Photo: Ram Trucks
Stellantis has promised to bring the most advanced electric pickup truck to market, and the first concept will be on display at CES 2023 in January. A recent trademark filing might indicate that “most advanced” means “with a range extender” in the Stellantis language.
The name of the upcoming Ram electric pickup truck is still unknown, with many speculations floating around in the past month. Stellantis previously trademarked the “Revolution” name and used it in press releases as the “Ram 1500 Revolution BEV” when referring to the future product. We’ve already discussed why this is not such a great idea, so we’re not doing it again. Nevertheless, a new trademark filing might shed more light on Ram Trucks’ plans.
Recently, Stellantis trademarked the name “Ram 1500 REV” in the “Goods and Services” category under “Land vehicles, namely, passenger trucks.” Some news outlets were quick to point out that this might be the name of the electric truck that Ram Trucks will introduce as a concept during CES 2023. There is more to it, though, and Mopar Insiders claim the name might actually be used for a different product, which Stellantis announced earlier this year.
This would be a range extender version of the electric truck, an intermediary step that would alleviate people’s range anxiety. It could potentially make the future Ram truck better than the competition, a feat that Ram promised when it unveiled plans for an all-electric pickup truck. According to Mopar Insider sources, the Ram 1500 REV will feature a small-displacement internal combustion engine that will act as a generator to charge the truck’s battery.
Chevrolet used a similar setup for the Volt, which was also marketed as an electric vehicle despite being obviously, a series hybrid vehicle. In a series hybrid, the combustion engine does not directly provide power to the wheels, but is used as a generator to charge the batteries or drive the electric motors. Although it is less efficient than an all-electric powertrain and even than an ICE one, the range extender approach offers relief from range anxiety.
Nevertheless, the experience of having a combustion engine as a range extender has not been great, and carmakers offering such an option soon dropped it from their catalog. Besides the Chevy Volt, the best example was the BMW i3 REX. Because it was more complex and expensive, few bought the range-extender version of the car, prompting BMW to withdraw it. Most probably, Ram would face a similar fate if it plans to offer a range extender with its future electric pickup truck.
Ram spoke about the range extender as offering “the best of both worlds” when, in fact, it offers the worst. It will be more expensive than the ICE and EV versions of the truck while being less convenient than both. It will also not allow towing over long distances because the range extender will not offer the same power level once the battery depletes. And the range extender will probably remain unused for those who don’t care about heavy-duty jobs and only buy the truck as a family vehicle.
The CES 2023 is almost here, so it won’t be long until Ram Trucks shares more information about its future electric pickup truck. What is clear from the start is that Ram needs to fill some big shoes with the upcoming model.
Recently, Stellantis trademarked the name “Ram 1500 REV” in the “Goods and Services” category under “Land vehicles, namely, passenger trucks.” Some news outlets were quick to point out that this might be the name of the electric truck that Ram Trucks will introduce as a concept during CES 2023. There is more to it, though, and Mopar Insiders claim the name might actually be used for a different product, which Stellantis announced earlier this year.
This would be a range extender version of the electric truck, an intermediary step that would alleviate people’s range anxiety. It could potentially make the future Ram truck better than the competition, a feat that Ram promised when it unveiled plans for an all-electric pickup truck. According to Mopar Insider sources, the Ram 1500 REV will feature a small-displacement internal combustion engine that will act as a generator to charge the truck’s battery.
Chevrolet used a similar setup for the Volt, which was also marketed as an electric vehicle despite being obviously, a series hybrid vehicle. In a series hybrid, the combustion engine does not directly provide power to the wheels, but is used as a generator to charge the batteries or drive the electric motors. Although it is less efficient than an all-electric powertrain and even than an ICE one, the range extender approach offers relief from range anxiety.
Nevertheless, the experience of having a combustion engine as a range extender has not been great, and carmakers offering such an option soon dropped it from their catalog. Besides the Chevy Volt, the best example was the BMW i3 REX. Because it was more complex and expensive, few bought the range-extender version of the car, prompting BMW to withdraw it. Most probably, Ram would face a similar fate if it plans to offer a range extender with its future electric pickup truck.
Ram spoke about the range extender as offering “the best of both worlds” when, in fact, it offers the worst. It will be more expensive than the ICE and EV versions of the truck while being less convenient than both. It will also not allow towing over long distances because the range extender will not offer the same power level once the battery depletes. And the range extender will probably remain unused for those who don’t care about heavy-duty jobs and only buy the truck as a family vehicle.
The CES 2023 is almost here, so it won’t be long until Ram Trucks shares more information about its future electric pickup truck. What is clear from the start is that Ram needs to fill some big shoes with the upcoming model.
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