We thought we’d got used to the idea of electric cars carrying some pretty big batteries. On a tour of the Porsche Taycan factory a few years ago we were wowed at the thought of its 93 kWH pack weighing 630 kg – 43% more than the entire weight of a Caterham 170R.
Then along came the Ford F-150 Lighting with its 131 kWH pack, followed by the four-tonne Hummer EV’s gargantuan 212 kWH battery and we thought, surely, the game was up.
But no, because Ram Trucks has just announced its answer to both of those, and the circa-200 kWh Tesla Cybertruck for that matter. It’s called the Ram 1500 REV and it is offered with a 229 kWh battery.
All those cells mean a target range of over 500 miles, while the smaller 168 kWh option (barely enough to power your toothbrush, by comparison) should be good for up to 350 miles.
Carrying the 2025 model year, so not ready to go on sale just yet, the 1500 REV also features an 800-volt electric architecture. This is double that of most EVs and means it can charge very quickly indeed, at up to 350 kW, Ram says. That’s even quicker than the 800v system used by the Porsche Taycan, which taps out at about 270 kW, even when it’s plugged into a 350 kW charger.
Ram says the big truck can gain up to 110 miles of range in as little as 10 minutes when it's hooked up to a full-strength 350 kW charger.
Other stats include a maximum towing capacity of 14,000 lbs (6,350 kg) and a payload limit of 2,700 lbs (1,200 kg). There’s also a claimed best-in-class frunk with a capacity of 15 cubic feet – larger than the 14.1 cubic feet of the Ford Lighting – and sockets in the bed can deliver up to 7.2 kW of power.
Ram says the truck produces 654 horsepower and can sprint to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds. It can also wade through 24 inches (610 mm) of water, which isn’t quite on par with a Land Rover Defender (900 mm), but impressive nonetheless. We suspect any deeper and the truck will float rather than fry its occupants, but please don’t put that particular bit of scientific insight to the test.
Inside, the 1500 REV has a 23-speaker Klipsch sound system and a larger, portrait-orientated touchscreen in the centre of the dashboard. A second, smaller display sits ahead of the front-seat passenger.
There’s no word on price just yet, or what the truck and its massive battery might weigh. But it’s safe to say if maximum range and super-fast recharging are at the top of your truck shopping list, this Ram is the one for you.
