CES 2023-bound Ram Revolution concept previews electric pickup

By Ronan Glon Updated December 12, 2022

CES 2023 Thumbnail

See our complete coverage of CES 2023 here

Ram wants to plant its stake in the growing electric pickup segment its main rivals are already present in. The company will travel to CES 2023 to unveil a concept called Revolution designed to preview a battery-powered truck tentatively scheduled to make its debut in 2024.

While the Revolution’s full design remains under wraps, a preview video published on Facebook suggests the pickup won’t borrow styling cues from the current crop of Ram trucks. It’s described as looking “fierce, slick, and heroic.” From what we can tell, the Revolution’s front end will be characterized by a pair of two-piece LED headlights, a massive “RAM” logo, and a hood that’s lower than we’re used to seeing on Ram trucks. Keeping the hood line relatively low is likely a way to make the truck more aerodynamic and in turn, improve its driving range.

Speaking of range, Ram has previously made bold promises about what its first entry into the electric truck arena will be capable of. Built on the STLA Frame architecture that parent company Stellantis developed to underpin electric trucks and SUVs, the Revolution should offer up to 500 miles of driving range and 150-kilowatt fast-charging compatibility. We’re guessing that those figures will only apply to the range-topping model, and it’s not too far-fetched to assume cheaper variants with less driving range will join the lineup sooner or later.

There’s no word yet on how the electricity stored in what sounds like a massive battery pack will reach the pavement. Ram has several options: it can assign each axle its own motor for dual-motor through-the-road all-wheel-drive, for example. This configuration would also allow it to remove the front motor and offer a rear-wheel-drive version. Alternatively, it can develop a more complicated three- or four-motor system that would unlock more power. GMC’s Hummer EV uses three electric motors; Rivian’s R1T and R1S both come with four motors.

Intrigued? So are we. We won’t have to wait long to learn more. Ram will unveil the Revolution on January 5, 2023, at CES. Looking further ahead, the concept will morph into a production model that will take on the Ford F-150 Lightning and the Chevrolet Silverado EV in 2024.

Topics

Contributor

Ronan Glon is an American automotive and tech journalist based in southern France. As a long-time contributor to Digital…

Cars

VW previews its next electric car in trippy camouflaged form

Front three quarter view of a camouflaged Volkswagen ID.7 prototype.

The Volkswagen ID.7 is VW's next electric car, and while it won't be fully revealed until later in the year, the automaker provided a sneak peek at CES 2023.

VW said the production ID.7, which will be revealed in the second quarter of this year, will be influenced by the ID.Aero concept first shown in China in 2022. The camouflaged prototype VW brought to CES has the same general shape as the ID.Aero. It's a streamlined sedan that VW claims will have up to 435 miles of range as measured on the somewhat lenient European WLTP testing cycle.

News

What to expect at CES 2023, from mondo TVs to EVs

The futuristic Aska eVTOL quadcopter will take off and land vertically, like a drone.

Break out the champagne and roll out the red carpets, CES is back! After two rough, COVID-addled years that saw the world’s greatest tech show reduced to a shell of its former self, the show is primed to spring back to its former glory for 2023. And our team of writers and editors will be on the ground in Las Vegas, bringing it all to you.

But much has changed since the last “normal” CES of 2020. The economy has boomed and busted, supply chains have knotted, and attitudes over excess have shifted as climate change looms larger and larger in our global conversation. And as always, the tech itself has marched forward, rising to the challenges of our new post-COVID lives.

Cars

GMC poured all of its truck-making expertise into the Sierra EV pickup

A 2024 GMC Sierra EV towing an Airstream trailer.

The Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickup trucks are twins, and that will continue to be the case when they go electric.
Chevy unveiled its Silverado EV at CES 2022, and now it’s GMC’s turn. The 2024 GMC Sierra EV borrows some key features from its Chevy sibling, as well GMC’s first electric truck — the Hummer EV. Some of those features were actually pioneered by General Motors two decades ago on non-electric trucks, and are now making a comeback.
You can reserve a Sierra EV now, but deliveries aren’t scheduled to start until early calendar-year 2024. Production starts with a high-end Denali Edition 1 model, with other versions arriving for the 2025 model year.

Design
The Sierra EV updates the design language of the internal-combustion GMC Sierra for the electric age. A big grille is no longer needed for cooling, but it’s still an important styling element that designers didn’t want to break away from, Sharon Gauci, GMC executive director of global design, explained to Digital Trends and other media in an online briefing ahead of the truck’s reveal. The grille shape is now outlined in lights, with an illuminated GMC logo.
Like the Hummer EV and Silverado EV, the Sierra EV uses GM’s Ultium modular battery architecture which, among other things, means the battery pack is an integral part of the structure. So unlike most other trucks — including the rival Ford F-150 Lightning — the Sierra EV doesn’t have a separate frame. The cab and bed are one piece as well, all of which helps increase structural rigidity.
The Sierra EV also borrows the Midgate setup from the Silverado EV. First seen on the Chevy Avalanche and Cadillac Escalade EXT in the early 2000s, it allows the bulkhead and glass behind the cab to be removed, effectively extending the bed. Combined with the fold-out MultiPro tailgate from the internal-combustion Sierra, it can expand the default 5.0-foot, 11-inch bed length to 10 feet, 10 inches. A frunk (GMC calls it the “eTrunk”) provides covered storage space as well.
Because it’s pitched as a premium vehicle, the Sierra EV gets upscale interior materials like open-pore wood trim and stainless steel speaker grilles for its Bose audio system. But the design itself, with a freestanding portrait touchscreen and rectangular instrument cluster, looks suspiciously similar to the Ford Mustang Mach-E cabin. The touchscreen even has the same big volume knob as the Ford. We hope GMC’s lawyers are ready.