If you are one of the very few people who was looking forward to the all-electric Ram 1500 REV, we have some bad news for you. Development of the Ram REV, which was slated to be the first battery electric pickup from Ram, has been discontinued, but the REV name will live on with the range extended electric vehicle that was previously named the Ramcharger.
Here is the official statement from the Ram Trucks brand:
“As demand for full-size battery electric trucks slows in North America, Stellantis is reassessing its product strategy and will discontinue development of a full-size BEV pickup. As part of this, Ram is renaming its REEV-powered pickup to Ram 1500 REV (formerly Ramcharger). This vehicle will set a new benchmark in the half-ton segment, offering exceptional range, towing capability, and payload performance.”
In short, sales of all-electric pickups have been pretty slow for Ford, GM and Tesla, and when coupled with the changes to the various regulations pertaining to electric and gasoline-powered vehicles, EV pickup sales aren’t likely to spike up any time soon. However, there has been a great deal of interest in the extended range pickup that was originally introduced in concept form at the Ramcharger.
The Ramcharger, now known as the Ram 1500 REV, combines the electric drive system of the all-electric truck with a gasoline engine that can provide continuous charging while driving. You can plug this truck in and charge it, likely being able to cover a couple hundred miles on a charge, but when the battery pack is running low, the gasoline engine fires up and provides a steady charge to the electric drive batteries. Just to be clear, the gasoline engine never directly powers the wheels as it does in traditional vehicles – it merely serves as a very large generator.
(All images here show Ramcharger, now known as the Ram REV going forward)
Patrick Rall is a professional writer and photographer with a passion for all things automotive. Having grown up in his father’s performance shop, he spent extensive time at the oval track and drag strip – both driving and wrenching on various types of vehicles. In addition to working as a writer, Patrick previously worked as an automotive technician before moving on to a business office position with a chain of dealerships, and this broad spectrum of experience in the industry allows him to offer a unique look on the automotive world. Follow Patrick on Twitter, Facebook and on Youtube.
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