Stellantis in Auburn Hills today launched Free2move Charge, an EV charging system that was developed to deliver charging and energy management for Stellantis customers.
Free2Move Charge will be managed by the new Stellantis charging and energy business unit.
“As the pace of mainstream EV adoption accelerates, our customers need us to be more than just a mobility provider,” says Ricardo Stamatti, senior vice president charging and energy business unit at Stellantis. “We are taking the lead in establishing a dedicated business unit that will support our bold electrification strategy and act as a natural extension of our iconic brands. Free2move Charge is the first product rolling out, exemplifying our purpose of delivering performance, value, sustainability and electrified mobility freedom for all.”
With the idea of making it “easy to Always Be Charged” (e-ABC Promise), Free2move Charge was engineered to understand users’ needs and optimize overall energy management to improve efficiency, reliability, and access, reducing the total cost of ownership and maximizing environmental benefits.
Working with a Free2move e-Genius team, customers should be able to create a personalized package they can change and adapt at any time during their EV ownership, allowing it to evolve and always be tailored to their needs. The e-Genuis system support will first be available in Europe.
By removing barriers to battery-electric vehicle ownership, including charging anxiety, Free2move Charge is meant to be a key tool to achieve the goals of the Stellantis Dare Forward 2030 strategic plan, including reaching a 100 percent passenger-car battery-electric vehicle (BEV) sales mix in Europe and a 50 percent passenger-car and light-duty truck BEV sales mix in the United States by 2030.
Free2move Charge is built on three pillars:
- Free2move Charge Home delivers private customers support with installation, financing and warranty of home charging and other energy hardware and services. Options can range from AC charging cables and wall boxes today to Vehicle-2-Home, Vehicle-2-Grid, and complete energy management systems with cutting-edge features like touch-free wireless solutions and inductive robot charging under development for future releases
- Free2move Charge Business is meant to tackle all hurdles as a one-stop-shop platform with a full suite of charging and energy services: early-on support, estimation of initial and future running costs, right-sizing of charging infrastructure, installation, maintenance, and public charging access while on the go
- Free2move Charge GO guarantees access to the largest possible curated network of public charging points through partners in North America and Europe, as well as other regions to be announced soon. In addition to access, payment and 24-7 support, Free2move Charge GO will progressively launch leading features like plug and charge, reservations, loyalty programs, subscriptions, prepaid packages, single invoice/billing, and even deliver a charge to a requested location when needed.
Free2move Charge will use the Stellantis Energy Cloud. It is designed to integrate with vehicle-branded mobile apps and SmartCockpit platform, which is launching in 2024, and is meant to deliver fast, intelligent routes and charging recommendations to customers based on their actual usage and needs. Free2move Charge will guide Stellantis customers through an onboarding process to understand their individual needs, allowing for personalization and using AI learning to improve its knowledge about the most convenient charging experience.
Free2move eSolutions, a Stellantis tech company, will continue to develop and provide industry-leading charging hardware that supports the Free2move Charge ecosystem, as well as non-captive customers, and work with other industry leaders to bring more EV charging solutions to market.
In other EV news, Vehya, the dedicated marketplace platform for Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) in Detroit, entered into a strategic partnership with Stellantis and Utilimaster, a go-to-market brand of Novi-based Shyft Group’s fleet vehicles and services business unit, to help expand their services into Mexico.
Building on its ongoing expansion efforts in Mexico since February, Vehya will spearhead the installation of Free2Move electric chargers throughout the region. The agreement marks an important milestone in Vehya’s expansion, as the company collaborates with industry leaders in the LATAM area to address the quickly growing market.
“This project holds immense importance for Utilimaster and Stellantis as it aligns with the rapid technological advancements and the increasing adoption of environmentally friendly energy sources in the industrial sector,” says Carlos Gomez, project manager and coordinator of Utilimaster in Saltillo, Mexico. “The successful launch of BEV units is a formidable challenge, and together with Vehya’s invaluable support, we are poised to accomplish our ambitious goals.”
