Stellantis has been cautiously moving towards electrifying its vehicle portfolio as other automakers dive into things head first. The result of which is that vehicles like the Ram Revolution electric pickup truck will be a little late to the arena, but the company will be using this extra time to engineer a product that would theoretically be able to leapfrog vehicles like the Ford F-150 Lightning and Chevrolet Silverado EV in terms of range, capabilities, and towing capacity. One of those features that Ram appears to be working on is a gasoline-powered range extender option for its upcoming electric truck.
Ram Revolution EV Range Extender: First Details
EV Pulse has recently sat down with CEO of Ram Trucks Mike Koval Jr. to discuss the Ram Revolution EV trucks. While talking about the trucks, Koval mentioned that there would be a “class shattering” range extender version separate from the fully-electric Ram 1500 EV. Of course, he didn’t go into further detail regarding this variant, but this is exciting news nevertheless. A range extender is an EV with an onboard gasoline or diesel-powered motor that charges the batteries when they get low. This gives you the performance of a BEV but without the range anxiety.
Screenshot via Stellantis.
Koval could likely be referring to the Ram 1500 REPB truck or “Range Electric Paradigm Breaker” truck. Unfortunately, the entire project has been very locked down at the moment. However, with the mention of a range extender being developed into the mix of the Ram Revolution EV project, this is likely a hint at what the REPB truck might entail. The range extender is also expected to help with the issue of reduced EV range when towing.
While reservations and hand raisers appear to be favorable, most pickup truck buyers still signal distrust towards electric pickups due to the range, something a gasoline range extender would virtually eliminate (at least until technology advances). In contrast, Koval didn’t give any details on the availability of the range-extended version of the Ram Revolution EV. Although the Ram 1500 EV is expected to release sometime in 2024, we wouldn’t be surprised to see the REPB truck released around the same time.
Image via Ram Trucks.
