UPDATE 1/5/23: Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares confirmed the powertrain options for the upcoming Ram 1500 EV during a roundtable interview at CES 2023. While the Ram Revolution BEV concept is a battery-powered EV, there will also be a version of this pickup offered with a gasoline-charged engine battery reset.
By the time the Ram 1500 EV hits the market in 2024, it will be several years late to the electric pickup truck party that has already begun. However, it could arrive with an available range extender, which is currently not an option on rivals like the F-150 Lightning, GMC Hummer EV, or Rivan R1T.
Ram CEO Mike Koval Jr. first mentioned that the upcoming Ram 1500 EV will be offered with a range extender in an interview with EV Pulse. Powered by a generator that can recharge the truck’s battery pack, it may help ease some people’s concerns about driving range. It may be a hedge for electric truck buyers who plan to use it for towing, as it significantly affects efficiency and range. We’ve seen the Rivian R1T’s range shrink to just 110 miles when towing a moderate load of just half the truck’s 11,000-pound maximum.
Of course, the Ram 1500 EV with range extender is no longer an EV, but a plug-in hybrid. Then again, Ram has no problem calling its V-8 a Hemi despite not having a hemispherical combustion chamber, so maybe it will still label its electric 1500 as an EV. While we haven’t heard of any other new electric trucks that will offer a range extender, it’s unlikely that Ram will be the only company to have one if it’s a viable solution. In fact, Ford in 2018 filed a patent for a bed-mounted range extender for what we now know is the F-150 Lightning. However, Ford’s patent is for a modular unit as opposed to a built-in unit like the one used on BMW’s now-defunct i3 hatch. The i3’s two-cylinder engine is a pure range extender, used only to recharge the battery, but there are a number of plug-in hybrids with lower electric ranges where the gas engine also provides propulsion, like today’s Chevy Volt or any number. plug-in hybrid. Koval did not say what type of range extender it will use or when it might be available.
News of the Ram 1500 EV range-extender comes after the brand recently announced an initiative to gather input from real people on its electric truck and commercial van development through RamRevolution.com and a year-long series of events called the Ram Real Talk Tour.
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This story was originally published on February 10, 2022.
This content is imported from polls. You may be able to find similar content in other formats, or you may be able to find more information, on their website.