The Ram ‘1500’ EV Won’t Actually Be a Half-Ton
Electric pickup trucks will need all-new categories. In the past, pickup trucks grouped together (relatively) tidily by GVWR, which is the combined maximum payload and vehicle weight. But lithium ion batteries are pushing electric trucks into the 9,000-pound range and breaking previous segments. In many way’s Ram’s “Revolution” pickup has more in common with heavy-duty trucks than the other 1500s its advertised besides.
The Ram 1500 “Revolution” will hare a traditional ladder frame with the fifth-generation of the internal combustion Ram 1500. But electric motors produce maximum torque at zero rpm, which makes them absolute towing monsters. The Revolution is claiming a tow rating of 14,000 pounds. The current Hemi-powered Ram 1500 tops out at 12,750. And that’s only when configured for towing.
We also fully expect the Revolution to be a very heavy truck. The Hummer EV, for example, weighs in at 9,000 pounds. Its battery alone weighs 2,800 pounds. And there are a couple of clues that the long-distance configuration of the Ram Revolution will be almost as heavy.
First of all, its payload will be 2,700 pounds. That’s probably a byproduct of the heavy-duty suspension and powertrain required to haul around its battery pack. For example, our first look at the Ram Revolution revealed that it has an eight-lugnut bolt pattern. That means components are borrowed from the current heavy-duty Ram, not the current 1500.
There is a good chance the fifth-gen Ram 1500 will share some of these components with its “Revolution” cousin. They are, after all, built on the same chassis. But if it does, it may serve to redefine the half-ton truck category.
Most current half-ton pickup trucks fit into the government’s “Class 2” designation, which has a GVWR up to 8,500 pounds. There’s a very good chance that some Ram Revolution configurations–including the Ramcharger hybrid with its V6 engine–are heavier than that.
That said, “half-ton” is a marketing term that no longer has anything to do with a truck’s actual payload. So if Ram wants to call this heavy-duty EV a half-ton, there’s no one to stop it.
Next, find out why the Ramcharger hybrid truck will be part locomotive. Or see the Ram 1500 lineup for yourself in the video below: