Ram Abandons Its Electric Truck Plans

      Stellantis

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      Approximately three years ago, Ram announced plans for a full-sized electric pickup truck. The latest update, from May, indicated yet another delay pushing its release to 2027. Now, Ram has officially abandoned the project entirely. A press release was issued today confirming that Stellantis' truck brand "will discontinue development of a full-size BEV pickup." What a letdown.

      Here’s the complete statement, as it stands:

      “With the demand for full-size battery-electric trucks decreasing in North America, Stellantis is reevaluating its product strategy and will cease development of a full-size BEV pickup. As part of this, Ram is renaming its REEV-powered pickup to Ram 1500 REV (previously known as Ramcharger). This vehicle will establish a new standard in the half-ton segment, providing outstanding range, towing capacity, and payload performance.”

      It’s somewhat unclear, but to clarify: The Ram REV was intended to be a full-battery electric vehicle, while the Ramcharger was meant to be a range-extended electric pickup. Now that the previous REV is off the table, there won’t be a fully electric Ram, but the Ram REV name will now be assigned to the truck featuring a V6 range extender that is still in development, while the "Ramcharger" name goes back to Stellantis’ unused intellectual property.

      This is the 2026 Ram REV, which is not a BEV, but an EV equipped with a V6 gasoline range extender. Stellantis

      I suspect that the rapidly diminishing EV incentives caused some panic among Ram’s product planners, leading to this situation.

      So, as mentioned, the range-extended electric Ram truck will now be called Ram REV instead of Ramcharger. It still presents an impressive configuration, with a 92 kWh battery pack and a built-in 130 kW generator, featuring 250 kW (front) and 248 kW (rear) electric drive modules, in addition to solid towing (14,000 pounds) and payload (2,625 pounds) target numbers. Its V6 gas range extender should provide more practicality for many people in the near term, at least.

      Nonetheless, it’s disheartening to witness a much-anticipated project be permanently shelved. From my perspective, this decision reflects poorly on Stellantis' vision. While V8s are experiencing a resurgence as environmental regulations are loosened, I still believe that battery EVs have a more promising future than Hemis.

      I’m curious if the Jeep Recon will still make it to production at this stage.

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