Stellantis formally unveiled details for the third of its next-generation ‘STLA’ platforms Tuesday, called STLA Frame.
Over the past few years, we’ve seen Stellantis — and the fourteen brands currently under its umbrella — roll out new vehicles as it moves toward its 2030 electrification goals. That includes four discrete STLA platforms (pronounced “Stella”): STLA Small, Medium, Large and Frame. The automaker has formally launched two of those platforms so far, with STLA Medium in 2023 and STLA Large earlier this year. Now, we’re looking at STLA Frame in greater detail, as it lays out more information for the architecture that will underpin future Ram and Jeep vehicles in North America and some other global markets, including the forthcoming Ram 1500 REV electric truck and the range-extended Ramcharger.
At launch, Stellantis reaffirmed its commitment toward launching battery-electric and ranged-extended electric vehicle (REEV) configurations first. According to CEO Carlos Tavares during a media backgrounder, Stellantis plans to bring these “no compromise solutions” to buyers in the first half of 2025. That does push both electrified Rams we’ve been expecting past an initial late 2024 production date with an arrival in early 2025. When asked about the updated rollout, Tavares stressed the company’s commitment to the final validation process to iron out any remaining development concerns, ideally before the vehicles actually make their way out to customers. To bring that point home, the automaker has launched 58 vehicle recalls so far this year (as of November 19), according to data collected by the Department of Transportation, coming in second only to Ford Motor Company.
Pre-orders have been option for several months for both the Ram 1500 REV and Ramcharger, with a roughly 25% split going for the pure electric model.
Headline numbers for STLA Frame vehicles
When Stellantis presented both the Ram 1500 REV and the Ramcharger, we did get a few high-level numbers covering what the STLA Frame platform can achieve. On the whole, those numbers are broadly the same as you’ve probably heard or seen them before.
Battery-electric on the STLA Large platform, for example, can achieve up to 500 miles of driving range on a charge, while adding in an internal combustion-powered range extender can push that range out to as much as 690 miles. In Ram’s case, we know the generator serving the Ramcharger is a 3.6-liter Pentastar V6, but a key focus of all STLA platforms is the automaker’s ability to swap in a variety of different powertrains to back up the battery-electric configuration, which itself can vary between each architecture.
For STLA Frame, fully electric vehicles will utilize an 800-volt electrical system by default, and come with a front and rear electric motor putting out 250 kW each (equating to roughly 335 horsepower at each axle) for standard all-wheel drive. The REEV, for its part, will incorporate a third motor as the onboard generator, which will be driven by the engine to recharge the batteries and provide that extra driving range. The two primary drive units enable a 0-60 time of 4.4 seconds.
Stellantis says vehicles on the STLA platform including the electric and range-extended Ram trucks will pack up to 14,000 pounds of towing capacity, while payload comes in at 2,700 pounds.
In terms of charging capability, the BEV’s 800-volt system accommodates DC fast charging up to 350 kW, allowing owners to recharge 100 miles of range in about 10 minutes. The REEV uses a 400-volt architecture that can fast charge up to 175 kW, achieving 50 miles of range in 10 minutes when drivers actually do plan to plug in and recharge the onboard battery pack. STLA Frame vehicles all support bi-directional charging as well, allowing them to function as large batteries themselves to power other EVs, act as an emergency home generator, or feed electricity back to the grid.
The vehicles’ liquid-cooled battery packs range from 159 kilowatt-hours at the low end, to “more than 200 kilowatt-hours” in higher-specified applications like the Ram 1500 REV that will be able to go 500 miles or so on a charge.
Overall, STLA Frame vehicles will sit on a wheelbase between 123.7 and 145.3 inches. Overall length measures out to between 216 and 234 inches, depending on the vehicle, while width doesn’t vary as much (between 81.2 and 83.6 inches). Ground clearance measures between 6.6 and 10.3 inches — keep in mind that vehicles like the Ram 1500 REV and Ramcharger will get air suspension as standard on some specs, or at least as optional equipment — and that plays into the vehicles’ 24 inches of water-fording capability. Stellantis says maximum tire sizes for STLA Frame vehicles will be around 33 inches.
Other applications in the future?
Beyond what we already knew, including the battery-electric and REEV applications for STLA Frame, Stellantis also shared other powertrains it’s currently working on. The company mentions the “versatility” of the platform to accept pure internal combustion powertrains as well as other hybrid options, but another one that stuck out is the potential for a hydrogen powertrain.
When asked about that specific application, Tavares mentioned Stellantis’ 33.3% stake in Symbio, a French company with a “hydrogen fuel cell gigafactory” as the backbone of its in-house solution to roll out hydrogen STLA Frame vehicles. To-date, it’s also offered hydrogen-based midsize and large commercial van options over in Europe. So the company is working on expanding that option further here, though there’s currently no specified time frame as to when we could see more vehicles beyond the BEV and the range-extended electric Ramcharger. For now, the company reinforced its major focus toward nailing those launches next year.
While we still have a few months left before the first STLA Large vehicles arrive, it seems, you can check out what we’ve seen so far on the Ramcharger and Ram 1500 REV below.
More details on the STLA Small platform, the last of Stellantis’ four major architecture shifts aimed toward compact models for the European market, should emerge in late 2025.
