After multiple delays, Ram is pulling the plug on its electric pickup truck. In a Friday afternoon press release, parent company Stellantis announced, “As demand for full-size battery-electric trucks slows in North America, Stellantis is reassessing its product strategy and will discontinue development of a full-size BEV pickup.”
The canceled electric truck’s name, however, will live on because the upcoming plug-in hybrid pickup formerly known as the Ramcharger will now be known as the Ram 1500 REV. Using a gas V6 as an onboard range extender, that one is scheduled to drop sometime in Q1 2026.
Ram originally announced that it would sell an electric pickup truck all the way back in the summer of 2021, with a projected launch date of 2024. A very production-ready Ram 1500 Revolution Concept was unveiled early 2023, but the vehicle was still MIA from showrooms by late 2024. The company then pushed the on-sale date to 2026. Then it said 2027.
Now, it’s no longer happening.
Here’s the key part of the statement:
As demand for full-size battery-electric trucks slows in North America, Stellantis is reassessing its product strategy and will discontinue development of a full-size BEV pickup. As part of this, Ram is renaming its REEV-powered pickup to Ram 1500 REV (formerly Ramcharger). This vehicle will set a new benchmark in the half-ton segment, offering exceptional range, towing capability and payload performance.
Stellantis, the auto conglomerate that consists of Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram, Fiat, and Alfa Romeo, has had a particularly rough go at the whole EV thing. The new Dodge Charger Daytona EV simply isn’t selling, is generally disliked by reviewers, and has already seen some deep, deep discounts. Production on the Fiat 500e, meanwhile, was paused for several months over the winter.
Granted, the Great EV Cooling is hardly a Stellantis-exclusive issue. Yes, EV sales exploded in August, but mostly due to the fact that the federal tax credit is going away on September 30, and interested shoppers are getting in while it’s still around.
Automakers left and right are slowing down production. In late August, General Motors announced that it would cut two shifts for a month at its Factory Zero plant in Detroit-Hamtrack, where it produces the GMC Hummer EV and Cadillac Escalade IQ. This week, it announced plans to scale back production on the Cadillac Lyriq, Vistiq, and Chevy Bolt EVs.
Hopefully, this means that the newly christened RAM REV will be debuting sooner rather than later.
Topshot: Ram Concept
My Dad was born in Hamtrack….I mean Hamtramck. 🙂
Now I’m envisioning pig races in my head.
Anywho, in this market, an EREV anything probably makes more business sense. Most customers are dodging BEV trucks anyway.
Yay! Gasoline forever!
Why can’t a manufacturer just put an electric drivetrain into their existing truck line? Why does every company have to make their electric vehicles look so gaudy? Lighting bolts all over, “electric” decals, led lights all over the front and back, goofy body lines, etc. Then they wonder why their all new EV truck loses money.
Ford showed they know how to do it right with the F150 Powerboost, which you wouldn’t know is a hybrid unless you know what the subtle Powerboost badge means, but then the Lightning has the gaudy cybertruck-esque lightbar
They put a lot of jewelry on their products probably because they want the customer to be wowed by it to partially justify the sheer cost of them. Electrics are still very expensive relative to ICE, and if the electric was common to ICE in every other way the customer would see it and hate it (likely). Same reason why performance versions get different badges and trim package, just on a bigger scale.
This is probably the lone good idea Stellantis has had in I don’t know how long. BEV trucks still seem to have too many negative tradeoffs to effectively replace ICE pickups. Hybrid trucks like the REV really seem to have potential to take the best of both options with none of the functional tradeoffs.
Dear Ram: please replace the bodywork on your current pickups with the bodywork of the electric Ram pickup. It is mature and handsome, and will reset the trend of the ever bigger and pissed off vibe that current pickups radiate.
Agreed, it’s one of the better looking and simple looking trucks in years.