This truck will bridge the gap for contractors and tradespeople who simply cannot rely on electric power alone to get to wotk and job sites. This is sorely needed.
Bravo 👏 to Stallantis. This truck was designed to help buyers, who would never consider looking at EV truck. The three big complaints were 1. Range, 2. Towing, 3. Locations to charge, while hooked to a trailer. A lot of consumers would say that you can't do truck things with EV's, however this truck will address those concerns.
I’ve seen other RU-vid videos calling this a really bad idea due to the complexity, weight and added failure points with both concepts combined. However, that V6 they use is a workhorse, very reliable and I do see this as a perfect toy/trailer hauler as well as a great option for contractors and fleet operations…. With the caveat of price point for each of those of course. Great video bud!
So is this the same technology behind the Chevy Volt? Sort of an electric vehicle that charged itself with an ICE as it drains the battery and yet can be plugged in at home as well.
It works very similar to a locomotive except it’s gas instead of diesel. I’m interested to know mileage. Mileage is getting more difficult to calculate given the plug-in portion of the hybrid system as well as the use of gasoline.
Ramcharger may really be a 3/4 ton truck, good point, heavy-duty. Much better than the PHEV powertrain in the Pacifica and Jeep 4xe vehicles, which has a small 17 kWh battery. Maybe increasing that battery capacity substantially would breathe new life into those PHEVs as well.
Hopefully they keep the low quality, high price, and rust issues for the new Gen. It just woulden't be a RAM if they actually started caring about quality.
This company has mastered the art of making hot garbage. Their quality is in the tank and has been for years. The thought of this much technology in one vehicle made by THIS company is horrifying.
This relieves a lot of stress for buyers. I do want to see true range review when towing 2500-5000 lbs. Should beat competitors hands down. The catch is how well the charging does while driving or just waiting around.
If the battery is depleted, can the gas engine power the generator to produce enough amperage to give the truck equal performance as it would with a fully charged battery ?
The generator is said to have a max output of 190kw (~250hp). So theoretically if the battery is completely depleted all you’ll have is 250hp to get up the climb you may be towing up to. That being said I’m sure the management will attempt to keep some reserve for short bursts of full power so that situation may not be a real issue unless you’re towing heavy up a long steep hill and already starting out with low battery charge.
The truck will probably not put you in a situation (while towing anyway) that allows you to deplete the battery. It will just kick on the engine sooner.
This is a game changing truck for my Canuckian lifestyle. I travel a lot for sledding and atv'ing and the cost is prohibitive now with our gas prices. Something like this would be a welcome change...but the estimated cost of this thing is already scaring the heck out of me.
Right call. I would have liked to have seen a diesel engine specifically designed to run the generator. If they fine tune a motor to run at a specific load and rpm it could be very efficient.
RAM is making a lot more correct decisions these days. Have "all of the above" options is really a game changer for the automotive market. Full Gas/Diesel, Hybrid or full EV. Whatever floats your boat. I'm excited about the RAM Charger myself, only hold back is that I would still prefer to be pure EV for simplicity's sake. But until the grid is ready for that this really fills the void.
As we all know EV vehicle batteries are "finite" in their life span. Rated for X number of charges. How many charges is the Ramcharger battery rated for, AND how much $ is a NEW battery if needed. I think the Ramcharger is a fantastic idea. Just need important questions answered.
the very worst batteries you can get are rated for 1000 charge cycles so if you only have a 100 mile range that is 1000x100=100,000 miles to 70% of original capacity
I think the good payload comes down to the frame and chassis being developed for a full EV pickup. This ReX should be a bit lighter being it only has 1/3 the battery weight to carry, and even with the ICE should still be quite a bit lighter than the 230kwh pure EV model.
Exactly, this chassis is not the same as the current 5th gen chassis, it's a completely new bottom up design, it's not a traditional latter on frame. It just happens to look like the same truck from the outside (and interior).
@@JohnSmith-ev1sm That sounds like the kind of thinking the arrogant European makers would want to impose on us barbaric Americans. No full frame on a truck that people expect to work? You know, tow and load and bounce around on dirt roads in the mud and snow?
Between the ramcharger and maverick hybrid, that's 2 game changers in the truck industry in a seriously short amount of time. I get the impression that the ramcharger won't have the value proposition that the maverick offers. Great vid 🍻
I wonder if it’s better to lease it or buy it. Im not sure if it’s worth paying $100k+ for a truck and once that warranty goes out on the battery it’s not going to be worth replacing. Maybe by then battery costs will come way down. Who knows I’m still ify on the whole truck EV.
It makes perfect sense to replace a 200 pound transmission with a battery and generator weighing thousands of pounds, making it weigh the same a large diesel pick up that can carry or pull 3 times the weight, doesn't it?
Id trade my 2023 ram 1500 sport and pay the rest for one of these in a heart beat. The 1100 km range is awesome, I just wonder if the motor charging the batteries can keep up with the power demand of towing. If I need to tow my camper say 800 km and its towing range is 500-600 km, and I deplete the battery entirely, will the gas engine charge quicker than I consume? Could I continue my road trip after fueling up with no hesitation? That would really be my only concern.
With locomotives they call it 'dual mode' or 'bi-mode' when the electricity source is onboard generator and other (overhead wire, battery, FC, ...). The generator does not charge the battery as it is recharged at the end of the journey. A hybrid uses generator or fuel cell to recharge the battery.
We know a Full EV Pickup Truck range usually drops in half when pulling or carrying a large load. Say Ram REV gets 500 miles unladen then you hook up your 5000 lbs Travel Trailer that reduces your range to 250 miles in a Range Extended EV you have 700 miles so carrying the same load it cuts your range in half that is 350 miles which is normally the max range most ICE 1500 today get unladen. Will it take time to recoup the costs Yes but it will be far more economical in the long run IMHO. Most EV will take anywhere from 5-10 years to recoup the initial investment depending on the cost of the vehicle before it becomes profitable.
There's no way it's more economical in the scenario you describe. Converting gas to electricity is less efficient than simply using gas to power a vehicle. If you charge/gas up and run 690 miles to empty you will get worse efficiency than running the same ICE only truck the same distance.
@@bradj9870 While that's true, you have the option to plug-in the Ramcharger. So in theory, you would never need to use gasoline at all for daily trips around town.
The tradesman version looks nice, no chrome, maybe the price will be affordable for us blue collar users, and one more thing, liking that the transmission has been eliminated
How often would I have to fill up on gas? How efficient is the engine for battery charging purposes? So many more unanswered questions. Is it worth paying for gas and also the cost of charging the thing combined?
Thanks for pointing out that the V6 is not connected to the axle. No one else is clear on that. So just to confirm, the purpose of the V6 is solely to produce power to recharge the battery or keep them charged while driving?
This should really appeal to the consumer who wants an electric daily driver with the ability to tow and/or go on long trips without having to deal with electrical charging stations. Essentially taking advantage of the awesome torque capabilities, carbon efficiency, and daily operating cost savings of an electric vehicle without the infrastructure and range limitations of electric vehicles. A great bridge for someone wanting the best of both worlds but it will come at a steep price. I would expect other companies to follow suit, especially considering this propulsion system is time tested within the locomotive industry. Hopefully, Dodge will take advantage of their first to market status and do a good job on their research and design taking time to ferret out the bugs before releasing it to market. I am ready to buy right now but will likely see what other companies develop and wait until a second or third edition hits the market. Just the same, pretty exciting stuff!
This should have full power all the time, unlike a normal plug-in hybrid, and the battery should soak up all the small trips and so most of the cold starts, so the gas engine's longevity and reliability should be even better than normal, not to mention it's only going to see a fraction of the truck's miles.
In theory kind of. The charge level will depend on your driving/charging habits. I believe there is a low-output mode when the battery isn't being charged enough to sustain full power like when towing extended distances. As for longevity, also true in theory. Obviously maintenance still needs to be kept up with and the motor should be used somewhat regularly to keep everything moving well and avoid fuel spoilage.
Id call it a gas-electric like how you have the diesel electric trains and earth movers. I hate EVs, I like this. Hopefully its easy to plug it into a panel box with a transfer switch
i'm curious to what size gas tank it has to make it get that range and is that on highway. I got a 124L tank and can get 1100 KM on the highway in my 1500 rebel GT
Comparison question. If this 2025 Ramcharger has an extended range of 670-miles with a 27-gallon gas tank, and 2 electric engines. What would the range of a gasoline truck be with a 27-gallon gas tank, alone??
the highway mpg will likely be 1-2 mpg less than the non hybrid with the same engine. the city/combo should be where the hybrid will get the most mpg gain.
I am happy to see this. The more options the better! A more traditional plug in hybrid paired with the SST engines would also be a massive win and would be more well suited to most peoples commuting needs.
Chevy had a hybrid suburban years ago that flopped. The gas mileage was barely better. This is def not the first hybrid truck. But it definitely is the most promising. I’m excited to see what the real world range and towing is.
Seems like they waited and watched the competition, and figured it out. Living in a world of trucks being sold for a hundred thousand bucks or more I can see the trim level Tungsten being bumped by dealers. They have already said it's a level above the limited. I really don't understand why they will not put a fuel vaporizer in vehicle's today. Its a process that does not have liquid but injection of gas fumes. Liquid gas is not what burns,it's the vapor air combination that fires. SuperChargers do something similar but add air to the normal injectors via the intake. With the technology we have it seems plausible to just compress vapor directly into firing chamber. It was done in the 1970s with 0 emissions utilizing 100% of the gas. The process was bought out. The problem with the people using gas can vapor being vacuumed in,is that it would be difficult to gage the fuel air along with a control on accelerating the vehicle.it is dangerous as well,but get a hundred miles per gallon as crude as it is. If you had a gas vapor generator capable of maintaining a charge on the batteries it would lesson the need for a ansolary gas engine to move the truck. The more cycles a battery goes through the quicker it go's bad, a working separate charging system would extend the battery life. Let's hope they do not use Chinese batteries. Quality golf carts use Japanese Lithium batteries,and they are costly, but much lighter weight than lead acid.😮
Dude you missed THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION to ask - At half of max towing capacity what is the range going to be??? 690 miles on an empty truck doesn't mean anything. Who drives a truck empty? Strap a 7000 pound RV on the back and tell me how far you get down 290 headed from Austin to Houston without having to stop for fuel or power.
That's what I thought too. However, I believe there are scenarios in which even the V6 can't supply enough electricity to run the motors at full power. For example, long range towing. Once the charge gets too low the motors will operate in low-output mode from what I understand. I'm not sure if this is due to the V6 not being enough or the generator/alternator component not being beefy enough.
I'm confused. If the battery is completely dead (0%), will the gas engine still provide enough power to drive the truck since it's not directly connected to the wheels?
this truck has 130kw generator. and around 90kw battery. and can drive 150mile with only battery. so, i think, if drive 80mile speed during 1hr, it will use around 70%battery, but generator will make 130kw per hr, that’s enough for keep driving. so, never can not make 0% battery. may be haha
This is Smart by RAM... i said to myself after owning Chevy Volt if someone comes out with this technology im in.. 2019 Chevy dropped the Voltec Technology when they should have put it in all there vehicles.. The Volt comes with 16KW battery and backup ICE motor 1.4 Litre... I get 65 kms electic it switches to generator gives me another 500 kms. nothing changes it still drives like a full electric car with the odd engine noise up and down as the generator pushes and pulls power as needed... now Ram is gonna win on this you now get 145 Miles to charge vs my Volt at 35 miles to charge. That will cover almost all my local driving needs. Then i still got long distance driving for the cabin or when i go hunting etc. Well done RAM! Also my Chevy Volt is extremely efficient when running On Gas Generator i range 3L per 100 km up. 5.5L per 100 kms thats around 80 MPG to 65 MPG roughly. And when you punch the car if I so 60 MPH or 90 MPH the fuel mileage doesn't drastically change... So I kmow its a very efficient syatem . I definitely want this RAMCHARGER my only worry is the pricetag.....! I should also say my monthly Fuel bill before the volt was about $800.00 ... Running the Volt monthly Fuel Bill is around $150.00 It has saved money and we all know how tight things are getting for most every dollar counts.....
Well stated. I have owned 3 volts , I had a 2012 2014 and I am driving a 2017 bought them all new. There one of the best cars GM ever built, and also GM'S best kept secrets. They didn't try to sell the volt. I have a 2019 Ram bighorn with 7,553 miles on it. I am excited about this Ram PHEV TRUCK.
Will irt still have the interior RAM Bins and the Multi Function Tail gate, use regular gas or mid-grade or better for the gas engine, and lastly will this vehicle be previewed at next years Auto Shows in the U.S. and Canada?
I remember Jay Leno doing a review of a Chevy truck like this that used the same design as the Chevy Volt. I don't know why that was never built. Chevy has also stopped making the Volt.
Riddle me this. If this has near a 700hp electric motor, if I am cruising on the highway after I run out of battery, how can a v6 “generator” powers a 700hp motor for the duration of a road trip?
I don't know why the confusion over this. It's really simple. It's the average person's reliance on dumb terminology that gets in the way. Btw I'm hoping off-road and towing packages will be available on this. I'm curious how the Ramcharger will fare off-road.
This Ramcharger is the only way to go. I've been driving a phev Honda Clarity because it has the best battery range in the size car my family needed. Only thing wrong with it could have been double the battery range. I have 40 miles of battery and would set back and laugh when makers came out with the measly 25-35 mile range battery????? Why waste your time.
My question if the wanted to make it highly efficient on fuel why didn’t they use the 3.0 liter diesel instead of the gas guzzling penestar v6 range with the diesel would’ve been closer to 1000 miles
Well, finally someone uses their head and does a hybrid in an intelligent way. A series hybrid is a good idea, but, as usual, Dodge is taking the wrong road. First, why a huge pickup promoting its towing ability? The bigger market is in SUVs. Why not an SUV version of a series hybrid? Second, why do they use a 6-cylinder engine to recharge the battery. Clearly, a 4-cylinder engine would work as well, tuned for maximum efficiency since it runs only at one speed. Dodge/Stellantis should get its act together.
@JD-yx7be I was just wondering if the engine would charge the battery and then shut back off. If it did that I'd maybe consider a vehicle like this. After 2 or 3 years of bug fixes
So how does charging works ? SO does V6 engine charge the battery as im driving the truck ? Meaning lets say I am going on a road trip across country. I start my day with 100 % batery and full tank of gas. SO as I am driving -draining battery, V6 engine is charging the battery as I go ? Meaning after 500 kms , i should have full battery ? and empty gas tank ? meaning I could just stop at any gas station and pump in the gas in 2 minutes and carry on ? if this is the case then this is brilliant. Or do i have to park the truck to charge the battery or full tank of gas does not even provide enough juice or not at fast enough pace that i would still need to stop at an electric charging station ? ALso price matters If tradesman Ramcharger starts 80k CAD, this wont fly.But I am afraid this truck is going to be set up in a way that after 500 kms or so of travel, I am going to end up with empty battery and empty gas tank ? So now I will have to find electric charging station and a gas station ,as V6 engine alone might take few hours and couple of fills to charge the battery completely ?
Figure the cost of 26 gallons of fuel on top of the cost of what it takes to charge up to 100% (whether charging at home at a lower rate, or DCFC at a higher cost).
Someone already did a rough calculation. Long story short, if you go from everything full to empty at one time it is the same as the F150 Powerboost. The difference here is that you can get 150 miles of electric only. So if you constantly keep it charged up, with minimal fuel usage, that MPG will be much much higher, since electricity is much cheaper.
It's a beautiful truck. But after some research, I wont take the risk of burning my house and a 10,0000 CAD truck when concerning the battery maybe get fire spontaneously