Fashionably Late at the Electric Truck Party: Can Ram’s 1500 BEV Usher in a Revolution?

The Ram 1500 Revolution BEV (aka battery electric vehicle, in case that was not clear enough) concept premiered in prototype form at the lackluster (as far as automotive ideas go) CES 2023. And it saved the entire event, frankly, alongside the Peugeot Inception – and despite the ‘fugly’ BMW Dee EV sedan or the ‘who-cares-about-VW-sedans-anymore’ camouflaged ID.7.

Well, maybe I am just subjectively biased due to the amount of presented feistiness, but I felt that Japan’s dual ensemble of 2023 Tokyo Auto Salon and Tokyo Outdoor Show had many more interesting ideas that we would love to see dropped in nationwide North American dealerships. Alas, that is probably not going to happen, unlike the upcoming apparition of the production-series model based on the Ram 1500 Revolution BEV truck.

So, back in the full-size EV pickup truck saddle, I am witnessing a high schooler déjà vu of some sort. Remember how people used to go to parties to socialize and hook up, but some of them became actual stars and the heart of the party even though they were late for the event? That was being ‘fashionably late’ in the age of no Internet access, and no social media peeping at everything people do in their private time.

Interestingly, the stylized yet minimalist looks of the Ram Revolution BEV made me think of those moments. Maybe it was all due to the neon-infused presentation in the photo gallery, or maybe it was the edgy styling that hints at how Ram may be looking to fight not just the established EV truck pack, but also that old Cybertruck kid on the block that is yet to come out to play.

Oh, speaking of old and new kids on the block, let us recap the incredible expansion of the U.S. market’s fresh full-size EV pickup truck sector. Back in 2021, there was nothing but promises and a shy, single-unit delivery of the GMC Hummer EV pickup truck. Now, after the 2022 tally, the situation presents itself in a completely different manner. Well, at least for some, not necessarily the aforementioned behemoth, which only sold 854 units over the past twelve months.

Sure, it’s a tremendous, 853k percentual increase, but we need to put that into a larger perspective. That would be the one where we include the slightly smaller Rivian R1T into the fold, alongside its R1S sibling because the company did not share divided figures. Together, they dropped on driveways and in garages no less than 20,332 trucks and SUVs, up from just 920 the year prior. A great performance, frankly, though some tough times are coming ahead by way of a surging $73k base price for the R1T.

And so, we arrive at the number one position, from where the Ford F-150 Lightning was unsurprisingly crowned as America’s best-selling (or, maybe, just most popular) electric pickup of 2022, complete with 15,617 full-size EV truck deliveries under its electron-powered belt. But those tougher times are also looming here, complete with a surging $56k entry-level price for the Pro workhorse. Plus, all of them will have to face an uphill battle as General Motors will potentially try to push as many 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV and 2024 GMC Sierra EV sales as possible.

Frankly, in my opinion, this is soon going to turn into an all-out four-way war between the Big Detroit Three by way of F-150 Lighting, Silverado EV/Sierra EV, and Ram 1500 Revolution BEV battles. I am discarding the GMC Hummer EV because its sheer size makes it a niche offering, not to mention NTSB’s recent concerns that heavy electric vehicles are becoming dangerous for the rest of the traffic participants. Or, precisely, the GMC Hummer EV is like an elephant in a china store!

Anyway, there is also the Rivian R1T to be considered, but that one still has a lot to prove and it’s probably going to be an early-adopter model rather than traditional pickup truck buyers switching to EV versions to keep up with the novel times. And, all things considered, maybe the tardiness of Ram 1500 Revolution BEV’s arrival will be pretty darn useful for Stellantis.

Perhaps they decided to refrain from jumping on the initial EV hype bandwagon to quietly learn and observe from the genius strokes and numerous mistakes of their rivals. That would be a genius move in itself if they get everything right. Right now, I am not going to trust them solely based on the initially shared specifications. Which are pretty scarce, anyway: 350 kW DC fast charging due to 800-volt STLA Frame body-on-frame architecture, among very few others. And, hopefully, they will not have to backtrack from these promises: “Ram 1500 BEV will be the leader in a combination of areas customers care about the most: range, towing, payload, and charge time.”