Everybody else is doing it, so why not Ram?
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’ pickup and van brand is the latest to indicate it’s developing an electric pickup truck.
“I do see that there will be an electrified Ram pickup in the marketplace, and I would ask you just to stay tuned for a little while, and we’ll tell you exactly when that will be,” said FCA CEO Mike Manley in remarks first published by Detroit Free Press.
In terms of electrification, Ram only offers a 48V mild-hybrid system in North American-market models which it refers to as eTorque.
Both the 3.6-litre Pentastar V6 and 5.7-litre Hemi V8 are available with the eTorque system.
With no timeframe given for its EV pickup, Ram runs the risk of getting lost in a market that currently doesn’t exist but will, in just a matter of years, be teeming with rivals.
Those rivals come from established crosstown rivals like Ford and General Motors, EV specialist Tesla, and a collection of EV start-ups.
Ford is developing an electric version of its best-selling F-150, while GM is taking a decidedly different approach and introducing the rugged GMC Hummer EV.
The Ford will launch in either 2022 or 2023, the company promising it’ll offer more power and torque than any F-150 currently on sale – including the Raptor.
The GMC Hummer will beat it to market, with the first deliveries expected to take place next autumn (our spring).
Another high profile entry into the segment is the controversial Tesla Cybertruck, which will enter production late next year and will really test Tesla’s enduring appeal.
All these models will be beaten to market by the R1T by American start-up Rivian, which has been quietly getting its ex-Mitsubishi factory in Illinois online. Production begins later this year with the first US deliveries starting in mid-2021.
But wait, there’s more! Ohio-based and now publicly-traded Lordstown Motors has its more fleet-focused Endurance, which will start rolling out of an old GM factory by next September.
Finally (for now), there’s another American start-up – Bollinger Motors – which is readying its back-to-basics B2 EV pickup for a launch early next year. It’ll also be available as a cab-chassis, called the B2CC.
