Ram may not be the automaker’s only star, but its electric truck was the biggest for Stellantis at CES last week. The Revolution concept commanded the stage with an aesthetic that designers consider both brutish and beautiful.
Ram CEO Mike Koval, who introduced the 1500 Revolution, said the concept’s design sets the tone for the next generation of Ram products.
Flush with technology, it includes an artificial intelligence-powered personal assistant, a “shadow mode” where the truck follows the driver using sensors and cameras and smart home control. It has an intelligent storage app that Ram said can help users measure objects to determine whether they can be transported with the vehicle.
Koval said a production-ready version will be revealed within a couple of months, with plans to bring the electric truck to market in 2024.
Sam Fiorani, vice president of global vehicle forecasting at AutoForecast Solutions, said Ram’s electric pickup could be worth the wait if it comes close to the concept.
“Taking the best ideas on the market and improving them, Ram gives a glimpse of how owners who actually use their trucks can find new ways to use them to their fullest, inside and out,” he said.
Stellantis is working with solid-state battery company Factorial Energy in a move that could take Ram’s future — and the capabilities of its other brands — to the next level.
The automaker is working toward introducing solid-state batteries slated to deliver safety, cost, weight and performance improvements over lithium ion batteries by 2026. Stellantis invested in Factorial Energy and signed a joint development agreement to advance the technology.
“With Factorial, we are in development of proprietary technology that uses less cobalt,” Tavares said. “The solid-state battery may deliver up to 30 percent higher energy density compared to conventional lithium technology, which will enable an even longer driving range. We are already working on the next generation that will push this to 50 percent, more or less.”
Koval said the increased power density of the solid-state batteries in the Revolution would allow Ram to dedicate more payload capacity to a customer’s needs rather than the vehicle’s.
“Because, after all, nobody wants to brag about how much battery weight their truck can tow,” he said.
