The Battery Workforce Challenge, a public-private partnership and North American collegiate engineering competition between the U.S Department of Energy (DOE), Stellantis and Argonne National Laboratory, revealed that the recently introduced Ram ProMaster electric van is the vehicle that students will receive to design, build, test and integrate an advanced electric vehicle (EV) battery pack. The 2024 Ram ProMaster EV was introduced earlier this year and is a work van meant to perform commercial activities.

The Battery Workforce Challenge began in 2023 and features 12 North American university teams, each partnering with a local community college.

“Using this new Ram ProMaster EV during the competition is a critical way for the EV workforce of the future to further advance EV transportation technologies and it contributes to DOE’s efforts to improve the sustainable energy economy,” said Michael Berube, deputy assistant secretary for sustainable transportation and fuels in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at DOE.

“The new Ram ProMaster EV is designed specifically for electrification and provides the students with a great proving ground to push the boundaries of technology,” Micky Bly, Stellantis’ senior vice president and head of global propulsion systems, said. “We look forward to seeing the students’ creative solutions for incorporating 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, said Argonne’s management of the Battery Workforce Challenge naturally extends the laboratory’s longstanding contributions to battery and transportation R&D.

“Sixty percent of EVs on the road today run at least in part on Argonne technology, and more than 30,000 students have experienced an unparalleled automotive engineering education thanks to our management of DOE Advanced Vehicle Technology Competitions,” he said. “Accelerating science and developing the next-generation workforce help Argonne drive U.S. prosperity and security.”

The competition culminates in 2026, with the winning teams receiving dozens of annual engineering and sponsor-related category awards; $100,000 in industry-provided prize money; and real-world experience working with industry leaders.

Additional organizations sponsoring the Battery Workforce Challenge include AVL, Dana Corporation, MathWorks, Analog Devices and Gamma Technologies.