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
Not a surprise, that’s for sure.
I saw the Charger EV in the wild for the first time today. Or anywhere other than the Internet for that matter. It was weird listening to manufacturer ICE exhaust as it accelerated up a hill away from. It did sound pretty authentic though.
Stellantis seems completely rudderless right now. Who’d have thought that chasing short-term profit to juice your stock during the pandemic—at the expense of R&D or any real sense of direction—would come back to bite them in the ass?
I expect more of the same to come.
If they can do this, and price it at a discount compared to a Lightning or Silverado EV, it could generate quite a few sales for them. Last time they talked on this, they were wrestling back & forth with pricing it cheap, because it’s cheaper to build than a full EV, or expensive, because it gives you more options than an EV. Hoping they go with the former, but assuming they’ll probably do the latter.
While I agree, and wish they had done it, there is an argument that just pricing it under would not have had a huge effect.
I bought my Silverado EV last month for over $20K under list.
I can’t wait for the RAM steam engine truck. I don’t need this sissy gas bullshit/liberal propaganda. If I can’t run my truck by feeding it straight goal I don’t want it. I deserve the FREEDOM TO CHOOSE my fuel and I want STEAM PROPULSION like a REAL MAN
Wankers and their horseless carriages.
Coalfired or GTFO
Its probably for the best. The full size bev pickups aren’t exactly flying off the lots. They are too expensive for most people or fleets to consider unless there some requirement or optics to warrant the cost. Unfortunately the erev will probably have similar issues with cost. Though there probably is a bigger market. They really need something to take on the Maverick and all the little Bev trucks coming on the market. The ram 700 always looked promising but they refuse to bring it in. The Dakota sold decently too. Apparently munro told ram to bring in the 700 and they didn’t listen.
Ramcharger was the best thing about the truck, I hope they reconsider cancelling the name.
As a new Silverado EV (4WT) owner, I’m a bit disappointed. The original Ram Revolution concept was an innovative (but not stupid crazy a la Cybertruck) full size truck EV that would’ve mattered. But everything after that was just proof they weren’t committed. It didn’t have to have all of those features to be a winner, but having several of them would’ve been impressive. https://www.ram.com/cr/revolution/concept.html
The ven diagram of Ram buyers and EV people approaches zero. So this makes sense for the brand.
A PHEV probably can make sense if they get the duty cycle right and it drive does significant fuel/maintenance savings for fleets. But this is FCA/Stellantis we’re talking about so my hopes for reliability are non existent.
Yea that’s probably a good idea, a better idea would have to released the PHEV version years ago.
I agree. I also wonder if we were in the alternate timeline of not having elected a fossil-fuel loving president and had Musk go all MAGA, if that would’ve made some difference. I suspect it would have. It might not have saved this truck, but maybe.
If they had, they probably would have had my dollars. We were not buying a first year Stellantis product especially one with new technology (for them). We bought an F150 hybrid instead of waiting. On paper, the Ram PHEV is pretty much our ideal truck.
Too bad, they would have sold hundreds of them
So, more than the Charger EV?
Well, you have the whole pickup vs hatchback thing going for it, at least
Probably smart. Market is small, and pretty competitive. I do hope the EREV/PHEV is well done, I’d like to see that model work and spread to other, better, brands.
Anyone else think Stellantis would be more successful saving tens of millions of dollars and not hire a new CEO from the failed CEO septic tank and just leave it up to a magic 8 ball? I don’t think they could do any worse.
Ask again later
My sources say yes
Is anyone here surprised at all?
*Crickets*
It’s shocking, I tell ya.
<shocked Pikachu face>