Stellantis’ new Ram pickup is an EV — with a gas-powered generator in case the battery runs out. The end of the Hemi???

2025 Ram 1500 Ramcharger Tungsten​

• Stellantis plans to produce an industry-first pickup for its Ram Trucks brand that’s equipped with an onboard gas engine and electric generator.
• The truck can operate as a zero-emissions EV until the vehicle’s battery dies and an electric onboard generator — powered by a 3.6-liter V6 engine — kicks on to power the vehicle after its initial charge.
• Ram CEO Tim Kuniskis characterized the new Ram 1500 Ramcharger pickup as the “ultimate answer for battery-electric trucks.”

DETROIT — Automaker Stellantis plans to produce an industry-first electric pickup truck called the Ram 1500 Ramcharger that’s 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-emissions EV until its battery dies and an electric onboard generator — powered by a 27-gallon, 3.6-liter V6 engine — kicks on to power the vehicle.

The outcome is a truck with the benefits of an EV, such as fast acceleration and some zero-emissions driving, without the range anxiety synonymous with most current electric vehicles, according to Ram CEO Tim Kuniskis.
“This is the ultimate answer for the battery-electric truck. No one else has got anything else like it,” Kuniskis told reporters during an event. “This is going to be a game changer for battery-electric trucks.”
The 2025 Ram 1500 Ramcharger is expected to go on sale in late 2024 alongside a previously revealed all-electric Ram 1500 truck without a gas-powered engine or range-extending electric generator.
Stellantis estimates the range of the Ramcharger to be up to 690 miles, including up to 145 miles powered by a 92 kilowatt-hour battery when fully charged without the extended-range power from the gas engine and 130 kilowatt electric generator.
That range compares with up to an expected 500-mile range of the all-electric Ram 1500 REV pickup. It also tops the current Ram 1500, which has a 3.6-liter V-6 engine and an up to 26-gallon tank with a total range of up to 546 miles, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Stellantis did not announce pricing of the Ramcharger, which was revealed Tuesday as part of a redesign of current gasoline-powered Ram 1500 pickups for the 2025 model year.

‘Not a PHEV’​

Kuniskis said the Ramcharger is meant as a bridge between traditional trucks with internal combustion engines and all-electric ones, which currently face significant hurdles regarding charging infrastructure and range anxiety, especially when the vehicles are towing — a main reason to purchase a truck.
Such improvements could be a differentiator for the brand, according to Stephanie Brinley, associate director of AutoIntelligence for S&P Global Mobility.
“It works to address the fact that right now the industry and the pickup truck segment in particular is not ready to just flip to EVs 100%,” she said. “It addresses some of those performance and range anxiety concerns, and it’s strong.— But the difficult part is going to be getting consumers to really understand what it does.”

2025 Ram 1500 Ramcharger Tungsten​

Similar propulsion technology — referred to as extended-range electric vehicles, or EREVs — is available in overseas markets, specifically China. It’s also similarly been offered in vehicles such as the discontinued Chevrolet Volt sedan from General Motors.

Stellantis engineers said the main difference between the technology of the Ramcharger and the Volt is that the truck is being exclusively propelled by electric motors, not the vehicle’s engine, once the battery dies. It’s also expected to be the first application of it in a production full-size pickup truck.

The Ramcharger features 663 horsepower and 615 foot-pounds of torque and can achieve 0 to 60 miles per hour in 4.4 seconds, Stellantis said. The truck will be capable of bidirectional charging, where the vehicle acts as a generator to power appliances or even an entire home, the company said.

Kuniskis, who also leads Stellantis’ Dodge brand, declined to comment on whether the technology of the Ramcharger will be used in other vehicles. Other Stellantis brands include Chrysler, Jeep and Fiat in the U.S.

The Ramcharger operates differently from current plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, or PHEVs, that offer a range of all-electric driving, followed by an engine powering the vehicle after the battery is depleted.

“The Ramcharger is not a PHEV,” Kuniskis said. “It’s a battery-electric truck with its own onboard, high-speed charger.”

“There’s no connection between the engine and the wheels,” he said. “The gas generator is only there to charge the battery.”

Ram’s truck strategy is different from its leading competitors GM and Ford Motor. The latter is offering traditional, hybrid and all-electric versions of its F-150 full-size truck, while GM has said it plans to transition from traditional trucks to electric ones without the use of hybrids.

Stellantis currently offers PHEV versions of vehicles such as the Chrysler Pacifica minivan and Jeep Wrangler and Grand Cherokee SUVs.

Ram’s 2023 Super Bowl ad debuts the production version of the Ram 1500 REV electric pickup that is expected to go on sale in late 2024.​

Bye-bye Hemi​

The design of the Ramcharger is a mix between the all-electric Ram 1500 REV and the refreshed gas versions of the traditional trucks, which will be available early next year.
The Ramcharger includes illuminated lines across its grille from the headlamps, new badging that debuted on the all-electric truck and other design and facia elements between the two.
For the traditional Ram 1500 models, the biggest change is the company is dropping its well-known Hemi V-8. Replacing the current 5.7-liter Hemi engine offered in the truck will be a twin-turbocharged, inline-six-cylinder engine called the Hurricane.

“Some customers are going to be upset that you’re not going to have a Hemi in there,” Kuniskis said. “Sure, the Hemi’s an absolute legend. Americans love the Hemi, but this thing flat out outperforms the Hemi.”

The 3.0-liter Hurricane engine is rated at 420 horsepower and 469 foot-pounds of torque, while a high-output version of the engine is rated at 540 horsepower and 521 foot-pounds of torque. That compares with the current V-8 Hemi at 395 horsepower and 410 foot-pounds of torque.

Inline-, or straight-, six-cylinder engines have been used in U.S. vehicles by automakers such as BMW and Jaguar, however, they’re far from mainstream in the U.S.

Other changes to the trucks include a new luxury model called Tungsten and a performance variant called RHO replacing Ram’s high-output TRX pickup that is equipped with a Hemi 6.2-liter V-8 capable of 702 horsepower and 650 foot-pounds of torque.

Article courtesy of Michael Wayland with CNBC.com

 

[tron67j]

I had to smile at something Donald Trump said today.
He is in Iowa at the convention center where he won.

He was thanking people for showing up in the nasty weather & for their support.
One of the Senators had made a last minute drive up from Mississippi or Missouri.
Trump said it was a good thing that he was not driving an EV, because he would not have made it in time.


A Media Crew was doing a report on traveling from point A to point B, in an EV, it was a fair distance.
They did their due diligence, covered both Pros & Cons.

The thing that stuck out, was that they had to be towed a couple of times, it turns out that the biggest disappointment was that so many Charging Stations were not operating, or just 1 of the Charge Ports were working & there was a line of vehicles needing a charge.

There was no violence, but there were a couple of LOUD discussions

That is the problem that I'm getting out of my last post. If companies spend their own money and their investor money you could be damn well certain that every charger they own would be operating 24/7. But with the government just throwing money out there's no real incentive to keep them functional.

 

[ramffml]

OK Boomer… Some of the responses over something as simple as an engine and progress, amaze me.

NO LETS NOT CHANGE! THE OLD WAY IS THE ONLY WAY!

I like lead pipes for water. I like drilling for oil in national parks. You should beat your kids, it makes them tough. I’m not wearing seatbelts because they kill people. Big Foot is definitely real! DDT ain’t never hurt nobody. Microwave ovens cause cancer. You should always trust a Catholic Priest.

Just, don’t buy it Uncle Bob! Stand your ground and go get an old square body Chevy, Ford or Dodge Ram with big block V8’s that could barely make 150hp And got 8mpg. Ain’t anything more satisfying than slapping around 3 gears on the column with vacuum powered wipers. LOL.

If you could put down the cannabis for a second and listen:

Very few people are saying electric cars can't/shouldn't exist. We're saying it doesn't make sense for truck usage and mandating ICE cars/trucks out of existence to force electric on us is criminal.

In other words, if you want to buy electric, go for it. Supply and demand. Just don't force your ideas onto me.

 

[markabby]

i read that the 3.6 gets the same fuel milage as the hemi. so, what was gained?

 

[Bighorn18]

I will stick to my paid off 2018 Ram 3500 diesel as long as I can or until I no longer have the need for a truck.

 

[HEMIMANN]

Sure is an expensive powertrain for a personal vehicle.
Even a locomotive doesn't have a bank of batteries in addition to an engine generator.

 

[HEMIMANN]

i read that the 3.6 gets the same fuel milage as the hemi. so, what was gained?

Not running it all the time. V6 smaller than V8 for space needed to attach the generator.

 

[mikeru]

Not sure that statement held much water. First, Iowa and Missouri share a border and second, after another 10 inches of snow less than 2 days ago and winds whipping the snow into drifts and the temps to 30 below zero, all vehicles had problems. A Congresswoman on the way to an event there Saturday got rear ended by a semi.

Not sure hating EVs is the right path, people have made statements that if someone wants to own one and companies make them, good for both. EVs have sold long before EV-only mandates started. Let states like California do their thing and when the populace rejects it by buying out of state and CA car dealers go out of business things will swing again. There are enough states that will keep selling ICE vehicles.

But...

Fossil fuels are a finite resource and something, or a combination of something's need to be invented, built, and perfected. We wait until fuel is 20 bucks a gallon, too late. Think a balance of some laws and regulations with some controlled incentives are going to help us all long term. But not giving money to rich people to buy a $100k vehicle and certainly not throwing money at car chargers. Maybe restrict the money to the entry level only and to a max car price out the door of say $50k. And let private companies invest their investor money to build out a network of chargers Not perfect, just ideas that we could maybe have more middle of the road options and stop the ridiculous swinging from overzealous restrictions to drill-baby-drill. And FWIW, our main oil supplies aren't all that good to refine into gasoline anyway.

As you say, all vehicles can have issues in heavy drifting snow. That's a moot point. Snow conditions aside, gasoline powered vehicles will always have an advantage over EV's in severe cold weather. For example, there's no need to warm the gas tank before filling it, running the heater doesn't significantly impact fuel economy, gas pumps are much more reliable in the cold than charging stations, it doesn't take longer to fill a gas tank in the cold.

I totally agree that people who want an EV should certainly be able to buy one. Same with gas powered vehicles. But your understanding about states that are mandating EV only new vehicle sales is lacking. Yes, in these states you are not barred from going to another state to buy a gas or diesel powered vehicle. I live in WA, and am very close to the Idaho border, and often buy cars in that state. The problem is that if I buy a new ICE powered car in another state after the mandate becomes effective I won't be able to register it in WA. That seemingly small detail makes all the difference.

Yes, crude oil is a finite resource and eventually it will run out. That doesn't mean electric is the way to go. It's just one direction. There are renewable types of fuel that can be used. Ethanol and bio-diesel are examples of that, among others. Private industry needs to not only be involved in developing charging stations, they also need to be allowed to drive the research into these alternate fuel sources. Governments need to keep out of it as much as possible.

 

[HEMIMANN]

Maybe they'll finally make nuclear powered vehicles. From the 1950's, when atomic power was the future of everything, and the basis for Back to the Future movies.

 

[mikeru]

Maybe they'll finally make nuclear powered vehicles. From the 1950's, when atomic power was the future of everything, and the basis for Back to the Future movies.

I'm still waiting for the flying cars that they were predicting back in the 70's that we'd see by the year 2000

 

[markabby]

I'm still waiting for the flying cars that they were predicting back in the 70's that we'd see by the year 2000

wait a sec....i thought we were waiting for hydrogen powered cars and trucks? :-0

 

[tron67j]

Maybe making hydrogen cost-effectively and scaling it up is like creating the lightbulb. We just need to keep eliminating the ways that are not efficient to find that one way that is.

 

[mikeru]

Maybe making hydrogen cost-effectively and scaling it up is like creating the lightbulb. We just need to keep eliminating the ways that are not efficient to find that one way that is.

Hydrogen is the most prevalent element in the universe. Surely there must be a way.

 

[HEMIMANN]

wait a sec....i thought we were waiting for hydrogen powered cars and trucks? :-0

Hydrogen works, they can reform it from either methane or water using solar power but - (always buts), they can't make it on the scale needed for ICE engines, PLUS storage for any range is difficult. Sound familiar?

They've working on metal hydrides like used in fusion bombs, but still not sufficient volume. CNG is expensive and difficult to transfer - far more dangerous than propane fueling.

 

[HEMIMANN]

Can't imagine the cost and price of a Ramcharger with dual powertrains and supplies - batteries plus engine and generator. wowsa

 

[andygl]

It will have a battery of almost the same size as in Tesla Model 3. The replacement price of it is up to $7k.
Minus transmission. Google says its price is about $3.5k
So, essentially, it is the added price of battery ($7k) VS savings on the absent transmission (-$3.5k)

In the end, the price difference could be insignificant.

 

[Docwagon1776]

The problem is that if I buy a new ICE powered car in another state after the mandate becomes effective I won't be able to register it in WA. That seemingly small detail makes all the difference.

Sounds like a cottage industry could be profitable setting up LLCs and other entities that can register vehicles. That's how the illegals register their cars in my state without having to do all the identification verification that citizens have to.

 

[Docwagon1776]

Hydrogen is the most prevalent element in the universe. Surely there must be a way.

It is, but not unbonded. The issue is hydrogen is very 'grabby' and 'grabs' on to other elements quickly. It forms compounds (like water, H20) very readily and therefore doesn't exist any a pure form ready to be used.

Those bonds are grabbing the other element strongly and it take energy to break those bonds to get that hydrogen. Net result is hydrogen will always be energy negative, no technology is going to overcome fundamental laws of physics.

Maybe making hydrogen cost-effectively and scaling it up is like creating the lightbulb. We just need to keep eliminating the ways that are not efficient to find that one way that is.

Cheap electricity. Really the only way to make it cost effective. Simplify the equation and assume you have 100% pure water, no contamination of any kind. You use energy to split out the H from the H2O. Then you use it as fuel for a vehicle, where it recombines with O2 to make water again (which is why they say the only emission is water). Conservation of energy and mass, you can't get more energy out than you put in. Now add in real world issues. No water is completely pure, no cracking process is 100% efficient, etc. You always remain energy negative and, like above, can't change that. So, the only way it gets cheaper than oil is electricity gets really really cheap or oil gets really really expensive.

 

[tron67j]

Getting oil out of the ground was difficult and expensive, it took 50 years for fracking to become economically viable due to increases in oil cost and technology improvements.

Small scale tests have found different ways to do the deed, just have to keep working on it. Shoot, it was just recently that research found that water molecules organize in 2 directions in a electrolyte solution. We learn things all the time, we just need to learn the secret of cheap, easy hydrogen.

 

[Docwagon1776]

Getting oil out of the ground was difficult and expensive, it took 50 years for fracking to become economically viable due to increases in oil cost and technology improvements.

Not the same thing, even remotely. The issue is not the economics of extraction, the issue is *it is impossible to get more energy out of stripping hydrogen molecules from compounds then you get from recombining hydrogen via combustion*. No technology is going to fix that. You can only get closer to 100% efficiency but will always remain energy negative. See: Faraday's law of electrolysis, Law of Conservation of Energy, and Conservation of Mass.

There are no perpetual motion machines, and if you could make more energy with hydrogen stripping then you put in...you would have perpetual motion. You can't think of hydrogen as a fuel like coal or natural gas, you have to think of it as a chemical battery if you want to understand the underlying issue.

So that leaves us needing to put more energy in than comes out. That means electricity. Thus cheap electricity means cheap(er) hydrogen, but always slightly more expensive than the underlying electricity. Which is why places like Japan can make it economically viable because electricity is cheaper than oil importation, limited geographical footprint for infrastructure run out, etc.

TLDR: Hydrogen is just electrical power with an extra step, a different type of battery as opposed to a fuel.

 

[HEMIMANN]

Not the same thing, even remotely. The issue is not the economics of extraction, the issue is *it is impossible to get more energy out of stripping hydrogen molecules from compounds then you get from recombining hydrogen via combustion*. No technology is going to fix that. You can only get closer to 100% efficiency but will always remain energy negative. See: Faraday's law of electrolysis, Law of Conservation of Energy, and Conservation of Mass.

There are no perpetual motion machines, and if you could make more energy with hydrogen stripping then you put in...you would have perpetual motion. You can't think of hydrogen as a fuel like coal or natural gas, you have to think of it as a chemical battery if you want to understand the underlying issue.

So that leaves us needing to put more energy in than comes out. That means electricity. Thus cheap electricity means cheap(er) hydrogen, but always slightly more expensive than the underlying electricity. Which is why places like Japan can make it economically viable because electricity is cheaper than oil importation, limited geographical footprint for infrastructure run out, etc.

TLDR: Hydrogen is just electrical power with an extra step, a different type of battery as opposed to a fuel.

Yes. Newton's 2nd law - can't get 100% energy out from energy in, much less more than 100%.

But - we can use solar and wind to reverse the lower energy state of water and methane into the reactable state of H2 hydrogen. Because hydrogen COULD be easier to store than electrical current.

As I said, metal matrix hydrides is what they're working on now. CNG has the same short range problem as batteries, plus far more dangerous and complex refueling.