Multinational automaker Stellantis has just unveiled its newest battery-electric vehicle (BEV) offering yesterday, the 2025 Ram 1500 Ramcharger. According to the press release, the pickup can tap into its onboard gas-powered electric generator once its battery runs out.
Despite having a battery pack and a gas tank, Stellantis argues that this new model is not a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV).
“This is the ultimate answer for the battery-electric truck. No one else has got anything else like it. This is going to be a game changer for battery-electric trucks.”
Ram CEO Tim Kuniskis
How does it work?
Stellantis’ Ram 1500 Ramcharger can efficiently run using its battery alone as an all-electric vehicle. However, it has the ability to employ its 3.6-liter V6 gas-powered engine connected to the electric generator to recharge the battery while driving.
Stellantis emphasized that the Ram 1500 Ramcharger is highly different from PHEVs that enable an all-electric driving range followed by the engine supporting the vehicle once the battery runs out.
“The Ramcharger is not a PHEV. It’s a battery-electric truck with its own onboard high-speed charger. There’s no connection between the engine and the wheels. The gas generator is only there to charge the battery.”
Ram CEO Tim Kuniskis
This technology is indeed a remarkable innovation that can potentially address the prevalence of range anxiety among e-pickup truck drivers.
“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.”
Stephanie Brinley, associate director of AutoIntelligence for S&P Global Mobility
Technical details
The Ram 1500 Ramcharger features an onboard 130 kW generator that powers the 250 kW front and 238 kW rear electric drive modules (EDMs). It also has a 92 kWh battery pack that enables a driving range of up to 690 miles. It is also worth noting that the e-pickup rides on Stellantis’ new STLA Frame platform.
Stellantis outlined the following capabilities of the all-new 2025 Ram 1500 Ramcharger:
- 63 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
“With unlimited battery-electric range, the Ram 1500 Ramcharger is the pinnacle of the light-duty pickup truck segment and the ultimate electric truck. The new Ramcharger is a beast of a light duty – 663 horsepower, 615 lb.-ft of torque, 4-second 0-60 mph, 14,000 lbs. of towing… and zero need for a public charger.”
Ram CEO Tim Kuniskis
Design
According to CNBC, the Ram 1500 Ramcharger has a design combination of the electric Ram 1500 REV and the revamped gas counterparts of the conventional trucks that will hit the market in early 2024.
Stellantis’ new Ram 1500 Ramcharger features illuminated lines from headlamps to its grille. It also has the new badging that debuted on the battery-electric truck.
Stellantis expects to launch the new 2025 Ram 1500 Ramcharger in the market by late 2024, along with the RAM 1500 truck EV that has no gas-powered engine or electric generator.
