Ram had made the same decision months earlier, but they canceled the all-electric Ram pickup well before the first one rolled off the assembly line. A marketable, all-electric full-size Ram pickup was never produced.
Exec reveals sales trends for pickup powertrains from Ram, GM and Ford
One brand sells about 80% of its full-size pickups with V8 engines, while the others are much lower and rely on a broader mix of six-cylinder engines.
Ram and Ford are racing to be first
The 2026 Ram 1500 REVusing a 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 to power a 92-kWh battery is expected in showrooms this year and will be the first of its kind in the U.S. market, if Stellantis can find space for it on the assembly line at its Sterling Heights, Michigan, plant, Ram CEO Tim Kuniskis said. Top speed on the sidelines of the Detroit Auto Show, which runs through January 25.
There’s not much time to waste if Ram really wants to be first, as Ford could have its expanded F-150 ready as early as the end of this year, as a 2027 model year.
Find 2026 Ram1500 and more cars for sale on our Marketplace
All EV shortcomings have been resolved
It’s easy to see why the concept of an all-electric pickup essentially failed, despite its massive torque and near-silent operation. General Motors, Ford and Tesla have seen disappointing sales for their offerings in recent years, as owners complained about reduced range in cold weather and while towing, on top of insufficient public charging stations and the extra cost for a vehicle with such a large battery.
But Kuniskis believes the upcoming Ram REV addresses all the shortcomings that so many EV truck drivers couldn’t accept.
Won’t a 92 kWh battery be expensive?
“Now I’m going to get some traction from customers saying, ‘Hey, this gives me all the cool stuff of electrification and none of the downside,’” Kuniskis says. That means you no longer have to worry about cold weather, charging or range, because the Pentastar V6 can provide all the power needed to keep the truck moving, he says.
But how much demand will there be in the market for a truck that can support the weight and cost of a high-voltage battery nearly as large as the 98 kWh powerplant in the standard-series F-150 Lightning?
Must connect for maximum benefit
Although battery costs are falling, Stellantis will likely pay $10,000 or more for each 92 kWh battery that fits in the Ram 1500 REV, making it a challenge for the automaker to keep the sticker price low and still at least break even.
But the only way customers will regularly see the REV’s full advertised range of 700 miles is by plugging it in regularly to achieve the estimated 150-mile all-electric range, without the help of the built-in Pentastar V6. Also, without plugging in, power will fall well below the advertised 647 horsepower, but 615 pound-feet of torque are expected to remain unchanged.
Why buy a PHEV and not plug it in?
So this brings us back to the question that has dogged the market for plug-in hybrids (technically similar to an extended-range EV) since they came onto the market over a decade ago: will people plug them in?
General Motors CEO Mary Barra told reporters last week that the problem with PHEVs (or extended-range EVs) stems from consistent research showing that people who buy them don’t plug them in, regardless of the higher sticker price.
Level 2 charger is best for REV 1500
Additionally, because a plug-in hybrid has a smaller battery and is designed to extend the range by about 50 miles, it can usually be fully charged overnight when plugged into a standard 120-volt outlet. A 240-volt Level 2 charger is not necessary unless you want to charge your plug-in hybrid faster.
But the Ram REV’s 92 kWh battery is huge compared to the batteries in today’s PHEVs. A Level 2 charger would be most useful for the Ram REV, as a standard wall outlet would likely not be able to produce enough energy to top off the battery overnight.
‘They will plug them in’
Considering all this, Kuniskis still sounds optimistic about the Ram REV’s prospects. “If you force the technology and offer a higher mix of pickups with longer range than will be the customer appeal, customers will never plug them in,” he says.
“If you let the market decide and free demand takes over, those are customers who are looking for that (plug-in) technology. They will plug it in… The only thing that has worked in this industry, for over 100 years, is the customer appetite. If you try to force something on them, yes, they won’t buy it, or they won’t plug it in.”
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Rated to tow 14,000 pounds
Stellantis should hold consumer clinics to find out how much they’re willing to pay for an extended-range Ram pickup, how often they plan to plug in and how often they expect to tow something big. The REV can tow an impressive 14,000 pounds.
Answers to these questions could determine the viability of the business case for the Ram 1500 REV. We should hear more about pricing and the timeline for ordering in the coming months.
Source: Stellantis
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