A new report suggests that the upcoming 2024 Ram 1500 electric Revolution pickup truck will also offer a range extender as an option. This report comes to us via Autoblog and their interview with Ram Brand CEO – Mike Koval Jr.
Ram has announced that they are planning to release a battery electric vehicle (BEV) pickup truck in 2024. They are calling it the Ram 1500 Revolution. The company is launching a campaign to get your (everyday pickup truck owner) input into the development of the new truck. Ram is promising class-leading numbers for their upcoming EV truck and no compromise for their customers.
What is the way to get there? Well, it appears that part of the story has to do with a range extender. The exact execution of this system is still unknown, but it makes sense if you want to get maximum driving range out of an electric pickup – especially when towing.
For example, a BMW i3 EV car with a range extender (REX) can nearly double its driving range with a help of a small gasoline engine that can charge its batteries while moving. We own a long-term tester (a 2014 BMW i3 REX). This car’s all-electric driving range is around 72 miles, but it can increase to nearly 140 miles when using the full capacity of its range-extending gasoline generator. In the BMW, the range extender may not always keep up with the energy demand of driving the i3 at interstate speeds (75 mph) for a long period of time.
It will be very interesting to see how Ram uses a range-extender in a pickup truck platform. Will this version of the Revolution truck have a smaller battery pack that is supplemented by a powerful generator engine? We will have to wait and see.
