Ram Announces 1500 REV Specs
At today’s New York Auto Show press day, Ram showed off the 1500 REV full-sized pickup and dropped several key specifications.
The truck, which is expected to go on sale late in 2024 as a 2025 model takes advantage of being the last of the classic truck manufacturers to announce specs in order to announce numbers that beat trucks from Ford and Chevrolet/GMC.
Specifically, Ram announced that the REV will have a base range of 350 miles with its 168kWh battery, with a long-range battery pack (229kWh) that will make it the first full-sized electric truck to crack the 500 mile range barrier.
In addition, Ram teased an even longer range option, the REV XR.
We expect this will be the rumored range-extender version that would pair a gas engine and generator with the electric powertrain to be able to extend range beyond what the batteries can power alone. This would promise an electric truck that could tow heavy loads without destroying its range like tests have shown happens to pure-electric trucks like the Lightning.
Ram isn’t quite ready to tell us about the XR - though there are plenty of auto shows or other opportunities between now and late 2024.
The 1500 REV will be ready for truly high-speed charging with an 800V system that can accept up to 350kW of charging power at DC fast charging stations. This allows the REV to add 110 miles of range in 10 minutes (an approximately 33% increase in charge if the truck is rocking the 350 mile range standard pack). It will be interesting to see if this is still competitive in a couple years given how quickly other brands are advancing.
Other technical specs Ram was ready to promote today were tow rating of up to 14000 lbs. This is quite competitive, while falling short of Chevrolet’s promise of a Silverado EV work truck spec that they think will be able to tow 20000 lbs. Though the extended range Lightning and the normal-spec Silverado EV both have tow ratings around 10000 lbs.
Payload limits for the REV max out at 2700 lbs. This beats the Lightning’s 2000 (standard battery) or 1800 (extended range battery) as well as the Silverado EV’s 1300-ish lbs.
Up front, the REV trades its gas engine for a front trunk. It’s stated 15 cubic feet of volume beats out the Lightning’s 14.1 and Silverado EV’s 10 cubic feet.
One place where the 1500 REV does not beat the competition is it’s 0-60 time. 4.4 seconds is still seriously quick, but recent tests of the Ford Lightning with extended range battery showed it performing the same trick in 4.0 seconds. Chevrolet has yet to deliver any of the Silverado EVs to customers, so we’ll have to wait to see what it is really capable of (though they predict about 4.5 seconds in their promotional materials). The GMC Hummer pickup with triple motors does that feat in a class leading 3.0 seconds flat. Though the Hummer to compare the REV to would be the dual motor version that has yet to go on sale and will probably be more in line with the Silverado and REV’s predicted acceleration.
Inside, the REV did have one new trick up its sleeve…
The passenger gets a 10.25” dedicated display directly in front of them. This provides access to the cameras all around the REV, ideally to allow the passenger to truly ‘co-pilot’ in situations where the Ram is maneuvering tight environments or moving a trailer. Additionally, this display allows for monitoring of vehicle functions, such as power flow from the electric powertrain. Also, passengers can connect to this display via HDMI to display their own media for entertainment.
We have at least a year and a half before REVs start to hit the road, so more details are sure to follow. We are also looking forward to a rumored mid-sized electric truck that Ram may announce in the interim.
For now, though, the Ram 1500 REV looks to be a solid offering in the growing electric full-sized truck segment.