Ram Aims to Start a Revolution at CES

by Tim Healey

Published: January 5th, 2023

The Ram Revolution Concept is here. Ram took the wraps off its competitor to the Ford F-150 Lightning and Chevrolet Silverado EV at the 2023 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas today.

The truck also debuts Ram's new grille, which has animated badging and an animated LED "tuning fork" headling design. Out back, the rear lighting is also LED. The doors open saloon style and there's no B pillar, and a new interior features a removable center console space that has a fold-flat surface.

Ram has also given the truck what it claims is an industry first -- third-row jump seats.

The truck has a powered midgate with mounted jump seats and a removable lower section. This sets up various seating configurations and a pass-through into the front trunk that allows users to stow objects that are up to 18 feet (yes, feet, I had to check that twice) long.

The body-on-frame Revolution has underbody panels and an active diffuser. Two electric drive modules allow for all-wheel drive. Ram is promising that 100 miles of range can be added in 10 minutes with 800-volt DC fast charging at up to 350 kW.

There's more -- the Revolution has four-wheel steering with up to 15 degrees of articulation.

If the concept intrigues you, the production model will be launched in 2024. We'll note here that Ford has been selling the Lightning since this year, and the Chevy is projected to go on sale next year. You can even buy a Rivian right now. So Ram has some catching up to do.

Of course, the company claims this is just the first truck in a lineup that will be electrified over time.

"The Ram 1500 Revolution BEV Concept is our clearest signal yet that we’re on the precipice of something extraordinary at Ram and points directly to where we’re going on our electrified journey,” said Mike Koval Jr., Ram brand CEO – Stellantis, in a statement. "At Ram, we’ve redefined what pickup trucks can be and will do so again by pushing past what competitors are offering by delivering the best electric pickups on the market."

"The Ram Revolution represents several important things to the Ram brand," Koval said. "Of course, it’s our new Ram 1500 Revolution BEV Concept that serves as a roadmap to our electrified future. Yet Ram Revolution is also our philosophy as we redefine the pickup segment, with a steady drumbeat of announcements and initiatives as we embark on our electrified journey."

Other features we haven't already mentioned include a Ram box, a multi-function tailgate, a skid plate, and tow hooks that can sit flush.

The front trunk/frunk will have one-touch power operation; and the charge-port door, tailgate, flush-mounted door handles, side steps, and rear step with an active diffuser will all be powered.

The side-view mirrors will be smaller and lighter, thanks in part to 3D-printed parts and the use of a digital camera.

Ram has given this truck other tricks, such as a self-leveling ride and light-up center caps for the 24-inch wheels (the fenders can handle up to 35s). The cabin gains four inches of space over the current production truck, though the bed length remains the same.

Ram promises that the interior will not only offer different seating configurations but will also have plenty of sustainable materials, such as cork in the floor. The seats can fold flat.

A 28-inch dual-screen infotainment system is the dashboard's centerpiece, and the lower screen is removable. There's a 360-degree camera, a rearview-mirror camera, and the head-up display has augmented reality.

The steering wheel adds to the trickery -- it's flat-bottomed and flat-topped and it's collapsible. It also offers capacitive touch and digital screens, and some of the interior controls can be adjusted just by swiping.

But wait, there's more! This truck has an artificial intelligence virtual assistant, a "shadow mode" that lets it follow a walking person at slow speeds (mostly so you can move the truck a few feet without getting back in), the ability to sync with drivers' schedules to optimize trips, and a "cabin mode" control that lets drivers set things up for how they're using the truck at any given moment at the press of a button. So, for example, if the driver is pulled over and wants to nap, he or she could select Relax Mode and the windows could darken so he or she could doze off.

There's still more: An app can help users figure out of items they want to haul will fit in the truck and how best to store said items. The truck has a projector feature that, yes, can be used to show movies. You can adjust your smart home via the infotainment. Finally, the truck has Level 3 autonomous driving, and the steering wheel can collapse to give you more space when that is engaged.

That's a lot -- Ram is clearly taking aim at the Lightning and its plethora of neat features for work and play. We'll see how many make it to production -- and if any of these features can, and will, be available on ICE trucks.

We're also curious to hear more about battery/range specs.

Let the electric full-size truck wars continue.

[Images: Ram]

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Tim Healey

Tim Healey grew up around the auto-parts business and has always had a love for cars — his parents joke his first word was “‘Vette”. Despite this, he wanted to pursue a career in sports writing but he ended up falling semi-accidentally into the automotive-journalism industry, first at Consumer Guide Automotive and later at Web2Carz.com. He also worked as an industry analyst at Mintel Group and freelanced for About.com, CarFax, Vehix.com, High Gear Media, Torque News, FutureCar.com, Cars.com, among others, and of course Vertical Scope sites such as AutoGuide.com, Off-Road.com, and HybridCars.com. He’s an urbanite and as such, doesn’t need a daily driver, but if he had one, it would be compact, sporty, and have a manual transmission.

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3 of 28 comments

Calrson Fan on Jan 06, 2023

Good looking truck, too bad with current battery tech. EV pick-ups, if you actually use them like a truck, make about as much sense as a screen door on a submarine.

1 Reply
- VoGhost on Jan 07, 2023
  
  Is this a relevant criticism? What % of ICE pickups haul 10K boats uphill both ways for 400+ miles in the freezing cold on a daily basis? Or ever? I get that many buyers look for capability they'll never use, but those same buyers may actually use the capabilities that EV pickups provide which ICE fails at.
  
  Like
Zipper69 on Feb 11, 2023

Let's see bleed over of the styling onto the ICE range, those looks and even some of the novel items would be VERY popular with buyers, after succeeding years of Ford and Chevrolet creating blunt fronted and plug ugly trucks.

1 Reply

Recent Comments

Oberkanone How long do I have to stay in this job before I get a golden parachute?I'd lower the price of the V-Series models. Improve the quality of interiors across the entire line. I'd add a sedan larger then CT5. I'd require a financial review of Celestiq. If it's not a profit center it's gone. Styling updates in the vision of the XLR to existing models. 2+2 sports coupe woutd be added. Performance in the class of AMG GT and Porsche 911 at a price just under $100k. EV models would NOT be subsidized by ICE revenue.
NJRide Let Cadillac be Cadillac, but in the context of 2024. As a new XT5 owner (the Emerald Green got me to buy an old design) I would have happy preferred a Lyriq hybrid. Some who really like the Lyriq's package but don't want an EV will buy another model. Most will go elsewhere. I love the V6 and good but easy to use infotainment. But I know my next car will probably be more electrified w more tech.I don't think anyone is confusing my car for a Blazer but i agree the XT6 is too derivative. Frankly the Enclave looks more prestigious. The Escalade still has got it, though I would love to see the ESV make a comeback. I still think GM missed the boat by not making a Colorado based mini-Blazer and Escalade. I don't get the 2 sedans. I feel a slightly larger and more distinctly Cadillac sedan would sell better. They also need to advertise beyond the Lyriq. I don't feel other luxury players are exactly hitting it out of the park right now so a strengthened Cadillac could regain share.
CM Korecko Cadillacs traditionally have been opulent, brash and leaders in the field; the "Standard of the World".That said, here's how to fix the brand:[list=1][*]Forget German luxury cars ever existed.[/*][*]Get rid of the astromech droid names and bring back Seville, Deville, Eldorado, Fleetwood and Brougham.[/*][*]End the electric crap altogether and make huge, gas guzzling land yachts for the significant portion of the population that would fight for a chance to buy one.[/*][*]Stop making sports cars and make true luxury cars for those of us who don't give a damn about the environment and are willing to swim upstream to get what we really want.[/*][*]Stop messing around with technology and make well-made and luxurious interiors.[/*][*]Watch sales skyrocket as a truly different product distinguishes itself to the delight of the target market and the damnation of the Sierra Club. Hell, there is no such thing as bad publicity and the "bad guy" image would actually have a lot of appeal.[/*][/list=1]
FreedMike Not surprisingly, I have some ideas. What Cadillac needs, I think, is a statement. They don’t really have an identity. They’re trying a statement car with the Celestiq, and while that’s the right idea, it has the wrong styling and a really wrong price tag. So, here’s a first step: instead of a sedan, do a huge, fast, capable and ridiculously smooth and quiet electric touring coupe. If you want an example of what I’m thinking of, check out the magnificent Rolls-Royce Spectre. But this Cadillac coupe would be uniquely American, it’d be named “Eldorado,” and it’d be a lot cheaper than the $450,000 Spectre – call it a buck twenty-five, with a range of bespoke options for prospective buyers that would make each one somewhat unique. Make it 220 inches long, on the same platform as the Celestiq, give it retro ‘60s styling (or you could do a ‘50s or ‘70s throwback, I suppose), and at least 700 horsepower, standard. Why electric? It’s the ultimate throwback to ‘60s powertrains: effortlessly fast, smooth, and quiet, but with a ton more horsepower. It’s the perfect drivetrain for a dignified touring coupe. In fact, I’d skip any mention of environmental responsibility in this car’s marketing – sell it on how it drives, period.  How many would they sell? Not many. But the point of the exercise is to do something that will turn heads and show people what this brand can do.  Second step: give the lineup a mix of electric and gas models, and make Cadillac gas engines bespoke to the brand. If they need to use generic GM engine designs, fine – take those engines and massage them thoroughly into something special to Cadillac, with specific tuning and output. No Cadillac should leave the factory with an engine straight out of a Malibu or a four-banger Silverado. Third step: a complete line-wide interior redo. Stop the cheapness that’s all over the current sedans and crossovers. Just stop it. Use the Lyriq as a blueprint – it’s a big improvement over the current crop and a good first step. I’d also say Cadillac has a good blend of screen-controlled and switch-controlled user interfaces; don’t give into the haptic-touch and wall-to-wall screen thing. (On the subject of Caddy interiors – as much as I bag on the Celestiq, check out the interior on that thing. Wow.)Fourth step: Blackwing All The Things – some gas, others electric. And keep the electric/gas mix so buyers have a choice.Fifth step: be patient. That’s not easy, but if they’re doing a brand reset, it’ll take time. 
NJRide So if GM was serious about selling this why no updates for so long? Or make something truly unique instead of something that looked like a downmarket Altima?