Stellantis will invest a total of $155 million in three Kokomo, Indiana, plants to produce new electric drive modules (EDM) that will help power future electric vehicles assembled in North America and to support the company’s goal of 50% battery-electric sales in the U.S. by 2030.
With more than 25 battery-electric vehicle (BEV) launches planned in the U.S. between now and 2030, the Kokomo-built EDM will be integrated into vehicles designed on the “STLA Large” and “STLA Frame” platforms. Offering an all-in-one solution for electric-vehicle powertrains, the company says the EDM consists of three main components – the electric motor, power electronics and transmission – that are combined into a single module to deliver improved performance and range at a competitive cost. The optimized efficiency of the new EDM will help each platform achieve driving range up to 500 miles (800 km), Stellantis says.
Investments will be made at the Indiana Transmission, Kokomo Transmission and Kokomo Casting plants. The gearbox cover will be cast at Kokomo Casting and machined at Kokomo Transmission. Gear machining and final assembly will be at the Indiana Transmission Plant. Production is expected to start in the third quarter of 2024, following retooling.
With the investment, more than 265 jobs will be retained across all three plants, Stellantis says. Since 2020, Stellantis says it has invested nearly $3.3 billion in Indiana to support its transition to electrification. This includes recent announcements of $643 million to produce a new engine for conventional and PHEV applications, a next-generation eight-speed transmission and a gigafactory joint venture with Samsung SDI.
In total, these investments support Stellantis’ ambition to achieve net-zero carbon by 2038, as set out in its Dare Forward 2030 strategic plan, the company says.
Stellantis currently operates five powertrain plants in Indiana – three transmission plants, a casting plant and an engine plant. The portfolio of transmissions includes six-, eight- and nine-speed transmissions, as well as the SiEVT transmission for the Chrysler Pacifica plug-in hybrid electric minivan, built at the Windsor Assembly Plant in Ontario, Canada. The casting plant produces aluminum parts for automotive components, transmission and transaxle cases, and engine block castings. The engine plant produces the GMET4 – the company’s 2.0-liter Global Medium Engine inline four-cylinder turbo.
