How Electric Ram Trucks Will Go Up To 690 Miles, Some of Them Towing 14,000 Pounds!

Range is the new “mine’s bigger” superlative everybody’s chasing in the electrified truck realm, and Stellantis has swung big with the Ram 1500 REV (500 miles), the range-extender Ram 1500 Ramcharger, (690 miles) and their forthcoming siblings, the Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer. A recent official unveiling of STLA Frame filled in more specific details about this new architecture’s greater capabilities.

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Big Numbers: 14,000; 2,700; and 24

Those are the towing, payload, and (perhaps most pertinent for the Jeeps) water fording depth (in pounds and inches) statistics for the new STLA Frame architecture. Those are amazing numbers for an independently suspended truck, which the electrically driven REV and Ramcharger most certainly are. Two feet of water fording seems to be about standard, but the trailering and payload figures soundly trump those of the Silverado EV work truck and Ford F-150 Lightning, which top out at 12,500 pounds/1,750 pounds and 10,000/2,000. No curb-weight information has been shared for the Ram yet, but that payload figure suggests this steel truck will have a higher GVWR than either its GM or Ford competitors.

Three STLA Frames

Stellantis provided three images of body-less frames rushing down a computerized highway, and zooming in on the STLA Frame ICE (internal combustion, pictured below) variant reveals a completely different frame that kicks up to accommodate a traditional live rear axle. It also features unique upper spring mounts and clearly shows the traditional Ram five-link rear live-axle setup. (This variant will trail the others to market, and presumably share the same or better payload and trailering stats.) Electrically powered variants all feature standard two-motor all-wheel drive, with axle-shaft disconnects at the front axle and an electric locker in the rear as standard.

How Big?

The latest release sets out the parameters of maximum body size dimensions the STLA Frame architecture can support:

• Length range: 216.0–234.0 inches
• Width range: 81.2–83.6 inches
• Wheelbase range: 123.7–145.3 inches
• Ground clearance range: 6.6–10.3 inches
• Maximum tire diameter: 33 inches

That suggests STLA Frame is not ideal for scaling down to suit a midsize truck but could potentially scale up for heavy-duty service. This architecture absolutely will underpin a range of pickups, SUVs, and commercial vehicles with battery packs ranging in size from 159 to more than 200 kWh. A full-length belly pan smooths airflow under the vehicle to maximize range.

Quick-Charging Stats

As we’ve noted previously, wiring the subdivided 400-volt battery modules in series permits 800-volt charging at up to 350 kW, which is said to add 100 miles of range in just 10 minutes. Ramcharger models and Jeeps fitted with the internal-combustion generator (it never turns the wheels) get smaller battery packs that charge at 400 volts, with a peak charging speed of 175 kW. All will be capable of bi-directional charging, to power job sites, campsites, buddy-charge another EV, or to power a home.

Future-Proofed Architecture

As with STLA Medium and STLA Large, STLA Frame architecture can easily support substitution of emerging battery chemistries and formats, or new technologies to improve the (Stellantis-designed and -produced) electric drive modules or power inverters, and of course its software will be upgradable over the architecture’s useful lifetime. And if the future of quick long-haul driving ends up demanding hydrogen fuel-cell technology, STLA Frame can accommodate the required high-pressure tanks as well.

On-Sale Date

The launch of the Dodge Charger Daytona and Jeep Wagoneer S on the STLA Large platform have taken a bit longer than expected, but STLA Frame is still expected to launch in the first half of 2025, with the Ramcharger following at an unspecified later date, with pricing to follow closer to that date.