Ram will join the growing list of electric full-size pickup trucks with its own EV pickup concept this year, previewing a new Ram 1500 EV on sale in 2024. With such a far-off date against competitors like the Ford F-150 Lightning and Chevy Silverado EV going on sale sooner, and Ram still soliciting feedback from customers as to what they want in their EV truck at the 2022 Chicago Auto Show, we had some questions for Ram Chief Mike Koval.
Just how far along is the truck, exactly? When it arrives a little late, it will compete with the 2022 GMC Hummer EV and the smaller 2022 Rivian R1T on sale now, along with the 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning that goes on sale this spring, and the 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV that will offer the work truck in spring 2023 and RST for retail customers by fall 2023. Even the 2024 GMC Sierra EV will also likely be on sale by the time the Ram hits dealerships in 2024. The only competitor Ram may not need to worry about is the Tesla Cybertruck.
The good news: development of the electric Ram 1500 seems to indeed be well underway. We should see a concept truck by the end of the year, Ram brand chief Mike Koval tells MotorTrend. We won’t see the production version until 2024, with it going on sale soon after. The automaker promises to incorporate customer feedback, and thinks it could benefit from a lot of perspective over the competition’s successes and failures as they blaze the trail ahead for Ram.
Range-Extender Part of Ram Family
Ram is preparing a “portfolio of solutions” that include not only a full battery electric Ram in 2024, but also a range-extender plug-in hybrid that will use a combustion engine to keep charge in the battery, which will power motors that drive the wheels. The Ram lineup will also continue to develop its eTorque mild hybrids, as well as the conventional combustion-powered truck.
We first learned of the range extender that Stellantis executives referred to as the REPB, for “range electric paradigm breaker,” last summer. We surmised it might refer to the pending Ram midsize pickup also in the works, but Koval tells us in Chicago that a range extender will in fact be part of the Ram 1500 family. Who knows, maybe both the 1500 and a new midsize offering are REPBs. After all, Stellantis says all vehicles in the Ram lineup will have a degree of electrification by 2025, so that future midsize pickup will have to find something.
Ram EV Platform Now Locked In
As for the full-size electric Ram pickup, the company claims the platform is in place. The truck will ride on the new STLA Frame that will underpin all large body-on-frame vehicles regardless of powertrain—and teaser shots show batteries integrated into the frame. The global platform is flexible, with room for up to three motors. Koval would not say if the truck would launch with three motors available; the image appears to show two motors.
Teaser photos also show a gap behind the batteries. Space for cool Ram boxes for storage? “Maybe,” Koval says, adding that smart and sensible storage solutions are part of Ram DNA, possibly suggesting the Ram will have some party tricks and hopefully useful features.
Fashionably Late?
Ram doesn’t have to be the first electric truck, it just needs to be the best, Koval says. It’s a bold strategy; we’ll see if it pays off for him. Koval promises more power, range, and convenience than the competition.
To get there, the brand has introduced the Ram Revolution program to get feedback from current truck owners. There will be a country-wide Ram Real Talk Tour to garner suggestions over the course of this year, likely to go straight into next year’s concept development. Input will also be solicited at RamRevolution.com.
Research shows truck buyers are more open-minded to the idea of electrification but are not willing to compromise on the core attributes of a truck’s utility and capability, like towing and hauling, Koval says.
The feedback could be as far-reaching as shifting the styling. Teaser photos show the electric Ram has a sleeker, more aerodynamic look than the current truck. Customers can weigh in and influence the concept and the final look, Koval says. There is not the flexibility to drastically change the silhouette, but it can be tinkered with based on customer reaction.
Name That Ram!
One other thing customers can weigh in on: what to call it. Many suspected the “Revolution” trademarks could be the name for the truck, but that turned out to actually be for the program that chooses the real name. Should Koval go Ram 1500 EV like GM did with Silverado EV? Or add a new name like the F-150 range did with Lightning branding? “All options are on the table,” the Ram chief says, and the feedback program is now open.
The brand wants to be different. Koval says Ram, a three-time MotorTrend Truck of the Year winner, has changed the way people think of pickups, and the Ram EV will do the same for electrified trucks again.
The Ram pickup will be the second EV for the brand; there will be a Ram ProMaster battery electric commercial van in 2023 with Amazon as the first fleet customer.
Eight New Rams, Maybe One Midsize Pickup?
We still await details of the Ram midsize truck in the works, one of eight announced vehicles coming in the next four years. Koval says the brand knows the midsize truck segment is popular and growing, and Ram needs to be a player. We’ve already taken a shot at what we think a new Dakota pickup could like in our exclusive render included above.
Koval also confirms STLA Frame is too large a platform for the midsize pickup, and since it is the only body-on-frame platform Stellantis has, we assume the eventual Dakota replacement will be of unibody construction. Koval will not confirm, but we are counting on more news on this front soon.
Keyword: Ramming Speed: What to Know About Ram’s 1500 EV, New Dakota, and Range-Extender Pickups