News
Stellantis RAM 1500 Revolution vs Tesla Cybertruck, Rivian R1T & the Ford F-150 Lightning
Stellantis’ Ram Truck brand revealed its RAM 1500 Revolution battery electric vehicle concept during CES 2023 in Las Vegas. The all-electric RAM pickup has already generated some buzz in the market for its exciting features and next-gen design. With the growing electrified pickup truck market, RAM has developed a strong contender with the 1500 Revolution BEV.
RAM 1500 Revolution BEV Details
The RAM 1500 Revolution BEV will be built on Stellantis’ STLA Frame EV platform, designed to deliver a range of up to 500 miles (800 km). Unlike other STLA platforms—which are unibody—the STLA Frame platform is a body-on-frame. In the past, Stellantis planned to use 2 battery cell chemistries to ensure affordability in its electric vehicles. The company will have to carefully consider the RAM 1500 Revolution’s starting price if it wants the pickup to qualify for tax incentives under the Inflation Reduction Act.
The electrified RAM 1500 Revolution concept includes some nifty tech innovations, including digital side-view mirrors. The rearview mirror alone is packed with tech, like a smart backup camera with 360-degree views, plus speakers and receivers compatible with voice assistants like Alexa and Siri. The review mirror is connected to biometric cameras, which observe the RAM 1500 Revolution’s surrounding environment.
With its EV pickup concept, RAM plans to take advantage of the most useful tech innovations on the market. For instance, the biometric cameras appear connected to the EV pickup truck’s biometric identity recognition and two-factor authentication. The RAM 1500 BEV also utilizes augmented reality (AR) for a see-through heads-up display (HUD). Other features RAM plans for the 1500 Revolution BEV are Shadow Mode and an exterior projector.








RAM vs. Tesla Cybertruck, Rivian R1T & the Ford F-150 Lightning
RAM aims to redefine the pickup truck segment, demonstrating its position in the EV pickup truck market along the way. It is one of North America’s top pickup truck brands, alongside Ford and Chevrolet. The Ram pickup, Ford F-Series pickup, and Chevy Silverado have long held the top three positions in the pickup truck market in the United States. Still, the advent of electric vehicles has opened up the pickup segment to other legacy competitors and EV startups.
Tesla Cybertruck
Tesla unveiled its Cybertruck concept in 2019 and has yet to deliver the futuristic pickup truck. However, Giga Texas has started preparing for Cybertruck production in 2023. Tesla plans to deliver its first batch of Cybertruck units to customers this year.
When the electric truck concept was first revealed, it generated a lot of buzz for its unique design and technology. But other EV trucks have started selling on the market since 2019, so Tesla has improved the Cybertruck’s design and introduced up-to-date technology to the pickup truck. Due to the Cybertruck’s design changes, its prices might also change.
“I worry more about like how do we the Cybertruck affordable despite having awesome technology. That’s the thing that will really set the rate,” Elon Musk said back in the Q4 2021 earnings call.
Rivian R1T
The Rivian R1T has generated some buzz of its own since hitting the market. Rivian’s electric pickup truck appeals to a niche customer base who live for adventure and fun. Rivian literally threw everything into the R1T that an explorer would need—including the kitchen sink.
In preparation for 2023, Rivian has tweaked its R1T configuration options. For instance, the Rivian R1T Quad-Motor with Max battery pack is unavailable this year. However, the company strives to improve its vehicle. Last month, Rivian announced that the 2023 R1T with 21-inch wheels received the highest EPA range estimate for an electric truck in the market.
Ford F-150 Lightning
If Rivian was made for fun and adventure, Ford designed the F-150 Lightning for heavy-duty work. Ford’s all-electric pickup won Motor Trend’s 2023 Pickup Truck of the Year. It was the first electric pickup to win the award with a unanimous vote from the judges.
Ford is steadily ramping up F-150 Lightning production at its Dearborn Truck Plant and Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Michigan. The legacy automaker initially targeted an annual manufacturing capacity of 40,000 units for the F-150 Lightning. However, demand for the electric pickup seems to be strong since Ford doubled its manufacturing capacity for the Lightning to 80,000 vehicles annually by 2024.
With the RAM 1500 Revolution, Rivian R1T, Ford F-150 Lightning, and Tesla Cybertruck, the electric pickup truck market is starting to take shape. More competitors are likely to come in the future—like Volkswagen’s Scout pickup—making the EV pickup truck market something to watch in the coming years.
The Teslarati team would appreciate hearing from you. If you have any tips, contact me at maria@teslarati.com or via Twitter @Writer_01001101.
Elon Musk
Brazil Supreme Court orders Elon Musk and X investigation closed
The decision was issued by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes following a recommendation from Brazil’s Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet.
Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court has ordered the closure of an investigation involving Elon Musk and social media platform X. The inquiry had been pending for about two years and examined whether the platform was used to coordinate attacks against members of the judiciary.
The decision was issued by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes following a recommendation from Brazil’s Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet.
According to a report from Agencia Brasil, the investigation conducted by the Federal Police did not find evidence that X deliberately attempted to attack the judiciary or circumvent court orders.
Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet concluded that the irregularities identified during the probe did not indicate fraudulent intent.
Justice Moraes accepted the prosecutor’s recommendation and ruled that the investigation should be closed. Under the ruling, the case will remain closed unless new evidence emerges.
The inquiry stemmed from concerns that content on X may have enabled online attacks against Supreme Court justices or violated rulings requiring the suspension of certain accounts under investigation.
Justice Moraes had previously taken several enforcement actions related to the platform during the broader dispute involving social media regulation in Brazil.
These included ordering a nationwide block of the platform, freezing Starlink accounts, and imposing fines on X totaling about $5.2 million. Authorities also froze financial assets linked to X and SpaceX through Starlink to collect unpaid penalties and seized roughly $3.3 million from the companies’ accounts.
Moraes also imposed daily fines of up to R$5 million, about $920,000, for alleged evasion of the X ban and established penalties of R$50,000 per day for VPN users who attempted to bypass the restriction.
Brazil remains an important market for X, with roughly 17 million users, making it one of the platform’s larger user bases globally.
The country is also a major market for Starlink, SpaceX’s satellite internet service, which has surpassed one million subscribers in Brazil.
Elon Musk
FCC chair criticizes Amazon over opposition to SpaceX satellite plan
Carr made the remarks in a post on social media platform X.
U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr criticized Amazon after the company opposed SpaceX’s proposal to launch a large satellite constellation that could function as an orbital data center network.
Carr made the remarks in a post on social media platform X.
Amazon recently urged the FCC to reject SpaceX’s application to deploy a constellation of up to 1 million low Earth orbit satellites that could serve as artificial intelligence data centers in space.
The company described the proposal as a “lofty ambition rather than a real plan,” arguing that SpaceX had not provided sufficient details about how the system would operate.
Carr responded by pointing to Amazon’s own satellite deployment progress.
“Amazon should focus on the fact that it will fall roughly 1,000 satellites short of meeting its upcoming deployment milestone, rather than spending their time and resources filing petitions against companies that are putting thousands of satellites in orbit,” Carr wrote on X.
Amazon has declined to comment on the statement.
Amazon has been working to deploy its Project Kuiper satellite network, which is intended to compete with SpaceX’s Starlink service. The company has invested more than $10 billion in the program and has launched more than 200 satellites since April of last year.
Amazon has also asked the FCC for a 24-month extension, until July 2028, to meet a requirement to deploy roughly 1,600 satellites by July 2026, as noted in a CNBC report.
SpaceX’s Starlink network currently has nearly 10,000 satellites in orbit and serves roughly 10 million customers. The FCC has also authorized SpaceX to deploy 7,500 additional satellites as the company continues expanding its global satellite internet network.
Energy
Tesla Energy gains UK license to sell electricity to homes and businesses
The license was granted to Tesla Energy Ventures Ltd. by UK energy regulator Ofgem after a seven-month review process.
Tesla Energy has received a license to supply electricity in the United Kingdom, opening the door for the company to serve homes and businesses in the country.
The license was granted to Tesla Energy Ventures Ltd. by UK energy regulator Ofgem after a seven-month review process.
According to Ofgem, the license took effect at 6 p.m. local time on Wednesday and applies to Great Britain.
The approval allows Tesla’s energy business to sell electricity directly to customers in the region, as noted in a Bloomberg News report.
Tesla has already expanded similar services in the United States. In Texas, the company offers electricity plans that allow Tesla owners to charge their vehicles at a lower cost while also feeding excess electricity back into the grid.
Tesla already has a sizable presence in the UK market. According to price comparison website U-switch, there are more than 250,000 Tesla electric vehicles in the country and thousands of Tesla home energy storage systems.
Ofgem also noted that Tesla Motors Ltd., a separate entity incorporated in England and Wales, received an electricity generation license in June 2020.
The new UK license arrives as Tesla continues expanding its global energy business.
Last year, Tesla Energy retained the top position in the global battery energy storage system (BESS) integrator market for the second consecutive year. According to Wood Mackenzie’s latest rankings, Tesla held about 15% of global market share in 2024.
The company also maintained a dominant position in North America, where it captured roughly 39% market share in the region.
At the same time, competition in the energy storage sector is increasing. Chinese companies such as Sungrow have been expanding their presence globally, particularly in Europe.