Stellantis Invests $155 Million to Build Modules for EVs Like the 2025 Ram 1500 REV

Ram is taking a huge step in its push to start building battery electric vehicles. The automaker announced it is investing $155 million into three Kokomo, Indiana, plants to build and assemble electric drive modules to propel electric vehicles. While the automaker is not specifying which vehicles the EDMs will be for, it does say that the EDMs are for vehicles on the STLA Frame and STLA Large vehicle platforms. The 2025 Ram 1500 REV is scheduled to be built on the STLA Frame platform.

“While we continue our successful transition to a decarbonized future in our European operations, we are now setting those same foundational elements for the North American market,” said Carlos Tavares, Stellantis CEO. “By combining the benefits of the EDM with our new BEV-centric platforms and innovative battery technologies, we will offer our customers a variety of electric vehicles with unparalleled performance and range at more affordable prices. And with our in-house manufacturing capabilities and expertise, we will do it with greater flexibility and efficiency.”

Stellantis’ EV Strategy

Stellantis intends to have the Ram REV pickup available by the end of 2024 for the 2025 model year. It is also planning to produce an EV muscle car in 2024 as well. That vehicle which will be based on the Dodge Charger Daytona EV Concept and will be built on the STLA Large EV platform. Stellantis is running behind Ford which already has its F-150 Lightning on the market. GM has the GMC HUMMER already for sale, while the 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV and GMC Sierra EV are due out in late 2023.

According to Stellantis, the Electric Drive Module provides an all-in-one solution for the EV powertrains. The EDM consists of three main components – the electric motor, power electronics and transmission – that are combined into a single module to deliver improved performance and range at a competitive cost. The company has promised to to reach 50% U.S. battery-electric vehicle sales by 2030, starting with the first fully electric Ram vehicles from 2023 and Jeep from 2024.

Stellantis intends to launch 25 battery-electric vehicle (BEV) vehicles in the U.S. between now and 2030. The Kokomo-built EDM will be integrated into vehicles designed on the STLA Large and STLA Frame platforms. The hope is to give the vehicles a range of approximately 500 miles.

Indiana EV Investments

Since 2020, Stellantis has invested nearly $3.3 billion in Indiana to support its transition to electrification. This includes recent announcements of $643 million to produce a new engine for conventional and PHEV applications, a next-generation eight-speed transmission and a gigafactory joint venture with Samsung SDI.

Investments will be made at Indiana Transmission, Kokomo Transmission and Kokomo Casting plants. Production is expected to start in the third quarter of 2024, following retooling. More than 265 jobs will be retained.

“With more than 7,000 employees in Indiana, these investments will leverage the core manufacturing competencies of the local workforce in the areas of casting, machining and assembly, all of which will be needed even as the market transitions to an electrified future,” said Mark Stewart, Stellantis North America COO. “The city of Kokomo and the state of Indiana have been great partners for many years. This community will continue to play a central role in our efforts to provide safe, clean and affordable mobility solutions for our customers long into the future.”

Jump Starting EV Production

The investments are good news for EV enthusiasts who have been concerned that Stellantis has not been moving quickly enough to make the switch to EVS. Jeep does have the most popular PHEV selling in North America, with the Jeep Wrangler 4xe. It is promising to have electrified vehicles across all of its brands, but analysts are anxious to see the BEVs start production. It appears consumers are anxious to buy the EVs. Reservations for the 2025 Ram 1500 REV sold out in just five days after the truck was revealed during the Super Bowl on February 12th.

Ram Photo

Mary Conway is a professional automotive journalist and has decades of experience specializing in automotive news analysis. She covered the Detroit Three for more than twenty years for the ABC affiliate, in Detroit. Her affection for the Motor City comes naturally. Her father ran a gas station while Mary was growing up, in Wisconsin.

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