Expectation is a powerful thing. A company can make money and its shares will fall if they are not met. Expectations were high in car and driver office for the electrified Ram 1500 REV since Ram CEO Mike Koval caught our attention in 2021 when he promises an electric version of the regular half-ton Ram that’s on the go.
At the time, Koval announced that while the brand’s EV truck would appear after the competition, it would not follow in their footsteps. He claims a 2024 launch date will be an advantage, allowing Ram to evaluate EV pickups from Ford and General Motors.
Fast forward to the previous month at Consumer Electronics Show (CES)where we were impressed by Concept Ram 1500 Revolution BEV and our expectations for production trucks go even higher.
disappointment
A month later, while watching the Super Bowl, a crammed ads teased the real Ram 1500 REV and delivered moments of good laughs. However, when we finally got a good look at the production modelwe emit a collective “What the?”
Admittedly we don’t have all the technical details, but the most striking part is how little the REV resembles the concept and how much it resembles the current petrol car. Now, no one expected the production version of the Ram EV to be as wild as the concept. We all know they are just conceptualizations. So the display truck’s magnifying proportions, its pillarless passenger doors and even its electrochromic glass roof were not the features we wanted to reach our customers.
Apparently, most of this didn’t make it to production.
What we hope is that the innovative and useful features on this concept make it to production—such as a folding center gate that expands the truck’s trunk into the cabin. The Original Chevy Avalanche with center doorfor Pete’s sake, a feature will return in an upcoming release Chevy Silverado EV And GMC Sierra Electric Scooter.
Extending the bed into the cabin also gave Ram’s idea of allowing long, narrow objects to slip through the truck’s cabin and into the front trunk. That seems to have been abandoned. Removing the middle gate of the concept means attractive third row jump seats integration into it is also missing.
As for the interior, it doesn’t cause too many complaints as the Rams has an attractive cabin with premium materials, but it has essentially the same design as its petrol counterparts, except for the display for the seated passengers. front, only like Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer. That’s neat, but it doesn’t break the mold.
Take advantage
It wasn’t just the idea that fueled our dream of an EV Ram pickup. Ram is late, but the delay doesn’t seem to create any competitive advantage or spur any major innovation.
Again, range, power, and other specs are still unknown — prove us wrong, Ram — but converting the petrol-powered version into an EV is exactly what it takes. what Ford did with its F-150 Lightning. Back in 2021, Koval claimed the electric Ram 1500 would offer a 500-mile driving range. He also said it will “redefine the full-size segment” and outpace the competition, suggesting it will exceed the Lightning’s 10,000-pound towing capacity. If the production truck hits those high marks, it will be enough to beat Ford and GM.
Currently, Lightning has an EPA rated range as high as 320 miles, GMC Hummer EV Topped out at 329 miles, and GM is targeting up to 400 miles per charge with the Silverado and Sierra electric. However, neither of the GM trucks are on the market yet. The Ram’s 500-mile range on a single charge would make it the leader of the segment, if not the top of the electric vehicle segment.
But that number is likely to come through a confirmation range extension version with petrol engine. The range extender (as the name implies) will also help increase the battery’s operating range while towing. Ram’s REV can go further than a pure EV pickup, but plug-in hybrids aren’t the same as battery electric vehicles (BEVs).
Want tow by EV . pickup? We can think of better things to do, but we’ll talk about drag anyway. The Rivian R1T leads the segment with a valuation of up to 11,000 pounds, more than any other electric pickup. Let’s see if Ram can defeat that ghost, that’s what Koval alluded to.
However, based on the way a traditional craft works in pickup wars, the Ram 1500 REV barely outshines its rivals rather than being bound by them. A 10,500-pound (or 11,500-pound) maximum towing capacity rating seems achievable, but it will only make the REV best in class by a slim margin.
There’s Still Hope
Aside from offering a gasoline-powered range extender, the production version of the Ram 1500 REV isn’t the game changer we thought it would be.
Of course, there is still hope that the truck will live up to expectations. We’re getting more details and possibly a bunch of creative features that aren’t apparent in some of the photos we’ve seen so far. On the surface, however—except for the plug-in-hybrid version—Ram’s EV isn’t a huge leap forward in technology and design. Mostly, we blame the idea of writing a check to a production truck that can’t seem to cash out.
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