• by Tanya Gazdik , September 14, 2025

In what may be a first, a product hyped via a Super Bowl spot is not making it to fruition. 

“Initially called the Ram 1500 REV, the fully electric pickup was slated for market in 2024. Then it was delayed until 2025. Then it was 2026. Recently, the deadline was moved to 2027. Now, the automaker has canceled the whole program, the company announced Sept. 12,” according to the Detroit Free Press. “Ram said the nameplate of the now-defunct EV pickup would be transferred to what was previously known as the Ramcharger, a Ram 1500 on a range-extended powertrain, which is slightly different from a full battery-powered electric vehicle. The range-extended pickup is projected to go on sale in 2026.”

The 2023 Super Bowl spot starred actor Jason Jones as the spokesperson in a spot that riffs off of the ubiquitous “Ask your doctor” pharma ads. The spot was so clever that WardsAuto declared it the Super Bowl’s top automotive ad. 

“When it comes to bringing an A-game to the Super Bowl, few chief marketing officers understand the opportunity like Stellantis’s Olivier Francois, who is also CEO of Fiat,” according to WardsAuto. “For this year’s ad, Francois signed off on an effort that pokes fun at the tension between consumers and manufacturers as well as the policymakers who want to rush the U.S. into an all-electric-driving world by 2035. There is no shortage of news about the insufficient charging network that sometimes bedevils early-adopter BEV buyers. The Ram ad leans into this anxiety for a giggle by creating what looks like a pharma ad full of sexual innuendos.”

The battery-electric Ram truck was expected to be a competitor to the Ford F-150 Lightning and Chevrolet Silverado EV.

“The move is another setback for Stellantis, which has struggled with both its electric strategy and the high costs and dwindling sales of its Ram and Jeep brands,” according to InsideEvs. “Aside from the basics of selling competitive gas-powered cars and trucks, the automaker's electric-powered Dodge and Jeep models have been received poorly and dogged by subpar range and charging specs.” 

The disappearing federal tax incentive likely figured into the decision.

“At this point, it shouldn’t be surprising to see automakers take a more conservative approach to electrification or even powertrain downsizing in light of recent emissions policy changes and customer sentiment,” according to Autoblog. “After all, Stellantis and Ram brought back the Hemi for a reason; the announcement alone was enough to prompt buyers to swarm dealers like a new iPhone had just come out.”

The battery-only Ram 1500 cancellation is the latest in a wave of pullbacks on electrification from Detroit automakers.

“Ford Motor Co. said in August that it was delaying the launch of its next-generation electric full-size pickup truck to 2028,” according to The Detroit News. “In the meantime, the Dearborn-based automaker announced plans to invest $2 billion in its Louisville Assembly Plant to reinvent its traditional moving assembly system in a bid to achieve EV cost savings and produce a midsize electric pickup to be priced around $30,000.”