Announced at least a year before its actual launch, the 2025 Ram ProMaster was finally unveiled in January. Its range is targeted at 162 miles in city driving in at least one form; it has delivery and cargo models, with the cargo setup having a choice of 12 foot or 13 foot lengths (the press release also refers to this as 13.5 feet). Both share a 159 inch wheelbase.
The ProMaster has continued as a separate commercial van from European versions, which have moved onto a separate evolution and launched their own electric versions earlier. Europe tends to have far higher fuel costs, making electric vehicles more attractive. The American version has a 110 kWh battery pack; the cargo version has a 3,020 pound maximum payload (depending on other choices) while the delivery version has a 2,030 pound maximum payload. The electric drive module runs on a modest 200 kW to deliver power very similar to the Pentastar V6: 268 hp and 302 lb-ft of torque.
Like the gasoline version, the electric ProMaster has front wheel drive. The body is unibody, with the battery under the floor; it has a flat floor and the same cargo volume as the gasoline version. Fast Level 3 DC charging has options of 50kW, 85kW, 125 kW and 150 kW and an optional Level 2 wall box charger with up to 11 kW. The ProMaster plays a sound to confirm the connection and lights up the port when charging, to prevent “oops, I thought it was charging” errors.
The Ram ProMaster EV Delivery van has a standard roll-up rear door for cargo loading and unloading, made with anodized aluminum, and a pocket side door; an extra-high roof is optional. It will eventually be sold in five configurations, with two roof heights, two cargo lengths, and two body styles. As launched, the EV has 524 cubic feet of cargo space, a best-in-class interior cargo height of 86 inches, a low load-floor height, and best in class (by under an inch) cargo width between the wheel wells and between the interior walls (75.6 inches).
The front wheel drive, body-integral construction, and most vertically oriented sidewalls in the cargo van category all make the vehicle upfitter-friendly. There is also a standard upfitter electrical connector and an integrated cab configuration as with the gasoline version; and virtually all primary vehicle systems are still forward of the cargo area.
In keeping with Stellantis’ desire to be involved in the full vehicle “life cycle,” the ProMaster EV has numerous in-house delivery service partner (DSP) last-mile operations. Ram Telematics enables location and driving insights to improve efficiency, routing, and safety, along with real-time vehicle diagnostics and performance data. The standard telematics module also enables over the air firmware upgrades, a WiFi hotspot, and over the air apps. Finally, a smartphone app provides walking directions from the vehicle to the final destination and the system has Alexa home-to-truck and truck-to-home functions with an in-vehicle virtual assistant
We believe that the standard features include (some of these might not be correct):
Optional features include:
The most requested improvement requested by customers was better visibility; Ram has a standard high-resolution backup camera with dynamic grid lines and an optional digital rearview mirror which reverts to being a reflective mirror. The optional surround view shows bird’s-eye views enhanced by dynamic grid lines displayed on a 10.1-inch digital touchscreen.
Active Driving Assist is Level 2 (L2) automated driving using lane centering with adaptive cruise control. The system uses both radars and cameras.
Special to the EV are a charging station locator and EV Dynamic Trip Prediction showing projected and actual discharge profiles.
UConnect 5 is much faster than the prior version and has a customizable home screen with five user profiles. It supports wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and includes Alexa with remote vehicle start-up, locking/unlocking, to-do lists, and such, with simultaneous connectivity for two Bluetooth-enabled phones or devices. Map updates can be updated over the air. The front row has an optional wireless charging pad, as well as a 12V power outlet, USB-A and USB-C ports, and an optional 115-volt/150-watt outlet.
The Delivery model was priced at $79,990 plus destination, including the rollup rear door and curbside pocket door. The Cargo is likely to be cheaper, but is not likely to reach down to the Ford’s prices.
Range | hp | Price | Cubic feet | |
---|---|---|---|---|
ProMaster Delivery | 162 | 268 | $79,990 | to 524 |
ProMaster Cargo | 162 | 268 | ? | to 524 |
Ford E-Transit | 126 | 275 | $53,835 | 487 |
Rivian EDV 500 | 161 | $83,000 | 487 | |
Mercedes eSprinter | 201* | $74,181 | 488 | |
ProMaster V6 159” | - | 280 | $50,860 |
* Optional. Base power is much lower—134 hp.
BrightDrop is only sold to large companies, in small numbers. Rivian’s EDV is soon coming to individuals, starting at $83,000 for the smaller van, with specs coming soon. Ford’s E-Transit Cargo is cheaper with a much lower range (Ram hasn’t released pricing for its cheaper model yet, though). Mercedes has much less power. The Ram also charges far faster than any known competitor; since the Mercedes, for example, says it can go from 10% to 80% charge in 42 minutes, the Ram should keep up with its 150 kw (vs 115 kw) charging rate. Slower overnight charging is the most likely norm for commercial vans, though.
The ProMaster EV is available for ordering with delivery starting in Q2. The Cargo model starts in spring and summer at lower prices.
While some may scoff at a range of under 100 miles in best-case scenarios, many people don’t need more; a day’s work for an electrician, plumber, carpenter, or even parts delivery worker can easily end up being smaller than this, and it’s possible to fast-charge at lunchtime as well. Indeed, for many people, the fuel savings will be quite high, despite the ProMaster’s reasonably good fuel economy. City delivery services, in particular, have quite probably been asking Ram for an electric van. Rivian’s customized vans have been taken by Amazon for similar purposes, and GM is in the same field with its BrightDrop division. The ProMaster might even end up being in greater demand than the gasoline version—which has been seeing surging sales over the past few years.
Also see ProMaster (gasoline), Ram 1500 REV and Ram 1500 Ramcharger.
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