Stellantis CEO: Quick acceleration is a safety feature
Stellantis’ new STLA Large platform will underpin EVs capable of 0-60 mph acceleration in 2.0 seconds, the automaker claims.
At a recent media event, Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares claims this quick acceleration isn’t just about performance. He seemed to argue that it could also be a safety feature, making it easier to, for example, overtake a slow-moving truck on a two-lane road.
STLA Large platform
“The more acceleration you have, the safer the conditions under which your overtake can be,” Tavares told Top Gear and other media, “and from that perspective the BEV technology is great as we all know.”
STLA Large is one of four highly modular platforms, along with STLA Small, STLA Medium, and STLA Frame, first shown by Stellantis in 2021 as the foundation for the automaker’s future EVs. STLA Large, which is designed for D and E segment vehicles ranging from performance cars to rugged off-roaders, is expected to support gasoline engines as well.
STLA Large platform
Stellantis has confirmed eight vehicles based on the STLA Large platform will be launched from 2024 to 2026 for its Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Maserati brands. The EV most likely to fully exploit the STLA Large platform’s accelerative capabilities is the planned Dodge Charger/Challenger successor, due later this year.
Other known vehicles using the STLA Large platform are Alfa Romeo’s replacements for the Giulia and Stelvio, and the Jeep Wagoneer S also due later this year. The Wagoneer S was first shown in 2022 alongside the more rugged Jeep Recon, which is also likely to use the STLA Large platform, and the Jeep Avenger, a smaller SUV already on sale in Europe with both gasoline and electric powertrains, but unlikely to reach the U.S.