Yahoo Autos Ram 1500 Revolution electric truck has all the toys: mid-gate, even a third row
After many teasers and much anticipation, the electric Ram has finally been revealed in its concept form. And it is absolutely packed with features. The only things lacking in this reveal are the nitty gritty numbers. All Ram would say for now is that the truck will be a leader in "range, towing, payload and charge time."
We'll dig in a little more on what the Ram needs to be a leader in those areas, but first, let's go over everything that has been shown so far, starting from the outside. The Revolution follows the path of the Silverado EV in being a substantially different design and package than the internal combustion version. Much of this is because the Revolution is built on a completely new platform, the STLA Frame, which is designed to be electric from the start. It's a body-on-frame setup with the battery mounted down between the frame rails. There are two electric motors, one front and one rear. This layout allows for the considerably different proportions of the Revolution, with the cab extending much farther forward. Ram says the cab is 4 inches longer overall compared with the current crew cab 1500, but its bed is a similar length.
The overall design, besides having different proportions, has other features that separate it from the internal combustion truck. The nose is wider and has a flatter hood, moving away from the semi-truck-like shape of the past few decades of Ram trucks. The fenders have sharp creases that highlight the wheel arches. Those wheel arches can accommodate tires up to 35 inches in diameter. On this concept, it has pavement-focused tires on 24-inch wheels. There's also a dramatic swooping line delineating the cab and bed. Besides its lower roof and considerably more raked windshield, other aero-inspired elements include the flush-mounted door handles, swivel-away tow hooks, sideview cameras instead of mirrors, and a flat undertray with diffuser.
The bed has some unique features, too. While the exterior gives the impression of a separate bed, it's actually connected to the cab. This allows for the GM-style mid-gate (power-operated on this concept), although the sliding second-row seat allows you to keep it in place when the mid-gate is folded. And not only does the rear of the cab open up, but there's a pass-through all the way into the frunk for particularly long and narrow objects. The power tailgate is split into barn doors, and it can be opened up with a gate and a floor to extend the bed beyond the tail.
This brings us to the Ram Revolution's interior. The dashboard design echoes the front end's lighting signature, and it includes its own ambient lighting. The whole interior is very minimalist, and the only real visible control centers are the steering wheel and the center screens. Yes, the center infotainment system uses two 14.2-inch screens, with the lower one able to extend for more display real estate, or even be removed. The windshield can display info, too, thanks to the augmented reality head-up display. The center console has similar tricks, being able to open up into a workspace or be removed entirely. The steering wheel also retracts for the hands-free and eyes-free autonomous driving mode. (This is a concept, remember.)
