2025 1500 RamCharger. Is it an EV?

[Mb7640]

MANY kudos to you for home ownership! It is so increasingly difficult these days with prices as well as interest rates rising so quickly the last couple of years. I'm an old geezer and it was quite a bit easier to own a home back in "my day", lol. Too often I take for granted the fact that I have my own home (and solar) and I've found it all too easy to get on my high horse proclaiming the virtues of EV cars - though frankly I have not purchased one yet! When we built this new home (and workshop), I specifically designed the shop (85' x 42') to be perpendicular to the house in order to have a South-facing roof, ideal for solar. As I am recently retired, one of my objective was to eliminate/mitigate any recurring costs - chief among them was utility costs (whose costs also seem to be going out of control). As such, this new house is all electric (no gas bills) and we installed 63 solar panels. We've only been moved in for about 3 months, but it is clear that I somewhat grossly underestimated the efficiency of the house and I have even more excess electricity than I was planning for. So not only is nightly charging viable, it is completely free.

But, back to your case... I think I would say that the EV value/convenience proposition erodes significantly if you cannot charge from home nightly. This is where I would place your energy - convincing the HOA to change their rules, doing something under the radar, or moving. I suppose another alternative would be if you had a job where you could charge at work.

Have to see how all of this plays out in the future. More than likely I will just stick with gas vehicles. as of now there is no place to charge in the town I live in. also there is no charging at work. moving is definitely out of the question there is no way i could afford to buy a house anywhere else. besides I love where I live and have worked very hard to get what i have. its not anything fancy by any means but I love it. I know I'm not the only ones with these issues. i think most people forget about the people that live in Townhomes, condos and apartments or they just don't care. I have a coworker who has a tesla and he is displaced from his home and is now realizing how difficult it is to charge his car without his home setup and he is back to driving his tundra until he can get back into his home. I think ev are a good choice for people who want them but also have a v8 option for others

 

[CaptStumpy]

How much hp do you expect it to take to generate enough electricity to keep this truck rolling?

you can do this calculation with pencil and paper. 1 kW = 1.3404825737 horsepower

 

[Atticus]

I know I'm not the only ones with these issues. i think most people forget about the people that live in Townhomes, condos and apartments or they just don't care.

Yeah, idiots like me sometimes forget... You can and should be proud of your castle and what you have accomplished! It was only recently that I was reading an article about the current and future growth of the EV segment. This is the same article that cited "range anxiety" as one of the biggest inhibitors in EV adoption. This is directly related to the average 250-ish mile range for current EVs and the current immaturity of the charging infrastructure. This is one of the chief inhibitors for the target segment that is "ripe" for EV adoption - but an even larger segment is those folks living in condos, apartments, etc. The charging infrastructure will slowly mature with time so maybe the bigger question is what is on the horizon to address/solve/mitigate the challenge folks without easy access to overnight charging have. I agree with you, Mb7640, without home charging or "at work" charging, the value proposition for acquiring and owning an EV is not there. The frustrating part is that you live in one of the most ideal (sunny) States. I think it would behoove HOA's to look at installing community charging areas and then maybe there's a small premium for folks to "rent" a spot/timeframe. For example, maybe you "rent" Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays from 8-11pm. I don't know, it still seems that this isn't ideal but I hope smarter people (aka, virtually everyone else) come up with ways to address this issue.

 

[dafish]

HOA's = Shudder.. Certainly best of luck with them.

Assuming you had a garage one could always install a garage outlet for an aircompressor, Clother dryer, etc, and then use same for charging the EV. 240V is 240v. I charged my Tesla on me 240V air compressor outlet for many months. Sure, I eventually wanted that outlet back and installed a dedicated circuit in the garage, but the plug certainly worked.

Another move would be to install one 120 duplex outlet outside the garage and wire each receptable on independent (and different leg) circuits (wires). It's easy enough to buy, or make, an adapter that would allow you to combine those to plugs into 240V, but aside from those adaptors being in use the outlets would be normal outside use approved 12V outlets. I'd use NEMA 15-20R's for the 120v outlets. Something like this:

Leviton 20 Amp Industrial Grade Heavy Duty Self Grounding Duplex Outlet, White R72-05352-0WS - The Home Depot

Prograde professional products are built to demanding specifications. Leviton's Prograde products are the preferred choice of electricians, contractors and serious DIYers. Unbreakable Nylon has a smooth,

www.homedepot.com

TAYMAC N3R Extra Duty Polycarbonate Clear 1-Gang Weatherproof In-Use Electrical Outlet Cover for Outdoor Outlet, UFAST 16-in-1 MM420C - The Home Depot

www.homedepot.com

Parkworld 61544 Combiner, Household Regular (2) 5-15 Plug Male to RV 1

NEMA (2)5-15P to 14-50RIt is not working for EV, and it must plugin two plugs in different generator to get power, nor it do not workable. RV 50A plug get power from dual 15A regular outlet. When you have two of regular 15A 5-15 wall outlets on generator, and you want plug your Camper 14-50P...

parkworld.com

Yes, that works, yes, I've done it, and in fact own same and keep a set in the Tesla for "oh ****" moments. (don't use GFCI breakers or outlets or they will trip unless additional games are played).

The latter will get you a reasonably safe 16A@ 240V, and if wired with 10 gauge CU wiring I'd personally feel safe running to 20amps.

luck to you,

-d

​

 

[dafish]

MB, I agree EV charging is an issue for those in appts, townhomes wo garages/driveways, and etc. Nor do I have much of an answer for today or even the short term. A knee jerk is public charging posts, sort of like parking meters, but people there are so many idiots and assholes today that vandalism would preclude success. As would liability fears.

If you're aware of the "Duck Curve" then I think we'd agree that in the mid-term we'll see a call, perhaps mandates, for charging at work w/billing charge backs. Most likely billed back to the owners AC account (or nobody w/renewables would charge at work and that's the whole point).

 

[Mb7640]

I

Yeah, idiots like me sometimes forget... You can and should be proud of your castle and what you have accomplished! It was only recently that I was reading an article about the current and future growth of the EV segment. This is the same article that cited "range anxiety" as one of the biggest inhibitors in EV adoption. This is directly related to the average 250-ish mile range for current EVs and the current immaturity of the charging infrastructure. This is one of the chief inhibitors for the target segment that is "ripe" for EV adoption - but an even larger segment is those folks living in condos, apartments, etc. The charging infrastructure will slowly mature with time so maybe the bigger question is what is on the horizon to address/solve/mitigate the challenge folks without easy access to overnight charging have. I agree with you, Mb7640, without home charging or "at work" charging, the value proposition for acquiring and owning an EV is not there. The frustrating part is that you live in one of the most ideal (sunny) States. I think it would behoove HOA's to look at installing community charging areas and then maybe there's a small premium for folks to "rent" a spot/timeframe. For example, maybe you "rent" Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays from 8-11pm. I don't know, it still seems that this isn't ideal but I hope smarter people (aka, virtually everyone else) come up with ways to address this issue.

I agree with you about community charging could be a option but I dont see that happing. The Hoa would do it by a assement so everyone would have to pay for it then recoup by renting out the space. i also think the Hoa is wrong by saying you can not install a home charger. the reason is that you can not drill through the firewall. Which i do not think that is correct since it can be sealed and you would not need a big hole to run a wire. i have drilled holes through it to install a mc4 feed through for some solar panels. Which i use in case of blackouts for my Ecoflow delta pro. granted they do ot know that i did this. I'm sure they will figure the Ev thing out someday but just not as fast as they say. It is a shame that they are getting rid of the v8 I love mine so when the time comes i will have to decide to either replace the engine or go with something else. would be shame to go away from Mopar since that i all I have ever owned. Thanks I am proud of my accomplishment

 

[Atticus]

dafish made me realize that you probably have your own garage. If that's the case, no reason that you can't install a 240v receptacle. As you stated, the fire wall excuse is BS as you can have outlets on a fire wall. Anyway, HOA or not, I'd install the receptacle (to code) and then make sure my garage door was closed when the EV was plugged in. It's YOUR castle!

 

[tron67j]

Installing a home charger just doesn't happen, you have to have the amperage to handle the load. If I was installing one it would probably be a level 2 and would have a 60 amp dedicated circuit. This would exceed my capacity of my 200 amp service based on the continuous load percentage. Anyone considering such an install should consult a licensed electrician first. You could check out the calculator from the NEC code book for some basic knowledge but just running a line from the box to the garage and not knowing if it is appropriate could be a huge problem.

I am intrigued by the Ramcharger. I like the idea of the setup where the vehicle will never actually just run on battery alone, the engine will always run when using the vehicle. This should translate to very decent range when towing, you aren't depleting the battery then trying to charge it back up. With the PC being up there (I am a Tradesman guy) I could see this being my next truck.

And I think it is a good thing to not have the frunk. I have seen some of the stupid exhibited by what people put in the Ford with just some light aluminum to hold back some pretty compacted and unrestricted mass, like pipe wrenches, axes, and such. Imagine the potential energy stored there being released in a front end collision.

 

[runamuck]

I will not have an EV in my lifetime but if the next owner of my house does, it may be pricey as the 200A panel I have is full and since I want to add connections to my RV pad in the backyard, my electrician buddy told me a new larger panel would run about 600$ installed so doing without for now.

 

[Maytag21]

Been patiently waiting for what our next EV or PHEV will be but have always known we would eventually pickup another electrified vehicle some day. Our first EV was a FIAT 500e with about 90mi total full charge range. At the time we had a Ford Explorer for family hauling and long out of town trips, the little electric Fiat for everyday local commuting. Plugging in the electric Fiat every night became second nature and must say it was always a blast to drive. When the 3yr lease on the electric Fiat ended I was sad to see it go but my wife said how about we get rid of both the Explorer+Fiat and consider getting a Pacifica PHEV minivan. At first I was no fricken way I’m gna be driving a mini van when I’ve always driven SUVs since expecting our first child in 1994 then nearly 30yrs later with both kids grown n one already had moved out on his own she’s talking about getting a mini van. Well after some back n forth I gave in since we were just going to lease the PHEV Pacifica as company lease anyways and we would still be utilizing the Level2 EV charger I installed in garage. Honestly that PHEV instantly became my daily driver, it had all the bells & whistles, the overhead birdseye camera view was super slick n helped tremendously when parking the long 7seater van. It only had a full electric range of up to 33miles but when recharging every night and sometime topping off again at the office I would average between 900-1100 miles per tankful on the Pacifica which came out to roughly around $40 per month gassing up at Costco. Now just imagine what it felt like after the 3yr lease on the PHEV Pacifica ended and I picked up a 2021 RAM 1500 eTorque 5.7 Hemi, I went from $40/mo for gas on the Pacifica to $400+/mo for gas on the RAM 1500. Needless to say we had to adjust quickly to the monthly increased gas bill shock because we knew the PHEV Pacifica minivan would not be able to handle the 26ft travel trailer we had in mind which we took delivery 12/22. Come this July when the lease on our 2021 RAM 1500 ends we will be willing to wait a few months for the 2025 RamChargers to roll out. Hopefully all the great things I’ve read about the RamCharger is not just hype.

 

[Riccochet]

Been patiently waiting for what our next EV or PHEV will be but have always known we would eventually pickup another electrified vehicle some day. Our first EV was a FIAT 500e with about 90mi total full charge range. At the time we had a Ford Explorer for family hauling and long out of town trips, the little electric Fiat for everyday local commuting. Plugging in the electric Fiat every night became second nature and must say it was always a blast to drive. When the 3yr lease on the electric Fiat ended I was sad to see it go but my wife said how about we get rid of both the Explorer+Fiat and consider getting a Pacifica PHEV minivan. At first I was no fricken way I’m gna be driving a mini van when I’ve always driven SUVs since expecting our first child in 1994 then nearly 30yrs later with both kids grown n one already had moved out on his own she’s talking about getting a mini van. Well after some back n forth I gave in since we were just going to lease the PHEV Pacifica as company lease anyways and we would still be utilizing the Level2 EV charger I installed in garage. Honestly that PHEV instantly became my daily driver, it had all the bells & whistles, the overhead birdseye camera view was super slick n helped tremendously when parking the long 7seater van. It only had a full electric range of up to 33miles but when recharging every night and sometime topping off again at the office I would average between 900-1100 miles per tankful on the Pacifica which came out to roughly around $40 per month gassing up at Costco. Now just imagine what it felt like after the 3yr lease on the PHEV Pacifica ended and I picked up a 2021 RAM 1500 eTorque 5.7 Hemi, I went from $40/mo for gas on the Pacifica to $400+/mo for gas on the RAM 1500. Needless to say we had to adjust quickly to the monthly increased gas bill shock because we knew the PHEV Pacifica minivan would not be able to handle the 26ft travel trailer we had in mind which we took delivery 12/22. Come this July when the lease on our 2021 RAM 1500 ends we will be willing to wait a few months for the 2025 RamChargers to roll out. Hopefully all the great things I’ve read about the RamCharger is not just hype.

You couldn't pay me to take a first model year anything. Been there, done that, have the shirt.

 

[NicksGarage]

I signed up to get on the waitlist to order the truck. Was looking at getting a used diesel truck to replace my 1500, since my towing needs have increased. I have plenty of solar to charge the truck and if they fulfill the promise of vehicle-to-grid capability, I will put off buying a house battery. Most of the towing I do is local but do have several long trips a year. If it works as they say, I'd be driving on electric mostly, even when towing locally, and then have the range for trips. My 1500 struggles to get 10mpg towing our RV on our long trips. I barely get 15mpg driving around town. I rented a 2022 2500 diesel for one camping trip (because the TIPM went out on the 1500) and got 16mpg. I'm glad they're not forcing the new tech on just the high spec trucks. While I like what's in a Limited, I don't want to spend that much money for it. My 2009 1500 SLT 4x4 cost almost $40k new and it has manual cloth seats and just had the basic radio.

I know there are a lot of anti-EV people out there that will never accept that they are, or can be, good. Just like all those people that said Mopar would go under if they tried to sell a 4-door Charger. Too each their own but listen to facts and not BS.

 

[Riccochet]

Nothing wrong with the hybrid approach for a truck. It's what Ford and GM should have done instead of going full EV, which, as we all saw, was a massive failure for anyone that uses their truck as a truck.

This Ramcharger has potential. That being said, good luck to anyone that buys first model year. You have some balls. Or a lot of patience. Guarantee it's going to be in and out of the shop as they work through all the new platform gremlins. I've made that mistake once before, never do it again.

 

[GARC]

Have been reading as much as I could find and have yet to really find an answer, can the generator send power directly to the 2 motors as stated below:
"a 130-kilowatt generator that sends electrical power to the high-voltage battery and/or to the two electric motors"
or does the built in generator only send power to the batteries?

thanks

 

[Ramtastico]

Nothing wrong with the hybrid approach for a truck. It's what Ford and GM should have done instead of going full EV, which, as we all saw, was a massive failure for anyone that uses their truck as a truck.

This Ramcharger has potential. That being said, good luck to anyone that buys first model year. You have some balls. Or a lot of patience. Guarantee it's going to be in and out of the shop as they work through all the new platform gremlins. I've made that mistake once before, never do it again.

Got me thinking Riccochet... some decent deals on current '24s and while i had my sights set on a ramcharger (and put the hundred down)... might make more sense to go tried and true for a year or two... but their design doesn't seem like it would have many fail points given the penta... seems like more electronic fail points than mechanical.

 

[Docwagon1776]

Got me thinking Riccochet... some decent deals on current '24s and while i had my sights set on a ramcharger (and put the hundred down)... might make more sense to go tried and true for a year or two... but their design doesn't seem like it would have many fail points given the penta... seems like more electronic fail points than mechanical.

Look at the issues GM is having with drivetrain software recalls. It's a lot of unprovens. I figure they will shake it out, but I think it's possible new owners may have some frustrating experiences until they do. Maybe not, though, my crystal ball is often a little cloudy.

 

[Ramtastico]

Look at the issues GM is having with drivetrain software recalls. It's a lot of unprovens. I figure they will shake it out, but I think it's possible new owners may have some frustrating experiences until they do. Maybe not, though, my crystal ball is often a little cloudy.

Yeah... we bought a first-year redesign palisade and it was a mess... ended up dumping it inside of 12 months. You'd think i would learn... but then again, I'll keep touching a hot stove until its no longer hot

 

[Riccochet]

Yeah... we bought a first-year redesign palisade and it was a mess... ended up dumping it inside of 12 months. You'd think i would learn... but then again, I'll keep touching a hot stove until its no longer hot

Same thing with the first year 2011 F150 Ecoboost I had. Spent more time in the shop within the first year than it did in my driveway.

 

[mikeru]

Same thing with the first year 2011 F150 Ecoboost I had. Spent more time in the shop within the first year than it did in my driveway.

Wait, wasn't 2009 was the first year for that generation? 12th gen F150's ran from 2009 thru 2014 model year.

Edit: Sorry to question you on that. You did say first gen ecoboost. Move on, nothing to see here

 

[Jrp267]

I am absolutely excited for this vehicle. I already have a stage 2 charger for my wife’s 22 4xe. Which has been problem free thus far. I take a couple trips a year towing and this configuration makes that possible. Usually usage is under 125 miles a day so the battery should get it done. Can’t wait. I’ll buy early and suffer.