Ram is trying hard to make up for lost time in getting its first electric pickup out into the world. After showing the 1500 Revolution BEV Concept last month at CES 2023, it rolled the more polished preproduction 1500 REV pickup in front of the cameras during Super Bowl LVII this past Sunday. Along with revealing the truck to what promises to be the year's biggest US television audience, Ram also opened up reservations on a dedicated website.
Ram revealed the "1500 REV" name on Thursday, just ahead of the first look at the truck itself on Super Bowl Sunday. The shortened name is definitely catchier than 1500 Revolution BEV and much more in line with a pickup family that goes by simple numeric monikers.
While the 1500 REV remains a preproduction design subject to change before its 2024 launch, it has come a long way in just a month. It's still quite distinct from the ICE lineup but much more conventional than last month's concept and as strong, classic and utilitarian as any full-size pickup out there. The illuminated facial signature is still there, but the "tuning fork" headlamps have been slightly re-dimensioned. Down below, the truck wears a more traditional lower grille and bumper design.
The REV also has a more conventional profile, losing the extended cab of the Revolution BEV concept for the usual vertical cab/bed split. That could mean the third-row jump seats are destined to be retired into the parts bin of concepts past, but we'll have to wait for the production debut to know for sure. Given how uncomfortable those seats actually look, it won't necessarily be a big loss if they don't make it through.
The world got its first official look at the 1500 REV as part of a 60-second Super Bowl commercial called "Premature Electrification," a spot we found to be one of the best commercials of the night, a night known as much for big-budget advertising as for football. The commercial also promoted RamRev.com, where customers can learn more about the truck and put down a refundable US$100 reservation to secure a spot in line for preorder and gain access to additional "REV Insider+" membership information and privileges.
Ram has not revealed any projected spec updates for the 1500 REV, which won't actually hit production until 2024. So it remains to be seen if concept specs like all-wheel steering and Level 3 autonomy with voice-activated auto follow remain intact (or even close to it).
As part of the reveal, Ram brand CEO Mike Koval Jr. reiterated the same non-specifics Ram talked up at CES: "We believe in bringing the right range of powertrain solutions to our customers, and the Ram 1500 REV will be the first in a lineup of electrified solutions that will add to our current award-winning truck lineup. We are on an exciting electrification journey that will see Ram push past the competition in areas customers care about the most: range, payload, towing and charge time."
Hopefully the next reveal will be more revealing. Until then, you can have a watch of Ram's minute-long Super Bowl spot below and take a closer look at the 1500 REV design in the gallery.
Source: Ram/Stellantis
