Follow us today...
Ram will be revealing its highly anticipated 2024 Ram 1500 Revolution BEV concept at the CES show in January. The pickup will be Stellantis’ first major all-electric vehicle, in the U.S. It is also launching a little Fiat 500e and two Jeep BEVs for North America. 2024 will also see the debut of the electric muscle car. A concept called the 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona SRT electric muscle car has already been revealed. Stellantis has acknowledged that it is behind in the push for electrification, but it is now taking huge steps to catch up.
Major Green Energy Program Announced
Stellantis, Ram’s parent company, is now partnering with DTE Energy on a major solar project. The investment will add 400 Megawatts of power when completed. This new deal includes 70 Stellantis sites or facilities in Michigan. By 2026, every Stellantis vehicle in Michigan will be assembled using renewable energy.
Earlier this year, Stellantis announced aggressive goals to achieve carbon net zero globally by 2038 as part of its Dare Forward 2030 strategic plan. It will begin by cutting CO2 emissions in half by the end of the decade.
With its new participation in MIGreenPower, Stellantis will be able to attribute 100% of its electricity use at 70 southeast Michigan sites (manufacturing and non-manufacturing) to solar by 2026. The switch to solar will reduce the company’s carbon emissions in North America by 50% and across its manufacturing facilities by 30%.
“While this day and this historic agreement are about clean and efficient power, I’d like to suggest that today is also about the power of partnerships in this new era of sustainable mobility,” said Mark Stewart, COO, Stellantis North America. “Our success — indeed our survival — will depend more and more on how completely we embrace the values of collaboration and partnership as strategic imperatives that help us achieve breakthrough business outcomes. This agreement is an outstanding example of how truly great companies like DTE Energy and Stellantis can unleash their passion and expertise to shape a more sustainable world for our customers and our communities.”
“We want to thank Stellantis for being a great partner, for joining MIGreenPower and for supporting the development of new solar energy projects here in Michigan,” said Jerry Norcia, chairman and chief executive officer, DTE Energy. “Investments like this accelerate our state’s transition to clean energy, create jobs and strengthen our state’s economy. Adding 400 megawatts of new solar for Stellantis will result in a cleaner environment for Michigan families, communities and businesses, and create hundreds of jobs during project construction.”
Helping Dealers Adapt to the EV Future
Recently, Stellantis announced it was working with its dealers on being ready for the future of EVs. Nearly 70 percent of Ram, Jeep, Dodge, Chrysler and Fiat dealers have started assessing what they will need to be prepared for the switch to EVs. Stellantis has said in the past that it wants to have 50 % of its U.S. sales to be battery-electric vehicles by the end of the decade.
What Dealers Will Need to Achieve
Ram, Jeep, Dodge, Chrysler and Fiat have a total of over 2600 dealers in the U.S. All of the dealers need to be able to handle electric-vehicle sales and service. That is a tall order because service departments will need to retrain staff. Sales people will need to be able to answer all sorts of questions, not just about the vehicle and performance, but also about the customer’s charging needs. Both sales and service technicians will have to be prepared to deal with ICE and electric vehicles. Ford and GM dealers are already dealing with these transitions. The training can be expensive and time consuming.
“As we accelerate the drive toward electrification, Stellantis is in full-execution mode with an electrification strategy designed specifically to address the needs of our dealership network,” said Phil Langley, head of network development, FCA – North America. “We are working lockstep with our national dealer council to develop and support their long-term plans during this industry-changing transition. From business operations and inventory management to service centers and employee culture, our goal is to work directly with our dealers to best prepare for, be successful in and address any challenges they may face as the automotive industry continues to move toward electrification.”
The comprehensive evaluations include:
- Identifying energy requirements, electrical infrastructure changes and necessary utility service upgrades
- Educating dealership staff on the short- and long-term operational impacts to their business purpose
- Reviewing the technology solutions for EV charging and energy management
- Calculating charging needs to support different areas of their business and locate ideal installation areas for EV charging stations inside and outside the building
- Discovering all financial incentive programs to assist with EV integration costs
A company called Future Energy is helping Stellantis and its dealers make the transition. Future Energy’s assistance includes:
- Guidance through the financial assistance application process to obtain project funding support to offset EV integration costs
- Coordination of all construction and logistics to install and activate EV charging stations across the necessary areas of their business
- Technology solutions and infrastructure to measure and manage the energy use across their entire business
- Staff training regarding business operational changes, sales strategies and EV hardware maintenance and usage
- Ongoing customer support, including maintenance and warranty programs for integrated infrastructure and hardware
Up until now, Jeep and Stellantis have focused much of their attention on installing charging stations at popular trailheads to support the growing numbers of Jeep 4xe models. Now that fully electric models are on their way, in the not too distant future, the company is making its huge push into electrification.
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.
Follow Mary Conway at @maryconwaymedia and send her car news tips for future stories.
Follow us today...
