First Stellantis EV in the US draws strong interest from dealers
Jeep, RAM, Dodge, and Fiat owner Stellantis is launching its first passenger electric vehicles in the US this year. The first to roll out, the Fiat 500e, is already drawing in new dealers ahead of deliveries.
After unveiling the new Fiat 500e for North America at the LA Auto Show last year, the first models are expected to begin rolling out soon.
Fiat’s new EV will be the brand’s sole vehicle after it retired the 500X following the 2023MY. The brand is introducing new versions via “drops.”
The Fiat 500e RED was the first to drop last month. With a 42 kWh battery pack, the electric car has up to 149 miles range. It features red-painted mirrors, LED headlamps, and front grille. The Fiat 500e can add 31 miles of range in five minutes with 85 kW fast charging, or 80% in 35 minutes.
Inside, the Fiat 500e features a red dashboard, a 10.25″ center touch screen with Uconnect, a 7″ driver display, and added storage.
The Fiat 500e is the lightest passenger EV in its segment at just over 3,000 lbs. It’s also one of the cheapest, starting at $34,095 (including destination). Stellantis said the Fiat 500e is positioned to take advantage of tax rebates in participating states.
After dropping the Fiat 500e last month, Stellantis said its first EV in the US sold out of its initial dealer allocation in under a week.
Stellantis first EV draws interest from US dealers
According to Fiat North America leader, Aamir Ahmed, dealers are now reaching out about the electric car.
“We’ve had multiple handfuls of dealers in California reach out to us looking to add lines of Fiat into their dealerships,” Ahmed told Automotive News. However, Fiat’s leader only wants to add to the “right place at the right operators.”
Ahmed explained the brand isn’t looking to “grow just to grow,” and dealers are seeing strong enough demand to support the 500e relaunch in the US.
The brand looks to expand in the US with its new Fiat Live Store, offering a digital buying experience. Shoppers can connect with an Apple-like Fiat “Genius” to answer questions or ease concerns.
“If we can simplify the buying experience so that they don’t have to have cars sitting in the showrooms, they don’t have to have people just talking to a customer that wants to come in and kick the tires [but] isn’t necessarily ready to shop. We can have our Fiat concierge do that with them,” Ahmed said.
The move is to save overhead because “we want them to be as profitable as possible,” Fiat’s North American leader explained.
Fiat dropped two new 500e models this week, the “Inspired by Music” and “Inspired by Beauty” editions.
Both models will feature unique content like a JBL audio system and eye-catching Rose Gold coloring. The new editions will start at $37,595 (including destination).
Stellantis has a big year planned, with several brands debuting new EVs. Jeep is launching the Wagoneer S and rugged Recon. Dodge unveiled the Charger Daytona EV last week, retaining its title as the “world’s quickest and most powerful muscle car.”
The new EVs will help Stellentis work towards its goal of 50% electric sales share in the US by 2030.
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Volvo Penta will debut its latest modular and scalable battery energy storage system (BESS) platform for the off-grid construction and mining industries at the bauma equipment show – here’s what you can expect.
Best-known for its marine engines and gensets, Volvo Penta is the power production arm of the Volvo Group, specializing in putting energy to work. Operating under the tagline, ‘Made to Move You’, Volvo Penta is headed to bauma 2025 with a plan to keep construction, port shipping, and mining operations moving productively and competitively throughout their transitions to battery and (in theory, at least) hydrogen power.
To that end, the company will show off a job site ready version of the scalable and modular BESS subsystem concept shown last year.
Volvo says its new, modular BESS subsystem will enable other OEMs and third party system integrators to seamlessly deploy electric power to meet the ever-exceeding energy needs in construction and mining.
“Our modular and scalable battery-electric platform is designed to support the electrification ecosystem—combining high-performance drivelines with the crucial energy storage subsystems for efficient charging and operation in construction and mining,” says Hannes Norrgren, President of Volvo Penta Industrial. “We want to meaningfully collaborate with our customers on value-added customization that will enable them to stay productive, efficient, and future-ready.”
The Penta substation at bauma will be built around the company’s “Cube” battery pack, an energy-dense solution with a favorable C-rate designed to make it easy for BESS manufacturers to offer more compact job site solutions capable of charging and discharging energy with high levels of speed and efficiency, enabling both stationary and mobile BESS configurations that can change and grow to meet the evolving needs of a given asset fleet or project.
A Volvo Penta-developed DC/DC unit converts the voltage from the Cube battery packs (600 V) into lower voltage (24 V) for powering auxiliaries and portable offices.
Electrek’s Take
Volvo Penta has always provided power. Historically that’s been from combustion, but the company is looking ahead, developing products that will bring energy to job sites, tractors, and more long after the last ICE engine shuts down.
SOURCE | IMAGES: Volvo Penta.
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Just days after Rivian announced that it would be making its iconic electric delivery vans available to anyone willing to pay for one, the company launched the new Rivian Upfit Program, offering a “one-stop shop” to help fleet managers put its EVs to work.
Launched in partnership with commercial vehicle heavyweights Ranger Design, Sortimo of North America, Bush Specialty Vehicles, Holman, LEGEND, and EV Sportline, the Rivian Upfit Program helps fleet buyers make the switch to electric by simplifying the ordering process and delivering an experience that more closely reflects the experience fleet managers get at dealerships.
Despite partnering with leading brands and launching into a well-establish market, however, the program’s web page seems largely aimed at people outside the space – even kicking off with an explanation of what upfitting is:
Upfitting is the process of customizing a vehicle in order to meet fleet, business, or individual consumer needs to tackle the job at hand. This work is done after the vehicle has been built and released from the factory, and can include everything from shelving modifications, flooring options, to sirens and flashers and much more.
The program was announced on LinkedIn with a number of photos indicating upfit options for Rivian’s R1T and R1S vehicles focused on lifeguard and roadside assistance duty, and Rivian’s van upfit with a HVAC/telecom style toolbox arrangement.
No word on pricing or turnaround time.
Electrek’s Take
The general consensus around the Electrek water cooler is that the direct-to-consumer model offered by Rivian, Tesla, and even CarMax deliver a superior customer experience, I’ve consistently drunk the franchise dealer Kool-Aid, arguing that the industry-leading margins enjoyed by these companies actually indicate they’re giving consumers an objectively worse deal than they’d get in a more competitive dealer landscape.
That same competitiveness has led to talented fleet managers at those franchise dealers putting in the effort to get to know the needs of the businesses and buyers in their regions, to understand what upfit options makes sense for their local markets, and – crucially – what to stock for quick turnaround when their customers need it.
Rivian is hoping its upfit partners will do a lot of that heavy lifting for them, but my two cents is that if building cars is hard, building relationships is harder, and Rivian isn’t going to make a good first impression by talking down to its customers. If you think differently, let me know how I got it wrong in the comments.
SOURCE | IMAGES: Rivian, via LinkedIn.
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For 2025, the Ram ProMaster EV commercial van gets up to 180 miles range from its 110 kWh battery pack, new 12- and 13-foot cargo configurations to meet more fleets’ needs, and a starting price of “just” $56,495. All of which sounds … kind of familiar, right?
When Ram rolled out its ProMaster EV electric cargo van last year, the company promised a huge range of customizable features, 12- and 13- configurations, a “super high roof” variant, and more – even touting a heated windshield. Which is almost exactly what you’ll find hyped up in the latest Stellantis press release for the “All-new 2025 Ram ProMaster EV Cargo Van.”
So, if it’s basically the same van, what’s the story here?
Glad you asked – see, the 2024 announcement for the ProMaster EV made lots of promises, but anecdotal conversations revealed that the vast majority of ProMaster EVs that made it customers last year were the step van version, with its “pocket” side door and roll-up rear door.
That makes sense, considering that’s how Stellantis’ prime customers for the Ram ProMaster EV, Merchants Fleet …
The Ram Truck brand has announced that Merchants Fleet will become a key commercial customer of the all-new Ram ProMaster electric van (EV) that debuts later this year. The agreement calls for the purchase of 12,500 Ram ProMaster EVs.
STELLANTIS; JUN2023.
… and Amazon …
Stellantis, with input from Amazon, designed the vehicle with unique last mile delivery features and Amazon will deploy the vehicles to routes across the United States. Building on the current relationship and as part of the long-term agreement, Stellantis and Amazon will be putting thousands of BEV ProMasters on the road every year.
STELLANTIS; JAN2022.
Spec’ed them out.
Co-developed with Amazon
The story here, then, is that the conventional cargo variants (sliding van door, split-opening rear doors, etc.) are finally available for smaller fleets and van-lifers to order, production capacity apparently having caught up to demand. It’s that van, when ordered in a 12-foot cargo/low roof spec, that pushes that range estimate up to 180 miles. The high-roof version gets a claimed 164 miles of range.
“Our freedom of choice approach with powertrain extends to the Ram Professional lineup with an appropriate solution for last-mile delivery in the Ram ProMaster EV,” says Tim Kuniskis, Ram brand CEO. “With front-wheel drive and a low step-in height, the ProMaster is a solid player and continues to perform well in a wide variety of business sectors, such as the growing home delivery environment, construction services wholesale and IT services among others.”
For 2025, Stellantis has “repositioned” the ProMaster EV step van with a new, lower starting price to match its improved availability. The van can now be had for $69,995 plus $1,995 destination fee. That’s down significantly from the $79,990 starting price for 2024 – proving once again that old adage: good things come to those who wait.
For that money, you get the “All-new” Ram that’s so All-new, in fact, that Stellantis issued almost the exact same press photos they used at the 2024 launch. The order books for the 2025 ProMaster EV officially opened last week.
Electrek’s Take
Commercial vans for regional fleets are a no-brainer. Why? Because fleet managers are focused on the bottom line costs of operating their fleets – and, regardless of their political leanings, EVs cost less to own and operate than comparable ICE models. Until that fact changes, converting whatever assets to they can to electric will remain a priority.
If the “All-new” 2025 model is so similar, the specs so close, the photos so indistinguishable from the 2024 model that it takes your humble author nearly a week to figure if there’s even a story here at all hardly matters for a $10,000 price cut.
SOURCE | IMAGES: Stellantis.
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