Stellantis reveals a high-level plan for electrifying their vehicles, and it includes heavy-duty trucks and vans. Stellantis CEO – Carlos Tavares – showed a few glimpses into the future at a recent 2023 CES convention in Las Vegas, NV. Stellantis is investing in and working with Symbio (a French company) that provides hydrogen fuel cell solutions for vehicles of various sizes and weights.
Ram Trucks already made an announcement that all of Ram’s vehicle segments will be electrified by the year 2030. Carlos Tavares says that the company’s hydrogen fuel cell strategy will lead with large vans (perhaps, like the Ram ProMaster and the Fiat Ducato). It will follow on with powering heavy trucks. Some of the details are still vague, but hydrogen fuel cell electric propulsion lends itself better for heavy-duty trucks because it allows the vehicle to be quickly refueled and continue driving.
Naturally, all of this is heavily dependent on Hydrogen refueling infrastructure, which is super sparse at this type. The majority of current hydrogen fuel cell stations are currently in California.
Stellantis’s electrification strategy also includes a new generation of solid-state batteries from Factorial. The company says it could significantly increase the power density of these batteries (by up to 50%). This would provide engineers and designers with a lot more freedom to develop new battery-electric vehicles that are lighter weight or have a longer driving range.
Our friends at EV Pulse dug up some very interesting Symbio hydrogen fuel-cell information at the 2023 CES convention in Las Vegas. Here is their report.
