Ramcharger- Best of Both Worlds?

[anionic1]

I wish the Ramcharger pricing was out so we could compare to the CT tomorrow. At first I looked at the Ramcharger and thought, these Stellantis guys are frauds. They are still just burning gas and calling it an EV which is true if its used wrong, which some idiots will. If you literally never plug in and just let the 3.6L ICE engine always recharge the vehicle you are an idiot and you should just buy an ICE truck. But if you mostly plug in and hopefully can use solar or some clean energy, then you could probably do 95% of your driving with the 150 mi battery range and not really use the engine. But when you are hauling or going on a long trip, that 690 miles of range with the gas generator built in seems like it might really be worth it. Granted, don't fool yourself into thinking its an EV at that point, but really its the best of both worlds if you know how to use it. I would gladly give up the frunk space for that V6.

I have to imagine its going to be stupid expensive, but my experience with RAM trucks is that they are built really well. And if they price it right, that would be a really really awesome truck if used right. With a 92 kWh battery and a 3.6L V6 and the specs it is proposing I have to imagine it will be a $85k to $95k truck though. With that being their first truck out of the gate it might not gain much traction at that price point and i hope I am wrong. So far that truck is the only other EV truck that has really caught my attention just because it does offer a huge range advantage and I don't mind maintaining an ICE engine (to some degree). That engine would probably see only 5% of the use a normal engine would so maintenance should be very minimal.

Link for those unfamiliar with the truck Ramcharger

Sponsored

 

[ChiTownCT]

Only downside is that its ugly.. Literally does not appeal to me aesthetically.. As a hybrid owner currently, I think its a great idea.

 

[anionic1]

Only downside is that its ugly.. Literally does not appeal to me aesthetically.. As a hybrid owner currently, I think its a great idea.

this is an ugly truck to you:

 

[sstevens805]

I think it's a great transitionary step and from my understanding works more like a train. My concern is having an electrified powerplant and a gas powerplant, both made by RAM lol. So now there's maintenance of a gas engine again. This is just a little thing, but overall I think it's great.

 

[sstevens805]

this is an ugly truck to you:

I honestly think it's the best looking pickup around that isn't the CT.

 

[MonkeyDeLuffy]

After a few months with Maverick Hybrid, I think a hybrid solution is hitting the sweet spot across various scenarios, as long as the ICE portion has a proven track record of reliability.

 

[MonkeyDeLuffy]

I honestly think it's the best looking pickup around that isn't the CT.

Very comfortable riding inside as well.

 

[sstevens805]

Very comfortable riding inside as well.

That navy blue and cream interior . . . man. I'm a sucker for blue and that one kills.

 

[anionic1]

I honestly think it's the best looking pickup around that isn't the CT.

Me too. I bet Ford will follow with a train like power system. It will make sense for a lot of truck owners. Gas is 30x more energy dense than current battery tech. So a little goes a long way. I can see people from contractors to campers really liking having that 130 kW generator built in. That can charge up your battery in an hour and anything else that you might need to power.

 

[fhteagle]

11 year Volt owner here, so I can give you some perspective on the pros and cons of EREV:

Pros:
- Electric ($) when you can, gasoline ($$$) when you can't
- Smaller battery size per vehicle means more vehicles can be electric from the same mineral resources
- Regen, Regen, Regen
- Electric preheat / precool without idling
- Great stationary backup power possibilities

Cons:
- Drivetrain complexity (points of failure are nearly doubled)
- The PHEV fire statistics are worse than pure ICE by quite a long way. I can't point to a great reason why, other than more parts
- Much higher cycle count / DoD / wear in the smaller battery
- More for the driver to manage in steep terrain situations
- You get many of the little expenses like oil changes _and_ the big repair costs for batteries, HVDC components, etc.

GM pooched the screw by shelving Voltec. A Colorado with a 2x strength Voltec Drivetrain would have sold like hot cakes. I guess we'll find out with the Ramcharger if that was true, +/- them pricing it out of everyone's reach.

I'd really like to see more simplicity in the combustion generator part. Designs such as advanced rotary designs (not Wankel), opposed pistons, linear generators, etc can cut a ton of weight and part count from the combustion area.

I don't think I could go back to owning a pure ICE only. Of course I'd love to be able to snap my fingers and solve the infrastructure problem that holds many back from wanting to go pure EV. But another decade of EREV, especially with the capabilities of the Ramcharger doesn't bother me. We'll get to pure EV working for everyone everywhere (even very very very rural places like I live in) soon.

 

[scottf200]

I've posted about the RamCharger a few times (Gen 1 (kids)/Gen 2 (wife) Volt owner).
92 kWh (!) will save a lot of gas and handle most daily driving that many have.

145 miles on a 92 kWh battery then a 130 kW (190 kW peak) generator to tow 600+ miles, power your house, charge your friends CT when 4x4ing, live off grid in a camper for 1 month, etc.

https://www.ramtrucks.com/revolution/ram-1500-ramcharger.html
https://media.stellantisnorthamerica.com/newsrelease.do?id=25436
New level of performance delivered with 250-kilowatt (kW) front and 238 kW rear electric drive modules (EDMs) powered by an on-board 130 kW generator and a 92 kilowatt-hour (kWh) battery with a targeted range of up to 690 miles
All-new 2025 Ram 1500 Ramcharger capable of:

• 663 horsepower and 615 lb.-ft. of torque
• 0 – 60 miles per hour (mph) in 4.4 seconds
• Towing up to 14,000 lbs. and payload of up to 2,625 pounds

 

[Diehard]

Not sure how much of big three hitting the breaks on EV production is due to consumer demand for hybrids, issues about profitability of BEVS and how much of it is a reaction to Biden support for UAW and uncertainties of who is going to be the next president.

Regardless, the only way I would go plugin hybrid is if there is a new battery tech with hi cycle life that allows being at 0% or 100% SOC without much penalty and rock solid low maintenance ICE parts. If I was towing long distance a lot, I would probably go for it too.

The only reason I go back to pure ICE, is if my current BEV proves to be too unreliable or cost of ownership ends up being much higher.

Not having oil change, emission test or having to deal with muffler issues is sweet. I don't mind dealing with potential inconvenience and charging uncertainties of long distance travel to eliminate the whole combustion part of power train.

I've posted about the RamCharger a few times (also a past Volt owner). 92 kWh!!

145 miles on a 92 kWh battery then a 130 kW (190 kW peak) generator to tow 600+ miles, power your house, charge your friends CT when 4x4ing, live off grid in a camper for 1 month, etc.

How does RAM manages 2.6K lb payload with that much stuff onboard?

If they have this interior functionality, that is sweet:

 

[scottf200]

How does RAM manages 2.6K lb payload with that much stuff onboard?

Is the chassis somewhere between the 1500 and 2500?

"The Ram 2500 has a maximum towing capacity of 20,000 pounds,1 while the Ram 1500 can pull up to 12,750 pounds1 when properly equipped. " per https://www.sanantoniododgechryslerjeepram.com/ram-1500-vs-ram-2500/

RamCharger:
"Towing up to 14,000 lbs. and payload of up to 2,625 pounds"

"Built on new STLA Frame body-on-frame architecture designed specifically for full-size electric vehicles featuring a body-on-frame design that incorporates the battery pack efficiently"

 

[anionic1]

11 year Volt owner here, so I can give you some perspective on the pros and cons of EREV:

Pros:
- Electric ($) when you can, gasoline ($$$) when you can't
- Smaller battery size per vehicle means more vehicles can be electric from the same mineral resources
- Regen, Regen, Regen
- Electric preheat / precool without idling
- Great stationary backup power possibilities

Cons:
- Drivetrain complexity (points of failure are nearly doubled)
- The PHEV fire statistics are worse than pure ICE by quite a long way. I can't point to a great reason why, other than more parts
- Much higher cycle count / DoD / wear in the smaller battery
- More for the driver to manage in steep terrain situations
- You get many of the little expenses like oil changes _and_ the big repair costs for batteries, HVDC components, etc.

GM pooched the screw by shelving Voltec. A Colorado with a 2x strength Voltec Drivetrain would have sold like hot cakes. I guess we'll find out with the Ramcharger if that was true, +/- them pricing it out of everyone's reach.

I'd really like to see more simplicity in the combustion generator part. Designs such as advanced rotary designs (not Wankel), opposed pistons, linear generators, etc can cut a ton of weight and part count from the combustion area.

I don't think I could go back to owning a pure ICE only. Of course I'd love to be able to snap my fingers and solve the infrastructure problem that holds many back from wanting to go pure EV. But another decade of EREV, especially with the capabilities of the Ramcharger doesn't bother me. We'll get to pure EV working for everyone everywhere (even very very very rural places like I live in) soon.

Did the Volt ICE engine connect to the powertrain? or did it just charge the battery like they are proposing on the Ramcharger?

 

[BayouCityBob]

I've posted about the RamCharger a few times (Gen 1 (kids)/Gen 2 (wife) Volt owner).
92 kWh (!) will save a lot of gas and handle most daily driving that many have.

@scottf200 I thought that was you! I remember when we were both on the Volt forum back in 2010 (I bought two in early 2011 VIN 1703 and 1680). Time flies, the revolution moves slowly, lol.

As an individual purchase option, PHEVs and can be a useful alternative, and the RAM may be a nice alternative for some on here. As a corporate strategy, however, they are idiotic. When they were first introduced back in the Volt forum days 14 years ago, they offered real promise to help transition to the mid-2020s. But the automakers never really got behind them and the mid 2020s have arrived. Today, the logical focus from a corporate strategy perspective is to move swiftly to full electrification and get your own company's costs and tech on the right side of the survival curve.

The technical challenges standing between us and full electrification of all vehicle classes are primarily incremental improvements in charging speed (~200 miles in 10 minutes) and energy density (160 kwh in the space of a single layer cybertruck gets you 400 miles). Both of those are progressing rapidly. The third barrier, battery cost, is back on a descending path after the COVID hiccup. The rest of the electric vehicle is cost advantaged. IMO Tavares is nuts pouring resources into a technical cul de sac.

RAM will be a great personal option for some who want to go electrified but I think it is strategic quicksand for Stellantis and Toyota.

Sponsored