Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares recently addressed the obstacles facing widespread electric vehicle (EV) adoption at a CES roundtable, specifically referencing the challenges of limited range and charging station availability. However, the CEO clarified that Stellantis has no plans to invest in building a charging network in the United States.
Tavares stated, “Infrastructure is not part of Stellantis’ core business. It requires a significant investment in resources. We have no plans to build a fast-charging network in the US, but do plan to sell chargers as part of our strategy.”
This approach differs from the strategy employed in Europe, where the company announced a partnership with TheF Charging, a start-up charging service, to create a new public charging network with over 15,000 sites. The current approach in the US market includes rolling out Mopar at-home charging units, starting with the Jeep 4xe and Chrysler plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.
The Wi-Fi-capable Level 2 charger supplies up to 32 amps/7.7kW of power, and can fully charge a Chrysler or Jeep PHEV in just over two hours. It can be hardwired or plugged into an existing power source, and is fully weatherproof for outdoor use. The charger is currently available at most Chrysler and Jeep dealers, as well as through Mopar’s eStore.
In addition to addressing charging infrastructure, Stellantis is also focused on reducing the cost of EVs. Tavares has previously expressed concern that the car market is becoming too expensive, and has stated that EV costs need to come down by 40 percent. To that end, the company is investing in battery technology and has partnered with Mercedes-Benz to invest in Factorial Energy, a Massachusetts-based developer of solid-state batteries. These batteries have the potential to increase driving range and reduce the cost per kilowatt-hour.
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