Global auto-making giant Stellantis N.V. said it plans to spend more than €30 billion on electric vehicles and software through 2025 and establish five battery plants in Europe and North America, the latest auto maker to deepen its bet on plug-in models.

The car company, formed earlier this year through the merger of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. and France’s PSA Group, also plans with the approximately $35.5 billion investment to get more involved with battery development and sourcing, aiming to drive down costs on one of the most expensive components for an electric car.

Stellantis intends to offer electrified options under all 14 of its brands—which include Jeep, Ram, Peugeot and Citroën—and plans to roll out electric models that have battery ranges between 300 and 500 miles, the company said Thursday.

“Stellantis is now in full execution mode at full speed on its electrification,” said Chief Executive Carlos Tavares, during a presentation to analysts and journalists.

Stellantis shares slid 3.4% to $18.93 in morning trading.

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Mr. Tavares has made providing a clear path forward on electric vehicles a priority for the new company. On Thursday, his leadership team offered the company’s first in-depth look at how it aims to compete on electric cars with industry rivals such as General Motors Co. and the No. 2 auto maker, Volkswagen AG .

Both of those companies, as well as others such as Ford Motor Co. and Hyundai Motor Co. , are committing tens of billions of dollars to the development of batteries and new plug-in models, as tougher tailpipe-emissions regulations globally prod auto makers to pivot from their more-than-century-old model of selling gasoline-powered vehicles.

Stellantis earlier this year set its own targets for battery-powered vehicles, pledging to offer an electrified version of almost every model in its lineup by 2025. It has said that by 2030, 70% of its vehicle sales in Europe and 35% of its sales in the U.S. will be electric models—targets that analysts say are among the industry’s most ambitious.

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Still, Stellantis is widely seen by analysts as lagging behind many of its competitors on electric vehicles, in part because Fiat Chrysler had been slower to invest in the technology before the tie-up and its lineup is more tilted toward muscle cars and heavier trucks and sport-utility vehicles.

Executives have promoted the merger as giving both companies the scale and resources needed to compete in a sector where investment in costly new technologies, such as battery-powered cars, has become a necessity. Stellantis has said the merger is expected to deliver $6 billion in savings annually, much of which will be spent on efforts to add more plug-in models to its lineup.

Stellantis also previewed its financial results for the first half of the year Thursday. The company said adjusted operating margins for the first six months of 2021 should be above their full-year guidance range of 5.5% to 7.5%, due to higher pricing and it selling a more profitable mix of models.

A Chrysler Pacifica minivan under assembly in Windsor, Ontario, in 2018.

A Chrysler Pacifica minivan under assembly in Windsor, Ontario, in 2018.

Photo: rebecca cook/Reuters

The car company said it expects free cash flow in the same period to be negative, attributing the results to lower planned production volumes as the auto industry grapples with a computer-chip shortage that is curtailing factory output.

Stellantis’s two biggest car markets—Europe and the U.S.—are expected to tighten regulations limiting tailpipe emissions in the coming years, putting pressure on the company to lessen its reliance on gasoline-powered vehicles. Governments are also offering more incentives to get auto makers to invest in electrics.

In the U.S., President Biden has called for $174 billion in electric-vehicle-related spending, which includes fresh federal tax credits for purchasing plug-in cars and commercial trucks.

Meanwhile, other car companies are increasing their bets on battery-electric technology and the marketplace is becoming more crowded, with startups such as Rivian Automotive and Lucid Motors Inc. moving closer to selling their first plug-in models. Electric-vehicle pioneer Tesla Inc. continues to expand globally and fortify its grip on the market with growing sales and new-model debuts.

Jeep is part of Stellantis, formed by the PSA-Fiat Chrysler combination.

Jeep is part of Stellantis, formed by the PSA-Fiat Chrysler combination.

Photo: Gian Mattia D\'Alberto/Zuma Press

GM has already increased its planned spending on electric and autonomous vehicles twice this year, raising it to $35 billion through 2025, about 30% higher than a target set last November. The increase reflects the addition of two more battery factories, on top of ones already planned for Ohio and Tennessee.

Ford also has become more aggressive, unveiling in May an all-electric version of its bestselling vehicle, the F-150 truck. It plans to invest $30 billion in electric vehicles through 2025.

Stellantis needs to prove to investors the company’s ambitions are backed up by models that will be ready in the near-term and on a timeline that is on par with competitors, Jefferies analyst Philippe Houchois said. This is particularly important in the U.S. and for the Stellantis truck lineup, which is likely to face competition from electric pickups in the works at rivals such as Ford and GM, he said.

“They need to show a product that looks like it is close to production so that the market removes this feeling that they are behind the curve,” Mr. Houchois said.

A Paris showroom for Peugeot, also part of Stellantis.

A Paris showroom for Peugeot, also part of Stellantis.

Photo: Cyril Marcilhacy/Bloomberg News

Write to Nora Naughton at Nora.Naughton@wsj.com