FCA is sometimes slow to the party, and one particular area where we’ve yet to see much action is with a fully electric pickup truck. Ford, Tesla, Rivian, Lordstown Motors and most recently, General Motors, are all on the record with their commitments. During Wednesday’s third-quarter earnings call, FCA CEO Mike Manley stated there would be an “electrified Ram pickup” coming from the company, though. Manley did not provide any details about what to expect from the electrified Ram.
When asked by an analyst on the call, Manley responded:
I do see that there will be an electrified Ram pickup in the marketplace, and I would ask you just to stay tuned for a little while, and we’ll tell you exactly when that will be.
This is a clearer answer than he gave a few months ago on the subject (via Motor Trend):
The reason we haven’t spoken much about electric pickup trucks is not because we view that market as nonexistent. But we’ve always had a slightly different view of timing and adoption rates, particularly in North America in terms of full electrification.
Perhaps he’s beginning to talk about it now after the GMC Hummer EV made its debut, signaling GM’s effort to enter the space.
There is one problem with his statement: “Electrified” does not necessarily mean it’ll be a battery-electric vehicle (BEV). An electrified pickup could simply be a hybrid pickup. However, given Ram already has an electrified pickup in the form of the Ram eTorque, I suspect he is talking about a battery electric Ram.
We’ve reached out to FCA for clarification and will update you if we have any more information.
If this is an EV I think it’s fantastic news. Americans aren’t spoiled for choice when it comes to their pickup trucks, and if all of the Big Three get on board making their own electric trucks, we may just see some fierce competition. I mean, we live in a world where your truck could have a twin-turbo V6, a diesel, a 707-horsepower V8, and we hope soon, battery power.