Large Stellantis EVs to get 500-mile range and Hellcat power

Stellantis has revealed a new electric car platform that will accommodate batteries big enough for 500 miles of range and “extreme” powertrains with more grunt than a Hellcat V8.

The new STLA Large platform is related to the STLA Medium platform, which is designed for EVs measuring between 4.7 and 4.9 metres long and recently made its production debut under the new Peugeot e-3008.

It’s likewise “BEV-native”, but it can also accommodate hybrid powertrains and is compatible with front-, rear- and four-wheel-drive powertrains.

This new platform is designed for the largest cars in the Stellantis portfolio (measuring between 4.76m and 5.13m long), which the company said will take the form of crossovers, SUVs and lower-slung cars in the D and E segments.

The prevailing focus is on the US market, but Stellantis has confirmed that some European factories, including the Alfa Romeo one in Cassino, Italy, will be adapted to build STLA Large EVs for local sale.

It will first be used for a pair of models from Dodge and Jeep, understood to be the Charger muscle car and Wagoneer S SUV, the latter of which has now been confirmed as a global model that’s likely to come to the UK.

Alfa Romeo will then use STLA Large for a range-topping luxury SUV in the vein of the BMW iX and an electric Giulia saloon replacement, while Maserati is set to launch a closely related EV replacement for the Levante SUV at around the same time.

The platform will underpin eight production cars – including at least one from Chrysler, which currently sells only the Pacifica MPV – by the end of 2026, Stellantis said.

Individual brands will make statements about their plans for STLA Large from later this year. The relevant EVs from Dodge and Jeep are due on sale within a matter of months.

Importantly, claimed Stellantis, the platform “enables several segment-leading capabilities” that will play to the strengths of each brand that will use it.

Alfa Romeo, for example, will benefit from its “high-performance vehicle dynamics”, while Jeep can exploit its “trail-rated off-road driving” credentials.

Outlining the platform’s flexibility, Marc Issner, who has overseen its development, said it can accommodate ride heights ranging from 140mm to 287mm.

“If you want a curve-hugging, track-ready performance car, a smooth-riding luxury car or a rock-clearing off-roader, we’ve addressed these needs within the platform,” he said.

He added that buyers of Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Maserati cars “are passionate and very diverse” and added that Stellantis’s goal is to “avoid saying no to any of their product-specific requirements and requests”.

As an indication of its performance potential, Stellantis said the quickest STLA Large cars will crack 0-62mph in around 2.0sec, with “extreme power that will outperform any of the existing Hellcat V8s”.

The recently retired Dodge Charger Hellcat, for reference, packed 707bhp and 650lb ft of torque and so could crack the same sprint in around 3.7sec.

Stellantis also said the STLA Large has been “optimised for weight and rigidity” and the components used within it are packaged as tightly as possible to maximise interior space.

As an example, all EVs based on this platform will be powered by e-axles – compact units that comprise the motors, inverters and gearbox.

They will be fitted with a conventional 400V electrical architecture as standard but can optionally be upgraded to an 800V system, which will allow charging at rates of up to 270kW.

The largest battery available will be a 118kWh unit giving a maximum range of 500 miles in the most aerodynamically efficient variants, but Stellantis said it has engineered the platform to support different battery chemistries and drivetrain technologies, suggesting this figure could rise in the future.