The new Ram ProMaster EV adds another electric vehicle to the mix, giving us van that can handle the delivery needs of many companies. The Ford E-Transit is much more affordable than this new Ram, but the Ram is a much nicer electric van than the Ford, which makes it more tempting than the Ford, in terms of quality, but it might be priced a little too high.

Here’s what the new Ram ProMaster EV brings to the mix.

Stellantis has done this before

If you’re concerned that Ram doesn’t have the electric powertrain experience that Ford possesses, think again. Although the new EV Ram van is the first wearing the badge, Stellantis, Ram’s parent company, has two other electric vans already running around in various cities. IN 2020, Peugeot brough the electric Boxer van to the market called the E-Boxer. Next, Fiat arrived with the E-Ducato to serve the same purpose. These two vans give Stellantis more experience than Ford in the electric commercial van world.

The new Ram electric van mirrors the Peugeot the most, using a higher-output motor setup and snub nose style.

How much power does this Ram van produce?

The new Ram ProMaster EV has a single, high-output electric motor driving the front wheels. This motor produces 268 horsepower and 302 lb-ft of torque. This is only slightly lower than the V6 Pentastar engine and much more torque than the gas-powered V6 engine.

The power is certainly in line with the Ford E-Transit, which has 266 horsepower and 317 lb-ft of torque. In the Ford, the power is sent to the rear wheels instead of the front.

How far can it drive?

This new electric ram van uses a 110-kWh battery pack that gives it up to 174 miles of electric driving range when empty. If it’s loaded to half its payload capacity, that figure drops to 160 miles, which isn’t too bad or around-town driving during a single day of deliveries.

For comparison, the Ram has a much larger battery than the Ford electric van, which uses an 89-kWh battery pack and has a quoted maximum driving range estimate of 159 miles.

Two available versions

Ram is making two versions of its new ProMaster EV. There will be the deliver van with a high-roof setup that has a roll-up rear cargo door and a sliding pocket door behind the front passenger. These doors allow easier access to the cargo bay and keep the door out of the way, which is a change from the swing-door builds offered for most cargo vans.

The other option is a more conventional cargo van that will arrive later next year. This model also has a high roof but is equipped with a more standard split rear door layout and a normal sliding van door behind the passenger door.

The delivery van, which is the model with the roll-up door, has a much lower cargo capacity of 2,030 pounds, than the traditional cargo van, which boasts 3,020 pounds of payload capacity. The cargo capacity for the E-Transit ranges from 2,799 to 3,249 pounds, depending on the wheelbase and roof height.

The EV Ram is a good drive

When the job is to carry cargo around town, an electric van is the way to go, provided you can stay within the driving range of the electric van. The single-speed transmission allows the electric Ram van to take off quickly and get up to highway speeds much faster than its gas-powered counterpart. This immediate throttle response makes it easy to handle on-ramps and putters around town where you need to make deliveries.

Other than the driving experience, the Ram ProMaster EV is extremely similar to the gas-powered model, with a large echo-chamber cargo area when its empty. The visibility is excellent, which makes driving this van a little easier for the person behind the wheel.

The tech found in the dashboard includes a 7-inch instrument cluster and a 10.1-inch center infotainment screen that allows the driver to connect and receive GPS directional data during the ride. As a modern van, the ProMaster EV also has a full package of impressive safety features to keep this van out of trouble on the road.

Is it worth the price?

The new Ram ProMaster EV has a starting price of $79,990, while the Ford E-Transit comes in at nearly $52,000. Is the Ram and its FWD layout worth a nearly $30,000 premium over the Ford? That’s for you and your delivery team to decide.

The post Ram ProMaster EV Challenges Ford’s Electric Van Dominance first appeared on Ride4Watts.com.

The post Ram ProMaster EV Challenges Ford’s Electric Van Dominance appeared first on Ride4Watts.com.