The Battery Workforce Challenge, a North American collegiate engineering competition between the United States Department of Energy (DOE), Stellantis, and the Argonne National Laboratory, announced today that the recently introduced Ram ProMaster electric van is the vehicle students will receive to design, build, test, and integrate an advanced battery pack for electric vehicles (EV).
The Ram Promaster EV will participate in the Battery Workforce Challenge
The 2024 Ram ProMaster EV was introduced earlier this year and is specifically designed for electrification, featuring a unibody design that efficiently incorporates the production battery pack. Perfect as a work van for commercial activities, this vehicle represents an exciting opportunity for students to design batteries for larger vehicles.
The Battery Workforce Challenge began in 2023 and includes 12 North American university teams, each collaborating with a local community college. Teams were selected through a competitive process to ensure a place in the elite competition. Participating students will receive hands-on experiential learning and work closely with industry experts to address one of the world’s most relevant engineering challenges that the automotive industry faces today.
“The use of this new Ram ProMaster EV during the competition is a fundamental way to assess the workforce of future electric vehicles and further advance electric vehicle transportation technologies, contributing to DOE’s efforts to improve sustainable energy economies,” said DOE Deputy Secretary for Sustainable Transportation and Fuels at the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Michael Berube.
“The new Ram ProMaster EV is specifically designed for electrification and provides students with an excellent testing ground to push the boundaries of technology,” said Micky Bly, Stellantis Senior Vice President and Head of Global Propulsion Systems. “We look forward to seeing students’ creative solutions to incorporate a Stellantis battery pack into the vehicle and how their work will help shape the future of mobility.”
Claus Daniel, Associate Laboratory Director for Advanced Energy Technologies at Argonne National Laboratory, stated that Argonne’s management of the Battery Workforce Challenge naturally extends the laboratory’s longstanding contributions to battery and transportation research and development. “Sixty percent of electric vehicles on the road today use Argonne technology at least in part, and more than 30,000 students have experienced unprecedented automotive engineering training through our management of DOE’s Advanced Vehicle Technology competitions. Accelerating science and developing the next-generation workforce help Argonne promote U.S. prosperity and security,” he said.
The competition will culminate in 2026, with winning teams receiving dozens of annual awards for engineering-related categories and sponsors, $100,000 in cash prizes provided by the industry, and valuable experience working with industry leaders. Other organizations sponsoring the Battery Workforce Challenge include Our Next Energy, AVL, Dana Corporation, MathWorks, Analog Devices, Inc., and Gamma Technologies.
The new Ram ProMaster EV is the brand’s first fully electrified vehicle available. Two mission-specific configurations will be available, including the delivery model and two cargo models. The Ram ProMaster EV cargo model will be available in two configurations. The ProMaster EV battery is positioned under the floor in the center of the vehicle, maintaining a flat floor while cargo volume remains unchanged compared to vehicles with internal combustion engines.”