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Stellantis aims to eliminate separate inverter, charger to improve EV efficiency

Stellantis has announced that, in collaboration with French battery company Saft and French National Center for Scientific Research, has made significant progress in eliminating two major components of an electric vehicle powertrain: the on-board charger and the power inverter for the motor. The company claims that doing this will allow for better space use in vehicles, as well as improvements in efficiency, cost and reliability of components. As a quick primer, also explained in the below video, the on-board charger and power inverter are sort of translators to get the right current to different parts of the electric powertrain. The on-board charger takes AC power from the grid and converts it to DC to charge the batteries. Then when power goes from the batteries to the electric motor, the power inverter converts that DC power back to AC. These components aren't exactly small. Frequently you'll find them packaged somewhere under the hood. What Stellantis and its cohorts have developed, and have been using on a test vehicle since last summer, are small power inverter boards that can be mounted very closely to the battery packs. They can handle both conversion needs, for charging and discharging, instead of needing two separate devices. The most obvious perk to this is that you can do away with those traditional components and free up more space, either for making smaller vehicles without losing interior volume, or adding space to a vehicle that wouldn't have had it otherwise. There's the additional benefit of reduced weight, something that EVs struggle with. Stellantis also claims improvements in efficiency, reliability, and cost, however, it didn't go into detail as to how this setup would do that exactly. We'll try to get in touch with representatives from Stellantis in order to get more information. We're still a ways out from seeing this technology in production Stellantis vehicles. The company said it aims to apply it to vehicles by the end of the decade. Saft is also looking at using it on stationary battery systems as well. So maybe we'll see it on a 2029 Ram 1500 REV, but for now, we'll be living with traditional chargers and inverters. Related Video: Green Alfa Romeo Chrysler Dodge Fiat RAM Technology Electric

Is this the 2020 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody?

Last month we told you about the heavy anticipation that Dodge will release Charger Widebody versions in SRT Hellcat and R/T Scat Pack trims for 2020. Now we have strong visual evidence to back it up. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Instagram user and self-described motorsports enthusiast zl1_dre_92c captured a brief video while out driving around suburban Detroit Tuesday of what appears to be a Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody with more pronounced fenders and distinctive graphics passing him in traffic. We can see SRT spelled out on the lower passenger front door and on the rear fascia, and curiously, it appears to be sporting a Florida license plate. Mopar Insider says a source told it that's because Dodge was trying to keep the muscle car away from the usual prying eyes in Detroit and instead has been running it around its secret testing facility near Naples, Fla. The website further surmises that the model could well debut this weekend at the SoCal LX Club Spring Fest 14 in Pomona, Calif., an annual gathering of Mopar fanatics. That would explain the flashy wrap graphics and our suspicions that this isn't a test car; why else would Dodge so clearly advertise the car's SRT lineage? Although both models would get specialized suspension tuning, it's believed that the engines and outputs will remain — a 485-horsepower, 6.4-liter V8 in the R/T Scat Pack and the 6.2-liter V8 making 717 hp for the SRT Hellcat. Both will also reportedly get the same 20-by-11-inch Pirelli performance tires as are found on the Challenger Widebody. They're wrapped around five-spoke blacked-out aluminum wheels, accented with red brake calipers. It appears we'll know more about this curiosity soon.

Stellantis is official: FCA and PSA merger finally sealed

MILAN — Fiat Chrysler and PSA sealed their long-awaited merger on Saturday to create Stellantis, the world's fourth-largest auto group with deep enough pockets to fund the shift to electric driving and take on bigger rivals Toyota and Volkswagen. It took over a year for the Italian-American and French automakers to finalize the $52 billion deal, during which the global economy was upended by the COVID-19 pandemic. They first announced plans to merge in October 2019, to create a group with annual sales of around 8.1 million vehicles. "The merger between Peugeot S.A. and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. that will lead the path to the creation of Stellantis N.V. became effective today," the two automakers said in a statement. Shares in Stellantis, which will be headed by current PSA Chief Executive Carlos Tavares, will start trading in Milan and Paris on Monday, and in New York on Tuesday. Now analysts and investors are turning their focus to how Tavares plans to address the huge challenges facing the group – from excess production capacity to a woeful performance in China. Tavares will hold his first press conference as Stellantis CEO on Tuesday, after ringing NYSE's bell with Chairman John Elkann. FCA and PSA have said Stellantis can cut annual costs by over 5 billion euros ($6.1 billion) without plant closures, and investors will be keen for more details on how it will do this. Marco Santino, a partner at consultants Oliver Wyman, said he expected Tavares to disclose the outlines of his action plan soon, but without divulging too many details at first. "He has proven to be the kind of person who prefers action to words, so I don't think he will make loud statements or try to over-sell targets," he said. Like all global automakers, Stellantis needs to invest billions in the years ahead to transform its vehicle range for the electric era. But other pressing tasks loom, including reviving the group's lagging fortunes in China, rationalizing its huge global empire and addressing massive overcapacity. "It will be a step by step process, also to allow the market to better appreciate every single move. I don't think we will have all the details before one year," Santino said.