The Battery Workforce Challenge, a public-private partnership and collegiate engineering competition, announced 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 designed specifically for electrification, featuring a unibody design that incorporates the production battery pack. Suitable as a work van to perform commercial activities, the application serves as an opportunity for students to design batteries for bigger vehicles.
The Battery Workforce Challenge began in 2023 and features 12 North American university teams, each partnering with a local community college. The teams were selected through a competitive process to secure a spot in the competition. Participating students will receive experiential learning and will work in partnership with industry experts to tackle one of the most relevant real-world engineering challenges facing the automotive industry.
“Using the 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,” said Micky Bly, Stellantis’ senior vice president and head of Global Propulsion Systems. “We look forward to seeing the students’ solutions for incorporating a Stellantis battery pack into the vehicle.”
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 contributions to battery and transportation R&D.
“Sixty percent of EVs 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.
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, Inc., and Gamma Technologies.
