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Ram has been “authorized” to move ahead on the development of a midsize battery-electric pickup, TheDetroitBureau.com was advised by senior company officials. It will share showroom space with the brand’s first EV, the full-size Ram 1500 Rev that made its official debut at the New York International Auto Show on Wednesday.
The midsize model, which could revive the old Dodge Dakota nameplate, could go into production shortly after mid-decade, at least if a couple key questions are resolved in the coming months. Design work is already “well underway,” said Ralph Gilles, the global design chief for Ram’s parent Stellantis.
Meanwhile, TheDetroitBureau.com learned that Ram’s sibling brand Jeep is working on its own electrification plan which likely will include a plug-in hybrid version of the current Gladiator model, while the off-road marque is also exploring options for a comparable, albeit fully electric midsize truck.
Expanding the portfolio
Rumors of a midsize Ram EV pickup emerged after the brand’s annual dealer meeting in Las Vegas last month, though company officials declined to discuss such reports until now.
But in an exclusive conversation with TheDetroitBureau.com following Ram’s New York news conference Wednesday, Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares said the project has “been authorized” and is now “in the plan” that the Euro-American automaker has been developing for its shift to electrified vehicles.
For Ram, that begins with the 1500 Rev, an all-electric alternative to the more familiar gas- and diesel-powered full-size pickup. A prototype, the Ram Revolution 1500, was unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January.
It generated a solid reception, especially among potential buyers. When the automaker showed the production model during a Super Bowl ad a month later and then opened up an advance order line, it took just three days to account for the first full year of production, brand CEO Mike Koval Jr. told TheDetroitBureau in New York.
That increased confidence that truck buyers really are open to going electric “as long as they don’t have to sacrifice capabilities,” Koval explained. Plans to add a midsize EV pickup also were buoyed, he added, by the response from dealers gathered in Las Vegas. They gave it “a strong thumbs-up,” Koval said.
“Now, I’m going back to work,” he joked, as there are still a number of details yet to be worked out before the midsize EV can be scheduled for production.
Getting started
For one thing, Ram is exploring whether to base the truck on a downsized version of the STLA Frame platform being used for the 1500 Rev. An electric alternative to a classic body-on-frame architecture, it would create the most capable truck, but add complexity and cost.
The alternative is to go with the slightly smaller STLA Large platform. It would sacrifice some payload, towing and off-road capabilities, though it would likely more than meet the expectations of most midsize buyers in the U.S., Koval explained.
The challenge is the company is “a global brand now, more than ever,” the Ram CEO explained. And that means the midsize model would have to meet overseas expectations. Other than in a handful of foreign markets, buyers tend to want midsize trucks with full-size capabilities. That’s especially true in Thailand, noted Koval, one of the largest foreign outlets for pickups.
But that’s among a few critical decisions that “have not been decided yet,” according to Stellantis CEO Tavares, the midsize EV program is moving rapidly.
“We’re already in consumer clinics” showing off a number of potential designs, said design chief Gilles, adding that the prototypes now in development could readily be “scaled” to adapt to whichever underlying platform finally gets the go.
If anything, the midsize model may look even more like the Ram Revolution show vehicle than the 1500 Rev, Gilles suggested, though the midsize and full-size models will certainly share a number of design cues.
Plenty of questions need answers
Among the many other questions yet to be resolved: what to call the midsize model. “What would you think about ‘Dakota?’” asked one executive, requesting anonymity on that subject. That was the name of Ram’s old midsize gas model.
Company officials made it clear, during a series of conversations, that the midsize EV is a high-priority program. That fact that so much work has already been completed suggests the production vehicle could reach showrooms early into the second half of the decade. But it would certainly follow the full-size 1500 Rev, said Koval. Designated a 2025 model, it’s scheduled to begin production during the final quarter of 2024.
As with the Ram 1500 Rev, those who discussed the project said the midsize model would be offered with an extended range package. The full-size truck will be available with a 229 kilowatt-hour pack capable of delivering an estimated 500 miles per charge.
But Stellantis is exploring a variety of different battery technologies. And, at least for some markets, it might offer the lower-cost, if lower-range, LFP battery technology, as well.
At the other extreme, Tavares noted Stellantis is aggressively pursuing what many see as next-generation battery technology. He said the automaker aims to launch production vehicles using solid-state batteries in 2026. That could make the technology available for the midsize EV — yielding substantial range, even while lowering costs.
Slow off the line
Stellantis, especially its American brands, was slow off the line when it came to electrification. During the Ram 1500 Rev news conference, however, Koval downplayed that fact, saying the automaker was more focused on getting things right than being first.
It clearly is accelerating its electrification drive with a mix of plug-in hybrids like the Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid and the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Wrangler 4xe models. It’s readying all-electric models, including Ram 1500 Rev, as well as a muscle car based on the Dodge Charger SRT Daytona concept.
All Stellantis brands will have electrified options by mid-decade. Jeep, if anything, plans to have battery-based options for all of its models by 2025, Global CEO Christian Meunier said during a NY Auto Show news conference.
He subsequently told TheDetroitBureau.com that a 4xe plug-in version of the midsize Gladiator pickup is coming. But he cautioned that Jeep wouldn’t seek to rebadge a version of Ram’s fully electric midsize model. Instead, another executive explained on background, Jeep may come up with its own midsize all-electric EV.
The interest in all-electric pickups has surprised many industry observers and insiders. Ford anticipated needing just 25,000 units of annual capacity when it announced its big F-150 Lightning model. It quickly logged over 200,000 orders and has been retooling a plant in Dearborn, Michigan to punch out 150,000 annually. Its also setting up the new BlueOval City, its largest manufacturing complex ever, near Memphis. It will focus, at least initially, on electric pickups.
“All our data tells us that truck intenders are among the most interested in electrification,” Ram boss Koval said during an interview.
But he stressed that such products will have to be able to deliver the same capabilities and features as conventional gas and diesel models to win long-term acceptance.