Amazon Will Be The First Customer For The RAM ProMaster EV

Stellantis owned RAM is also slated to go EV first sometime by the end of the decade. Stellantis announced a bunch of partnerships at CES especially big ones with Amazon, but hidden within them was a footnote around RAM's upcoming ProMaster electric van which will launch in 2023.  Amazon will become its first commercial customer. Notably, this news comes after it was revealed that Rivian's exclusivity its for its order of 100,000 electric vans ends in 2023 and it will be free to sell its electric van to third parties. This is notable because Amazon is also a major investor in Rivian. 

Rivian expects to ship the first 10,000 units in 2022 and has already started delivering its electric van to Amazon which has already been spotted in the wild. Amazon reportedly has ordered thousands of ProMaster EVs as the e-commerce giant attempts to clean up its carbon footprint on the logistics side of its business. 

This is not the first time Stellantis has partnered with Amazon. Amazon in the past has had separate relationships with RAM, Fiat, Peugeot, and Citroen. Interestingly, Fiat and RAM are part of FCA which merged with PSA which includes Peugeot and Citroen to form Stellantis. 

The competitor to the Ford E-Transit will launch in 2023

The RAM ProMaster EV is being billed as a competitor to the Ford E-Transit. "We always knew that our ambitious sustainability goals in our last mile operations would require multiple electric delivery van providers. We continue to be excited about our relationship with Rivian, and this doesn't change anything about our investment, collaboration, or order size and timing," said an Amazon spokesperson. 

FCA was owned by Exor, the holding company of the Agnelli family which also owns Ferrari separately. After the merger with PSA, Exor continues to have a major holding in Stellantis with John Elkan being on its board. Ferrari in the last couple of years has become very close to Amazon for AWS.  Amazon is also working with Stellantis for AWS and STLA. 

In fact, Rivian, whose 20 percent stake is owned by Amazon has also released a statement on the deal - and said it is good for the industry. "Large fleets focused on electrification and carbon neutrality represent a win for the mission of both companies. Amazon's scale is globally unprecedented, and we expect them to purchase vehicles from many providers - our own partnership with them is intact, thriving, and growing," said Rivian on the announcement of the partnership between Amazon and RAM.