Dodge Ram, the third hottest line of vans in America, is about to exist in EV kind.
A daring new idea automobile rolled out Thursday by guardian firm Stellantis for CES is, based on a press launch, going to tell an official Ram manufacturing mannequin that will probably be on the highway “in 2024,” with particulars “to be launched within the coming months.”
The title they’re going with is “Ram 1500 Revolution,” and it’s uncertain that has something to do with the precise revolution within the 12 months 1500 within the Spanish metropolis of Granada, however you by no means know.
Level is, whether or not or not this truck is really “revolutionary,” the competitors has already lapped Dodge, so Stellantis needed to a minimum of go massive with its flagship EV pickup. Ford’s F-150 Lightning began manufacturing final 12 months. The Chevy Silverado EV will go into manufacturing within the coming months. And with Rivian pickups already on the highway, to not point out the 800-pound gorilla within the room, the Tesla Cybertruck, reportedly about to enter manufacturing this 12 months, Dodge was trying slightly behind the instances.
Credit score: Stellantis
However with this idea, Dodge is popping out swinging. Ford and Chevy EV pickups principally conform to our preconceived notion of what a giant, meaty pickup ought to appear to be. Ram hasn’t gone full Cybertruck, nevertheless it’s caught out it’s neck a bit greater than its fundamental rivals, presenting a high-tech-looking design that clearly marks this as one thing different than simply one other Ram. The press launch says the 1500 Revolution’s designers “got down to revolutionize the pickup truck section by creating an ultra-modern idea that exudes heroic power.” That checks out.
So far as options and doohickeys, the brand new Ram idea is overflowing with them. There’s an AI-powered in automotive private assistant with voice instructions, “My Day” a proprietary trip-planning system, button-activated Cabin Modes like “Productiveness Mode” and “Occasion Mode,” an augmented actuality heads-up show meant to increase the driving force’s peripheral imaginative and prescient, an “clever storage” system to evaluate whether or not you’ll be able to truly match that huge toolbox you’re attempting to hold, integration along with your good dwelling, and an exterior film projector for, y’know, film nights.
There’s additionally a characteristic — and once more, that is only a idea — referred to as “Shadow Mode,” which permits the driving force to exit their truck, after which stroll with the un-piloted truck inching alongside behind them obeying their voice instructions like a well-trained canine. It is a barely alarming-sounding characteristic, however in follow, perhaps it is a no-brainer that each one automobiles ought to have had a very long time in the past.
Credit score: Stellantis
But it surely’s the design that is clearly meant to make an announcement. From the animated (sure, animated) LED emblem on the entrance, to the simple Dick Tracy-ishness of the entire thing, to the promise within the 1500 Revolution’s press supplies that this “factors on to the place we’re occurring our electrified journey,” it is clear that Stellantis and Dodge aren’t phoning it in with their ongoing company-wide electrification.
