EV NEWS: Ram Revolution BEV pickup truck concept

[rmc523]

On 1/6/2023 at 9:12 AM, rmc523 said:

It’s hard for me to read much into this concept because so much of it is just that - concept stuff, so it’s hard for me to interpret how good it’ll actually be because it seems like most of the features show will be stripped off for a production model.

 

Yikes, looks like I was more right than even I thought I'd be.

 

What we wound up getting was just the current model with a new front clip, taillights/tailgate, and a slightly different interior screen.  So much for the hype of the concept.

 

 

 

I couldn't hear the ad (for some reason the group I was with had music playing the entire time - commercials and game), but I remember seeing it and being like.....wait, THAT"S it?   The REV they were touting as some revolutionary product - is just like the Lightning and a slightly reworked version of the current model?

 

Maybe their next-gen will be more like the concept?  Like why tout the unique features of your concept and then just weeks later, show off a vehicle that has literally none of those features?

Edited February 13, 2023 by rmc523

[rperez817]

Despite the disappointment from some that Ram 1500 REV production model lacks many of the features shown in the concept model, prospective customers have been extremely eager to sign up for the "Ram Revolution Insiders+" reservation program. Reservations sold out in only 1 week.

 

[tbone]

On 2/13/2023 at 11:45 AM, rmc523 said:

 

Yikes, looks like I was more right than even I thought I'd be.

 

What we wound up getting was just the current model with a new front clip, taillights/tailgate, and a slightly different interior screen.  So much for the hype of the concept.

 

 

 

I couldn't hear the ad (for some reason the group I was with had music playing the entire time - commercials and game), but I remember seeing it and being like.....wait, THAT"S it?   The REV they were touting as some revolutionary product - is just like the Lightning and a slightly reworked version of the current model?

 

Maybe their next-gen will be more like the concept?  Like why tout the unique features of your concept and then just weeks later, show off a vehicle that has literally none of those features?

I do like this a lot better than GMs Avalanche rehash though. 

[akirby]

I think it looks great.  No need for gee whiz looks or features just because it’s a BEV.

[fuzzymoomoo]

38 minutes ago, akirby said:

I think it looks great.  No need for gee whiz looks or features just because it’s a BEV.

It doesn’t look terrible, and I’ve yet to see anyone who really hates it. The biggest complaint is just it doesn’t look anything like the concept they made such a big deal about. 

[rperez817]

1 hour ago, akirby said:

I think it looks great.  No need for gee whiz looks or features just because it’s a BEV.

 

1 hour ago, fuzzymoomoo said:

It doesn’t look terrible, and I’ve yet to see anyone who really hates it. 

 

Motor Trend agrees. They compared reservation stats for Silverado EV and F-150 Lightning and found that the more conventional F-150 Lightning is more appealing to potential customers. Motor Trend suggests that Ram 1500 REV is essentially copying F-150 Lightning's successful formula and that the rapid sell out of reservations for Ram 1500 REV is evidence of that.

 

In our last check on its reservation numbers, the Silverado was at 140,000 pre-orders in April of 2022—four months after its books opened—and they are still open for Chevrolet's all-electric pickup right now, nearly closing in on a year later. When Ford opened its reservations in May of 2021 for the F-150 Lightning, it immediately had 44,500 orders within 48 hours and its books closed in December 2021 with 200,000 reservations. Now, we can add the conventional looking Ram 1500 Rev to this list and see that maybe most pickup buyers really only want what they recognize.

[akirby]

Please stop with all the reservation comments.  They’re pretty meaningless.

[rmc523]

4 hours ago, akirby said:

I think it looks great.  No need for gee whiz looks or features just because it’s a BEV.

 

4 hours ago, fuzzymoomoo said:

It doesn’t look terrible, and I’ve yet to see anyone who really hates it. The biggest complaint is just it doesn’t look anything like the concept they made such a big deal about. 

 

Fuzzy sums it up best - it looks good, it's just nothing like the concept they showed off to be the future of the brand/coming product.  And just weeks after showing the futuristic concept all we get is a lightly reskinned current model with identical interior.  I fully expected it to be watered down from the concept, but not to the level of reskinning the current truck.

[akirby]

33 minutes ago, rmc523 said:

 

 

Fuzzy sums it up best - it looks good, it's just nothing like the concept they showed off to be the future of the brand/coming product.  And just weeks after showing the futuristic concept all we get is a lightly reskinned current model with identical interior.  I fully expected it to be watered down from the concept, but not to the level of reskinning the current truck.

I agree except I look at the concept as the problem not the production version.  It’s pretty stupid to advertise the concept like that knowing the watered down but still excellent production version was due to be revealed a month later.

[rmc523]

On 2/21/2023 at 2:37 PM, akirby said:

I agree except I look at the concept as the problem not the production version.  It’s pretty stupid to advertise the concept like that knowing the watered down but still excellent production version was due to be revealed a month later.

 

Yup, agreed.  They set themselves up for disappointment.

Edited February 23, 2023 by rmc523

[T-dubz]

Range is pretty good. Two battery options, first with 350 miles and the second with 500. If this is true, that’s pretty impressive. The lightning has a range of  230-320 miles depending on configuration. Silverado EV will have up to 400 miles.

 

Bunch of other details in the article too

 

https://www.motor1.com/news/660742/2025-ram-1500-rev-range-and-specs/

[LSchicago]

On 2/13/2023 at 11:45 AM, rmc523 said:

 

Yikes, looks like I was more right than even I thought I'd be.

 

What we wound up getting was just the current model with a new front clip, taillights/tailgate, and a slightly different interior screen.  So much for the hype of the concept.

 

 

 

I couldn't hear the ad (for some reason the group I was with had music playing the entire time - commercials and game), but I remember seeing it and being like.....wait, THAT"S it?   The REV they were touting as some revolutionary product - is just like the Lightning and a slightly reworked version of the current model?

 

Maybe their next-gen will be more like the concept?  Like why tout the unique features of your concept and then just weeks later, show off a vehicle that has literally none of those features?

We all knew it would be dumbed down for production, but this is really nice. And great power and range. Your move Ford......

[silvrsvt]

I hate to see how much the long range battery goes for and how much it impacts towing and carrying capacity 

[T-dubz]

2 hours ago, silvrsvt said:

I hate to see how much the long range battery goes for and how much it impacts towing and carrying capacity 

I hate to see how long it takes to charge it. They also mentioned an even longer range battery in the article but have no details about it.

[rperez817]

8 hours ago, T-dubz said:

Range is pretty good. Two battery options, first with 350 miles and the second with 500. If this is true, that’s pretty impressive. The lightning has a range of  230-320 miles depending on configuration. Silverado EV will have up to 400 miles.

 

Bunch of other details in the article too

 

https://www.motor1.com/news/660742/2025-ram-1500-rev-range-and-specs/

 

Thanks T-dubz. Here is the official press release for 2025 Ram 1500 REV. Stellantis Media - All-new, All-electric 2025 Ram 1500 REV Unveiled at New York International Auto Show With Targeted Range of Up to an Unsurpassed 500 Miles (stellantisnorthamerica.com)

 

Highlights.

• Five trims, including Tradesman, Big Horn/Lone Star, Laramie, Limited and, introducing an all-new trim, Tungsten.
• 654 horsepower and 620 lb.-ft. of torque
• 0-60 mph time of 4.4 seconds
• 14,000 pounds towing
• Payload capacity of 2,700 pounds
• Standard 168-kilowatt-hour (kWh) battery pack with a targeted range of up to 350 miles
• Optional 229-kWh large battery pack with a targeted range of up to an unsurpassed 500 miles
• Both can add up to 110 miles of range in approximately 10 minutes
• Vehicle-to-vehicle, vehicle-to-home and vehicle-to-grid bi-directional charging: onboard power panel in the bed can provide up to 7.2 kW while an available onboard power panel in the front trunk (frunk) provides up to 3.6 kW

[rperez817]

Motor Trend editorial affirming Stellantis' decision to make 2025 Ram REV "normal". The 2025 Ram 1500 REV Looks Normal. Here’s Why That’s Smart. (motortrend.com)

 

It's too early to say whether the relatively normal-looking 2025 Ram 1500 REV's sales will ultimately be affected by the departure from its wild conceptual form, but it's still disappointing we won't get the cool, B-pillarless doors or the third-row jump seats. But after checking out the new Ram REV in person recently at the 2023 New York International Auto Show, forgoing some of the fanciest features makes sense. This decision is clearly Ram gambling on the idea that a normal electric pickup is a safer bet with current buyer trends than an unconventional one.

The production version we'll wind up getting keeps the concept's front fascia and rear tailgate designs, but everything else is pretty toned down. In short, it's recognizably a Ram 1500 that happens to be electric. This isn't a new or groundbreaking approach, but it's one that's proven to have worked. All you have to do is look at Ford.

When it launched, interest in the F-150 Lightning was so great Ford racked up 44,500 orders within 48 hours of books opening; the order bank closed in December 2021 with 200,000 reservations. (Orders are still closed as of this writing, but that likely has to do with supply chain issues, as well.) Conversely, the Chevy Avalanche-like Silverado EV, which has a more unconventional design and an admittedly cool midgate, only managed 140,000 reservations in its first four months, and Chevy's still taking reservations.

As for the Ram REV? Reservations sold out a week after the production version reveal in February, and they only opened up again at the beginning of April. This would seem to indicate some pretty healthy public interest, even if Ram is keeping the exact numbers a secret for now. People vote with their wallets, after all.

So while we mourn the loss of what could have been, at least in the near-term, the normalized 1500 REV makes perfect sense from a "we actually want people to buy this truck" perspective. Of course, how the truck drives or performs remains to be seen. We'll see how Ram's gamble pays off in the coming months.

[tbone]

2 hours ago, rperez817 said:

Motor Trend editorial affirming Stellantis' decision to make 2025 Ram REV "normal". The 2025 Ram 1500 REV Looks Normal. Here’s Why That’s Smart. (motortrend.com)

 

 

 

It’s a good strategy if your goal is to get the typical American truck buyer to buy into electric trucks.  To start with a perceived polarizing vehicle risks alienating the largest segment of buyers that you are trying to convert, who are likely going to gravitate to the traditional truck looks.