Stellantis recently unveiled STLA Medium, a global BEV-by-design platform “with state-of-the-art features including best-in-class range of 700 kilometers (435 miles), energy efficiency, embedded power and charging power.”
“The STLA Medium platform offers long range combined with designed-in flexibility to host a variety of vehicles and propulsion configurations in the heart of the market, the C and D segments, which accounted for 35 million sales in 2022 – nearly half the 78.5 million vehicles sold globally that year,” Stellantis said in a news release.
Today, Stellantis brands offer 26 vehicle nameplates in those segments on a variety of platforms. Up to 2 million vehicles per year can be built on the STLA Medium platform in several plants across the world, starting in Europe this year, according to the automaker.
“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 €30 billion 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 as we drive for carbon net zero by 2038.”
STLA Medium is the first of four global BEV platforms, outlined on EV Day 2021, that underpin the automaker’s future products and are key to achieving the targets of the Stellantis “Dare Forward 2030” strategic plan. Those targets include reaching a 100% passenger-car BEV sales mix in Europe and a 50% passenger-car and light-duty truck BEV sales mix in the United States by 2030.
The BEV-by-design STLA Medium platform delivers a range of more than 700 km (435 miles) with a Performance pack, while a Standard pack is rated at more than 500 km (310 miles) on the Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicles Test Procedure, according to Stellantis.
“STLA Medium, which uses a 400-volt electric architecture, will deliver best-in-class energy efficiency and charging time and connectivity to a charging and services ecosystem that enhances every journey,” the automaker asserted in a news release. “Depending on the application, consumption can be less than 14 kWh per 100 km, which is best in class in energy efficiency. Owners will be able to take their battery from 20% to 80% charge in 27 minutes, a rate of 2.4 kWh per minute.”
Vehicles based on STLA Medium will be sold globally and will be available with front-drive propulsion or all-wheel drive with the addition of a second electric drive module at the rear, with BEV power output range from 160 to 285 kW, according to the automaker.
Body styles will include passenger cars, crossovers and SUVs. The flexibility of STLA Medium gives Stellantis designers the freedom to create vehicles with a wide range of wheelbases, overall length, ground clearance and wheel sizes, the automaker noted.
“Stellantis engineering and manufacturing experts focused on making installation of the modular, high-energy density single-layer battery pack at the assembly plant as efficient as possible, maximizing space inside the vehicle and improving ride and handling with a low center of gravity,” the automaker explained. “Platform components, such as the cabin heating/cooling system, steering, braking assist and propulsion, are designed to minimize energy consumption. Those efforts combine with extensive use of lightweight and rigid materials to optimize vehicle range and deliver exemplary ride and handling performance.”
Future-Proof Platforms
Stellantis noted that the STLA platform family (Small/Medium/Large/Frame) is engineered to be future proof – “modular and inherently flexible in wheelbase, width, overhang, ride height and suspension design.” “The capabilities and performance of STLA based vehicles will adapt and improve over the years with the implementation of the STLA Brain architecture, STLA SmartCockpit and STLA AutoDrive platforms – enabling over-the-air updates to software and enhanced hardware,” the automaker added.
The engineered-in flexibility includes propulsion – front-drive, rear-drive, all-wheel drive and multi-energy – covered by a family of three, scalable electric drive modules.
The platforms are designed with provisions for future battery chemistries, including nickel- and cobalt-free and solid-state batteries. This enables Stellantis brands to tailor vehicle capabilities for the ideal balance of cost and performance, the automaker noted.
