electric pickup Ford F-150 Lightning stood on the conveyor last spring. General Motors is ready for production models Chevrolet Silverado EV and GMC Sierra EV, production of which will begin at the very end of this year. But Stellantis is catching up here. The electric Ram has only just made its debut at the CES consumer electronics show, and even then only in the form of a concept car called the Ram 1500 Revolution.
Ideologically, this truck is close to GM’s analogues: the electric Ram 1500 has nothing in common with the company’s current gasoline and diesel pickups (even in terms of design), but is built on the promising STLA Frame electric platform. Its features are a frame chassis, an 800-volt electrical system, twin-engine all-wheel drive and a charger with a capacity of up to 350 kW. Other characteristics have not yet been announced.
Air suspension of all wheels and rear thruster are also provided: the angle of rotation of the rear wheels reaches 15 degrees. The concept has 24-inch wheels and 35-inch off-road tires, and has fixed hub caps.
The project provides for a third-level autopilot, which has an unusual Shadow Mode. It can be activated by voice, and then the pickup truck will follow the person walking in front, keeping a safe distance. As planned, this mode can be useful in cases where the car needs to be moved a short distance – for example, at a construction site or the beach. There is also an induction charger called the Ram Charger.
The two-row cab is almost 10 cm longer and therefore more spacious than the current Ram 1500 model, while the length of the cargo area is the same for the cars. The salon with four separate seats has the widest possibilities of transformation: there is a removable central tunnel, a flat floor and long rails for moving the seats. And the glass roof is integrated with the windshield and has an electrochromic dimming system.
Instead of the usual devices – a projection display with augmented reality. And on the center console there are two touch screens with a diagonal of 14.2 inches each. The upper screen moves in a vertical direction, and the lower one can be completely removed and used as a “tablet” – for games or remote control of an external projector: it is installed under the windshield and allows you to organize a cinema using, for example, the wall of the house.
And the main feature of the concept car is the third row of seats: they are fixed on the rear wall of the cab and can be expanded by pushing the second row seats forward. Although this configuration is only suitable for trips over short distances. The partition between the cab and the cargo platform is folded, the tailgate consists of two halves, which swing open in different directions, the floor panel slides back. The front trunk has a lot of fasteners, hooks and organizers, and there is also a hatch between it and the cabin. With this hatch and the extended floor, the Ram 1500 Revolution allows you to carry items up to 5.5 meters long.
What of all the listed splendor will go to the serial electric pickup? We will find out in a few months, when Stellantis will present the final version of the new model. Although the start of production is scheduled only for 2024. In the meantime, it has been announced that in addition to a pure electric vehicle, the range will include a sequential hybrid with a gasoline power extension under the hood. Competitors do not have this option yet.
