Stellantis’s Ram brand is shifting gears, officially canceling its plans to develop a fully electric Ram 1500 pickup truck. The decision comes amid what the company calls “slowing demand for full-size battery electric trucks in North America.”
“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),” Ram said Friday in a statement.
Ram first revealed its competitor to the Chevrolet Silverado EV and Ford F-150 Lightning—the Ram 1500 REV—at the 2023 New York Auto Show.
The truck, which was originally slated to be Ram’s first all-electric vehicle, has been delayed twice before. Now, it seems the project is officially dead.
The “REV” name will live on, but not as a battery-electric vehicle. Ram is rebranding its upcoming plug-in hybrid truck, the Range-Extended Electric Vehicle (REEV), as the Ram 1500 REV. The Ramcharger, as it was previously known, uses a gas engine to generate electricity for the battery, extending its range.
Ram claims the REEV pickup will “set new benchmarks in the half-ton segment,” offering impressive range, towing, and payload performance. The company still plans to launch this extended-range electric truck sometime next year.
The all-electric Ram 1500 REV was designed to be a beast. It was expected to have a massive 168 kWh battery pack, which would have provided 350 miles of range. For those who needed even more, a 229 kWh battery was planned, promising an impressive 500 miles of range.