LAS VEGAS—Ram Truck unveiled the Ram 1500 Revolution Battery-electric Vehicle (BEV) Concept at the 2023 Consumer Electronics Show (CES). Centered in the West Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center, the concept vehicle was prominently displayed atop a circular stage that gathered a great deal of attendees’ attention.
The concept truck certainly delivered a glimpse into Ram's future, which according to parent company Stellantis will be electric. The automaker plans on electric vehicles comprising 50% of U.S. sales by 2030. Ram will be offering a portfolio of fully electrified solutions to better meet customer needs, including the Ram 1500 BEV in 2024. The entire Ram lineup will offer electrified solutions with advanced technology in the years to come.
“The Ram 1500 Revolution BEV Concept is our clearest signal yet that we’re on the precipice of something extraordinary at Ram and points directly to where we’re going on our electrified journey,” said Mike Koval Jr., Ram brand CEO—Stellantis. “At Ram, we’ve redefined what pickup trucks can be, and we will do so again by pushing past what competitors are offering by delivering the best electric pickups on the market"
Koval added the new pickup "serves as a roadmap to our electrified future" and also "our philosophy as we redefine the pickup segment, with a steady drumbeat of announcements and initiatives as we embark on our electrified journey.”
The production model will be available in 2024. Ram said at that time it will be the leader in a combination of areas: range, towing, payload, and charge time. More news on the production version will be available in the coming months. The Ram 1500 BEV production model is aimed as a direct response to Ford’s F-150 Lightning BEV, which is currently available.
Seeing is believing
Until Ram releases those details, we don't know how it will perform in the field. But judging by what was shown in Vegas, it's a fair bet there's a place for the production model in many applications.
The modernized and futuristic design is sleek and athletic, though still large bodied enough to handle the demands of commercial operations. Ram calls the exterior design "strikingly 'brutiful'–brutal yet beautiful."
The brightly lit “R-A-M” face draws you in, but the exterior was just the beginning when it came to never-before seen sights on a Ram. The “saloon-style” doors of the cab open to a spacious interior that certainly can store more than passengers. The cabin is 4" longer than the current model, while the bed stays the same.
The cab has mounted jump seats, adding a third row, with several seating configurations. The designers included a pass-through that extends into the front trunk (frunk) that can fit objects up to 18’ long with the tailgate closed. This provides commercial users the ability to safely haul construction materials such as lumber, piping, and more.
The 1500 Revolution also features self-leveling capability and rides on 24” wheels with center caps that light up and stay in place. This version of the Ram 1500 also has greater maneuverability, leveraging four-wheel steering with up to 15 degrees of articulation.
Beside the fully-built concept was a display of the “guts” – the STLA (Stella) Frame Platform, which will be shared among Stellantis EVs. Gathering a crowd of its own, the Ram Revolution Chassis STLA Frame Platform features intelligent safety systems and smaller, more powerful electric motors which afforded the design team the ability to shift the cabin forward and increase cabin length.
Other powered features, including a powered charge-port door situated on the driver’s side front quarter panel, a powered tailgate, flush-mounted door handles, powered side steps, and a powered rear step with active diffuser, rounding out the extensive list of powered features.
The concept also features small, lightweight side-view mirrors that use 3D printed materials for optimal aerodynamics and drag reduction. These mirrors also include digital camera to capture the truck’s surroundings, allowing for a smaller physical size.
The high-tech rearview mirror includes a smart backup camera with 360-degree views, shown on the digital screen. A backup flood lamp also adds more visibility when reversing the truck. Ram says "this allows the driver to see their surroundings with greater clarity, helping to avoid accidents and improve safety, especially when backing up to a trailer. "
The rearview mirror also is embedded with speakers and receivers that are compatible with voice assistants, such as Alexa and Siri.
On the charging side, Ram noted up to 100 miles of range can be achieved in about 10 minutes using an 800-volt DC fast charging at up to 350 kW. The charge port features Level 1 and Level 2 AC charging on the top half and DC fast charging on the bottom half of the charger.
Ram also showcased a new inductive robot charger—or Ram Charger—at CES 2023, that will make home charging as easy as possible. It detects the vehicle’s presence and its charging needs, and automatically moves into position and aligns itself under the vehicle. Smart-charge capability will allow charging during off-peak time, providing more convenience and peace-of-mind for customers.
Additional features:
- Vehicle Personal Assistant: Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered virtual assistant that enhances in-vehicle and exterior interaction with users. A 3D Ram avatar acts as the vehicle’s face, responding to various voice commands from users. Additionally, voice control enables the Ram 1500 Revolution BEV Concept to follow commands from the owner while they’re outside the vehicle, such as close the windows, play music, take a picture, and “follow me” with Shadow Mode.
- Shadow Mode: Allows the vehicle to automatically follow driver walking ahead of the vehicle. This voice-activated feature can be useful in situations where the driver needs to move a short distance and doesn’t want to get back in the truck, such as when picking up tools or equipment from a job site. The truck will follow the driver at a safe distance, using sensors and camera technology to navigate around obstacles. This innovation increases efficiency, making the job easier and more convenient.
- My Day: Intelligent trip planning based on users’ schedules and preferences to provide suggestions at the right time and right location.
- Cabin Mode: Cabin Modes are “one button” settings that adjust multiple aspects of the cabin experience at once, based on the use case. They include options such as Productivity Mode, Social Mode, Party Mode, Relax Mode, and user-created modes. Adjustments include interior lighting, seat position and orientation, window and skylight opacity, vehicle suspension, sound zones, and display content.
- Advanced Augmented Reality Heads-up Display: This feature combines AR HUD and advanced camera and sensor technology to provide enhanced driving assistance. See-through vision uses camera and sensor technology to create an experience that allows the driver to see objects outside of their normal view on the AR HUD. The AR HUD can also display information.
- Intelligent storage app: Mobile application that helps users measure objects to determine if they can be transported with their vehicle. To obtain an object’s dimensions, users can scan the product’s barcode or use a built-in AR camera measuring tool. The mobile app will show users how the object can best be positioned in their vehicle, and internal and external cabin projectors assist by displaying guides on the target storage location.
- Adjustable and removable lower display: Used as a tablet, passenger display, truck bed workstation, vehicle control, or video game controller, the two 14.2” displays can be combined to provide a larger viewing area.
- Smart Home Control: User can control their smart home from the infotainment screen, adjusting devices such as lights, cameras, thermostats, and sound systems.
- Advanced camera and sensor system: Multiple cameras and sensors work together to enhance the driving experience and provide additional functions, such as 3D capture, biometric identity recognition, and 360 photo and video capture.
- Exterior projector: Multiple built-in projectors provide an efficient way to visually communicate information to the user. The projectors also double as a mobile movie theater, allowing the owner to have movie night anytime, anywhere. Or, for commercial users, the ability to share and display information at the jobsite to coworkers or customers.
- Autonomous capabilities: In Level 3+ autonomous mode, the vehicle retracts the steering wheel to provide additional space for the driver. Interior lights, the AR HUD, smarts seats, and the steering wheel work together to provide next-level situational awareness to the driver.
