Amazon and Stellantis partner to deploy software for vehicles, electric delivery vans

• Amazon will be the first commercial customer for Stellantis’ upcoming electric van Ram ProMaster, to be launched in 2023

• The two companies will collaborate to develop “digital cockpit” infotainment software for Stellantis vehicles that will start launching in 2024

Fiat’s parent company Stellantis on Wednesday, said they have entered into a multi-year contract to develop cars and trucks in collaboration with Amazon.com Inc.

The deal will enable Stellantis to use Amazon’s technology and software expertise in vehicle development, building connected in-vehicle experiences, and training the next generation of automotive software engineers.

In a separate agreement, Amazon will be the first commercial customer for Stellantis’ upcoming electric vans launching in 2023 to incorporate into its delivery network.

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The agreements expand Amazon’s efforts to get a more significant position in the transportation industry and, in turn, help Stellantis develop cars with sophisticated, software-powered infotainment features connected to the cloud, which can compete with Tesla.

Amazon’s software

Amazon and Stellantis said they will collaborate to develop “digital cockpit” infotainment software for Stellantis vehicles that will start launching in 2024.

Stellantis said it would use Amazon’s Alexa technology for voice-controlled features, “navigation, vehicle maintenance, e-commerce marketplaces, and payment services,” and create a suite of software-based products and services that seamlessly integrate with customers’ digital lives and would provide regular over-the-air (OTA) software updates.

Amazon will also help the carmaker in speeding up the development of new digital products and “upskill Stellantis’ global workforce.”

Automakers worldwide are scrambling to match Tesla’s capacity to deploy new vehicle features and revenue-generating subscription services rapidly with the help of software updates.

As part of the agreement, Stellantis will use Amazon’s AWS as its cloud service provider to build the next generation of cloud-enabled infrastructure for vehicle platforms.

Stellantis EVs

Moreover, Amazon will be the first customer for Stellantis’ new Ram ProMaster Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) and plans to put thousands of ProMaster on the road every year as a last-mile delivery vehicle.

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The e-commerce giant pledged in the COP 26 climate summit to reduce its carbon emission to net-zero carbon by 2040.

Amazon has a previous agreement to buy up to 100,000 electric vans from startup Rivian Automotive.

Picture Credit: TechCrunch