“User case” has lately found itself a term often associated with electric vehicles, and the all-new 2024 Ram ProMaster EV absolutely nails the last-mile-delivery user case (yes, I know we are a metric-centric country, but “last-1.6-kilometres-” just doesn’t have the same ring). Ram’s first all-electric vehicle will come in two trims initially, a Delivery and two Cargo models. We had a chance to drive the Delivery version last week at the sprawling Stellantis headquarters in Auburn Hills, Michigan, and also an opportunity to poke around a Cargo version that was on site.
As we reported earlier this year when the initial specs of Ram’s all-electric commercial vehicles were released, commercial delivery and service fleets are a good fit for EVs, as many of these operations feature fixed routes that are well-suited to current range estimates, and as the units typically return to a central location at the end of their shifts, that’s ideal for overnight charging.
The ProMaster EV is also the first high-volume all-electric Stellantis product for the North American market, and the company has big expectations for a vehicle that is designed with the growing EV delivery segment in mind. Amazon currently has a fleet of more than 15,000 Rivian delivery trucks in the United States; Canada Post has a growing fleet of all-electric delivery vans serving urban customers; and Ontario-based GM offshoot BrightDrop is gaining momentum in the emerging market of EV commercial vehicles. And there is also direct competition for the ProMaster EV from Mercedes-Benz and Ford.
When the Ram ProMaster EVs come to market, they will be the most powerful in the segment, and boast the largest ceiling room, attributes that are top-of-mind to commercial vehicle operators.
Our drive routes weren’t the typical half-day affairs, but rather short loops around the massive Stellantis campus in Auburn Hills, as there were plenty of interested automotive journalists — many from commercial trucking publications — and only a couple of pre-production EV Deliverys available for drives. Still, after doing a few stints, it became obvious this vehicle will satisfy the needs of commercial delivery drivers.
Unlike so many automakers’ first forays into the EV space, Ram didn’t reinvent the wheel when it came to electrifying its popular ProMaster model. The EV version has the exact same “sheet metal” as the gasoline version, has roughly the same dimensions, and like the ICE model, has most of its primary systems located ahead of the cargo compartment to allow for easier upfit customization with racks and storage boxes.
It also has the excellent driver ergonomics of the ICE version, one that has been perfected over the years thanks to feedback from those commercial drivers. After all, they’re the ones spending eight-hour days behind the wheel, so their input has been integral in developing a first-rate user experience. I certainly found that to be the case, feeling very comfortable within minutes of getting behind the wheel. What is new in the EV Delivery is a sliding pocket door for better curbside access for the driver, making for safer and easier coming and going. Again, it’s that driver feedback resulting in smart design.
As the Deliverys we drove were not loaded up with anything in the cargo bay, the ride of the front-wheel-drive unibody vehicle was fairly jumping in the rear axle. However, the 200-kilowatt electric drive system had plenty of pep and quick acceleration, that big 110-kWh battery pack providing power to spare. It was also a very quiet drive, which is something those delivery drivers fortunate enough to operate EV vans have come to appreciate.
In a recent Washington Post article reporting on the growing trend of commercial EVs, driver Marty Boots gushed about his electric ride, saying, “Diesel was like a college wrestler, and the electric is like a ballet dancer.” Asked what it’s like to go back to a diesel van, the 66-year-old Californian said, “it’s like, ‘What’s wrong with this thing? Why is it making so much noise? Why is it so hard to steer?’”
After a few short loops around the massive Stellantis campus in Auburn Hills, it became obvious this vehicle will satisfy the needs of commercial delivery drivers
What I found very interesting about the presentation prior to our drive was concerning the calculation of the full-charge range of the ProMaster EV Delivery. Instead of offering a range number from testing an empty van — which of course would not really represent the real-world number — Ram calculated the range with the added weight of half the maximum payload, which works out to 460 kilograms (1,015 lbs).
The logic was that that weight is a real-world representation of a day’s work starting with a full van and ending with an empty one. All of which makes the calculated range of 260 kilometres (160 miles) while carrying that half payload weight very impressive, and one that will catch the attention of fleet managers across the country.
Add in a Level 2 charge time from 20% to 100% of eight hours, and the Ram ProMaster EV Delivery offers a strong user case for those working in the last-mile delivery segment. DC charging from 20% to 80% at the maximum 150 kW rating is, according to Ram, 55 minutes. Fast-charging isn’t used often in the commercial realm, as the Level 2 overnight charge does suffice; however, in some user cases the vans are double-shifted during a 24-hour period, so a fast-charge might apply.
I really liked the one-pedal driving option; along with the Creep Mode, it’s something that is a much-appreciated setting for delivery drivers, particularly in congested urban settings. There are also three regenerative braking settings, however the pre-production models we drove did not have that activated.
One thing that is surprising about the Delivery body is that it is has a slightly higher co-efficient of drag than the ICE version. Why? The side mirrors are larger, there’s a non-retractable sidestep, and the EV version, due to its battery-pack architecture, rides slightly higher than the gas version.
A slippery body is often a top-of-mind consideration in an EV design, where efficiency in key; however, Ram seems to have calculated that the trade-off of using the proven ProMaster ICE body style outweighed the kilometres gained in range from a redesigned body. That said, I imagine we’ll see aerodynamic tweaks in the body style of the smaller, all-electric cargo van Ram has said is in the works.
The ProMaster EV Delivery starts at $89,995 and will be available in the fourth quarter of this year; while the EV Cargo pricing has not been released. However, we do know it is expected to be available in the first half of 2025. For comparison’s sake, a gasoline Ram ProMaster Cargo Van that David Booth tested recently had a base price of $52,295.
That price difference is sure to be a tough sell for fleet managers. However, the ProMaster EV Delivery price is typical of the segment, with the Mercedes-Benz eSprinter starting at $97,990. I imagine those same fleet managers and their accounting departments are sharpening their pencils to calculate what the annual savings are in the operating costs between an ICE and EV delivery van, but there is no denying that from a user case perspective, the 2024 Ram ProMaster EV is a last-mile delivery dream.
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