by 2038 – a goal that requires innovation and a complete redefinition of our sourcing strategies,” said Stellantis chief purchasing and supply chain officer Maxime Picat.
“By working with partners like NioCorp, we are taking important steps, with the aim of decarbonising mobility and ensuring strategic supplies of raw materials necessary for the success of the company’s global electrification plans highlighted in our Dare Forward 2030 strategy.”
Stellantis halted construction in May to pressure the Canadian government to match the financial support available in the US. Canada then offered more than what it offered the Volkswagen Group in June.
