Stellantis, French firm form partnership to make gas commercial vehicles electric

Stellantis NV is partnering with a French retrofit company to develop a proof of concept to convert internal combustion engine commercial vehicles to an electric drivetrain without loss of capabilities, the companies said Friday.

If successful, Stellantis and Qinomic hope to commercialize the product starting in France in 2024. The effort is part of Stellantis’ circular economy business unit focused on repairing, reusing and recycling parts and materials toward the automaker’s 2038 net carbon zero goal. It expects the business unit could contribute nearly $2 billion in annual revenue by the end of the decade.

Citroën, a French brand of Stellantis NV, sells the Jumpy commercial van.

The company says the retrofit option could offer an affordable option for customers looking to extend their vehicles’ lives and operate with zero emissions, especially in Europe, where certain roads and parts of cities are classified as “low-emission zones” with restrictions on what type of powertrains vehicles can have to access them in an effort to encourage use of alternate fuel sources.

“In a market boosted by last-mile demand, city access restrictions will soon require recent LCV owners to look for a solution to convert to zero emissions,” Eric Laforge, Stellantis vice president of enlarged Europe light commercial vehicles, said in a statement. “Retrofitting technology like this will enable Stellantis to support this trend.”

The effort comes even as Stellantis looks toward its goal of becoming the world’s leader in light commercial vehicle sales. In Europe, it offers fossil fuel-powered, electric and hydrogen fuel cell vans. Ram will launch its all-electric ProMaster commercial van next year in North American.

“Retrofitting technology,” Xavier Peugeot, Stellantis’ senior vice president for the commercial vehicle business unit, said in a statement, “will reinforce Stellantis’ leadership in zero emission mobility solutions for professional customers, complementing our full electrified van range.”

The automaker also is looking at opportunities to “electromod” retail customer’s internal combustion engine vehicles, too. Last month at the Specialty Equipment Market Association Show, Mopar showed the Jeep CJ Surge, a converted Wrangler concept, to tease the possibility of an all-electric modification kit.

bnoble@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @BreanaCNoble

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