Ram’s electric pickup truck is still two years away, but the “Built to Serve” brand gives the public a sense of a concept vehicle and a chance to share what they want from the EV.
The Stellantis NV brand launched RamRevolution.com on Tuesday. It’s a hub that gives customers an inside look at Ram’s “EV philosophy” and a forum to share what they want from the new truck. The brand will also be holding a “Ram Real Talk Tour” in the coming year, a series of talks at various events for truck owners to talk to designers and engineers about what an electric pickup should do to meet their needs. Cities and dates are coming.
“Our mission with an EV truck is to be the best, designing and building trucks that meet the real needs of our owners,” said Ram CEO Mike Koval Jr. to The Detroit News. “We’re building an all-truck electric car that makes no compromises. It will pull, tow and go all the way and keep working, whatever we ask of it.”
The Ram 1500 Battery Electric Vehicle will be launched in 2024, following Ram’s all-electric ProMaster commercial vehicle in 2023, which already has a buyer in Amazon.com Inc. The electric pickup will also follow the launch of EV trucks from Rivian Automotive Inc., which has begun supplying its R1T trucks; Ford Motor Co., which is launching the F-150 Lightning this spring; and General Motors Co., which is already building the GMC Hummer EV pickup and will launch the electric Chevrolet Silverado early next year.
“We are fully engaged with our plan. Our focus is on bringing the right product at the right time to our customers’ reach, tow and transport,” said Koval. “We will redefine the full-size segment with electrification in terms of range, power and convenience beyond our competitors’ offerings.”
Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares has said the extra time gives the automaker a chance to see what its competitors are doing and exceed their offerings at launch.
“More and more truck investors,” Koval said, “are open to the idea of heavy electrification, but they are unwilling to compromise on their core characteristics of capacity and power.”
That’s something Koval says he feels Aries does differently: going straight to customers to get their input.
However, truck buyers are excited about the EV offerings from Ram’s crosstown rivals. The Blue Oval said last month it had nearly 200,000 reservations for the Dearborn-built Lightning ahead of the official launch of the orders and that it was doubling its annual production capacity in Dearborn. As of January 31, GM had reservations of nearly 59,000 for the Hummer pickup and SUV built in Detroit and more than 110,000 for the retail and fleet Silverado.
Ram’s vehicle is expected to be based on the Auburn Hills-designed STLA Frame platform, which the company has said will provide a 500-mile range with 159 to more than 200 kilowatt hours of power. Koval declined to specify where it will be built. Sterling Heights Assembly Plant builds the latest generation of the gas-powered truck.
The Rivian R1T has an estimated range of 314 miles by the Environmental Protection Agency. The Ford Lightning offers a range of up to 300 miles with an extended battery pack. The Hummer has a range of 329 miles, according to GM. The Silverado is expected to travel more than 400 miles on a single charge.
It was not immediately clear whether Ram Revolution could also be the name of the upcoming electric truck. Stellantis’ US subsidiary last month registered the trademark for “motor vehicles, namely passenger cars.”
“It’s as much a philosophy as anything else,” Koval said. “It could ultimately indicate or inspire what our battery-powered electric vehicle will be or what its name could be.”
Stellantis will invest $35.5 billion in electrification and software by 2025. Ram says it will offer electric vehicles in a majority of its segments by 2025 and a full portfolio by 2030.
bnoble@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @BreanaCNoble