Ram 1500 REV Raises Range Stakes for BEV Pickups

Stellantis’s Ram brand has been teasing us for three months about what the new production Ram REV 1500 ultimately will look like and how far it will go on an electric charge. At the New York auto show, we finally get to see the finished product.

The real story here is under the sheet metal as Ram confirms the battery-electric pickup truck, due to hit showrooms in 2024, will go up to 500 miles (805 km) on a charge. And the power is up to 650 hp.

While both numbers are impressive, the pickup has a pretty darn familiar exterior and doesn’t do much to signal a new era of design. For better or worse, that title goes to the Tesla Cybertruck. The Ram REV is based very much on the existing Ram, but the design department has given it unique front and rear styling to distinguish it from the gasoline-powered sibling.

The grille, front bumper, taillamps, headlamps and hood are all unique to the REV. The illuminated Ram logo is the clearest carryover from the concept truck we saw in January at CES 2023.

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The truck’s battery packs come in two versions: standard with 22 modules, which can be charged to 168 kW, giving an empty-bed truck about 350 miles (563 km) of range; and 33 modules charged to 229 kW to get the same truck 500 miles on one charge.  With load or towing, expect the range to degrade proportionately, equal to the percentage loss of fuel economy in a gasoline-powered truck with the same payload or towing weight.

Ram REV is built on the new STLA Frame platform on which Stellantis is building full-size body-on-frame EVs. Both battery options can add up to 110 miles (177 km) of range in about 10 minutes with 800V DC fast charging at up to 350 kW.

The Ram 1500 REV has independent air suspension at each wheel and features the ability to disconnect the front motor while highway cruising for improved efficiency and longer range. A locking rear-axle option provides improved rear traction while driving off-road.

The Ram 1500 REV’s launch puts it behind the Ford F-150 Lightning, Chevrolet Silverado EV and GMC Sierra EV, GMC Hummer EV and Rivian R1T.  It will likely hit showrooms after Tesla’s Cybertruck, as well. But hitting the market last is not necessarily a bad thing, given the slow but steady take rate for the trucks already orderable. Ram’s superior range expectations could easily be what sways truck buyers, keeping Ram owners who want a BEV in the fold, and perhaps picking off some of its rivals’ customers.

Ram 1500 REV Highlights

The Ram interior remains largely unchanged but for the 14.5-in. (37-cm) center screen command center, a 12.3-in. (31-cm) instrument cluster screen and an available 10.25-in. (27-cm) head-up display. By not changing that much from the existing truck, the assumption is that Stellantis will get to a profit faster than if they redesigned the whole truck stem to stern. Working in Ram’s favor is that the truck was pretty handsome and smartly designed inside and out to begin with.

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The crew cab with standard bed is the only configuration available. The Tungsten trim is the top-shelf, but the REV will also come in Ram’s familiar Laramie, Tradesman and Big Horn/Lone Star trims.

Pickups will benefit from the rising demand globally for electrified trucks in the logistics/commercial sector.  The electric-truck market was a bit north of 100,000 units in 2022 but is estimated to ramp up to 1.1 million units by 2030.

It will be interesting to see whether the overall pickup market expands with new products from Tesla and Rivian—the BEVs attracting new buyers--or whether those new players will cut into the overall pickup category and reduce the shares of the established brands – Ford F-150, Chevy Silverado/GMC Sierra and Ram.