electric pickup Ford F-150 Lightning it was on the conveyor belt last spring. General Motors is ready for production models Chevrolet Silverado EV And GMC Sierra EV, production of which will start at the end of this year. But Stellantis is catching up here. The electric Ram just made its consumer electronics debut at CES, 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 (including in terms of design), but is built on the promising STLA Frame electric platform. Its features are a frame chassis, an 800-volt electric system, twin-engine all-wheel drive and a battery charger with a capacity of up to 350 kW. Other features have not yet been announced.
Air suspension of all wheels and a rear power unit is 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 hubcaps.
The project includes a third-level autopilot, equipped with an unusual Shadow Mode. It can be voice activated, so the pickup truck will follow the person walking ahead, keeping a safe distance. As expected, this mode can be useful in cases where the car needs to be moved a short distance, such as on a construction site or at the beach. There’s also an induction charger called the Ram Charger.
The two-row cab is almost 10 cm longer and therefore roomier than the current Ram 1500 model, while the length of the cargo area is the same for the machines. The salon with four separate seats has the widest possibilities for transformation: there is a removable central tunnel, a flat floor and long rails for moving 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 the 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 house wall.
And the main feature of the concept car is the third row of seats – they are fixed on the rear wall of the cabin and can be expanded by pushing the second row seats forward. Although this configuration is only suitable for short distance travel. The partition between the cab and the cargo floor is folded down, the tailgate consists of two halves that open in different directions, the floor slides backwards. The front trunk has many fasteners, hooks and organizers, and there is also a hatch between it and the cabin. With this hatch and extended floor, the Ram 1500 Revolution allows you to carry objects up to 5.5 meters long.
Which of all the listed splendor will go to the serial electric pickup? We’ll find out in a few months, when Stellantis will present the definitive version of the new model. Although the start of production is only scheduled for 2024. In the meantime, it has been announced that in addition to a purely electric vehicle, the range will include a sequential hybrid with an extension of petrol power under the hood. Competitors don’t have that option yet.
