Ram’s new electric concept vehicle is out of this world

Earlier this year, Ram showed us the future with the RAM 1500 Revolution Battery-Electric Vehicle (BEV) concept. It looks a little something like this.

It’s almost out of this world, right? It’s hard not to miss those saloon-style doors and the noticeable absence of a B-pillar too!

It wasn’t long before the production vehicle was announced, along with a quick name change to the Ram 1500 REV. Pre-order reservations opened up for this all-new, all-electric offering. Americans were invited to check it out with this tongue-in-cheek Super Bowl commercial, which addressed many of our concerns about switching completely to EV.

By the way, this is now our official favourite EV vehicle ad of all time. 

What can we expect from the electric 2025 Ram 1500 REV

Judging by the photos, it doesn’t seem that all the features in the BEV Concept vehicle have made it into the Ram 1500 REV.

It appears that Ram has muted down the REV to basically look like the regular Ram 1500. The concept vehicle was pinstriped with enough LEDs to signal an incoming plane. The REV still has the RAM badge up front with the ‘tuning forks’ but it all seems a little less Tron now.

Ram hasn’t said how much the 2025 Ram 1500 REV will cost, what equipment will be standard and what trim levels will be available. They also haven’t let the cat out of the bag regarding payload and tow rating. However, they did promise it would pull more than its EV competitors.

Tech heavy features

It would be pretty awesome if all of the tech-heavy features from the BEV concept Ram found their way over to the Ram 1500 REV. Of interest is the shadow mode. This allows the vehicle to follow the driver walking ahead of the vehicle automatically. One handy feature is the proposed intelligent storage app. Users can scan a barcode or use a built-in AR camera to measure an item and the app will show them how the object can best be fitted in the vehicle. 

A 3D Ram avatar acts as the vehicle’s face and your assistant. And in possibly the most entertaining feature, multiple built-in projectors would allow you to communicate visually. Of course, this extends to having a movie night anytime, anywhere. 

The side mirrors and rear-view mirrors were next level as well. The concept vehicle uses digital cameras to capture the truck’s surroundings, thus allowing them to be smaller, lightweight and more aerodynamic than usual. The REV seems to have returned to the more oversized, chunkier style of side mirrors.

Capabilities

The all-electric Ram features all-wheel-drive capability and is powered by two electric drive modules (EDMs) toward the front and rear of the vehicle. With space for larger capacity EDMs, there is potential for higher performance. Ram says up to 160 kilometres (100 miles) can be gained in around 10 minutes with a fast charger at up to 350kW. 

The home robot charger is of interest, which could reportedly detect the Ram’s presence and automatically move into position under the vehicle.

Interior space innovations

In the concept vehicle, smaller and more powerful electric motors combined with new intelligent safety systems meant the team could shift the cabin forward and increase the cabin length to four inches longer than today’s production truck without cutting into the bed length. This doesn’t seem to be the case with Ram 1500 REV.

It’s also unclear if the all-new, all-electric Ram REV will be able to use the space like the concept vehicle. The concept BEV was designed as a ‘one space environment’. Allowing owners to use it as one continuous space from front to back. A new feature using this design is third-row jump seats with a removable lower section for placement in the bed. 

The mid-gate with powered glass would enable pass-through into the frunk, allowing you to fit objects up to 5.4 metres (18-ft long) with the tailgate closed. This, of course, would come in handy with the intelligent storage app mentioned earlier. 

In the front, the centre console armrests would convert to a workstation surface and two screens, offering up to 28 inches of screen space. The lower screen could be removed in the concept BEV and used in different areas of the truck. 

New age materials

Sustainability was a key focus of the concept BEV. As a result, unique and resourceful materials could be seen through the interior, such as Greyslate Nanostone veneer and apple leather, a bi-product from the apple industry. Not Apple the brand, but apple the food. The floor is uniquely textured and made of recycled rubber and cork particles. 

What do you think?

The Ram 1500 BEV gave us a glimpse into how Ram intends to lead the way regarding cutting-edge technology. Personally, I hope every one of these features makes it into the Ram 1500 REV. It won’t be for everyone, at least not yet, but it does signal a growing move for our vehicles to be more than just our driving rig.

As to when Australia will see one? Who knows. We’re still waiting on the Ford Lightning and the R1T.