Many automakers promised to attack the pickup truck segment with electric vehicles. Rivian arrived first, but it was Ford that tackled it with an affordable option: the F-150 Lightning. Anyone arriving late will have to come up with something better. Stellantis states that this something may be an 800V architecture that recovers 100 miles in 10 minutes. This is what the Ram 1500 Revolution BEV Concept promises.
All other electric pickup trucks currently for sale offer 400V systems, which demand more charging time and can cope with lower charging speeds than 350 kW, which is what Stellantis says the concept can accept. Unfortunately, that seems to be the only advantage the future Ram 1500 Revolution may offer in terms of technology. All other appeals have more to do with design than anything else.
The concept is the first to propose third-row jump seats, which may make it a six-seater (there are only two seats in the second row). They are placed on the powered mid-gate that gives access to the truck bed and allows the vehicle to carry objects up to 18 feet (5.5 meters) long.
The Ram 1500 Revolution BEV Concept is powered solely by a battery pack and two motors, one per axle. Stellantis seems particularly proud of the “cavernous frunk” and the tuning fork interior. We have to agree that it looks pretty good.
Photo: Stellantis
However, we expected the carmaker to share how big the battery pack is and how powerful the motors are. None of that is disclosed, probably not to anticipate too much on the STLA Frame architecture that the production version of this pickup truck will introduce. As crucial as the range is for battery electric vehicles, just saying it will charge faster than its competitors is not enough to make the latter fear the newcomer.
As usual, the concept is free to present elements that should be very hard to spot in the production version, such as the lack of B-pillars, massive 24-inch wheels, and 35-inch tires. The gigantic glass roof is another thing we can visualize in leisure vehicles, but not that much in a pickup truck that should also be a working instrument for several people.
One way to make an electric pickup truck travel longer is to make it lighter and more aerodynamic. Stellantis gave the Ram 1500 Revolution BEV Concept a very streamlined profile. As for the weight, the automaker said it developed lightweight seats and side-view mirrors to help. If that helped the battery pack be smaller for the same range offered by its main competitors, that could also bring competitive gains. A smaller battery pack is also a cheaper one.
To make the concept more maneuverable, Stellantis gave this electric Ram four-wheel steering. The rear wheels have up to 15 degrees of articulation, which will allow drivers to think they are driving something much smaller than the electric pickup truck really is. Stellantis just has to rush that a bit: if the production version of the Ram 1500 Revolution BEV Concept takes too much time to hit dealerships, it may have to offer more than 800V to attract customers.
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