- Stellantis plans to produce an industry-first pickup truck for its Ram Trucks brand that features an integrated gas engine and electric generator.
- The truck can operate as a zero-emission electric vehicle until the vehicle’s battery runs out and an onboard electric generator – powered by a 3.6-liter V6 engine – kicks in to provide power to the vehicle after the first charge.
- Ram CEO Tim Kuniskis called the new Ram 1500 Ramcharger pickup the “ultimate answer for battery-electric trucks.”
2025 Ram 1500 Ramcharger Tungsten
R.A.M.
DETROIT – Automaker Stellantis plans to produce an industry-first electric pickup called the Ram 1500 Ramcharger, equipped with an electric generator and a gas engine.
If that sounds like an oxymoron, here’s how it works: The truck can operate as a zero-emission electric vehicle until its battery runs out and an onboard electric generator – powered by a 27-gallon 3.6-liter V6 engine – kicks in to drive him vehicle.
The result is a truck with the benefits of an electric vehicle, such as quick acceleration and partially zero-emission driving, without the range anxiety that comes with most current electric vehicles, according to Ram CEO Tim Kuniskis.
“This is the ultimate solution for the battery-electric truck. Nobody else has anything like it,” Kuniskis told reporters during an event. “This will be crucial for battery-electric trucks.”
The 2025 Ram 1500 Ramcharger is expected to go on sale in late 2024, alongside a previously unveiled all-electric Ram 1500 truck without a gasoline engine or electric generator for range extension.
Stellantis estimates the Ramcharger’s range to be up to 690 miles, including up to 145 miles with a 92-kilowatt-hour battery on a full charge without the extended range of the gas engine and 130-kilowatt electric generator.
This range compares to an expected range of up to 500 miles for the Ram 1500 REV all-electric pickup. It also outperforms the current Ram 1500, which has a 3.6-liter V6 engine and a tank of up to 26 gallons with a total range of up to 546 miles, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Stellantis did not disclose pricing for the Ramcharger, which was announced Tuesday as part of a redesign of the current gasoline-powered Ram 1500 pickups for the 2025 model year.
Kuniskis said the Ramcharger is intended as a bridge between traditional internal combustion engine trucks and all-electric trucks, which currently face significant hurdles in terms of charging infrastructure and range anxiety, particularly when the vehicles are being towed – a key reason for purchasing a truck.
According to Stephanie Brinley, deputy director of AutoIntelligence at S&P Global Mobility, such improvements could be a differentiator for the brand.
“This recognizes the fact that the industry, and particularly the pickup truck segment, is not currently ready to simply go 100% electric,” she said. “It solves some of those performance and range anxiety issues and is strong. – But the hard part will be really making it clear to consumers what it does.”
2025 Ram 1500 Ramcharger Tungsten
R.A.M.
Similar propulsion technology – so-called extended range electric vehicles (EREVs) – is available in overseas markets, particularly China. It is also similarly offered in vehicles such as General Motors’ discontinued Chevrolet Volt sedan.
Stellantis engineers said the main difference between the technology of the Ramcharger and the Volt is that the truck is powered solely by electric motors, rather than the vehicle’s engine, once the battery runs out. It is also expected to be the first application in a full-size production pickup truck.
The Ramcharger has 663 horsepower and 615 foot-pounds of torque and can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds, Stellantis said. The truck will be capable of bi-directional charging, with the vehicle acting as a generator to power appliances or even an entire home, the company said.
Kuniskis, who also runs Stellantis’ Dodge brand, declined to comment on whether the Ramcharger’s technology will be used in other vehicles. Other Stellantis brands include Chrysler, Jeep and Fiat in the USA
The Ramcharger works differently than current plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), which offer a range of all-electric driving performance followed by a motor that powers the vehicle after the battery runs out.
Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis unveils the Charger Daytona SRT electric muscle car on August 17, 2022 in Pontiac, Michigan.
Michael Wayland/CNBC
“The Ramcharger is not a PHEV,” Kuniskis said. “It is a battery-electric truck with its own fast charger on board.”
“There is no connection between the engine and the wheels,” he said. “The gas generator is only there to charge the battery.”
Ram’s truck strategy differs from that of its leading competitors, GM and Ford Motor. The latter offers traditional, hybrid and all-electric versions of its F-150 full-size truck, while GM has announced that it will switch from conventional trucks to electric vehicles without the use of hybrids.
Stellantis currently offers PHEV versions of vehicles such as the Chrysler Pacifica minivan and the Jeep Wrangler and Grand Cherokee SUVs.
The Ramcharger’s design is a mix of the all-electric Ram 1500 REV and the refreshed gasoline versions of the traditional trucks that will be available early next year.
The Ramcharger features illuminated lines on the grille and headlights, a new logo first introduced on the all-electric truck, and other design and dashboard elements between the two.
For traditional Ram 1500 models, the biggest change is that the company is ditching the familiar Hemi V-8. The 5.7-liter Hemi engine currently offered in the truck will be replaced by a twin-turbocharged inline-six engine called the Hurricane.
Ram’s 2023 Super Bowl commercial introduces the production version of the Ram 1500 REV electric pickup truck, which is expected to go on sale in late 2024.
Screenshot
“Some customers will be upset that there’s no Hemi,” Kuniskis said. “Sure, the Hemi is an absolute legend. Americans love the Hemi, but this thing beats the Hemi by far.”
The 3.0-liter Hurricane engine produces 420 hp and 469 Nm of torque, while a high-performance version of the engine produces 540 hp and 521 Nm of torque. In comparison, the current V8 Hemi makes 395 horsepower and 410 foot-pounds of torque.
Inline or straight-six engines have been used in U.S. vehicles from automakers such as BMW and Jaguar, but are still far from common in the United States
Other changes to the trucks include a new luxury model called Tungsten and a performance variant called RHO, which replace Ram’s high-performance TRX pickup, which packs a Hemi 6.2-liter V8 with 702 horsepower and 650 foot-pounds Torque is equipped.