Ram
On Thursday, Ram unveiled its first all-electric pickup concept at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Ram is the latest of the Detroit Trio to show off a full-size EV pickup — Ford’s F-150 Lightning goes on sale in 2022 and Chevrolet showed off its Silverado EV at CES last year. But the Chevy EV won’t go into production until 2024, the year the Ram 1500 BEV goes on sale.
“The Ram 1500 Revolution BEV Concept is the clearest signal yet at Ram that we’re on the precipice of something extraordinary, and points directly to where we’re headed on our electrified journey. At Ram, we’ve redefined what pickup trucks can be and challenge the competition by introducing the best electric pickup trucks on the market.” We’ll do it again, leaving behind what they did,” Ram CEO Mike Koval Jr. said.
Ram’s design team has come up with a pretty modern look for the Ram 1500 Revolution BEV, some like the pillar-less “suicide doors” – which won’t make it to the production version for a few years. However, other features and details such as the rear step with active diffuser, tailgate and rear step should remain. The concept also sports side-view cameras instead of reflective mirrors – if I’m not mistaken, we’ll need a rule change to make it road legal in the US.
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It’s definitely a futuristic take on the Ram pickup. I really like the view looking back into the cabin.
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The truck has a multifunctional tailgate.
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There is a useful stick under the hood.
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The concept runs on 24-inch wheels and 35-inch wheels, so it’s no small truck.
Ram
Specs are limited given the concept nature of the show truck and the fact that we’re still two years away from seeing a car we can buy. But Ram says it’s using the STLA Frame architecture for body-on-frame EVs, one of four new, purpose-built EV platforms developed by Ram’s parent company Stellantis.
We know it’s dual-motor, all-wheel drive, and the battery runs at 800V, which will allow the truck to charge up to 350kW of DC fast, which Ram says will add 100 miles (160km). Range within 10 minutes. We also know it will have up to 15 degrees of rear-wheel steering. Previously, Stellantis told us that the STLA Frame EVs will use power packs between 159 kWh and 200 kWh. However, information such as range, payload and towing are yet to be revealed.
With its massive opening, the interior looks quite quirky in the images Ram has provided us with, and has a number of different themes including productivity mode, entertainment mode, relaxation mode and a mode that changes the interior lighting, seat position and social mode. orientation, greenhouse opacity, plus truck suspension, sound system and displays.
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Ram calls them “salon doors” because no sane marketing department would allow them to be called “suicide doors.” Do we think these will make it to production?
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OK, let’s forget the doors – it’s a pretty weird looking interior. Note the angled lower infotainment screen.
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The bottom screen can be removed and used as a tablet. Or two displays merge into one.
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The center console can be converted into a workstation.
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Ram says the new truck has a more spacious interior than the current Ram 1500, and a strong center door-mounted third-row seat that allows long loads of up to 18 feet (5 m) to pass through. ). The center console can also be converted into a workstation similar to the F-150 Lightning.
Ram also put quite a bit of technology into the 1500 Revolution BEV concept. Ram says there’s an AI personal assistant and a shadow mode that allows the truck to slowly follow its driver as he exits the cab and walks — useful for situations where someone only needs to travel a short distance at work. (Yes, the sensors and cameras are there to make sure the shadow-mode truck doesn’t get too close to people and run over them.)
Ram
Augmented reality head-up displays are now all the rage in the automotive industry, and the very trendy 1500 Revolution BEV concept features camera feeds as well as information. A mobile app lets you measure payloads and shows you how best to load them, and the angled infotainment screen is actually a pair of 14.2-inch screens, the bottom of which can be removed and used as a tablet. There are even onboard projectors that allow you to turn the truck into a mobile cinema – screen not included.
In addition, Ram brought a robotic induction charger to CES for charging at home. The robot reportedly fixes a charging pad under the car, addressing a perennial criticism of wireless EV charging.