Will Ram’s Next TRX Supertruck Be Electric?
Ram just rolled out its first electric concept truck: the Revolution. The company is hoping to produce its first battery electric vehicle (BEV) for the 2024 model year. So will Ram‘s next TRX supertruck toss its Hellcat motor in favor of an electric powertrain? Very likely, the answer is yes.
Long live the Ram 1500 TRX
As it stands, the Ram 1500 TRX is Ram Trucks’ flagship vehicle. With its Hellcat engine and long-travel suspension, this is one of the gnarliest supertrucks around. The Ram TRX is inspired by desert racers. This truck excels at tearing through dunes or across the desert.
Ram is going through major changes, launching a new generation of its pickup truck and offering an electric version, for the 2024 model year. But Ram CEO, Mike Koval Jr., told Mopar Insiders that the TRX would survive beyond the 2023 model year.
So we know that the Ram 1500 TRX will survive into the dawn of the automaker’s electric era. The only question is whether the TRX will be one of Ram’s electric offerings.
The Ram 1500 Revolution is an electric supertruck
Ram’s first preview of its electric future is its Ram 1500 Revolution concept truck. The automaker unveiled this prototype at the Consumer Electronics Show, and it is already very much a supertruck.
The Ram 1500 Revolution actually shares some features with the TRX. It comes with 35-inch tires like the TRX. Not only that, but it rides on four-corner adjustable air suspension.
Ram has not revealed just how much power its electric Revolution will make. But we do know that Stellantis’ most powerful electric motor makes 442.5 horsepower. The Ram Revolution has two motors, one for each axle. So if Ram uses the most powerful motors available, it could build an 885 horsepower Revolution. Those numbers dwarf even the Ram 1500 TRX’s 702 horsepower.
Not only does a top trim Ram EV have the specs to be the automakers new flagship TRX, but it would benefit Ram to make its next TRX electric. Ram is attempting to transition into as electric a brand as possible. Making its flagship truck an EV might help win over some internal combustion fans.
Will Ram continue building an internal combustion TRX?
Dodge has announced it’s canceling the Hellcat engine by 2024. It seems unlikely that Stellantis would continue building this supercharged 6.2-liter V8 just for the Ram 1500 TRX. Ram would have to design a new generation of the TRX with a less powerful gasoline engine, which seems unlikely.
One candidate for the next internal combustion Ram 1500 TRX engine would be the Hurricane I6. The high-output version of this twin-turbocharged Hurricane makes more than 500 horsepower. A Hurricane-powered Ram 1500 TRX would be a step down from the Hellcat TRX, but not by too much.
Another option might be a hybrid version of the Hurricane I6. A small electric motor working with the Hurricane could bump total output to near Hellcat TRX numbers and keep the truck alive. A hybrid TRX would also fit well with Ram’s mission to go electric.
Next, read about the rise of the supertruck or see the Ram 1500 Revolution for yourself in the video below:
