Ram unveiled its first electric vehicle for the US on Tuesday – the Ram ProMaster electric van. The new Ram ProMaster EV offers up to 162 miles of city driving range and an array of new features.
Ram’s first EV is a “game-changer”
Ram’s first EV is a “game-changer,” according to the brand’s CEO Tim Kuniskis. The brand’s leader said the RamProMaster EV offers the latest in zero-emission performance, commercial capabilities, and tech.
The electric van is Ram’s first all-electric vehicle in the US as the market shifts to EVs. After a record 1.2 million EVs were handed over in the US last year, Ram is joining the movement.
The launch comes as part of parent company, Stellantis’ Dare Forward 2030 strategy. The plan includes 100% EV sales in the EU and 50% in the US by the end of the decade. Stellantis brands in the US include Jeep, Ram, Chrysler, Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Dodge, and Maserati.
Ram says it “delivers the best value proposition” with the lowest total cost of ownership across its lineup. The brand’s first EV, the Ram ProMaster EV, is expected to continue the trend.
Meet the Ram ProMaster electric van
The Ram ProMaster EV will be available in a delivery and cargo model. Ram’s delivery EV is available now, while the cargo version will be available later.
The cargo van will come in two versions, including a 12′ cargo length and an extended 13′ variant.
Ram’s ProMaster EV cargo van includes up to 3,020 lbs payload, while the delivery version offers 2,030 lbs. An included 200 kW EDM provides 268 horsepower and 302 lb-ft of torque.
A standard 110 kWh battery pack delivers a targeted range of up to 162 miles in the city, according to Ram.
The electric van is built on Ram’s ProMaster platform but features a unibody design that’s built specifically for electrification.
Ram says the battery pack is under the floor, providing a flat floor for loading cargo. The electric van features 50 kW, 85 kW, 125 kW, and 150 kW DC fast charging options. A level 2 (11kW) wall box charger is also available.
The brand included an “array of features” for fleet management. These include a rear roll-up door for easy loading and unloading. A pocket door is also standard for easy delivery access.
Other fleet management tools include Ram Telematics. The service offers driving insights to improve efficiency, vehicle location data, and real-time vehicle diagnostics.
Ram says the ProMaster EV is highly customizable to meet customer demands. The delivery model features a 159″ wheelbase, a “super-high-roof,” a heated steering wheel, and a heated windshield.
Eventually, it will be available in five configurations. This will include two roof heights, two cargo lengths, and two body styles with up to 12′ and 13′ cargo lengths.
The interior includes 524 cubic feet of cargo space, 86″ height, low floor for loading, and maximum cargo width between wheel wells.
It also features a 10.1″ touchscreen, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support, Alexa In-Vehicle Assistant, up to five user profiles, and more.
Ram added safety and security features like front and rear Park Sense with a full stop and different backup alarms. The Ram ProMaster EV also includes all the safety features of the brand’s full-size commercial van.
Ram says the new front-end design features standard LED headlights and fog lights. The new headlights offer 70% more Lumens (50% more range) than the gas-powered model.
One of the most requested improvements was better visibility. To help, Ram included a standard high-res backup camera and an available 360-degree camera.
The Ram ProMaster EV features a Charging Station Locator and EV Dynamic Trip Prediction for easy route planning.
Ram’s first EV will compete with Rivian’s electric delivery van (EDV) and Ford’s E-Transit as electric vans continue gaining market share in the US.
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National Grid Renewables has broken ground on its 100 MW Apple River Solar Project in Polk County, Wisconsin.
The Wisconsin solar farm, which will use US-made First Solar Series 6 Plus bifacial modules, will be constructed by The Boldt Company, creating 150 construction and service jobs. Apple River Solar will generate over $36 million in direct economic benefits over its first 20 years.
Once it comes online in late 2025, Apple River Solar will supply clean energy to Xcel Energy, which serves customers throughout the Upper Midwest. According to National Grid Renewables, the solar farm will generate enough energy to power around 26,000 homes annually. It will also offset about 129,900 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year – equivalent to taking 30,900 cars off the road.
“We are excited to see this project begin as it underscores our dedication to delivering clean, reliable and affordable energy to our customers,” said Karl Hoesly, President, Xcel Energy-Wisconsin and Michigan. “This project is an important step in those goals while bringing significant economic benefits to Polk County and the local townships.”
Electrekreported in February that Xcel Energy, Minnesota’s largest utility, expects to cut more than 80% – and possibly up to 88% – of its emissions by 2030, putting it on track to hit Minnesota’s goal of net zero by 2040. It also says it’s on track to achieve its clean energy goals for all the Upper Midwest states it serves – Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Michigan.
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Tesla has announced that it will finally deliver 500 kW charging as it is about to install its long-awaited V4 Supercharger cabinets.
The rollout of Supercharger V4 has been a strange one, to say the least.
Tesla has been deploying the new charging stations for two years and calling them “Supercharger V4”, but it has only been deploying the charging stalls.
Supercharger stations are made of two main parts: the stalls, which are where the charging cable is located, and the cabinets, which are generally located further back and include all the power electronics.
For all these new “Supercharger V4”, Tesla was actually using Supercharger V3 cabinets. This has been limiting the power output of the charging stations to 250 kW – although
Today, Tesla officially announced its “V4 Cabinet”, which the automaker claims will enable of “delivering up to 500kW for cars and 1.2MW for Semi.”
Here are the main features of the V4 Cabinet as per Tesla:
Faster charging: Supports 400V-1000V vehicle architectures, including 30% faster charging for Cybertruck. S3XY vehicles enjoy 250kW charge rates they already experience on V3 Cabinet — charging up to 200 miles in 15 minutes.
Faster deployments: V4 Cabinet powers 8 posts, 2X the stalls per cabinet. Lower footprint and complexity = more sites coming online faster.
Next-generation hardware: Cutting-edge power electronics designed to be the most reliable on the planet, with 3X power density enabling higher throughput with lower costs.
Tesla reports that its first sites with the new V4 Cabinets are going into permitting now. The company expects its first sites to open next year.
We recently reported about Tesla’s new Oasis Supercharger project, which includes larger solar arrays and battery packs to operate the charging station mostly off-grid.
Early in the deployment of the Supercharger network, Tesla promised to add solar arrays and batteries to all Supercharger stations, and Musk even said that most stations would be able to operate off-grid.
While Tesla did add solar and batteries to a few stations, the vast majority of them don’t have their own power system or have only minimal solar canopies.
Back in 2016, I asked Musk about this, and he said that it would now happen as Tesla had the “pieces now in place” with Supercharger V3, Powerpack V2, and SolarCity:
It took about 8 years, but it sounds like the pieces are now getting actually in place with Supercharger V4, Megapacks, and this new Oasis project.
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Hyundai has a new secret weapon it’s about ready to unleash. To revamp the brand in China and counter BYD’s surge, Hyundai is launching a new AI-powered EV next year. The new model will be Hyundai’s first dedicated electric car for the world’s largest EV market.
With the help of Haomo, a Chinese autonomous startup, Hyundai will launch its first EV equipped with generative AI. It will also be its first model designed specifically for China.
A Hyundai Motor official said (via The Korea Herald) the company is “working to load the software” onto the new EV model, “which will be released in the Chinese market next year.” The spokesperson added, “The level of autonomous driving is somewhere between 2 and 2.5.”
In comparison, Tesla’s Autopilot is considered a level 2 advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) on the SAE scale (0 to 5), meaning it offers limited hands-free features.
With Autopilot, you still have to keep your eyes on the road and hands on the steering wheel, or the system will notify you and eventually disengage.
Haomo’s system, DriveGPT, unveiled last spring, takes inspiration from the OpenAI’s popular ChatGPT.
The system can continuously update in real-time to optimize decision-making by absorbing traffic data patterns. According to Haomo, DriveGPT is used in around 20 models as it looks to play a bigger role in China.
Hyundai hopes new AI-powered EV boosts sales in China
Electric vehicle sales continue surging in China. According to Rho Motion, China set another EV sales record last month with 1.2 million units sold, up 50% from October 2023.
Over 8.4 million EVs were sold in China in the first ten months of 2024, a notable 38% increase from last year.
BYD continues to dominate its home market. According to Autovista24, BYD accounted for 32.9% of all PHEV and EV (NEV) sales in China through September, with over half of the top 20 best-selling EV models.
Tesla was second with a 6.5% share of the market, but keep in mind these numbers only include plug-in models (PHEV).
Like most foreign automakers, Hyundai is struggling to keep up with the influx of low-cost electric models in China. Beijing Hyundai’s sales have been slipping since 2017. Through September, Korean automaker’s share of the Chinese market fell to just 1.2%.
According to local reports, Hyundai is partnering with other local tech companies like Thundersoft, a smart cockpit provider, and others in China to power up its next-gen EVs
With its first AI-powered EV launching next year, Hyundai hopes to turn things around in the region quickly. The new model will be one of five to launch in China through 2026.
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