Electric Drivetrain Manufacturer Investing $155M in Indiana
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — Stellantis North America plans to invest $155 million in three Kokomo, Indiana, manufacturing plants that will be dedicated to the production of new drive modules for electric vehicles.
Stellantis, whose parent company is headquartered in Amsterdam, Holland, is perhaps best known to most Americans as the former Chrysler Corp., once one of the “Big Three” automakers in the United States.
According to a press release from the company, more than 25 battery-powered electric vehicle launches are planned in the U.S. between now and 2030, and Stellantis anticipates that its new electric drive modules will be integrated into a large number of them across a range of vehicle platforms.
The Stellantis North America modules will consist of three main components — an electric motor, power electronics and transmission — that will be 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, the company said.
“While we continue our successful transition to a decarbonized future in our European operations, we are now setting those same foundational elements for the North American market,” said Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares in a written statement.
“By combining the benefits of the EDM with our new BEV-centric platforms and innovative battery technologies, we will offer our customers a variety of electric vehicles with unparalleled performance and range at more affordable prices,” Tavares said.
“And with our in-house manufacturing capabilities and expertise, we will do it with greater flexibility and efficiency,” he added.
The new 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 said.
Dan can be reached at dan@thewellnews.com and @DanMcCue
