You’ve always had options at Dunn Ram Trucks in Portage, but now with the arrival of electric vehicles, there are many more options than ever before.
“We’re now a Fiat dealer,” announces Kristie Budd. “And our first fully electric Fiat 500e has just arrived in the showroom.”
Budd, who is a Sales Consultant at Dunn Ram Trucks, notes that the Fiat 500e is the most affordable Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) in all of Canada.
“It's listed at $37,000 and then you never have to pay for gas! And repairs are minimal. Because it’s fully electric, there are no moving parts – just a battery sending power to move the vehicle – so there’s less maintenance required. It’s the wave of the future.”
The Fiat isn’t the only electric vehicle on the lot at Dunn Ram Trucks. Budd says they have many hybrids as well, including the Jeep Wrangler and Grand Cherokee 4XE.
“Soon we'll also be seeing the Ram Chargers, which is the plug-in hybrid truck. And the Ram Revs, which is the full electric truck.”
Budd says the 2025s have a new feature – a powerbox that lets you switch the current’s direction.
“You can use it as a generator or battery pack. If you’re camping, you can plug one end into your vehicle charging port and run your generator, run your coolers, your air mattresses. Or at the jobsite, you can plug in your power tools. Use it however you need to.”
The new powerbox will also allow one electrified vehicle to charge another.
“We have battery electric Dodge Hornets as well,” says Budd. “They’re rated the fastest, most powerful compact SUV on the market.”
When you hit the gas in a gas-powered vehicle, you feel like you’re being pushed back into the seat. Budd says the Hornet is different.
“The Hornet has a power shot to make it go faster. When you hit that, it feels like the seat is pushing against your back, like the power's coming from behind you instead of in front of you. It’s really neat.”
EV’s use regenerative braking – as the driver applies the brakes, the vehicle harnesses that energy to repower the battery. So anyone driving exclusively in-town with a lot of start-stops can pretty much do their entire daily drive with a fully electrified vehicle.
However, if you’re doing a lot of highway driving without that constant stop-start, the battery won’t recharge. So before selling someone an electrified vehicle, Budd says they first ask clarifying questions to find out if an EV is really the right thing for the inquiring customer.
“If you’re doing a lot of driving, all in the city, I’d say go for the electric vehicle hands down because it's constantly charging itself, and if you don't have to pay for gas at all, that's just bonus, right?”
“But if you tell us that you need to drive to Thompson – an electrified vehicle doesn’t necessarily have the range for that, and charge stations may be scarce.
Budd says that for those doing a lot of distance driving, she would recommend a hybrid.
“With a hybrid, you can go 50 kilometers on just battery and then another 500 on gas.”
A full electric vehicle such as the Fiat 500e has an electric range of 227 kilometers. In the winter in Manitoba, that range will be a little less because of the cold. However, Budd reveals that if you put a destination into the navigation system, it won’t let you run out of charge.
“It'll light up and say, ‘you're not going make it to the next charge station – turn around and go back to the one you just passed’ – so range anxiety is pretty much eliminated.”
Naturally, you can charge up your electric or hybrid vehicle at home. All hybrid or electric vehicles come with a Level 1 charger, so one end plugs into the charge port of your car, and the other plugs into a standard wall outlet. But there are also many public charge stations.
“We’ll go for a test drive around town, and I'll point out all the public charge stations. I know of at least 14 in Portage, and most of them can charge two vehicles at once. The infrastructure is continually growing. There are probably more I don’t know about yet. They’re always adding more charge stations.”
If you’re convinced it’s time to buy an EV and you find the right one, Budd says the finance process is exactly the same as when you purchase a gas-powered vehicle.
“Many of the new vehicles have a lot of tech in them, and tons of safety features – so when it comes to delivery, we’ll sit in the vehicle with you, show you how it works, and set up your preferences. We’ll then follow up in a day or two. And if anything comes up later on, give us a shout or stop by the dealership. We're always willing to help!”
Back to the newest addition to the Dunn Ram Trucks lineup – the Fiat.
“These Fiats are manufactured in Italy, and surprisingly, they're faster coming from Italy than from the States. So if you’re looking to purchase a customized Fiat 500e, let us know. It's not a long wait and 2025 ordering has just opened up.”
Curious about the Fiat 500e, or any other EVs?
“If you’ve even thought about going with an electrified vehicle, come see us. We have a lot of different options, and all our sales staff are certified EV experts,” shares Budd.
See the Fiat 500e inventory in Portage here.
To get started on financing, click here.
And for a test drive, visit Kristie Budd and the team at 2599 Saskatchewan Avenue West in Portage la Prairie, call 204-857-3458, or book an appointment online at www.dunnramtrucks.ca.