Ram Pivots to Vary-Prolonged 1500 REV After Shelving Full Electrical Pickup : Automotive Addicts

Automotive

When you have been monitoring Ram’s march into electrification, right here is the plot twist. Stellantis is scrapping improvement of a full-size battery electrical Ram 1500 and shifting its focus to a range-extended mannequin that may go lengthy distances with out residing at a charger. In the identical breath, Ram says the truck previously generally known as Ramcharger will now put on the Ram 1500 REV badge. The transfer comes as demand cools for giant all-electric pickups in North America.

What modified is simple even when the naming shuffle feels something however. The purely electrical Ram 1500 undertaking is finished. The truck Ram intends to promote is the range-extended electrical model, now known as Ram 1500 REV, which makes use of a battery for propulsion and a gasoline engine as a generator to maintain the electrons flowing on the transfer. That technique targets the 2 ache factors that preserve truck consumers up at night time, towing and vary, with out asking homeowners to rewire their routines round public quick chargers. A number of retailers affirm the cancellation and the rename, citing the identical business headwinds.

Right here is why this issues for truck consumers. Vary-extended electrical setups allow you to run on battery energy in each day use, then lean on a gasoline tank and onboard generator if you hitch a trailer, head into distant nation, or hit a charging desert. Ram’s beforehand detailed figures for the range-extended truck level to a focused complete vary as much as 690 miles, with a 92 kWh battery and a 130 kW generator feeding entrance and rear electrical drive modules. That recipe is acquainted to anybody who remembers sequence hybrids just like the BMW i3 REx, solely scaled for half-ton truck work. If Ram holds these targets, it ought to slot comfortably between EV smoothness and pickup practicality.

The model’s message round functionality is unchanged, solely the trail to it. Ram says the 1500 REV will set new benchmarks for vary, towing, and payload within the half-ton house. That’s the promise on paper, and it will likely be the bar Ram has to clear as soon as manufacturing vans land in buyer driveways and on job websites. The corporate is positioning this as a practical response to the place the market is true now slightly than a retreat from electrification altogether.

Context helps. Your entire full-size electrical pickup section has been wrestling with the realities of battery value, weight, and vitality use beneath load. Gross sales haven’t matched the early hype, and a number of other automakers have trimmed forecasts, delayed packages, or modified course. Ram’s choice matches that broader sample, with executives overtly pointing to slower-than-expected demand for BEV vans.

If the badge swap offers you déjà vu, you aren’t imagining it. Ram initially used the REV identify for its BEV, then unveiled the Ramcharger because the range-extended variant. Now the range-extended truck inherits the REV identify and the BEV is out. The logic is evident sufficient. REV is the stronger badge fairness and Ram desires it on the mannequin it’s going to really promote. Anticipate some short-term confusion as early previews and auto present studies stay on throughout the online, however the truck in showrooms would be the range-extended Ram 1500 REV.

Past the powertrain information, Ram used the second to remind everybody what else it has cooking. The lineup nonetheless spans light-duty 1500, heavy-duty 2500 and 3500, 3500 via 5500 Chassis Cab, and ProMaster vans. On the fanatic aspect, the Ram 1500 RHO sits on the high of the off-road heap for horsepower-per-dollar bragging rights, whereas the ultra-luxe Tungsten trim brings air suspension, 24-way therapeutic massage seats, and critical energy to the each day commute. The work and fleet crowd will get continued consideration via Ram Skilled and the broader Stellantis Professional One umbrella, with an emphasis on upfitter-friendly options and buyer assist. These are Ram’s phrases, they usually paint an image of a model attempting to cowl either side of the truck world without delay, enjoyable and useful.

What to observe subsequent… First, timing. Ram has not offered recent dates alongside the rename, and the corporate might want to convert all this technique into construct slots, supplier coaching, and buyer deliveries. Second, real-world towing and charging conduct. How the generator engages, how the truck manages warmth and cargo on lengthy grades, and the way usually you want gasoline whereas towing will matter greater than any headline determine. Third, pricing and trims. The Tungsten template has confirmed there may be urge for food for high-spec half-ton vans, and Ram will seemingly carry that playbook into the 1500 REV to take care of pricing energy in a cautious market.

As a product choice, that is the least dangerous means for Ram to serve truck consumers who’re EV curious however duty-cycle constrained. As a branding choice, the rename cleans up the advertising and marketing story even when it untangles years of REV-versus-Ramcharger historical past within the course of. As a market sign, it suggests the subsequent wave of electrified pickups will lean on mills and plug-in tech whereas charging infrastructure and battery economics catch up. For lots of truck homeowners, that feels like a plan they will stay with.

Lloyd Tobias is a seasoned automotive journalist and passionate fanatic with over 15 years of expertise immersed on this planet of automobiles. Whether or not it’s exploring the most recent developments in automotive know-how or preserving an in depth pulse on breaking business information, Lloyd brings a pointy perspective and a deep appreciation for all issues automotive. His writing blends technical perception with real-world enthusiasm, making his contributions each informative and interesting for readers who share his love for the drive. When he’s not behind the keyboard or beneath the hood, Lloyd enjoys take a look at driving the latest fashions and staying forward of the curve in an ever-evolving automotive panorama.