Dodge Ram, the third most popular truck in America, is going to be available in EV form.
The bold new concept vehicle unveiled by parent company Stellants at CES Thursday is to herald an official Ram production model on the road in “2024,” according to a press release, with details “to be announced in the coming months.”
The name they go by is the “Ram 1500 Revolution” and it was launched in 2011. It’s doubtful that it has anything to do with the revolution that took place in the Spanish city of Granada in 1500, but you’d never know.
The point is, whether this truck is truly “revolutionary” or not, the Stellants should have at least made its flagship EV pickup bigger, since the competition is already surpassed by the Dodge. The Ford F-150 Lightning went into production last year. The Chevy Silverado EV will go into production in the coming months. And with Rivian pickups already on the road, not to mention the 800-pound gorilla in the segment, the Tesla Cybertruck, which is reportedly going into production this year, Dodge was looking a little behind.
Credit: Stellantis
But with this concept, Dodge comes out swinging. Ford and Chevy EV pickups mostly fit our idea of what a big, beefy pickup should look like. The RAM didn’t go full Cybertruck, but it stuck its neck out a bit more than its main competitors, offering a high-tech-looking design that clearly indicates it’s something different from another RAM. The press release states that the designers of the 1500 Revolution “set out to revolutionize the pickup truck segment by creating an ultra-modern concept that reflects heroic strength.” That’s what it checks out.
As far as features and doohickeys go, the new RAM concept is full of them. There’s an AI-powered in-car personal assistant with voice commands, a “My Day” proprietary trip-planning system, button-activated cabin modes like “Productivity Mode” and “Party Mode” meant to extend the augmented reality display. A view around the driver, a “smart storage” system to assess whether you can fit the giant toolbox you’re trying to carry, integration with your smart home, and an outdoor movie projector for movie nights.
There’s also a feature — and again, this is a concept — that allows the driver to unburden themselves, and then have the driverless car hitch a ride behind them, obeying their voice commands like a pit. Trained dog. It’s a little shocking-sounding feature, but in practice, it’s probably a no-brainer that all cars should have long ago.
Credit: Stellantis
But it’s the design that’s clearly meant to make a statement. From the animated (yes, animated) LED logo on the front, to the undeniable Dick Tracy-ishness of it all, to the promise in the 1500 Revolution press materials that this “points directly to where we’re headed on our electric journey.” “Estellants and Dodge are clearly not dialing it in with the ongoing company-wide electrification.
