Talk about a power wagon.
Ram parent Stellantis has applied for a patent on an innovative self-propelled trailer design.
The filing describes a wagon-style trailer with four wheels meant to reduce the tongue load that can be configured in a variety of ways.
It is equipped with a suspension system and independent drive-by-wire steering to improve its stability and maneuverability.
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Stellantis even envisions it having advanced driver assistance systems and fully autonomous capability, which could potentially allow it to be moved around a lot unhitched to a truck.
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This includes a battery-powered electric powertrain, which could also help improve the range of an electric towing vehicle, or also the efficiency of an internal combustion engine truck.
This aspect could become very relevant soon, as Ram is about to launch the Ram 1500 REV fully electric pickup and Ram 1500 Ramcharger plug-in hybrid.
The Ram 1500 REV will be offered in a version with 500 miles of range, but it relies on an enormous 229 kilowatt-hour battery pack to achieve that, and won’t be able to cover that distance while towing.
The Ram 1500 Ramcharger, on the other hand, has a 145-mile all-electric range, but also carries a V6 engine onboard that works as a generator to provide a total range of 690 miles on a full charge and gas tank. Again, that is without a trailer attached.
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Ram hasn’t confirmed or even indicated that the patent will result in a production product, but the automaker clearly thinks it can do better than a passive trailer in the future.