Stellantis: Plug-In Hybrids for Plug-in Gasoline and Electric Vehicles, and a Response to Tavares
While Tavares has, repeatedly, expressed skepticism that fully electric vehicles are the best way to address the global climate crisis — arguing that more affordable hybrid vehicles would be better — he has also said that Stellantis will compete in electric propulsion since that is what current regulations in major markets demand.
Electric motors can be good for towing heavy loads but it can take a long time to drive so it’s best to keep your distance. An electric truck with a lot of range can be an especially good thing. A (presumably less expensive) version of the Ram REV will also be offed with a range of up to 350 miles, according to Stellantis.
The Ram REV is capable of towing as much as $14,000 pounds, matching the claims made by the Cybertruck. GM’s trucks will be able to pull a 10,000-pound trailer and Ford’s truck can pull a similar amount. The 20,000 pound version of the GM will be available later on.
While acceleration is not ordinarily considered a key selling point for a pickup, Stellantis said the Ram REV will be able to go from zero to 60 miles an hour in about 4.4 seconds. That’s similar to what GM claims for its trucks. The car and Driver tested a high-end version of the F-150 with a EPA rating of 60 miles an hour in a little under four seconds. Tesla claims its Cybertruck will be able go from zero to 60 miles an hour in under three seconds.
In the future, another version of the truck will have a gasoline engine that can be used to replenish the truck’s batteries as it drives. The truck is called a plug-in hybrid and is meant to be used by customers who are not ready to trust a fully electric truck.
Ram 1500 Rev: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: a New Look at a Heavy-Ion Collider
I enjoy racing. I love competition,” said Tavares, who is an amateur racing driver, at a recent event. I am fine with competing if you have a regulation that defines the frame of the competition.
For better or worse, Americans love big trucks. Big tires, big grilles, big payloads — all things that sell extremely well, despite their big (re: negative) impact on the environment and road safety. Electric trucks were going to be big too.
“Range anxiety” is often defined as a nebulous dread some customers may have that an electric vehicle may not be able to handle all the driving they want to do before running out of power. And it’s often held up as a barrier to widespread EV adoption. More people would buy EVs if they had more confidence in charging infrastructure and the range of the vehicle.
But Ram has been struggling for years to move out of third place in truck sales, lagging behind Ford and Chevy. The automaker sold over 468,000 trucks in 2022, a 17 percent slide compared to the previous year. Ram can challenge its competitors with an electric truck that can match or surpass them in a head-to-head contest, if they want to get back in the game.
Ram also has the biggest front trunk with 15 square feet of storage space. That’s more frunk than the F-150 Hummer EV has a 9 Cu-ft and the Chevy Silverado EV has a 14.1 Cu-ft.
In the event of a power outage the Ram 1500 Rev will have enough battery capacity to charge another EV or a whole house. It is possible to sell energy back to the grid. The onboard power panels in the truck’s bed can provide a maximum of up to 7.2 kW of energy, while another panel in the rear can give 3.6 kW.
Ram is introducing a new trim level with the 1500 REV called Tungsten, which the company claims “sits atop the lineup and raises the no-compromise benchmark again for upscale pickup trucks.” Those who opt for the ultra-premium trim will enjoy a 23-speaker audio system supplied by Klipsch. No prices announced yet, but don’t be surprised if it extends well beyond six figures.
There are a variety of third-party apps that the Ram 1500 REV can be used with, and it will run on the Uconnect 5 operating system which supports wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The new truck will have a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, 14.5-inch portrait-style central display, and a new 10.25-inch passenger screen.
Trucks, of course, are insanely popular right now. The Big Three automakers only sell light-duty trucks, a category that also includes SUVs and crossovers.