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RAM Tries to Grab Some Ford F-150 Lightning Attention by Announcing 1500 EV for Fall

On April 26, Ford will start deliveries of the F-150 Lightning, the second modern electric pickup truck to reach the market. On April 25, RAM decided it was a good time to share on Twitter that a concept of its competitor will be presented by fall. In fact, it was pretty clear that it wanted to “steal some thunder” – and it worked.
RAM 1500 BEV teaser 8 photos
Photo: Stellantis
Check All Four New Stellantis EV ArchitecturesCheck All Four New Stellantis EV ArchitecturesCheck All Four New Stellantis EV ArchitecturesCheck All Four New Stellantis EV ArchitecturesCheck All Four New Stellantis EV ArchitecturesCheck All Four New Stellantis EV ArchitecturesRAM 1500 BEV teaser
The downside is that it made it pretty evident that RAM has to speed up its game. The F-150 Lightning is sold out for years, and Stellantis has not even revealed what it intends to sell. If its electric pickup truck was closer to production, it could grab the sales Ford and Rivian will lose because of supply constraints and manufacturing limits. That will take some time to happen: Stellantis said the RAM 1500 BEV would only arrive by 2024.

The new electric pickup truck could be the first product built with the help of the new STLA Frame, Stellantis’ new body-on-frame architecture. Although it is not dedicated to electric vehicles, the automaker revealed it to talk about its electrification plans. In other words, it seems we could see a regular pickup truck using it before the 1500 BEV.

We know of at least one alternative use for the STLA Frame. Stellantis called it a REPB – or a Range Electric Paradigm Breaker. The company describes it solely by stating it will offer “all the driving characteristics of BEVs with real-world range and flexibility.” That can only mean that it will be an electric vehicle with a range extender, either with a combustion engine or some other solution. The former is more likely.

Preliminary information about the STLA Frame states it can have battery packs ranging from 159 kWh to 200 kWh to offer a range of up to 500 miles (805 kilometers). It would underpin vehicles from 5.40 meters (212.6 inches) to 5,90 m (232.2 in).

Now that we have an idea of range and size, we’d like to learn how it will look. The latest teaser seems quite different from the first ones Stellantis released, as you can see below and in our gallery.

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Editor's note: The gallery presents slides of Stellantis explanation on its future architectures.

About the author: Gustavo Henrique Ruffo
Gustavo Henrique Ruffo profile photo

Motoring writer since 1998, Gustavo wants to write relevant stories about cars and their shift to a sustainable future.
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