- Stellantis revealed more details about the STLA Frame platform that underpins the Ram 1500 Ramcharger.
- The highly configurable platform supports vehicles with electric, hybrid, gas, hydrogen and EREV powertrains.
- It’s also adventure-ready and can accommodate 400- and 800-volt architectures with up to 690 miles of range in the EREV.
Stellantis is under increasing pressure to deliver. The European conglomerate, with as many as 14 brands under its umbrella, including Jeep, Dodge and Ram, has struggled to keep pace with the fast-growing electric vehicle industry. Just over the past year, it has laid off hundreds of employees, its workers have gone on strikes and its dealers have been furious about its business strategies. Now it hopes to turn things around with a new platform called STLA Frame.
The platform is engineered for full-size ladder-frame pickup trucks and SUVs. It can be equipped with powertrains for battery electric vehicles (BEVs), extended-range hybrids (EREVs) and in the future, even internal combustion, parallel hybrid and hydrogen propulsion systems. Stellantis claimed the EREV can deliver up to 690 miles of range, whereas the BEV can deliver up to 500 miles. It’s unclear if those are estimates for European WLTC or American EPA test cycles.
EREVs have been gaining traction lately. Multiple automakers, including Hyundai and Scout Motors, plan to launch EREVs in the next few years. EREVs have both an electric powertrain with a large battery and motors plus a traditional internal combustion engine. The role of the gas engine, however, is only to recharge the battery as the wheels run on electric power only. Here’s a detailed explanation of how EREV systems work.
STLA Frame is also engineered to do some heavy-duty tasks. Stellantis claims it will have a maximum towing capacity of 14,000 pounds and a payload rating of 2,700 hundred pounds. The platform appears highly scalable and can accommodate battery sizes between 159 kilowatt-hours and 200+ kWh. Here’s the range of dimensions it supports:
- Overall length range: 216-234 inches (5,488-5,941 mm)
- Overall width range: 81.2-83.6 inches (2,062-2,124 mm)
- Wheelbase range: 123.7-145.3 inches (3,143-3,690 mm)
- Ground clearance range: 6.6-10.3 inches (168-262 mm)
- Maximum tire diameter: 32.8/33 inches (834/838 mm)
STLA Frame BEVs will get an 800-volt architecture. So with 350-kilowatt DC fast chargers, owners can add 100 miles of range in just 10 minutes. EREV will get a 400-volt architecture with a maximum DC fast charging rate of 175 kilowatts—enough to add about 50 miles of range in 10 minutes. Both will be capable of bi-directional charging, so sending power back to the grid, powering a home or an external appliance, or charging another EV will be possible.
The 2025 Ram 1500 Ramcharger, which is expected to go on sale in the U.S. in early 2025, uses this platform.
It’s unclear which Jeep EVs will ride on STLA Frame. However, the American off-road brand has several models in the pipeline, including the next-generation Wagoneer, which might use one of these configurations. Jeep is also expected to begin deliveries of the Wagoneer S this fall. That SUV rides on the STLA Large platform. We also expect a Wrangler-inspired Recon EV and an affordable electric Renegade within the next few years.
Looking at how hybrid sales have rocketed in the recent past, along with concerns of BEV performance in heavy-duty use cases like towing and hauling, Stellantis may be right in adopting this flexible approach. Plus, the incoming Trump administration will almost certainly repeal the consumer incentives for BEVs—so having multiple powertrains at hand may be the smart thing to do for now.
“We’re proud of this engineering marvel and look forward to seeing it come to life in our upcoming product blitz on Jeep and Ram,” Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares said.
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