Ram Unveils Production 1500 REV Electric Pickup

Barely a month after unveiling the Ram 1500 Revolution BEV Concept battery-electric pickup truck at the 2023 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the company has unveiled the full production model as the Ram 1500 REV. We saw teasers of the new truck at the 2023 Chicago Auto Show, where the brand revealed the name of the production version of the truck it aims to send up against the Ford F-150 Lightning and the Chevrolet Silverado EV. But shortly before the Super Bowl Sunday, Ram revealed full pictures and video of the truck it plans to bring to market at the end of 2024, featured in a 60-second advertisement called “Premature Electrification.” The ad riffs on the flood of prescription-drug advertisements and suggests that for truck buyers, full and immediate electric powertrains may not yet be appropriate before strongly hinting that the upcoming 1500 REV will feature range-extending powertrain options.

Related: Up Close With the Ram 1500 Revolution BEV Concept: Loaded to the Gills, But What Will Float to the Surface?

Concept Vs. Reality

It turns out the Ram 1500 Revolution BEV Concept shown at CES and then a few weeks later to the public at large at the Chicago show was indeed just that — a concept, with the actual production Ram 1500 REV bearing little resemblance inside or out.

The headlights, grille and most of the front end of the production truck are the bits most clearly inspired by the concept. But heading rearward from the hood, the rest of the truck is straight-up 2023 Ram 1500, with the cab and bed nearly identical to the current pickup. This shows us that Ram plans on following the approach used by Ford in making the F-150 Lightning merely another variant of the regular gas-powered F-150 instead of something completely different like the upcoming Chevrolet Silverado EV. Ram did not release any specs for the 1500 REV, but on visual inspection alone, only the front and rear styling differ significantly from the current truck. The formula of making the F-150 more “familiar truck” and less “science project” has been a big factor in driving demand for the Lightning well beyond Ford’s ability to build trucks (so far), and it’s a good bet this similar strategy could work well for Ram also.

There are fewer pictures of the Ram 1500 REV’s interior, but we’re treated to a few sneak peeks of what’s coming, including a new 12-inch vertical touchscreen display, a fully digital gauge cluster, and a new passenger-side dashboard screen like the ones available over at Jeep in the latest Grand Cherokee, Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer. From the few shots we can see, the rest of the interior looks a lot more like the current Ram 1500, which is no bad thing — the Ram 1500 consistently is ranked as one of the best interiors in any vehicle on the market, especially the luxury trims.

Reserve Your Spot

In addition to showing pictures of the new truck, Ram announced a website, RamREV.com, where you can sign up to reserve your spot in line to preorder the new truck for a refundable $100 deposit. Your fee will give you membership in the new Rev Insider+ program, which gives members access to events, news and information about the Ram 1500 REV over the coming year. The truck itself isn’t coming until the end of 2024, but preorders are set to open later in 2023, and we expect to actually get up close and personal with the truck sometime by then, possibly at an auto show or private Ram event.

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What We Don’t Know

So we know what it will look like and when it’s expected to go on sale. We also know it’s supposed to be produced on a new dedicated chassis called the STLA Frame platform that Ram’s parent company Stellantis has said will underpin many of the company’s big, electrified trucks. That’s pretty much all we know from Ram’s latest info dump.

But from the commercial Ram used to unveil the new 1500 REV, we can actually glean a few extra things. The premise of the ad is that current fully electric trucks can’t actually do all the things truck buyers require of their trucks, and it’s not wrong about that. We’ve tested the Ford F-150 Lightning ourselves in truck-specific scenarios (towing in particular) and found that it actually can tow beautifully — it just can’t tow very far, as range drops by nearly half when you drag a big, heavy, aerodynamically challenged load behind it.

More From Cars.com:

• Ram 1500 Revolution BEV Concept Foreshadows Brand’s High-Tech Future
• Ram Teases All-Electric 1500 Pickup, Coming in 2024
• Breaking Down the 2023 Ram 1500’s Towing Capacities
• Here Are the New Electric Vehicles Planned by 2026
• What to Know Before Purchasing an Electric Vehicle: A Buying Guide

Ram’s commercial suggests the 1500 REV will actually have a range extender (and possibly more than one), which would almost certainly be some form of internal-combustion engine. Such an approach would potentially widen the Ram’s appeal, allowing for more trucklike activities (e.g., towing and hauling a heavy payload) without seeing the appreciable decrease in range that happens with a full battery EV by using the onboard combustion engine to add energy or propulsion to the overall powertrain. This option would also give the Ram 1500 REV a competitive difference from other competitor trucks, none of which offer a range extender like this.

We’re expecting to get more information about the Ram 1500 REV later in the year, including powertrain details, range, battery size and other abilities. When we do, we’ll bring it to you here.

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