Amazon.com has signed a deal with Maserati’s parent company, Stellantis, that will pave the way for the online retail giant to equip its delivery drivers with electric vehicles.
The deal will see Amazon.com build on its existing relationship with Stellantis, a company formed in 2021 through the merger of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and the French PSA Group, to expand the availability of electric vehicles in its “last mile” delivery fleet.
Several brands that make up the Stellantis family – including Fiat, Peugeot and Citroën – have been part of the Amazon vehicle delivery network since 2018, and have provided the retailer with “tens of thousands” of light commercial vehicles (LCV) during that time.
The deal with Stellantis looks set to build on this further, with Amazon poised to become the first commercial customer for the motor manufacturer’s Ram ProMaster battery electric vehicle (BEV) once it launches in 2023.
This move is, Amazon confirmed, being embarked upon in support of its pledge to become a net-zero carbon company by 2040.
“Stellantis, with input from Amazon, designed the vehicle with unique last mile delivery features and Amazon will deploy the vehicles to routes across the United States,” the companies said, in a statement.
“Building on the current relationship, and as part of the long-term agreement, Stellantis and Amazon will be putting thousands of BEV ProMasters on the road every year.”
The collaboration is one of several multi-year agreements that Amazon and Stellantis have announced to coincide with the 2022 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), which is currently taking place in Las Vegas.
As well as bolstering the sustainability of Amazon’s last mile delivery suite, Stellantis will work with the company to create software-based products and services to enhance the in-car experience for drivers of its vehicles.
As part of this work, Stellantis is set to deploy Amazon’s technology and software across its organisation to digitally transform its vehicle development processes, while revamping how it delivers connected-car experiences to consumers.
“Over the past two decades, Amazon has built the technology, expertise and culture of innovation to be a world leader in cloud computing, artificial intelligence and machine learning,” said Amazon CEO Andy Jassy. “We’ve used these capabilities to make life better for customers around the world through products and services like Alexa, Kindle and Fire TV, and with AWS we’ve helped thousands of companies transform themselves and their industries.
“We are inventing solutions that will help enable Stellantis to accelerate connected and personalised in-vehicle experiences, so that every moment in motion can be smart, safe, and tailored to each occupant,” he said. “Together, we will create the foundation for Stellantis to transform from a traditional automaker into a global leader in software-driven development and engineering.”
STLA SmartCockpit
Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares said expanding its technology tie-up with Amazon will bring about significant enhancements to its STLA SmartCockpit offering, which is set to be deployed in “millions” of the company’s vehicles globally from 2024.
It is billed by Stellantis as a software-defined platform that is designed to create “personalised, intuitive in-vehicle experiences” by providing users with access to artificial intelligence-enhanced applications for entertainment, navigation and maintenance purposes.
“Working together with Amazon is an integral part of our capability building roadmap, based on both developing internal competencies and decisive collaborations with tech leaders, and it will bring significant expertise to one of our key technology platforms, STLA SmartCockpit,” said Tavares.
“By leveraging artificial intelligence and cloud solutions, we will transform our vehicles into personalised living spaces and enhance the overall customer experience, making our vehicles the most wanted, most captivating place to be, even when not driving.”
STLA SmartCockpit will be hosted within the Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud, with Stellantis having named the firm as its preferred cloud partner. The company has also committed to migrating the vehicle data pipeline for all of its brands – which include Maserati, Jeep, Alfa Romeo and Vauxhall – to the AWS cloud as well.
“By moving to an AWS-powered data mesh, Stellantis engineers can use the tools and interface that best suit each project,” the companies said, in a joint statement. “Stellantis also aims to accelerate the time to market for new digital products that leverage AWS machine learning to deliver greater personalisation and more accurate predictive maintenance.”
