On Thursday Ram revealed a concept of its first fully electric pickup truck at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Ram is the last of the Detroit Three to show off a full-size EV pickup—Ford’s F-150 Lightning went on sale in 2022, and Chevrolet displayed the Silverado EV at CES last year. But the production Chevy EV is only due in 2024, the same year that the Ram 1500 BEV goes on sale.
“The Ram 1500 Revolution BEV Concept is our clearest signal yet that we’re on the precipice of something extraordinary at Ram and points directly to where we’re going on our electrified journey. At Ram, we’ve redefined what pickup trucks can be and will do so again by pushing past what competitors are offering by delivering the best electric pickups on the market,” said Ram CEO Mike Koval Jr.
Ram’s design team has gone for a quite modern look for the Ram 1500 Revolution BEV, some of which—like the pillarless “suicide doors”—might not make it to the production version in a couple years. Other features and details should survive, though, like the powered frunk, tailgate, and rear step with an active diffuser. The concept also sports side-view cameras instead of reflective mirrors—unless I’m mistaken, we’d need a change of regulations for those to become road-legal in the US.
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It’s definitely a futuristic take on the Ram pickup. I quite like the swept-back look to the cab.
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The truck features a multifunction tailgate.
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There’s a useful frunk under the hood.
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The concept rides on 24-inch wheels and 35-inch tires, so it’s no small truck.
Technical specs are limited, given the concept nature of the show truck and the fact that there are another two years before we see the one we can buy. But Ram says it uses the STLA Frame architecture for body-on-frame EVs, one of four new, purpose-built EV platforms being developed by Ram’s parent company, Stellantis.
We know it’s a twin-motor, all-wheel-drive layout, and the battery operates at 800 V, which allow the truck to DC fast charge at up to 350 kW, which Ram says will add 100 miles (160 km) of range in 10 minutes. We also know it will feature rear-wheel steering at up to 15 degrees. Previously, Stellantis told us that STLA Frame EVs would use packs with capacities between 159 kWh and 200 kWh. But information like range, payload, and towing has yet to be disclosed.
The interior, with its massive opening, looks quite funky in the images that Ram provided to us and features a range of different themes, including productivity mode, party mode, relax mode, and social mode, which change the interior lighting, seat position and orientation, the opacity of the glasshouse, plus the truck’s suspension, sound system, and displays.
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Ram is calling these “saloon doors,” because no right-minded marketing department would allow them to be called “suicide doors.” Do we think these will make it to production?
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OK, let’s forget about the doors—this is a pretty funky looking interior. Note the angled lower infotainment screen.
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The lower screen is removable and can be used as a tablet. Or the two displays combine as one.
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The center console can turn into a workstation.
Ram says the new truck has a much more spacious interior than the current Ram 1500, and there’s a third row of jump seats mounted in a powered mid-gate that can also let you pass through long loads of up to 18 feet (5 m). The center console also appears to be transformable into a workstation, similar to the F-150 Lightning.
Ram has also put quite a bit of tech into the 1500 Revolution BEV concept. There’s an AI personal assistant and a shadow mode that allows the truck to slowly follow its driver when they are out of the cab and walking—useful for situations when someone only needs to move a short distance at a job site, Ram says. (And yes, sensors and cameras are there to ensure the shadow mode truck doesn’t get too close to a human and run them over.)
Augmented-reality head-up displays are becoming de rigueur in the auto industry now, and the very on-trend 1500 Revolution BEV concept features camera feeds and information. A mobile app lets you measure payloads and shows you how to best load them, and the angled infotainment screen is actually a pair of 14.2-inch screens, the lower one of which can be removed and used as a tablet. There are even onboard projectors that let you turn the truck into a mobile cinema—screen not included.
Additionally, Ram brought a robotic induction charger for home charging to CES. It says the robot handles aligning the charging pad below the vehicle, solving one perennial criticism about wireless EV charging.
https://arstechnica.com/?p=1908112