Dive Brief:
- Stellantis is offering customers two new incentives on the purchase of an electric vehicle: a free Level-2 home charging station or charging credits through its subsidiary Free2move Charge, the company announced in a press release.
- The Free2move Charge “Home Package” includes the residential charger valued at approximately $600. The chargers will be installed by Stellantis’ preferred installer Qmerit, which will also handle all of the necessary permits for installation.
- Customers can also opt to receive $600 in charging credits by selecting the Free2move Charge “Go Package” instead. These credits can be used at roughly 75,000 public chargers across the U.S. operated by companies such as ChargePoint, Shell Recharge and EVgo, or through EV charging joint venture Ionna.
Dive Insight:
Along with the new incentives, Stellantis launched the Free2move Charge website and companion smartphone app to help customers in the U.S. and Canada with the EV buying process. The website and app can also aid customers in selecting from various charging options for the first Stellantis battery powered models hitting the market later this year.
“As we introduce our all-electric vehicles this year in the U.S., we want to ensure that our customers easily understand the charging options available to them before or upon purchase,” said Mathilde Lheureux, CEO of Free2move.
Among the Stellantis EVs launching soon in the U.S. are the all-new 2024 Fiat 500e, Dodge Charger Daytona, 2025 Jeep Wagoneer S and Recon, and 2025 Ram 1500 REV. Reservations for the 2024 Fiat 500e and 2025 Jeep Wagoneer S are already open.
"With these advancements, our goal is to make the charging process for these vehicles as simple and easy as we can for our owners, and our Free2move Charge options will act as our customers' entry point,” said Carlos Zarlenga, Stellantis COO, in the press release.
Stellantis currently offers the standard J1772 charging port on its electric and plug-in hybrid models. However, the company will adopt Tesla’s North American Charging Standard connector on model year 2026 Stellantis vehicles in North America.
EV charging joint venture Ionna was announced in July 2023. Along with Stellantis, the JV partners include BMW, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Kia and Mercedes-Benz. The company plans to install a minimum of 30,000 high-powered EV chargers in strategic locations in North America by 2030 that customers of each respective automaker will have access to.
The lack of convenient charging options is viewed as one of the barriers to more widespread EV adoption. But EV owners are also becoming more satisfied with the home charging experience, according to the J.D. Power 2024 U.S. Electric Vehicle Experience Home Charging Study released in March. The report found that higher output Level-2 chargers, which Stellantis is offering to customers, were the most significant factor for the growing positive sentiment.
Customers that opt for the EV charging credit can access them through the Free2Move app, making it easier to use them, according to Stellantis. The app shows drivers nearby EV charging locations, along with charging history and balance of credits remaining. It will also suggest the best times to charge to avoid peak utility rates.
