Electric vehicles reached a new record market share in 2024, so it seems the enthusiasm for electrification won’t be powering down anytime soon. Adoption of electric vans and trucks continues to grow on the commercial side, including among large cities, small towns, and businesses of all sizes. That’s what we’re seeing every day at Ford Pro, the commercial vehicles division of Ford Motor Company.
Based on conversations with real-world Ford Pro customers, we’ve gleaned three trends for 2025 on electric vehicles in business and government fleets that are worth considering.
Early adopters are entering their next phase: Many companies that were early adopters of electric vehicles in pilot programs are now expanding their fleets. That’s likely to continue in 2025, having found that electrification made good business sense for them.
Elite Home Care, a South Carolina-based senior and disability care provider, started their electrification journey with a single Ford E-Transit electric van in 2022. Today, they have 27 E-Transit vans upfitted with lifts providing over 10,000 trips per month for their patients while saving $6,500 per van each year.
Chris Russo, co-founder of Elite Home Care, shared with us what these savings have meant for his business: “E-Transits have allowed us to expand our business because we save so much money. Now we can expand our reach to more people needing care. Moving to E-Transit vans has lowered our fixed costs. It’s allowed us to do more of the things we’d like to do to give back.”
Business and government customers are increasingly learning from their connected vehicles and relying on those learnings to make informed business decisions. These insights include realizing fuel and cost savings, tracking efficiency, staying ahead of the curve on maintenance, and even knowing when to replace vehicles.
DHL Express, a global delivery and logistics company, uses Ford Pro E-Telematics to see how much gas and carbon dioxide emissions they’re saving by switching to electric vehicles.
Chris Wessel, director of U.S. Fleet for DHL Express, told us how important that data is for a sustainable company with a stated goal of 60 percent of its last-mile delivery fleet being zero-emission by 2030: “In conjunction with other tools, we’re using Ford Pro E-Telematics to look at the fuel savings of our fleet, and then we’ll tie that back to our carbon reporting, making sure that we have a holistic view of our fleet and greenhouse gases avoided.”
Data is also helping customers decide when – or if – to electrify their fleet. Ford Pro E-Switch Assist, our free online tool that uses vehicle telematics data to determine fleet suitability for electric trucks and vans, has already assessed more than 38,000 vehicles.
If you’re reading this, chances are good there’s an electric vehicle charger installed outside your office, warehouse, or other place of business. But commercial electric vehicle charging is increasingly moving beyond the vehicle depot or company parking lot and into employees’ homes and other locations – and not just in warmer locales like California or Texas, but across a wide range of climates, terrains, and geographies.
With nearly a third of fleet managers reporting company vehicles being taken home at night, that trend will likely grow throughout 2025.
Fize Électrique, an electrical contractor in Canada, has installed six Level 2 chargers at its office. But their employees who take their company electric vehicles home at the end of the workday also have chargers installed at their homes.
Alain Fiset, director of smart energy for Fize Électrique, explained why they’ve split their charging between depots and employee homes: “Having a charging station for each EV is necessary for a smooth experience. The key to success with an electric vehicle is to charge it every night on a Level 2 charger.”
Behind these trends is an important fact: having the right team behind you makes adopting electric trucks and vans easier. That’s why Ford Pro offers an end-to-end solution of vehicles, charging, software, service, and financing to help streamline the process and maximize uptime for small, medium, and large business and government fleets. Just ask BellaVista Landscaping in San Jose, California, which has used the full spectrum of Ford Pro solutions in adding 25 hybrid and electric vehicles to its fleet since 2023.
As we enter 2025, look for companies to charge ahead with electric trucks and vans, the chargers and software that power them, and the service solutions that keep them on the road.
Trevor Blum is Senior Manager, Commercial Electric Vehicles at Ford Pro
When GM officially ended its EV1 electric car program in 2003 and recalled all its leased-only models, there was a feeling that it had given up on EVs. That wasn’t the case. There were rumors early on that another electric vehicle program was in the works and more evidence of this emerged just a few short years later. This article, which shares early details on the concept that would lead to the production Chevrolet Volt, is presented from our archives just as it appeared in Green Car Journal’s Winter 2006 issue. While there’s more to the Volt’s story since this electric vehicle was also discontinued in 2019 – much to the chagrin of a great many Volt owners who universally loved this vehicle and its innovative electric drivetrain – that story will have to wait for another time.
Excerpted from the Winter 2006 Issue: General Motors is back in the electric car business. First, the company announces a plug-in hybrid version of the Saturn Vue at the L.A. Auto Show. Now, GM has turned up the juice by unveiling the Chevrolet Volt, an “EV range-extender” concept car that makes petroleum an even smaller part of the equation. In fact, with its 40 mile pure electric range – which GM says covers more than half of all Americans’ daily commute to work and back – the Volt may eliminate the need for gasoline altogether for some drivers.
Central to the Volt concept is the new E-flex System, which GM says represents a rethinking of automotive propulsion that places primary focus on electric drive. Plugging in to a 110-volt outlet for about six hours will fully charge the car’s lithium-ion batteries. When the batteries run out after 40 miles of electric-only driving, a 1.0-liter,three-cylinder turbocharged engine runs at constant speed, turning a generator that replenishes the batteries. That engine could be replaced in future iterations of the concept with powerplants that run on pure ethanol (E100) or biodiesel, or even with a fuel cell running on hydrogen...thus the “flex” in the E-flex System.
In the Volt, the gas-powered engine gets about 50 mpg while it’s working to sustain the batteries. Some quick math reveals that overall fuel economy would be a staggering 150 mpg for a 60-mile drive. Run the engine on E85 ethanol, as the Volt is capable of doing, and even more gasoline use is displaced. Importantly, the Volt is able to do all this without compromising utility, which is a significant problem that plagued the truly wonderful but now infamously defunct GM EV1. The Volt will easily seat four passengers and their luggage, accelerate to 60 mph from a standstill in under 8.5 seconds, and cruise for 640 miles without refueling.
The Volt is about the size of the compact Cobalt and based on a similar vehicle architecture, yet with a much more athletic stance. The styling is sharp, edgy, and distinctively Chevrolet. One interesting feature is a transparent roof and beltline courtesy of glazed polycarbonate material from GE Plastics. The plug-in recharging ports are tastefully integrated into the front quarter fenders on either side of the vehicle.
Unfortunately, the Volt is being held back by the same culprit that actually killed the electric car the first time around: battery technology. GM admits that it is still waiting on a technological breakthrough to produce a large, production-ready lithium-ion battery pack.
GM thinks that could happen by 2010 or 2012, though we’ve been through times of optimistic predictions like this before when battery breakthroughs just didn’t come. Still, we’re crossing our fingers on the battery issue and it’s nice to see the General all charged up again.
Pickup truck manufacturers seem to be in a constant state of one-upmanship, with each new vehicle claiming to have ‘best in class’ capability, whether it’s power output, towing capacity, or some other work-related feature. So it isn’t all that surprising to hear Stellantis call its upcoming RAM 1500 Ramcharger ‘class-shattering.’ But if this new EV pickup hits the range figures RAM claims, that will be no brag.
The 1500 Ramcharger is one of two electrified pickups RAM is set to offer, with the Ramcharger coming first in 2025 and the RAM 1500 REV following next year. While the REV is a conventional battery-electric vehicle, the Ramcharger goes in a different direction, with a relatively modest 92 kWh battery pack augmented by a 130-kW generator and an onboard 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 gasoline engine.
There is no path for the engine to directly drive the wheels. Instead, the generator converts the engine’s mechanical power to electrical power. That electricity can then either charge the battery or be routed to the truck’s front and rear electric drive modules (EDMs), which can tap both the generator and the battery pack for maximum power. Stellantis rates that output at 663 horsepower and more than 615 lb-ft torque, power that will enable the Ramcharger to hit 60 mph in 4.4 seconds.
Now, here comes the class-shattering part: The target range for the Ramcharger’s battery/generator combo is up to 690 miles, far outlasting the Chevrolet’s Silverado EV’s 492 miles of range and the Ford F-150 Lightning’s 320 miles.
With those performance targets, the Ramcharger will also lead the EV pickup class in towing and payload capacities, critical metrics for any pickup buyer regardless of powertrain. Tow capacity will max out at 14,000 pounds, while payload capacity will reach up to 2,625 pounds. Those ratings handily beat the Silverado EV (10,000/1,300 pounds) and the Lightning (10,000/2,235 pounds). They’re also higher than the 2025 RAM 1500 powered by the new, gasoline-fed 3.0-liter Hurricane I-6 (11,580/2,300).
The Ramcharger is built on Stellantis’ new STLA Frame, a body-on-frame architecture that positions the liquid-cooled battery pack beneath the floor at the center of the truck. Power delivery is split between a 250-kW front EDM (with an automatic wheel disconnect for free-wheeling under certain conditions) and a 238-kW rear EDM that can be fitted with an optional electronic locking differential. Pre-configured software offers the driver a choice of five driving modes to suit conditions – auto, sport, tow, snow, and off-road. Ramcharger rides on a fully independent suspension that includes a standard four-corner air suspension system with five height modes ranging from entry-exit to a choice of two off-road settings for extra clearance.
Though Stellantis has said the Ramcharger has “zero need for a public charger,” that functionality was not ignored. The pickup’s charge port accommodates Level 1 and 2 AC charging and DC fast charging. Up to five miles of range per minute can be added with 400-volt DC fast charging at up to 175 kW. The electrical system was also engineered with vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-home bi-directional charging capability. On-board electrical power can be tapped via an electrical panel in the bed that can provide up to 7.2 kW of mobile power and through 115-volt outlets in RamBox storage bins in the bedsides.
The Ramcharger’s exterior was designed with styling cues that echo conventionally powered RAM pickups, but with enough EV-only touches to set it apart from the rest of the fleet. Likewise, the interior is laden with high-tech hardware, including a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a configurable, full-color head-up display in front of the driver. The passenger position gets its own 10.25-inch screen with controls for navigation and an HDMI plug to connect devices. The center of the dashboard is home to either a 12- or 14.5-inch touchscreen loaded with the automaker’s new Uconnect 5 infotainment system.
Ordering the range-topping Tungsten trim level adds a Klipsch Reference Premiere audio system, its 1,228-watt output and 23 speakers making the system, as Stellantis points out, best in class. Among the safety features built into the Ramcharger is an autonomous drive assist system that includes Level 2-plus Hands Free Highway Assist. Autonomous parallel and perpendicular parking is also available.
The decision to revive the legacy Ramcharger SUV nameplate long-ago discontinued by Dodge and bring it back as an electric RAM pickup is a strategic move by Stellantis. With its electric motors driven by both battery and engine-generator electric power, the 2025 Ramcharger may well be a pickup enthusiast’s dream, providing a more environmentally positive EV driving experience while delivering the kind of full functionality and range expected by truck buyers everywhere.
The latest generation Prius Prime – now rebadged as the Prius Plug-In Hybrid for 2025 – has been a welcome change of pace from Toyota. Sleek, stylish, and unexpectedly fast, the debut of an all-new model in 2023 presented an unexpected departure from the pedestrian Prius stylings of old.
Don’t get us wrong: The Prius has always been a game-changer in its own right with its supreme efficiency and leading eco-consciousness. But it never was a model appealing to performance-focused auto enthusiasts or one drawing admiring looks from passers-by…until now.
Since we began our long-term test of a fifth generation Prius Prime XSE last year, we’ve found this hatchback’s overall driving experience to be just as we had hoped. While today’s Prime is similar to the previous generation with notable high efficiency and plug-in capability, there’s a world of difference that makes the model so much more compelling. First, there’s the styling. We don’t know what prompted Toyota to let its designers have at it with such a huge change in looks and an all-new ethos, but we do know what to say in response: “Thank you very much…great job!”
Beyond its now compelling appearance is the model’s newfound embrace of performance. The previous Prime used a 1.8-liter four-cylinder delivering 95 horsepower, augmented by its electric motor’s 71 horsepower. The new Prime ups the ante by nearly 100 horsepower, delivered by a 150 hp 2.0-liter engine and 161 hp electric motor. This extra power is immediately noticed and appreciated, especially during freeway driving when changing lanes and overtaking slower cars is a necessity. Plus, the extended range provided by the larger 13.6 kWh battery in this plug-in hybrid is a welcome addition, increasing electric driving range from some 25 miles to 44 miles of all-electric driving. EPA estimates the Prime XSE at an overall driving range of about 550 miles.
One of the things that often fascinates drivers is a plug-in hybrid’s ability to seamlessly blend the efficiencies of battery and hybrid drive during journeys beyond the Prime’s all-electric range. For example, on a recent roundtrip 600 mile drive down the California coast on the southbound 101 freeway, we experienced a peak combined 86.9 mpg during one segment of the trip after starting with a full charge. On the drive back and without having a charged battery, our mpg readings settled closer to 45 mpg while experiencing bouts of traffic and construction on the various highways heading back north.
On another 200 mile round-trip drive from California’s Central Coast to the Central Valley, our fuel economy remained an impressively stable 55 mpg on hybrid power alone. At times, driving conditions had degraded from a relatively clear evening and slowly gave way to dense fog. Despite the heavy fog conditions, the robust suite of technologies provided by Toyota’s Safety Sense 3.0 helped ensure a smooth and safe experience during this challenging drive with low visibility.
The assistive driving features on the Prius Prime have been indispensable on many drives taken during the past year. While many Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 systems are available, our favorites would be Proactive Driving Assist and the Traffic Jam Assist.
Adaptive cruise control typically feels more reactive than proactive, but the addition of features with the appropriately named Proactive Driving Assist helps make unfamiliar roads feel safer. Proactive Driving Assist complements Dynamic Radar Cruise Control and is a key component of the Toyota Safety Sense 3.0. Working in tandem with this system means that PDA is able to assist with breaking into curves, provide steering input to help keep you centered in the lane even during mild corners, and provide obstacle anticipation assist all at once.
Traffic Jam Assist is indispensable during drives with stop and go traffic, which was common during our drive down the California coast as we approached larger metro areas. This feature does require Toyota’s Drive Connect subscription to use, but I did find it worthwhile if stop and go traffic is a common experience. TJA operates at typical traffic jam speeds under 25 mpg and engages a host of other features, including hands free steering, acceleration, and braking during heavy traffic. Recording is also an option with Traffic Jam Assist as an added (but hopefully unneeded) feature during bumper to bumper traffic where collisions are statistically more likely. Recording is implemented during crash or crash-like events.
These driver assist features, in addition to the entire Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 suite, add comfort and an enhanced sense of safety during our frequent drives. Overall, longer drives feel less arduous with Prius Prime, which means we can focus on enjoying the road ahead and being behind the wheel of an entirely satisfying vehicle that’s comfortable and a joy to drive.
It’s the 1990s and you’re looking to drive something different. Imagine piloting a car that was as technologically advanced as a Lamborghini Diablo was fast, and more exclusive in numbers than that decade’s Ferrari F40. Now picture it with a GM emblem on its hood. In your mind’s eye, you’re behind the wheel of the legendary EV1, the first mass produced electric car of our modern age.
This is the car that started it all. While many automakers pursued electric vehicle development programs in the 1990s, it was GM’s Impact concept car, and then the production EV1 that followed, that literally set the modern EV field in motion.
GM turned to efficiencies-focused AeroVironment in California to develop an advanced electric vehicle unlike any other. When it debuted this car, the Impact prototype, at the 1990 LA Auto Show, the mission was to generate excitement. And that it did, courtesy of the Impact’s show-stopping teardrop-shaped plastic body, aluminum spaceframe, and a revolutionary electric propulsion system created by AeroVironment engineer and EV pioneer Alan Cocconi.
The electric EV1, based on the Impact concept but highly refined beneath the skin, emerged at Saturn dealers six years later. The EV1 was special, it was silent, and it was fast. Without the engine braking effect of a gas engine and with its regenerative braking setting adjusted accordingly, after lifting off the throttle it seemed to coast forever in a relatively friction-free state. Overall, it was seductive to drive, and if your mind wandered you could imagine piloting the era’s F-14 Tomcat on the street… and that doesn’t happen every day. We know, because we spent a year driving an EV1 on the roads and highways of California, one of the select areas where the EV1 was available.
The EV1 came to market with a slew of all-new technologies that are common today, from low rolling resistance tires to regenerative braking and keyless ignition. Accelerating from 0 to 60 mph took about eight seconds. The Gen 1 model had an estimated 50 to 95 mile driving range on its advanced lead-acid batteries.
Later, GM introduced Gen 2 EV1s with more advanced and power dense nickel-metal-hydride batteries that enabled an EV1 to travele an estimated 75 to 140 miles. Energizing both Gen 1 and Gen 2 batteries was handled with a unique charging paddle that transferred electrical energy via magnetic induction, without a hard connection between the paddle and car.
During its short lifetime, only 1,117 EV1s were built and these were leased only, with no purchase available. Leasing was a nod to GM’s need to maintain ultimate ownership over highly advanced and extremely expensive-to-produce vehicles, using all-new technology, that were being fielded in a limited way to feel out the market. Initially offered at a lease cost of $640 per month with financial incentives that brought this down to $480, the EV1’s lease terms evolved over time to be as low as $349.
Ultimately, this chapter of GM’s continuing electric vehicle story ended abruptly. The program was discontinued in 2002 and all EV1s were required to be returned at their end-of-lease, either making their way to the crusher or donated as inoperable examples to museums and other institutions, never to be seen on the highway again.
Manufactured in Tennessee on Volkswagen’s MEB modular world electric car platform, the 2021 VW ID.4 presents a new and compelling all-electric SUV that enters a segment presently dominated by Tesla, Chevrolet, and a select few others. What ID.4 brings to the battery electric SUV segment that Tesla doesn’t is price, coming in at a base cost of $39,995, some $10,000 less than Tesla’s Model Y.
For this, electric vehicle buyers get SUV hatchback utility, three-foot legroom in all seating positions, and ample luggage capacity for 5 adults. VW estimates ID.4 driving range at 250 mile on a full charge, and additionally points out that an additional 60 miles of range is attainable in just 10 minutes from a public DC quick-charge station.
Sporting a stature similar to that of Honda’s CR-V, the Volkswagen ID.4 rides on a steel-framed architecture featuring strut-like front suspension and multi-link suspension with coil-over shocks at the rear. This, combined with a long wheelbase and short overhangs, promises a smooth ride dynamic. Braking is handled by front disk and rear drum brakes.
A single permanent magnet, synchronous electric motor directs power to the rear wheels. The ID.4 produces 201 horsepower and 228 lb-ft torque that’s expected to deliver a 60 mph sprint in about 8 seconds. Electricity to power the motor is provided by an air-cooled, frame-integrated 82 KWh lithium-ion modular cell battery. An onboard 11KW charger enables three charge modes via standard 110-volt household power, 220-volt Level 2 charging, or DC fast charging. Typical charging with a home wall charger or public Level 2 charger will bring a full charge in 6 to 7 hours.
A minimalistic yet futuresque cabin with segment leading cabin volume rounds out ID.4’s architecture. Features include a driver-centric, touch sensitive steering wheel and a view-forward 5.3-inch ID information center that replaces conventional gauges. Vehicle operation is through steering wheel-mounted switches, with infotainment, climate control, device connectivity, navigation, and travel information accessed through a 10.3 inch touchscreen monitor. A 12 inch monitor is available with the model’s Statement Package.
Topping the list of features is expanded voice command and a communicative dash-integrated ID light bar. ‘Intuitive Start’ driver key fob recognition enables pre-start cabin conditioning capability. Base model upholstery is ballistic cloth with leatherette seat surfaces optional.
Volkswagen’s IQ Drive driver assist and active safety suite features travel assist, lane assist, adaptive cruise control, front and rear sensors, emergency assist, blinds spot monitoring, rear traffic watch and more. All this comes standard along with Pro Navigation, a heated steering wheel and front seats, wireless phone charging, and app connectivity for compatible devices.
The ID.4 EV is available in six colors and two trim levels, Gradient and Statement, for personalization. The optional Gradient package features a black roof, silver roof trim, silver accents, and silver roof rails along with 20-inch wheels to complete the upscale look. Looking forward, while rear-wheel drive is the choice today, Volkswagen is already talking up an all-wheel drive variant for early 2021 along with a lower-priced base model.
As the world’s largest automotive group, Volkswagen has the capacity to change the ever-expanding electric-car landscape. Looking at the style and utility of VW’s all-new ID.4, you can sense the renewed “people’s car” direction of the brand that accompanies the automaker’s commitment to electrification. VW says it’s aiming at selling 20 million electric cars based on the MEB electric car platform by model year 2029. Certainly, the potential for selling in truly significant numbers is reinforced by ID.4 pre-orders selling-out in just weeks, it’s safe to say.