Follow-on Ram 1500 REV XR - Is EXRO involved? Maybe
https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1139328_500-mile-ram-1500-rev-electric-truck-range-extended-xr
The 2025 Ram 1500 REV launch will be followed by an extended range version, the Ram 1500 REV XR. I wonder if the XR version will use the Factorial Energy solid state battery. And whether EXRO will be involved.
To understand why, you have to go back to the beginning of the story. Which goes like this.
In 2021, Factorial Energy made a breakthrough in its 40 Amp-hour solid state battery technology that promised increased density and safety, and up to 50% additional range. Stellantis, Mercedes, Hyundai and Kia subsequently entered into partnership with Factorial and collectively provided $200M in funding towards further development and commercialization of the technology.
As part of the agreement, Factorial provided samples of its battery to its partners so that they could test it in their vehicles. This occurred on or about January 2022, around the same time that EXRO's Engineering Services Division was awarded a $1M Purchase Order to assist an OEM with the integration of a novel Tier 1 battery pack into one of its electric drivetrains.
I believe that the Tier 1 was Factorial and that the OEM was Stellantis.
If you watched the video tour of EXRO's Engineering Services facilty, you would have seen a segment that shows EXRO engineers preparing a battery pack for fitment in one of two vehicles that were located in the background. One of these appeared to be a Tesla. The other was identified by someone as a Dodge pick-up.
A transcript of that video is available on the web. In it, Brian confirms that the task was to help the client integrate the pack so that they could put some miles on it and do some testing. There was no mention of a CD.
The project was completed in December 2022, a few weeks before Stellantis revealed its concept Ram 1500 REV at CES 2023.
During the CES keynote speech delivered by Sellantis, the CEO talked about Factorial's battery and its intended fitment in the new RAM. That transcript also is available on the web, and includes, amongst others, the following comments:
"With Factorial, we are in development of a proprietary technology that uses less cobalt...Based on our new STLA Frame platform, the Revolution Concept features a body-on-frame design that efficiently incorporates the battery pack, allowing for new levels of flexibility...And in the Ram Revolution, the increased power density of our solid state power cells would allow us to dedicate our payload capacity even more to our customers’ needs and not our vehicle’s needs."
A "demonstrator" of the Revolution's body-on-frame design was included in the Stellantis exhibit at CES 2023. Have a look at the following photo of the demonstrator.
https://newatlas.com/automotive/robo-charging-ram-1500-revolution-concept-electric-pickup/#gallery:26
The two inverters do not have sufficient cables to be CDs, as some have suggested. The battery pack almost certainly is Factorial's 100 AMP-hour solid state pack, an improvement over the 40 Ah pack. Factorial in a separate press release confirmed that its 100 Ah battery was included in the Stellantis exhibit.
In her January 2023 update, Sue stated that the work that was related to the first PO was included in a "demonstrator" at CES. If you tie the dots together, you will likely come to the conclusion that this work involved Factorial's solid state battery, that the OEM was Stellantis, and that the demonstrator was the STLA Frame platform that is shown in the pic.
It is Stellantis's intent to employ the new battery in one of its new vehicles by 2026. From the CEO's comments, I'm guessing that that this is the Ram XR. I also suspect that the latest contract that was awarded to ESD involves continued work with the integration of the battery in the Ram XR. And with a little luck, maybe some work on the CD???
Stellantis IMO is one of the more progressive legacy OEMs with electrification. Many of the other OEMs, such as Volkswagon, Rivian and Tesla, are bringing more of their power train development in-house. I sense that Stellantis, in comparison, is still relying on partnerships and collaboration with its Tier 1 suppliers. Projects such as the battery project could very well open doors for EXRO's CD. Stellantis would be a good partner.
As Brian said: "Like sometimes people come to us looking for the Coil Driver technology, sometimes not. But almost always when I tell them about it, when we expose them a little bit to what it's capable of, they're excited to learn more."