Ram is the only major manufacturer here in the States that’s still holding out on the details of its upcoming electric pickup truck. From the outside, it could easily seem like they’re simply so far behind that they’re irrelevant. But for Ram, it’s trying to flip the game on its ear by making a later debut a big advantage.
Ram have been closely monitoring the EV pickup market. In a way, they’ve waited for everyone else to put their cards on the table. Now that the brand knows what it’s up against, it’s working hard to craft a truck that will make a bigger impact in the market.
Ram CEO Mike Koval recently told Automotive News “That’s really where I think Ram is going to separate ourselves from the rest is with the full knowledge of what our competitors are doing. We will push past our competitors in terms of those important metrics like towing and hauling and, in the future, charge time, range, and things of this nature.”
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The risk is obvious though. If Ram doesn’t end up with a dominant force in the electrified pickup segment, then being late to the party won’t be nearly as fashionable. Despite that potential risk, Koval sounds pretty confident that his team will achieve its goals.
“Based on what I call our internal performance index… we will have the best BEV to come to market, and that’s what this is all about,” Koval said. To be the best it’ll need to combine a number of important factors including range, pricing, and innovative features.
Rivian won the race and provided a great balance of all those facets of design. At the same time, it’s not really the same as a full-size pickup. The Hummer EV is a huge truck but it’s not really meant for the everyday buyer.
The F-150 Lightning should be shipping to buyers within the next few weeks but Ford only managed to get to market so fast because it revamped the normal F-150 chassis to accommodate electrification.
It’ll be at least a couple of years before Ram brings its truck to market. The brand plans on a 2024 release right now but that day will come quickly, so they’d better come up with a great hand.