The Ram 1500 Revolution BEV Concept was arguably the biggest automotive debut at this year’s CES, and not just for its tech.
It may be labeled a concept, but this vehicle accurately previews Ram’s first-ever all-electric pickup truck that will go up against the Ford F-150 Lightning and Chevrolet Silverado EV/GMC Sierra EV from 2024. While the tech aspects of the electric pickup trucks have been detailed in our debut article last week, its design is also worthy of the “Revolution” badge in the model’s name.
In an interview with Autoblog, Ram chief design officer Ralph Gilles offered some interesting insights into the Ram 1500 Revolution’s styling. For example, the fact it’s based on an entirely new BEV-centric platform – STLA Frame – allows for radical new proportions for a full-size truck.
The cab-forward design is arguably the most striking feature and it has both styling and practical advantages. “The cab is really pushing quite forward almost on top of the front wheels. Yet its overall length is about the same as a classic 1500, let’s say, with 50 millimeters of one give or take. It’s also less tall,” Gilles explained.
Because there’s no massive internal combustion engine at the front, designers were able to move the dash forward and speed up the windshield to increase aerodynamic efficiency.
Gilles also made some comments about the truck’s cabin, which is “cavernous,” noting that the 1500 Revolution BEV Concept’s interior doesn’t give up anything compared to the ICE-powered Ram 1500. While lower, the cabin is substantially longer.
“By fussing around the cabin, we’re able to increase the people space yet with no sacrifice to the cargo space. Cause the truck still has to be a truck. So I think what I’m really happy with here is we’re able to get the frunk in there, get the people in there, add a jump seat (so there’s actually a third row hiding in that proportion) while not sacrificing any functionality.”
Yes, you read that right, the Ram 1500 Revolution BEV also features third-row seats that fold down when not needed. Something else the team had to take into account was not affecting the functionality of the “ginormous” frunk. “We kind of had to balance the base of windshield with the frunk size and the people space,” Ram’s chief design officer said.
Finally, he made an interesting comment regarding the styling of the truck, namely that current Ram 1500 owners “don’t want a frivolous thing.” In an apparent dig at the Tesla Cybertruck, Gilles said, “They don’t want something that just tries so hard to look futuristic that it’s kind of lost in itself.”
