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Ram 1500 EV shown in more clarity with new teaser images

Besides the first electric Jeep and other product plans, Stellantis gave us yet another preview of the upcoming electric Ram 1500 pickup truck. The company isn't giving much away, but these new renderings do give us some more details on what the truck will look like. The most striking features of the front are the pairs of LED lights above and below that meet toward the middle in a sort of dog bone shape. In the middle is the updated Ram logo that's been featured for its "Ram Revolution" program that takes input from Ram fans for designing the truck. The hood has creases that are suggestive of the dual-level, semi-truck-inspired design that has stuck with the truck since the 1990s. It also seems to have a heat-extractor vent design, which we're not sure would really be functional on an electric truck. Along the sides, the fenders appear to be pushed far outward. The edge where the cab meets the bed has a jog in it that pushes into the cab. It has us thinking the cab and bed may be one piece, along the lines of the Chevy Silverado EV. That single piece will still ride on a separate frame, though, since the Ram 1500 EV will be built on the STLA Frame platform. Continuing on the topic of side styling, the window sill rises toward the rear pillar, and that rear pillar leans forward, again more like the GM electric truck designs. At the back, the electric Ram has taillights that connect into the tailgate like the Ford F-150 Lightning. The shape also echoes that of the headlights, along with the illuminated Ram logo. The rear shot also gives more clarity on the unique cab design. The electric Ram will go into production in 2024. As touched on, it will use the STLA Frame platform that features a traditional separate frame from the body. The platform can accommodate 159 to 200 kWh of battery capacity with a range of up to 500 miles. Early renderings also show the platform using independent suspension both front and rear. Furthermore, Ram has said it will offer a plug-in hybrid variant based on the electric model to go on sale the same year. And electrification won't stop at the 1500.

Ram wants 'your wickedest and most outrageous designs' for a truck — now

Car coloring book pages have been a handy distraction during quarantine, but Fiat Chrysler has a better idea: Make your own coloring book page and perhaps win accolades in the FCA Design Sketch Battle. The automaker runs an annual Drive for Design competition for U.S. high school students in grades 10-12, and has just opened a contest-within-a-contest that's open to anyone in the world. The brief is to sketch "your wickedest and most outrageous designs for a Ram truck." For all those times you've had an idea about a pickup and thought, "This is what [insert OEM] needs to make! If I could only get to the boss!," now is your chance to get to the boss. Post your sketch — or sketches — into the comments section of the contest on FCA's Facebook page, or upload the drawing(s) to Twitter and call out the automaker with @FiatChrysler_NA. Each drawing needs to have "FCADriveforDesign.com" written on it somewhere, and each social media post needs to be garnished with the hashtag #DriveforDesign.  The contest judges are Mark Gilles, Fiat Chrysler head of design, and Mark Trostle, head of design for Ram and Mopar. They've attempted to juice the creative brain with a punch to the prefrontal cortex called the RAMpage. Playing off the name of a car-based pickup from the go-go 1980s that lasted two years — about how long 2020 feels already — the RAMpage is a Ram 1500 hood and upper fascia, a Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody lower front and body, a pickup bed, and it's accented with obligatory yellow splitter guards that have matured into a properly racy splitter. You can take the RAMpage as a cue that your drawing doesn't need to threaten the living with massive bulk and post-apocalyptic looks. Ricky Ryan Goimarac, one of the entries so far, made his own version of the RAMpage that looks pretty sexy. And with the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2, ZR2 Bison, and Ford Ranger Raptor still not quite there for some people, why wouldn't a mid-size Dakota TRX be a good idea right now? Here's the crucial part: All entries need to be submitted today, April 9th, no later than 5 p.m. Eastern. So yeah, there's not much time, but ... quarantine. Tomorrow, April 10, Gilles and Trostle will post their favorites to Instagram. For all those design-focused high-schoolers, entries for the official Drive for Design contest are due by May 1, 2020. Related Video:    

An inside look at Mopar's SEMA fleet

Mopar is heading to the SEMA show in Las Vegas with a fleet of customized vehicles that appeal to enthusiasts of all stripes. There's a Dodge Viper ACR concept that follows in the lineage of the supercar's great road racing past, and a custom Ram ProMaster that might just be the ultimate outdoor party machine.
We got an inside look at Mopar's cars that will be on display at the show, which also include a Dodge Challenger T/A concept, two crazy Jeeps and a Ram 2500 Outdoorsman that could change the way you camp. While these are some of our favorites, Mopar is bringing plenty to SEMA, so let us know your top choices in the comments section.