As Ford and GM seem poised to develop a range of full-size electric pickups, Stellantis and its Ram brand are more poised than BEVs as they transition to cleaner trucks.
Ram’s range of abilities became a little clearer last week, around the reveal Concept Ram 1500 Revolution BEV at CES, including an electric light truck with a gasoline-powered range extender and perhaps future hydrogen fuel cell versions of American pickups and heavy-duty trucks. .
As reported on Thursday, Ram CEO Mike Koval stated to Green Car Reports that a Ram EV range-extended version coming soon “will carry all those traits” of Ram Revolution but will also offer what he describes as “top real-world range”.
Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares, in a roundtable interview with journalists including Green Car Reports, shortly after the CES reveal, explained in detail — and stated what it sounds like. is the advantage of the latter.
“I’m taking advantage of not being the first and having the spare time to design my product in a way that will beat those who are already there,” says Tavares.
Carlos Tavares
The global executive said Ram is considering four different factors when designing its electric trucks: payload, towing capacity, charging speed and range. According to Tavares, with a composite index based on those four factors, it beats anything in the market.
“So far that has not existed in the market,” he added, noting that all current entries involve a higher degree of compromise in particular aspects.
Extended range means first power
At some stage, over the past few years, Ram has also hinted that a plug-in hybrid truck is in the works, too. But Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares made it clear in a following roundtable interview that the upcoming plug-in version of the Ram is a range-extending version of the electric truck.
“A range extender is not a plug-in hybrid,” Tavares said in response to a question asking for a bit more clarification about the truck, which was confirmed but not detailed. “A plug-in hybrid is something else.”
Concept Ram 1500 Revolution BEV
The company has yet to reveal anything about the production specs of the electric truck, let alone range-extended versions. Considering the executive statements in context, the possibility of a Ram plug-in hybrid (with a full-size truck engine) seems out of the question at the moment — it’s unclear if Ram plans to offer a towing solution long with smaller range like -Engine stretch.
Of course, that has led to speculation about where Ram’s range extender might be installed. Towards the back of the truck and under the bed are the most likely locations—with space freed up by what could be a much smaller battery pack than the BEV versions.
A range-extending tow rig?
Very few range-extending electric vehicles have hit the market as they face some serious challenges. And an extended-range full-size truck used for even occasional towing seems to work against many of them.
Any such electric truck would need to be able to tow long distances whether in extended range mode or not — requiring a small engine and generator capable of not falling behind. with the power required by a pickup’s electric powertrain.
One of the most notable examples is the BMW i3, powered by a 0.7-litre, 2-cylinder petrol engine under the rear cargo floor—nearly doubling the EV’s range, to 180 miles. from 2017 onwards, with less than 2 gallons of gas. The previous examples encountered an issue where the vehicle didn’t perform well when the plug charger was used up and simply was can’t keep up with long classes at highway speeds.
Gas station staff shocked when pouring 1,507 gallons into the gas tank #BMW CAR #i3 – “No here? Really?” pic.twitter.com/gsafdhZJuT
– Bengt Halvorson (@ben_gt) March 24, 2015
Among the few other examples, Infiniti drops plans for range-extending electric vehicles core of Nissan’s luxury product line. Concerns that the means will not be truly effective in extending the range may be related to that decision.
The Karma Revero or GS-6—formerly the Fisker Karma—still another one of the more practical examples of range-extending EVs. It essentially acts as a series-hybrid system after its plug-in charger is exhausted, relying on the motor to generate enough charge for the propulsion system, with the battery as a buffer.
The Chevrolet Voltfor example, it’s not actually an EV that gets an extended range because it attaches the engine to the drive wheels at highway speeds.
Goals of the STLA platform – Stellantis Tram Day 2021
Ram will use a unique platform for an all-electric and extended range truck—STLA frame—while petrol versions of the Ram will continue to be refined. What sets the STLA Frame apart might be that it was designed from the start to stuff a range extender and fuel tank into the frame, perhaps along with a battery pack.
Pragmatic plug-ins face anti-ICE dogma
Tavares says range-extending electric vans would be an interesting case for pragmatists — allowing them to get into the city center with zero emissions, but giving them considerable range. to get to another city, maybe while dragging or dragging.
“If you’re dogmatic and you say I don’t want fossils (fuel) as the starting point for my decision, then that doesn’t work, because you have an ICE inside,” Tavares said. . “You can if you’re dogmatic then just push it back basically, there’s an ICE, it’s over, I don’t consider that.”
On that pragmatic point, it’s likely that Ram’s truck will still deliver a moderately large battery—large enough to provide that towing capacity, as well as the closer to 50-mile plug-in range that the Commission can provide. California Air Resources is claiming starting in 2026 , as part of ACC II that regulates several other states—including the entire West Coast of the United States—logged in.
Tavares confirmed Stellantis is already producing hydrogen fuel cell trucks in Europe and aims to bring hydrogen fuel cell technology to its heavy-duty trucks in the US. “That is a possibility; technology will be available to our Ram brand—and especially ProMaster,” he said, adding that the final decision will be made by Ram CEO Koval.
