The long-range version of the Ram 1500 REV, the commercial vehicle brand’s rival for the Ford F-150 Lightning, has reportedly been shelved.
Mopar Insiders reports the long-range version of the full-sized US pickup, which was set to use an enormous 229kWh battery pack and offer up to 804km (500 miles) of range, has been cancelled.
“As Stellantis continues to focus on the launch of the Ram 1500 Ramcharger and Ram 1500 REV (BEV L), the Company has made the decision to cancel the Light Duty Ram 1500 DT BEV XL (long range variant),” the company said in an email to suppliers shared by the publication.
That’ll leave the REV with just a standard-range version, using a still-large 168kWh battery and offering an estimated range of 563km (350 miles).
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Ram 1500 REV
Ram has previously confirmed the 1500 REV will employ a pair of 250kW electric motors, for total outputs of 488kW and 841Nm.
While the standard-range 1500 REV will beat the F-150 Lightning in range – Ford’s EV pickup has up to 510km of range, on the stricter EPA test cycle – it falls short of other rivals.
GM estimates its Chevrolet Silverado EV and GMC Sierra EV have up to 740km of range, while the smaller Tesla Cybertruck currently tops out at 523km of range on the EPA cycle. A ‘range extender’ option, entering production mid-year, will bump range up to 716km.
“This decision was related to the recent move that created an opportunity to lead with Ramcharger technology,” a spokesperson subsequently told Mopar Insiders.
Ram parent Stellantis recently confirmed the 1500 REV will launch in 2026; upon its reveal in February 2023, it had been confirmed for a 2024 launch, and more recently had been slated for a 2025 launch.
Ram 1500 Ramcharger
The commercial vehicle brand is shifting focus to the Ramcharger, a range-extender electric vehicle (EREV) that has no direct competition, and which will launch ahead of its electric sibling.
Unlike pure-electric rivals like the F-150 Lightning, Silverado EV and Sierra EV, the Ramcharger features a petrol engine – Stellantis’ venerable 3.6-litre Pentastar petrol V6.
This sends mechanical power to the 130kW onboard generator, which in turn sends power to 250kW front and 238kW rear electric drive modules.
It features a 92kWh battery pack, which helps give it a claimed combined range of up to 1110km. This can be charged at up to 145kW using DC power, while there’s a one-pedal drive mode like in many EVs.
Ram claims total outputs of 487kW, 834Nm, along with a 0-60mph (0-96km/h) acceleration time of 4.0 seconds, a claimed towing capacity of 6350kg and a payload figure of 1190kg.
The Ramcharger, like the REV, rides Stellantis’ new STLA Frame platform which can underpin EREVs, EVs, hybrids, and hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCEVs), as well as traditional combustion-powered vehicles.
Stellantis has been adjusting its EV plans as incoming US President Donald Trump takes office this week, threatening the end of federal incentives for EVs.
Earlier this month, Mopar Insiders reported Stellantis had also emailed suppliers to advise the C6X (CA) program had been “put on hold until further notice”.
The Chrysler Airflow concept may not reach production
This was understood to be an EV for the Chrysler brand, previewed first by the 2022 Airflow concept before it was sent back to the drawing board in 2023. Chrysler’s first EV was set to use the STLA Large platform.
That leaves plans for an expansion of the Chrysler lineup – which currently comprises only the Pacifica/Voyager people mover in the US – in limbo.
Despite this, Dodge’s new electric Charger Daytona is reaching dealers in the US, with Jeep’s Wagoneer S soon to follow.
The new Jeep Recon is entering production this year, with all three of these models using the STLA Large platform – another platform that can support combustion, hybrid and electric power.
While then-Ram CEO Mike Koval Jr said at the 2023 New York motor show the Ram REV would be sold in Australia, former Jeep CEO Christian Meunier told CarExpert in September 2022 that both the Wagoneer S and Recon “are secured for Australia”, where the pint-sized Avenger arrived as Jeep’ s first EV late last year.
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