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RAM 1500 REV 229-kWh Battery Pack May Weigh More Than the Hummer EV's

When Stellantis announced the RAM 1500 REV would have a class-leading range, the “REV” part of its name suggested it would use a range extender to do so. The 2023 New York International Auto Show (NYIAS) clarified that. Although a range extender is allegedly in the works, the solution the carmaker found was something Peter Rawlinson defined as dumb range: just shove more batteries into the vehicle, and that’s it.
RAM 1500 REV 37 photos
Photo: Stellantis
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Rawlinson discussed that when he said Lucid followed a different approach. In order to keep vehicle mass as low as possible, the CEO guided his company to make everything more efficient. That led the Air to deliver an EPA range of 520 miles (837 kilometers) with a 118-kWh battery pack. Stellantis gave the RAM 1500 REV 500 miles of range with a 229-kWh component. That’s a massive battery pack, possibly larger than the one General Motors put on the GMC Hummer EV.

You may remember that GM’s electric pickup truck missed the memo on the EV shift. To make matters worse, it applied 212.7 kWh to achieve a tentative 329-mi (530-km) EPA range that is not even on the agency’s website yet. That’s the usable capacity of the battery pack, which includes a buffer. Car and Driver calculated its gross capacity to be 246.8 kWh. When you consider the battery pack weighs 2,923 pounds (1,326 kilograms), that means 11.84 lb (5.37 kg) per kWh.

GMC Hummer EV Edition 1 shows GM missed the point with EVs
Photo: GMC
Stellantis did not reveal if 229 kWh is the usable capacity or the gross capacity of the RAM 1500 REV battery pack. Supposing it is the usable capacity, the new electric pickup truck is larger than the one on the Hummer EV. If it is the gross capacity, it is slightly smaller. Either way, it weighs more than a metric ton.

Using GM’s truck as a reference, the RAM 1500 REV would carry 2,711.4 lb (1,229.8 kg) if the 229 kWh were its gross capacity. If they were the usable capacity of the battery pack, we’d be talking about 3,147 lb (1,427 kg). Regardless of the perspective, it’s massive. The battery pack alone tips the scale at the same point several combustion-engined vehicles would. As a reference, the Toyota Corolla weighs 2,855 lb (1,295 kg) with its 2-liter engine. The Hyundai Elantra’s mass is 2,725 lb (1,236 kg).

2025 Ram 1500 REV
Photo: Stellantis
Even if the RAM 1500 REV is not as heavy as the GMC Hummer EV, it will weigh north of 6,600 lb (3,000 kg). And it will offer less range when towing anything or in cold weather. At least Stellantis got it right to make the future electric pickup truck work at 800V. The carmaker claims it will recover 110 miles of range in approximately ten minutes when it manages to find a 350-kW fast charger.

If anyone were to charge this battery pack from zero to 100% of capacity, it would take them 50 minutes to get a full charge with the fastest infrastructure available. As most BEV makers recommend that you just fast-charge a battery pack from 10% to 80%, a RAM 1500 REV with the 229-kWh battery pack would spend more than half an hour charging – in the best-case scenario. However, doing that frequently will shorten the battery pack’s lifespan, which is pretty bad news for these future owners.

2025 Ram 1500 REV
Photo: Stellantis
If a 100-kWh battery pack costs around $20,000, a component twice as big will demand $40,000 when it comes the time to replace it with a new one. A Ford F-150 Lightning Pro currently has a Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of $59,974. And this is just one of the issues such a massive battery pack may represent.

The heavier any vehicle is, the less efficient it gets. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) warned about how concerning it is that BEVs are pursuing more range with bigger battery packs – the dumb-range strategy Rawlinson christened. On top of that, the institute also said lighter vehicles will always suffer more damage if they crash against heavier ones, regardless of what their crash tests reveal.

2025 Ram 1500 REV
Photo: Stellantis
For EV advocates, electric pickup trucks are also bad news. A 229-kWh battery pack would be enough to build two 115-kWh BEVs or four with 57 kWh. An Aptera with such a battery pack could run 600 miles. The bad news is that the RAM 1500 REV is just another electric pickup truck with a massive battery pack: many more should follow.

Rivian announced its Max Pack for a range of 390 miles (627.6 km). It has 180 kWh, but the EV maker did not disclose whether it is usable or gross capacity. If it is the latter and it is similar to the Hummer EV battery pack, it weighs 2,131 lb (967 kg). Remember that this is just the weight of the battery pack.

When I wrote about how concerning the GMC Hummer EV was, a compelling demonstration that GM had missed the point with BEVs, little did I know that this vehicle was just the tip of the iceberg. With the R1T and the RAM 1500 REV joining the club, dumb range will become even more popular than the raw material shortage and high BEV prices could suggest.
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About the author: Gustavo Henrique Ruffo
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Motoring writer since 1998, Gustavo wants to write relevant stories about cars and their shift to a sustainable future.
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