There are more than 30,000 hand-raisers for the Ram 1500 REV, the electric fullsize pickup truck from Stellantis.
Ram has been doing preproduction builds of the REV for a few months, ahead of the rollout of production models. Initial plans were to get some into dealer hands this calendar year, but that has been pushed back a few months and deliveries are now slated for the first half of 2025, says Ram brand CEO Chris Feuell.
The program is on track, the delay is to ensure quality given that it is a new truck on the new STLA Frame platform, Feuell says. Order books have not yet opened.
The REV is among the first new EVs for Stellantis, following the Dodge Charger Daytona muscle car and the Jeep Wagoneer S electric midsize SUV which are both on the STLA Large platform.
Ramcharger Interest Growing
Also on tap: the Ram 1500 Ramcharger extended-range pickup that uses a gas engine as a generator to give the plug-in hybrid greater range while running on electricity. It is due to go on sale in mid-2025, a couple months after the REV, Feuell says. The brand is seeing growing interest in the Ramcharger as they learn more about the technology being offered. It has also spurred more talk about range-extender or E-Rev hybrids, with companies like Ford and Volkswagen considering them.
The Ramcharger was designed to appeal to more traditional truck buyers, giving them the towing and payload they need, while allowing them to dip their toes into the EV experience. Ram is starting collect the names of those interested in the truck, Feuell says.
Ram Midsize Truck Platform Will Surprise Us
Still on the horizon is a midsize pickup truck to fill the hole left when the last Dodge Dakota rolled off the line in 2010. There has been talk of filling that space ever since.
Feuell is not providing a timeline for a new truck, but the current labor agreement with the UAW calls for the reopening of the Belvidere Assembly Plant in Illinois in 2027, retooled to make a smaller truck.
“It will be brought to market,” Feuell says of the planned midsize truck. After weighing a couple platform options, a decision has been made, but she is not spilling any secrets other than to say we will be surprised by the choice. That could mean it won’t be a body-on-frame truck from STLA Frame to compete more directly with the Ford Ranger and Toyota Tacoma. That leaves STLA Large for a unibody truck, sharing underpinnings with the Wagoneer S and Charger Daytona. Or the surprise could be a smaller lifestyle truck on STLA Medium.
In It to Win It
The truck’s attributes must deliver performance and affordability, Feuell says. North America is the primary market but the pursuit of volume means it will also be offered globally. It will not be a niche vehicle—Ram is in it to win it with this truck, she says. It will be offered with a choice of powertrains. The STLA platforms were designed to give nameplates the ability to offer internal combustion engines, hybrids, and pure electric.
The Dakota name is in the mix, but a name has not been finalized. It could still be a while before we see a concept, but we will learn more details in 2025, Feuell says.
