The production version of Ram's electric truck was missing a number of the concept's innovations, but they are still in the works.
At the 2023 New York Auto Show, Ram executives, including design boss Ralph Gilles and CEO Carlos Tavares, confirmed that the novel features that debuted on the Ram 1500 EV Revolution Concept will make their way to production vehicles before too long.
The concept debuted with several unique ideas, including 28 inches worth of touchscreen real estate, a Shadow Mode, an augmented reality head-up display, three-row seating, and a wireless charger. The concept also had more exciting styling than the production version.
So why will the electric pickup launch without the same interesting details? Obviously, cost plays a role, but thankfully, they were more than just temporary attention grabbers.
Speaking with MotorTrend, Ralph Gilles described the concept as a manifest and roadmap of the direction in which the brand is headed. This includes the tuning fork design on the front of the concept, while many of the features seen on that vehicle will appear in production vehicles in the “near long-term.”
CEO Tavares added that the focus for the Ram 1500 REV production vehicle was performance. The electric truck certainly delivers on that promise with 654 horsepower, over 500 miles of range, and 14,000 pounds of towing capacity. But he also reiterated that those novel concept features are still very much part of the plan; they will just be introduced at different points.
“Everything that you have seen on the CES concept car will come at different steps of the lifecycle management or for the next generation, depending on the feature,” Tavares told MT.
So it's possible that something very close to the concept will eventually be produced – it will just take a few revisions to get there.
Gilles explains that electrifying the existing Ram 1500 “allows us to peacefully work on the next-gen at our own pace.” Ram is not being stagnant. The brand is showing the concept countrywide in an effort to gauge customer reactions so that the production version, which is expected to go on sale for the first time in 2024, can be as satisfying to buyers as possible.
Ram CEO Mike Koval Jr. adds that a few features have already been patented, and much of the tech can be applied to the first-gen 1500 REV. Up to 98% of it could be put into production, and not all of it will have to wait for a next-gen vehicle.
The 1500 will be evolutionary as much as it is revolutionary, setting up an exciting bout with the F-150 Lightning and Silverado EV.
Keyword: The Electric Ram 1500 REV Will Be Just As Cool As The Concept