Stellantis, the conglomerate that gobbled up Fiat/Chrysler/Jeep along with Peugeot in January, announced this week that it too would have an entry into the field of battery-powered electric pickups.
The new truck will be an electric version of the popular Ram 1500, one of the most profitable vehicles in the company’s line.
Ram brand CEO Mike Koval, Jr. is already promising that his version of an e-truck will be a “class-shattering” pickup that would leave the electric brand offerings of competitors Ford F-150 and Chevy Silverado in the dust.
The company rolled out its electrification strategy on Thursday, promising $35 billion in investments through 2025 with plans for four flexible battery-electric vehicle platforms that can manage 300 to 500 miles per charge. They said they plan for 40% of sales in the U.S. to be low-emission vehicles by 2030.
Dodge brand CEO Tim Kuniskis also had startling news, announcing that Dodge would be offering electric versions of its famous “muscle” cars by 2024. He said the promise of increased power and performance was driving the move.
“Our engineers are reaching a practical limit of what we can squeeze from internal combustion innovation. They know, we know, that electric motors can give us more, and if we know of a technology that can give our customers an advantage, we have an obligation to embrace it,” Kuniskis said.
Stellantis is also planning an electric Jeep Grand Cherokee.
As part of the strategy, the company also revealed new “mottos” for its brands:
Jeep – Zero emission freedom
Ram – Built to serve a sustainable planet
Dodge – Tear up the streets … not the planet
Chrysler – Clean technology for a new generation of families
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Electric vehicles have a place during transition from carbon based fuels to electric but our current electrical grid will not handle a large increase in demand.
Exactly right, Dane. CA EV owners will be up the creek when the “planned” brownouts start showing up. And, just my opinion, but I don’t think EV pickup trucks will be very useful for the serious RV’ers who travel long distances when on the move. I’ll stick to my venerable diesel, DEF and all.
I predict E-trucks will just “look pretty.” They never mentioned how the 300-500 miles between charges will stand up to pulling a trailer loaded with a back hole, or a boat, or a fifth wheel.. After all, trucks are supposed to “work” for the owner. The more torque needed, the more drain on the batteries. Am I missing something?
Electric vehicles sound like great notion, but they will have to be in service for a long, long time before I consider looking at one, especially one for towing. I’ll let someone else’s wallet learn what works and what doesn’t.
All the comments below are valid points of discussion. Can you you imagine the agony if the power grid in your zone went out like the one most recent in Texas(Dane/Tommy). My dad always said to wait till all the bugs were worked out before buying a brand new model car/truck(Dan). Then there’s all the talk on how much towing power these trucks will have but don’t discuss the drain on batteries(Steve).
I have no interest in electric vehicles. I prefer gas electric hybrids. Such as the Ford F150 hybrid, but wish it has a longer bed. Must also be able to Tow a RV. Had a Prius V and loved it. Had excellent milage.
I sure do wish I knew where all these electric vehicles are going to get their electricity. Many areas of the country already have brown outs and black outs in summer. Plus the closing of so many coal electric generating plants is only going to make it worse. What’s more, what are they going to do with all the “depleted” batteries? I’m all for newer/better use of our resources but electric vehicles ARE not good in the long run. My opinion, others may differ.