Stellantis invests in electric drives in North America

The Stellantis Group has announced an investment of 155 million US dollars in three factories in Kokomo, Indiana, with plans to produce new Electric Drive Modules (EDM) there. These are intended to help power electric vehicles manufactured in North America and support the goal of making every second vehicle sold by the group in the USA battery-electric by 2030. By 2030, more than 25 market launches of battery-electric vehicles (BEV) are planned in the USA, the group further announced. The EDM manufactured in Kokomo will be integrated into vehicles developed on the STLA Large and STLA Frame platforms. The EDM is a complete solution for the powertrain of electric vehicles and consists of three main components – electric motor, power electronics, and transmission – combined into a single module to achieve better performance at competitive costs. The optimized efficiency of the new EDM will help each platform achieve a range of up to 800 kilometers.

“As we continue our successful transition to a decarbonized future in our European operations, we are now setting the same fundamental course for the North American market. By combining the benefits of the EDM with our new BEV-focused platforms and innovative battery technologies, we will offer our customers a variety of electric vehicles with unprecedented performance and range at affordable prices," promised Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares.

Production is expected to start in the third quarter of 2024 after the conversion. Thanks to the investment, more than 265 jobs will be secured in the three plants. With more than 7,000 employees in Indiana, these investments will utilize the core competencies of local workers in casting, machining, and assembly, which will still be needed as the market transitions to an electrified future, explained Mark Stewart, Stellantis North America COO.

Since 2020, the group has invested nearly 3.3 billion US dollars in Indiana to support the transition to electrification. This includes the recent announcements of 643 million US dollars for the production of a new engine for conventional and plug-in hybrid applications, a next-generation eight-speed transmission, and a joint venture for a gigafactory with Samsung SDI.