An internal combustion engine will charge the all-electric Ram truck’s battery in the “Range Electric Paradigm Breaker” model, Stellantis NV’s CEO confirmed Tuesday.
While the technology had been teased since Stellantis’ EV Day in 2021, the Ram brand hadn’t confirmed details. But in response to a question during a roundtable, Carlos Tavares emphasized the need for a truck that will meet environmental standards as well as range needs.
“By nature an extender is charging the battery,” Tavares said during a trip to New York. “So that’s that’s how it works. You are on the electric power mode, and you charge the battery with your ICE engine revving at a constant speed.”
That will give the truck more range, while substantially reducing carbon emissions, he said.
Ram earlier this month revealed in a Super Bowl ad its production all-electric Ram 1500 REV pickup truck and opened $100 reservations for the vehicle. No price has been shared. The REV will launch in the fourth quarter of 2024. Ram hasn’t said when the REPB will be made available. A majority of its segments will be electrified by 2025 and each will have an option by 2030.
Coming after all-electric pickup launches from Ford Motor Co., General Motors Co. and Rivan Automotive Inc., the REV will outdo the competition in areas most important to Ram customers like payload, towing, range and range speed, Ram CEO Mike Koval Jr. has promised. The REPG was pitched as part of that goal.
“What we believe is that the U.S. market is quite different between the coastal areas and the inland,” Tavares said. “So, what we think is that the consumer will try to find a solution that is protecting either their vision of their environmental statement from one side or their lifestyle from the other side. So, what I’m telling you is that we are going to bring both so that you can have a proposal for those who are very, very conscious of range, towing, etc. And at the same time, we have the best BEV that can be proposed, more focusing on the coastal areas.”
He didn’t disclose how much more range the REPG would offer, and Ram has shared little on the REV’s details. The 1500 REV will be built on the new STLA (“Stella”) Frame all-electric architecture, which the company has said can support up to 500 miles of range. A $155 million investment announced into Indiana powertrain plants announced Tuesday also will support that target, the company said.
Ram in January also unveiled the Ram 1500 Revolution concept, a truck meant to represent the vision for the brand over the course of the next model generation and perhaps even the one after it. The tech-heavy, configurable Revolution concept can add 100 miles of range in about 10 minutes with an 800-volt DC fast charger at up to 350 kilowatts, according to the brand.
Tavares also emphasized the trajectory of Ram to become a strong global brand like Jeep.
“If you bring around pickup trucks outside of the U.S., it sparks,” He said. “Big business, good business, strong demand. People are buying the U.S. lifestyle, they are buying the power, they are buying the appeal of those products and they are buying at a high price.”
bnoble@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @BreanaCNoble