Ram reveals EV pickup concept that will compete against Ford, GM and Rivian

Add another entrant into the high-stakes battlefield of EV pickup trucks.

At CES from Las Vegas, Ram Trucks (STLA) unveiled the Ram Revolution 1500 EV Concept, a full-size pickup that will likely mirror a production version that Ram says we will see later this year.

The production version, which is slated for 2024, will face stiff competition in the full-size EV pickup space, with the Ford F-150 Lightning and Chevrolet Silverado EV already on sale at that time.

Nevertheless the Ram 1500 Revolution has some interesting features. While the concept has “grand saloon” style doors that open out, and likely will not appear in the production version, one feature likely to remain is the what Ram is calling an industry-first feature: third-row jump seats.

Ram says the truck’s powered mid-gate can retract and reveal mounted jump seats, which can also be removed to allow multiple flexible seating configurations. Ram also says when the mid-gate is retracted, the full length of the car is available for long cargo, enabling a pass-through (that includes the frunk) that can fit objects up to 18-ft. long.

Ram says the concept is based on the STLA Frame body-on-frame chassis that was built specifically for electric vehicles, and in this case it will feature two electric drive modules (EDMs) in order to provide all-wheel drive.

No other specs were given at the reveal, but one would expect the truck to feature similar features to the competition along with similar pricing.

Ram says it faced a number of challenges creating the EV pickup to appeal to its customers. “First of all battery packaging, because the batteries are very, very heavy,” said Mike Koval, Ram Brands CEO, about one of the biggest challenges, in an interview with Yahoo Finance from Las Vegas.

“I think research continues to suggest and support that trucking intenders, and even current buyers, are more and more openminded to the idea of electrification in their pickups, but they tell us time and time again, please do not compromise, do not sacrifice the core attributes that we care about the most — which historically had been payload and towing,” Koval said.

Koval said range and charge time are key customer desires, so Ram engineers had to create an architecture that would be able to support the battery weight.

Because of the smaller electric motors used, Ram engineers could expand the cabin by 4 inches, which in the automotive world is huge for creating more space and luxury in the cabin. Ram trucks are known for some of the best, if not the best, interiors of any truck series, and Koval says their customers expect that part of equation to remain in any truck they make.

Koval says its creature comforts like a larger cabin, flexibility of the Revolution EV for mixed use cases, battery capacity (which some rumor could be 500 miles), and propulsion systems (a hybrid range extender truck may be in the works), will help it win on the sales floor.

“I think that's ultimately what's gonna help differentiate RAM from the other guys is we're going to bring a better suite of solutions to the marketplace from 2024, that I think will better meet real world customer needs, as we transition into electrification,” he says.

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Pras Subramanian is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. You can follow him on Twitter and on Instagram.

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