Breaking news! Today I got confirmation from RAM PR that the usable battery capacity is going to be 70.8 kWh, so about 24% of the battery will be reserved for extended battery life. That puts economy at 2.05 mi/kWh. That's still below the 2.45 mi/kwh of the base Lightning, but much closer than the 1.6 mi/kWh we originally estimated.

@scottwilkins

8 ай бұрын

Still not bad. Also, by your review of towing EV vs. ICE wouldn't this about about 50% range on towing per average? So, if the truck can get almost 700 miles normally, wouldn't it get 350 miles towing? Seems like a lot for any truck IMHO.

@bob15479

7 ай бұрын

They may simply be sandbagging their range/giving an honest expectation of real world range. I doubt it’s actually a full .4mi/kwh less efficient than lightning in the same circumstance.

@richardlively1666

7 ай бұрын

Thats good news. I would imagine Ram will get up to speed and match the lightning or excel it

@DrawsOnCad

7 ай бұрын

@evbuyersguide I was hoping this channel would update regularly. I see a slew of EV stuff on the Alex on Autos Buyers guide, so I’m not going to check this channel anymore…

@spenceralridge4958

5 ай бұрын

So, its electric efficiency is almost identical to the full battery electric version, but it eliminates any range/charging issues on a trip. From a cost of operation perspective, and assuming $3.50 per gallon for gas, 20 mpg for a gas truck, and $.11 per KwH for electricity (that is my rate in NC), the cost per mile is less than 1/3 of a gas truck, at least for the first 140 miles which is far more than what most people need in a given day. Add the massive extended range that is only used when needed and a 14,000 pound towing capacity, this is exactly what I want to drive to our mountain house 2 hours away and haul what I need to over the weekend. My only concern is RAM quality control. I have a 99 Silverado work truck that is good for nothing except hauling. It is not comfortable and I would never trust it on a long trip. However, it serves its purpose for my use case. This Ramcharger, however, can be a daily driver for me and then my wife can drive my i4. For my use case, this makes a ton of sense.

As a contractor this is all I’ve ever wanted. Minimum of 75 miles of range with either a range extender or plug in hybrid. I haul I tow and I load my trucks down with tools . Also we are avid campers, hikers, mountain bikers. We need some mobile power for tools and camping

@EVBuyersGuide

8 ай бұрын

I see this being a great option for work purposes! -Travis

@Remarksman

8 ай бұрын

Ditto this 100%. This is the technology I have been waiting for. I wish the efficiency was better, but for my usage patterns it won’t really matter that much.

@anydaynow01

8 ай бұрын

If they can keep the towing and hauling payloads at a reasonable level a PHEV 1/2 ton is exactly what I want. Get it out there in base work truck trim for 50k with a 80 - 100 km empty range in the winter and I'll be all over it.

@steveb6287

8 ай бұрын

This is what full size Trucks need! Battery tech is just not there YET! Hope this is successful

@Blitzkrieg.u812

8 ай бұрын

couldn't close the gap in technology to make EVs practical , so let's use ICE to make it practical, OH THE IRONY! how many failure points can you put between 2 bumpers?

I think this will be a slam dunk. For daily commuting, the pure EV side will check all the boxes. For weekend towing duties (RV trailer, horse trailer, toy hauler, etc) the range extender quells any range anxiety.

@EVBuyersGuide

8 ай бұрын

It feels like this truck is intended to be worked and it will certainly do the work asked of it. -Travis

@gregkocher5352

3 ай бұрын

​​@@EVBuyersGuide it may be possible to get a bit more efficiency if they ever put an ecodiesel in it. As for me, in a rural area, the on board charging beats pure battery hands down. I look forward to real world experience reports. I have a 2019 Tundra at this time.

For an electrified truck a plug in hybrid is the only thing that makes sense to me. People don't want to deal with charging and limited range while towing or working.

@EVBuyersGuide

8 ай бұрын

That's true, but a considerable percentage of trucks are never actually used for towing or working. -Travis

@samgford

8 ай бұрын

​@@EVBuyersGuideeven if it's not never, say once or twice a year, then I would absolutely not want to deal with it. This is ideal for many who work their trucks from just a little to a lot.

@anydaynow01

8 ай бұрын

@@samgford Yep this, I use my pickup for trash / DIY store runs and towing my trackday car. A Voltec like PHEV with 80 - 100 km of BEV range would be perfect!

@EVBuyersGuide

8 ай бұрын

@@samgford I hear you, but I feel like the once or twice a year where you would need to consider charging for those towing needs is more than made up for in the convenience of charging at home and not needing to stop for gas the rest of the year. Of course, this all gets easier as charging improves and it's going to be expanding year over year over year. -Travis

@microhaxo

8 ай бұрын

@@samgford Once you have a plugin hybrid, you actually prefer only driving on electric and everything flips. You start not wanting to deal with the gas getting stale, needing to change oil etc. Sure, you would rather have it and not need it but most people if they really only needed the range once or twice a year might not want to deal with the added maintenance of an engine. I would personally just borrow a friends truck or rent something if i needed it for once or twice a year vs haul around a bunch of gas when its not used 99% of the time.

I just watched the reveal. It’s a genIII Pentastar mounted north south. AND they claim the truck tows 7 tons - 14,000lbs. That’s got to be a 1/4 ton truck record. Claims no connection from the motor to the wheels, so it’s a true serial hybrid. Claims 135kwh gas engine, which charges a 92kwh battery. Very cool. The perfect vehicle.

@steinwaymodelb

8 ай бұрын

What about this truck makes it a 1/4 ton in your books?

@fireteam_

8 ай бұрын

@@steinwaymodelb RAM is calling it a RAM 1500

@Trotwood45

8 ай бұрын

I'd be curious what the range is for a full tank of gas and a drained battery. In practical situations for a long road trip, that would be the real range since most people don't want to spend hours at charging stations while they travel. Any thoughts?

@kipamore

8 ай бұрын

Per the specs, the gas engine puts out 135kw, so with a completely drained battery you'd have unlimited gas mileage but only 135kw to use (about 175 horsepower). But any time the gas engine was running but you were using less than 135kw, that power would go back into the battery, returning you to the full 600 horsepower. @@Trotwood45

@DubLubb

5 ай бұрын

When you're discussing EVs you should use "engine" not connected to wheels

What sets this apart from existing hybrids is the fact that the motor/generator will not power the drivetrain but only recharge the battery. Great job Ram, I might have to trade in my 2022 1500 hemi for this

@jacuzzibusguy

4 ай бұрын

That is not true. Once battery has been depleted to the point gas engine is running, the gas engine IS powering the wheels. Ramcharger uses what I refer to as a “magnetic transmission “ to connect the engine to the wheels. A generator uses magnets to convert torque from the ice to electricity, after flowing through electronics, the wheel motors use magnets to convert electricity to torque.

@wt9653

3 ай бұрын

Cough up 150,000 for the base model 1/2 ton rwd truck. 😂

I'd be hopeful to see if Stellantis brings a similar setup to their smaller cars, like a Jeep Cherokee with 100 miles and an inline 3 for example.

@EVBuyersGuide

8 ай бұрын

There's so much going on with this frame that it would be difficult to scale down to something smaller. -Travis

For a lot of people, they may never have to have the engine run, just charge it at night. Then the engine becomes like a spare tire, you may never use but its nice to take with you

@ChicagoBob123

7 ай бұрын

Then buy a Rivian or Silverado

@jmrdrgz

7 ай бұрын

​@@ChicagoBob123I think you missed the point.

@ChicagoBob123

7 ай бұрын

@@jmrdrgz i got it but at the cost dodge is going to make this thing If you don't need an extender go EV. Think msrp wil be around 90k

@EVBuyersGuide

7 ай бұрын

The spare tire is a great comparison. -Travis

@skoolynugenator1802

7 ай бұрын

⁠@@ChicagoBob123you think the Rivian will be cheaper 🤣

Being able to use it all electric charged at home most of the time but not needing to worry on longer road trips definitely checks the boxes for me. I think the reason they don't want to call it a PHEV is that most PHEVs have small gas engines and small electric engines which can have a weird feeling.

@HSstudio.Ytchnnl

7 ай бұрын

it's not a PHEV since the engine is there to only power the batteries instead of it being connected to the drivetrain (plus PHEVs like the 4xe has a transmission & the Ramcharger doesn't)

You guys were discussing confusion about the name at the top of the video. Ramcharger is a callback to a sport SUV that was available USDM in the 80s and up to the 2000s in international markets. Those legacy vehicles were basically dodge's answer to the bronco and blazer.

@1225KPH

8 ай бұрын

The name goes back further, genius.

@slow_lml3683

7 ай бұрын

@@1225KPH where did I say it didn’t, genius?

Appreciate the shout out for the i3, Alex. Cool to see the same philosophy applied to a big truck.

i LOVE IT! Finally a hybrid with more than 100 miles EV range first of all. And in an awesome truck too. Hopefully it will have the NACS charging setup.

@shanebirt1

4 ай бұрын

That could really make or break it. But since they haven't said anything yet I doubt it will, it would have been a massive selling point otherwise.

Owned an outlander PHEV with this system and its been great, this is the truck for me.

@EVBuyersGuide

7 ай бұрын

If the Outlander worked for you this certainly will as well. As a matter of fact, this truck will be even cheaper to run than the Outlander. Our estimated electric efficiency for the Ramcharger is more than the Outlander and while the fuel economy is not as efficient when running in hybrid mode you'll be running in EV mode a much higher percentage of the time. -Travis

This might be something i jump on. I actually really like the idea of it. For years i have questioned why not do this. Trains have been running like this for years

@jacuzzibusguy

4 ай бұрын

Trains use what I refer to as a magnetic transmission, aka generator - motor. Automakers made vehicles with this drive system 100!years ago. It didn’t catch on because this is an inefficient drive system compared to a traditional transmission. That’s why we see essentially no manufacturers producing vehicles with magnetic transmissions UNLESS it is a plug in hybrid. The efficiency comes from the ability to drive on batteries as this truck will likely be anemic once battery has been depleted and all of the energy needed to drive the truck comes from the pentastar.

When you tow - that efficiency difference will be negligible. most of the energy will be spent on air resistance. Great concept. looking forward to see it live!

@EVBuyersGuide

7 ай бұрын

So are we! -Travis

I’ve owned the PHEV Pacifica for almost 2 years with no problems, and this seems like a close cousin to me. I would be interested in this form factor, depending on the price. I already have a BEV and in about a year I’ll be in the market to buy an ICE or a PHEV.

@EVBuyersGuide

8 ай бұрын

It's a relatively similar concept but there are some notable differences. For one this is going to have a lot more get up and go than the Pacifica! I'm on board with the Pacifica though, don't get me wrong. -Travis

@anydaynow01

8 ай бұрын

My best friend and my wife both are saving up for PHEV Pacificas, one of my friends at work swears by his also.

@davidcarroll8735

8 ай бұрын

@@anydaynow01 I think the Pacifica PHEV is the best value prop for either hauling people or stuff because it is a minivan form factor. We only buy gasoline during the frequent long distance driving to family. I haven’t noticed a change in my nightly electricity usage, but certainly noticed the reduction in gasoline purchases!

@wayne8268

8 ай бұрын

i have pacifica PHEV and wanted to get ram truck too , with the same concept, but this is not the same, might wait for the ford PHEV, dissapointed !!!!! wanted the limited split tail gate,air coils susp, etc, bastards

@frankoesteling6750

6 ай бұрын

I've had two phevs during the last six years. The only thing that I have wanted is a longer range battery! Oh like the ramchargers. About time!

I think the point is when you are towing, you don't have to stop every 150 miles with this truck. That costs efficiency, but time is money also-

@EVBuyersGuide

8 ай бұрын

Yes, for those who find themselves in that situation regularly it will be a great advantage. -Travis

@worldtrav72

7 ай бұрын

And you don’t have to find a charger that is built to handle a trailer…they are out there, but they will always be fewer and far between vs pull trough gas stations.

Alex sipping on wine at 18 min mark shows just how freaking cool he is. Salute and enjoy that Cab.

@EVBuyersGuide

8 ай бұрын

I'm sure he was enjoying it! I left my own drink too far off camera. -Travis

This is an excellent idea and we should have had something like this on the market about 3-5 years ago. As a person that wants to go Electric for my next vehicle, but uncertain where technology will be going in the next few years this will be a hit. I just wish maybe the new hurricane motor would be in this instead!

@bruall847

8 ай бұрын

I've been driving "something like this" for 6 years. It's a chevy volt. It's been perfect. 110k miles and 94% electric only miles. Now if it could only tow my boat.

@anydaynow01

8 ай бұрын

@@bruall847 Same, my 2017 Volt convinced me PHEV is the way to go, if GM were to put a V6 Voltec in a 1/2 ton Silverado WT with 80 -100 km of EV range and an 80l fuel tank I would be all over it!

@EVBuyersGuide

8 ай бұрын

People's concern about EV range is a big reason I think they'll look at this Ramcharger. -Travis

@updlate4756

8 ай бұрын

@@bruall847 "But but but... PHEV owners never charge their cars" - BEV absolutists... aka Tesla shareholders. I've owned a Volt for 4.5 years. Only 38k miles on it (worked from home throughout pandemic), but I'm at 90% EV only miles. I blame government tax credit policy for the loss of the Volt. Once GM lost the federal tax credit, and with California (and other states) giving greater tax credits to BEVs over PHEVs, AND with the calamitous ZEV regulatory credit system that rewarded BEVs with 3x more credits than the Volt... GM had zero incentive to not only continue producing the Volt, but to utilize a Voltec powertrain (or a PHEV system) in more vehicles. They instead decided to go all in on the Bolt, which not only sold horribly, but ended up being a financial nightmare for the company.

Let’s clarify the difference between a plug-in hybrid and a range extender. Most plug-in hybrids can drive the wheels with both the electric motors, and with the gas engine they can usually also charge the battery. But range extender doesn’t work that way at all. It’s only purposes to recharge the batteries so the vehicle is always an electric vehicle. The generator provides the electricity to recharge the batteries. The closest comparison would be the BMW I three areEX. If the gas engine has the ability to actually motivate the wheels, then I would agree. This is a plug in hybrid now as part of the law the one issue that makes this not a plug-in hybrid is because it can go farther Using the gas, then the batteries alone, whereas range extenders do not produce enough to motivate the vehicle farther than the EV battery alone.

@danimal107

8 ай бұрын

It is unfortunate the two people featured in this video couldn't grasp this.

@EVBuyersGuide

8 ай бұрын

The engineered literally said it was considered a plug in hybrid, they just preferred to market it differently. Check with the EPA and every other classification system, it’s a PHEV

About time they started making these.

@danimal107

8 ай бұрын

The Chevy Volt was like this . Everyohe that owned a Volt loved it. So of course they were discontinued. The EV "purist" couldn't stand the fact that ONLY 95% of the miles were electric. Instead is was decided that cars should have batteries with a 300 mile range.even though most people seldom drive 300 miles in a single day and can charge at home overnight.

@FlyingNDriving

4 ай бұрын

​@@danimal107Chevy Mike master race, 10+ years later and still living rent free in the ev, PHEV conversation

This has been what I have been looking for since the talk of EV's and their "magic power." While it isn't the best solution it is pretty good and I am sure some people will complain that it doesn't get this or that economy as most people drive to hard to ever reach EPA ratings. However, I drive a whopping 15 miles total commute and tow usually once a week to go fishing with my 5K boat, and the occasional hardware store trip. The biggest drawback for me with an EV was getting it charged or a big enough battery to get me through the roundtrip towing the boat. The other issue was if i needed to charge with the boat on the trailer having to disconnect in order to get the truck in the charge station as the stations are not designed in any way shape or form for an truck/trailer combo. Seriously thinking about putting in a reservation.

I have a ram 2500 for towing my boat and camper and a BMW i3 REX for commuting, this truck looks amazing to me.

@EVBuyersGuide

7 ай бұрын

Is there any chance you designed this? Did they bring you in and ask what you wanted them to do next? -Travis

This will be a game changer, I own 2 hybrids now and would love to have a full size truck that would be basically a plug in hybrid. And that can tow my trailer is seriously awsome.

Gentlemen, I suppose RAMCHARGER is a much more marketable name than RAM SERIAL ENERGY HOG®.🤣 BTW 27 gallons is a lot of gasoline to keep 'fresh' for those who will be running on electric power all the time. 🤔

@hedges00

8 ай бұрын

Fortunately, it's not a mandatory fill

@4literv6

8 ай бұрын

So it's basically as inefficient as a tesla semi weighing over 70,000# then? The semi has about a 900kwh pack and can do 1.7kwhs per mile when loaded at 60+mph. This is 27 gallons of fuel at 33.7 kwhs each gallon in energy plus the 89kwh pack. So just as inefficient as my 2019 f-150 xl is empty cruising at hwy speeds. 👍🏻😀

@EVBuyersGuide

8 ай бұрын

You're right, serial energy hog doesn't quite roll off the tongue. -Travis

@4literv6

8 ай бұрын

@@EVBuyersGuide with 92kwhs onboard energy in that pack and just a 145 mile when empty est ev range it sure is an energy hog smh. The Ford lightning pro goes 240 miles est range on 7% more pack capacity. Both are heavy body on frame full size awd dual motor pickups.

@rightlanehog3151

8 ай бұрын

@@EVBuyersGuide Practice makes perfect.

Right on the nail I will buy this truck when comes out I do handyman services in Austin tx this truck will help a lot…

@EVBuyersGuide

6 ай бұрын

When you have one in hand let us know what you think! -Travis

This is exactly what the market needs, quiet electric operation and comfort of on board generator.

RAM needs to tweak the design where the range extender motor should be smaller, but the motor can run (charge) while you’re not in the vehicle. Taking advantage of the extra time to charge will allow a lighter motor, and a lighter motor means better efficiency per mile.

@donswier

7 ай бұрын

I drive an i3 REx, and have heard of owners who will exit out the passenger door with the Range Extender running to trick it into thinking you're still behind the wheel. (Although i3 REx won't allow SOC to rise above the level you initiated the REx)

@EVBuyersGuide

7 ай бұрын

A lighter motor would be more efficient to carry around, but it wouldn't be more efficient for RAM to implement and since they're the ones building the truck I don't think that'll happen anytime soon. -Travis

This! I need 25miles daily but twice a month I need 300-450mile drive . Had a Ford lightning and loved it but it didn’t work for the long treks . Never been a ram fan but this I can get behind!

Seems like it’s in RAMs hands. If they use the better-to-best efficiency inverters (Si-carbide) and design motors, they may make their range figures despite larger battery trucks weight. A break-through would be to design RAMCharger to have a curb weight in the 6’s, like Cybertruck. Curb weight

This is exactly what I want! I bought a 2019 RAM 1500 Limited with 5.7 liter eTorque and 3.92 gears to pull my 6000 lb Jeep on my 3000 lb deck over trailer. I recently paid off the truck and would love to replace it with a Ramcharger. I could commute to work on electric power alone, but use the gas engine to keep the battery charged while towing or going on long road trips. No other vehicle currently available can do that. Since I don't want to without a V8 once I trade in the RAM 1500, I plan on buying a 2024 Mustsng GT in the next few months as my daily driver.

@EVBuyersGuide

8 ай бұрын

Would you not use the Ramcharger as your daily driver? -Travis

@dns711

8 ай бұрын

@@EVBuyersGuide I could, but I would miss the sound of a V8.

Will they be tax credit legible if it still exists the same way as it does by release date in the US?

@EVBuyersGuide

8 ай бұрын

We don’t know, it will be based on pricing, and battery manufacturing location. Because of the increasing restrictions on the tax credit, fewer vehicles are qualifying even for 2024

"Not efficient?" LOL....Offering ordinary people 200 miles of electric-only and 700 miles of long distance range with 14,000 lbs towing is both a game changer and RAM will sell boatloads of these things to consumers who will see the economic model of pick up truck ownership transform....

@EVBuyersGuide

8 ай бұрын

I hope these do sell very well. -Travis

I have a Chevrolet Volt, and I’ve been waiting for a pickup like the Volt and this is exactly like it. It always runs on battery, but when you run out of charged battery, the generator will recharge the battery. It’s perfect. I’ve never had an issue with it. It’s not 2 different drivetrains. Only one drivetrain, which is electric. You just have a generator to recharge the battery when you run out of charge. I don’t know why we don’t have this everywhere.

An all-electric drive train with a motor to recharge the battery (if that is what this is) is what I want. I've owned pure EV cars at this point, and my wife currently drives the Chevy Volt. I like the Volt in EV mode more than in gas mode since the power drops off, and I would never want to deal with that with a truck since I would use the truck as a towing vehicle instead of as just a commuter car. If the price is right, this might be what I get for a truck. I'm at least going to look. One thing I really want though is a smaller truck (think late 80s or early 90s) like a Maverick but with un-compromised towing and range. I'd be really interested if this type of truck could be set up to be a backup generator for your home. That would be a bonus.

@EVBuyersGuide

8 ай бұрын

If you're downsizing the truck then you would end up downsizing the capability. I'm not saying I wouldn't also love a midsize or even compact truck that could do it all but it just won't happen. The Ramcharger will be able to offload power (it seems up to 7.2kw) and could theoretically be able to connect to the home and act as a backup generator. -Travis

@alansnyder8448

8 ай бұрын

@@EVBuyersGuide Regarding the towing capability of a Maverik hybrid truck, I would hope it would be equal to a Subaru Outback. The Outback can do 3,500 while I think Maverik is less than 2,000. Just that small increase would give many more options of what you can tow.

This is fantastic!

What happens when you are towing a heavy load and the battery runs down and there is no charger around? Do you have to idle the engine to charge the battery?

@EVBuyersGuide

8 ай бұрын

If you're hauling a load, you would want to select Tow/Haul mode. The vehicles software will adjust the battery level/generator equation to ensure you don't end up in a situation where you don't have the power you need. Although, just to add, it would be possible to pull over and let the vehicle charge up off the generator if that was something you were interested in doing. -Travis

Great break down. The thing that has me really excited about this is that I would prefer an electric vehicle which would work for 90-95% of my driving. But for the other 5%, I NEED a truck with range. This covers BOTH. Otherwise I would have to get two vehicles or just resign myself to paying for gas all the time with a truck. So while it may not be as efficient overall, it is still WAY cheaper than buying 2 vehicles or having to keep paying for gas all the time.

Do we know if the pentastar set up in an Atkinson configuration

It is an interesting concept, if they would develop a replacement fuel cell, which could replace the I6 engine as a generator in the next evolution cycle. It certainly gets rid off some weight traditional hybrid cars carry with them as it doesn't need a full blown gearbox/transmission, and it has the option of better range, although range I think is less a concern than towing capacity. So I found it interesting to hear what you said about that in this video, especially when it comes to the point when the battery gets below a certain load. I am also curious if there will be an effect on the battery life, when you start charging it with still some load in it and while using power from the battery for driving at the same time. From batteries of phones and laptops I always learned it's best to charge the batteries once they are fairly low on energy rather than always charging (keeping it plugged in) while using it. That would be interesting to find out.

@EVBuyersGuide

7 ай бұрын

The management software plays an important role in a vehicle like this, we'll see how it goes and we'll certainly put it to the test when we get the chance. -Travis

It is an Extended Range Hybrid which has totally different structure. It's basically an EV with smaller battery than BEV and an engine working as generator. The engine does not directly drive the wheels. China is in lead of the the ER EV right now. Glad to see we finally have some usable ER EV in the US (beside the i3 or smart which has a pity range). I believe this is the best EV technology given where our battery technology is currently at in 2023. If we look at this 10 years later after some breakthrough battery tech, it might be different. But right now BEV is not any better than this.

@EVBuyersGuide

8 ай бұрын

It will be interesting to see how the sales numbers match up between the Ramcharger and the REV. -Travis

@dearbulls

8 ай бұрын

@@EVBuyersGuide all depending on the prices I guess. Hopefully they didn't make the same mistake Ford did of pricing too high.

No issue for towing in my opinion. How much torque demand are you going to need and for how long? Once you get going you get going? Going up hill? How many miles of steep incline are you doing? Probably not enough to deplete the battery by itself if fully charged. I'm sure the gas motor will slow down the battery consumption when going up hill and it's not like you are doing 150 miles uphill either. This is a win-win truck. The only thing against it will probably be the price and that they won't have an off road/overland trim day one.

Typically hybrids are described as vehicles using hybrid drivetrains. Meaning the wheels can be turned by the electric motor, or by the engine through a mechanical connection, or a combination of both. Whereas vehicles like the discontinued Chevrolet Volt and this new Ram are purely electric drivetrains. The engines don’t physically connect to the wheels in any way. They just generate electricity for the electric drivetrain. If I had to guess, that is why Ram isn’t calling it a plugin hybrid.

The vehicle makes a lot of sense. No one wants to unhook their trailer to charge.

I have a question, If the batteries are "depleted" and the pentastar turns on, does the generator put our enough power to charge the batteries while still driving and then eventually shut off. For example if I was road tripping 285miles. Same question would be with towing as well. I know you and alex said to make sure it is in tow/haul mode so it has some extra battery left for hills. Curious how the system works.

@retgi1

6 ай бұрын

I doubt it! Ram said 690 miles range so that tells me the gas engine puts out only enough power for the generators to power the truck. If the engine also charges the batteries at the same time then you'd have more than 690 miles range.

Very interesting discussion regarding the upcoming Ramcharger. I am certainly interested in getting one. I previously owned an BMW i3 and I would have kept it if I would have "hacked" the computer to be able to run the REX before the battery level dropped down to "limp mode". I also currently own a Chevy Bolt, and 2 Jeep 4xe hybrids (Wrangler Unlimited and Grand Cherokee) and would love to get back into a truck. I do miss not having my 2019 Ram 1500 with the 5.7 Hemi w/etorque. That etorque did little but help the start/stop feature being more seamless. Ram's idea of the Pentastar along with a decently sized battery pack makes a lot of sense. This new truck would definitely sway me away from getting a LIghtening or another full EV truck. I can only hope the price of the Ramcharger is not ridiculously high so I can keep another vehicle or 2 to keep the miles down on all the vehicles. For a truck, I would not need all of the fancy extras. I would get a Tradesman model with only a few options. Like Alex stated, I am really not concerned about the efficiency of the EV because I know the charging would be cheaper than putting gas into it. Happy New Year everyone!! :)

LeTourneau has been building loaders and earth moving machines on this principle for decades, use a internal combustion engine/generator to power the electric powertrain, you get the electric torque and power and long run time.

This truck is awesome. My Wishlist would be smaller/lighter more efficient gas engine even if it charges a bit slower, small lockable frunk, smaller fuel tank (20 gal just to make it lighter more efficient) and larger battery (220 mile range to match the lighting), just a bit more efficient closer to the Lighting for the EV mode and a little bit more efficient on the fuel only mode too. That would be my perfect truck all for less than $65k for a Laramie Trim. I have a Ram 1500 Laramie Eco Diesel Crew Cab right now and a Tesla Model 3 this is exactly what I was looking for to eventually replace the Eco Diesel. With solar it just makes sense.

@makatron

7 ай бұрын

Why make the battery larger, thus making the truck both more expensive and heavy, when a larger fuel tank would do the very same.

@paramveerdhoot6415

7 ай бұрын

@@makatron it's just my use case. I drive 90 miles one way, with 220 miles I could drive all electric 95% of the time and only run the gas engine on a rare occasion. With the current range I would run the gas engine all the time which costs me money. My electricity is free.

@makatron

7 ай бұрын

@@paramveerdhoot6415 problem is the more batteries you put in the truck, the lower the payload, that engine will run at the most efficient range to charge the battery and provide power which still great.

This is beautiful truck

I would definitely purchase this type given the option of having both worlds of the types of power sources. The only 3 concerns are: The price or cost of the vehicle, are customers on the hook to purchasing a package plan to operate the features included with the model (such as heated seats & cool seats, remote start, heated steering wheel, etc) on a monthly subscription and finally, reduce the weight of the vehicle by 500lbs. If it's going to be that costly, why not have or add an autolocking feature that other high-end vehicles possess and massage front and rear! That would surely justify the low to mid 70's to 80's price range.

I am waiting to order one

@EVBuyersGuide

5 ай бұрын

Waiting on.....? -Travis

Lower apparent electric efficiency might be that RAM holds back a substantial part of the 90+ kWh battery for use in hybrid mode so you don’t get more than (guess) 70 kWh in electric mode. Spare the owner to have to use gas motor to recharge the battery in-transit for climbing grades / heavy load carry unless towing 😅

This was designed for me. I drive 200 miles to and from work once every week in all weather conditions, with off-road snow tires on most of the year to cope with the last 5 miles into my home. I am fording flooded, sometimes frozen sections at least once a month, depending on when the beaver has last rebuilt his dam. From work I may be delivering equipment to customers 50 miles away on a moments notice weighing sometimes around 1000 lbs. Had -35f for a week at my home last winter. Power out for 8 days at Christmas 2 years ago. Four trees across the road from the ice storm yesterday, tow hooks used regularly. The Ramcharger sounds like it will do everything my hemi Ram has done, and maybe save some fuel, and run super quiet electrical through the forest. Only pause is electrical and water regular mix, but I assume I will be good up to the axles. Bonus will be if I can run some refrigerator plugged into the truck during extended power outages (power goes out at least an average of once a week).

@EVBuyersGuide

5 ай бұрын

Seems like you would be able to utilize everything this truck in just about every way the engineers could have imagined. -Travis

Classification names are probably more important to media folks than to actual consumers. This truck addresses most of concerns with existing electric trucks on the market. I’m very interested in test driving this Ramcharger, might be our new family vehicle.

@EVBuyersGuide

6 ай бұрын

We're looking forward to test driving it as well! -Travis

The motor-generator concept is a sound one. And it is efficient due to fewer mechanical losses. If they can make it reliable it will be a solid vehicle. I'd like to think they have allowed for reasonable battery replacement in the future when better packages are available.

I've always wanted this type of hybrid but with a modular generator. It could be quickly dropped in, or swapped out for an extra battery pack in its place, or left empty, all depending on the use case.

@EVBuyersGuide

6 ай бұрын

This system won't be modular. One could theoretically swap out the V6 but that would be a lot of custom work. -Travis

My Cybertruck is seven years out. If this is available in a few years maybe I’ll buy one of these first.

I think hybrids/PHEVs make more sense for most people than pure EVs. I think it makes even more sense for trucks. A full EV truck is going to eat up a lot of battery production that could be better utilized for a larger number of smaller vehicles and/or hybrids.

@EVBuyersGuide

8 ай бұрын

I'm with you on the "only as big of a battery as needed". -Travis

Its wrong to worry about efficiency. People are looking for convenience and usability. Who cares if the F150 or Rivian are more efficient if they are less useful as trucks. RAM nailed it here IMO

@updlate4756

8 ай бұрын

It does impact total cost of ownership, which I would assume most people would care about when comparing which truck to buy. The more a PHEV saves in fuel, the more likely someone is to justify buying it. There's also the environmental impact to consider. Then again, most people don't care about the environment in the slightest. If they knew 100% for a fact that they were single handedly pushing the planet towards doom, they'd celebrate... for some odd obnoxious reason. Humans are generally f-heads that don't care about anything but themselves and their own wants.

@EVBuyersGuide

8 ай бұрын

It's true that efficiency isn't the first thing people ask about but that doesn't mean it's not important. -Travis

A hybrid allows the IC Engine to directly power the wheels via a mechanical transmission. A range extending EV uses an ICE to run a generator to charge the traction battery and/or the electric motor. The BMW I-3 is an existing example of a range extended EV.

I wonder if they're underestimating range now to cause more hype later when its closer to launch date. Since this is launching in 2025, this can quickly become obsolete because a lot can happen in a year to year and a half.

@EVBuyersGuide

8 ай бұрын

It seems that the understatement was on capacity, in this case the range remains the same but the usable capacity is drops to 70.8kwh meaning efficiency increases. -Travis

I agree with some other commenters in that this is about preserving the ability to tow/haul over long distances while having a vehicle that possesses the attributes of an EV (cheap electric operating costs, instant acceleration, etc.). I own one EV (BMW i4) and have been considering a second, probably a truck. I don’t tow very much although that may change soon and the use case involving long distance towing (including trying to charge while connected to a trailer) is where EV trucks fall flat. This solves that issue. Having 14K pounds of towing capacity with that extended range is what really makes the case. Efficiency is not always the name of the game. Sometimes it is just the ability to use brute force over an extended period of time that is needed. Just ask a 2500/3500 diesel owner.

@EVBuyersGuide

8 ай бұрын

Good news, with our recent confirmation of a 70.8kwh usable battery size there's a much less significant hit to efficiency as we had previously estimated. -Travis

I use my 2022 RAM 1500 Laramie etorque hemi for work and family vacations. I have zero desire to buy a Ford, GMC, Rivian or tesla electric truck. This is exactly what we want. I would definitely trade in my truck for this.

Unless you are maxed out towing and constant bigtime up hill, you should not be constantly using over 130kw to maintain speed. That is a crazy amount of power. The only time you should ever use that much is under hard acceleration or up a steep grade. If the gas motor is running, it should almost always be producing more than you are using to maintain speed.

@EVBuyersGuide

8 ай бұрын

I'm trusting that RAM handles this in software. They already indicated that Tow/Haul mode is going to adjust the battery levels to maintain power as needed. -Travis

@rcguymike

8 ай бұрын

​@@EVBuyersGuidethey have a ton of experience with the wrangler and grand Cherokee 4xe. If they learned from those vehicles they'll do well.

And now I kinda want to see what the engine bay looks like. Is the V6 traditionally mounted in a longitudinal fashion even though it doesn’t need to be? Could it be transverse for packaging over the front motors?

@ThunderandLightningEvPickup

8 ай бұрын

Interesting. Curious what transverse mounting is?

@ALMX5DP

8 ай бұрын

@@ThunderandLightningEvPickup transverse is where the engine orientation and crankshaft are positioned side to side like in a typical front wheel drive car. Longitudinal is where the engine/crankshaft are pointed in-line with the chassis like in a typical rear wheel drive car.

@EVBuyersGuide

8 ай бұрын

I saw a brief, distant look but don't recall the orientation. Sorry! -Travis

@EVBuyersGuide

8 ай бұрын

Circling back to add that the engine is mounted longitudinally. -Travis

@ALMX5DP

8 ай бұрын

@@EVBuyersGuide woo! Thanks Travis for looking into this. Kinda figured that would be the case but it’s just strange to think about being there is no transmission behind it. Let us know if you get any pictures of the hood up. Still super keen on what it all looks like under there.

If they price if right with the base model. This will be a hit assuming it's not plague by recalls and issues. Much like the Pacifica plugin hybrid when it first came out.

@dannymccarty344

8 ай бұрын

Well, it has the most points of potential failure, thats ever been put between two bumpers. So, What do you think will happen? Lol.

@Lucky-ii3ft

8 ай бұрын

@@dannymccarty344 It's not a brand new system they are designing. It's an evolution of the Pacifica hybrid system that's been in use since 2017. But with anything new, I will expect a number of issues. That's not to say it won't be good and won't work. I would wait until at least the 4th year production to buy.

@dannymccarty344

8 ай бұрын

@@Lucky-ii3ft its an over priced pig. Nothing more. Its like a Hellcat, only it's for rich nerds, lol.

4:08 Ramcharger is a name Dodge used for its full size Ford Bronco and Chevy Blazer competitor in the 1980s. So they are no doubt reusing it.

This makes sense to me. An EV with the convenience of gas fill-ups. I wonder how loud the generator is? One of the benefits of an EV is the quiet ride.

@EVBuyersGuide

8 ай бұрын

I would guess the engine is pretty mild in noise output and the average person isn't going to end up using it with any regularity. -Travis

This is EXACTLY what we need for our fleet! The majority of the daily work will be on electric and the big hauls or long hauls will be on gas.

The elephant in the room is that you’re supposed to trust Stellatis engineering. If this system made sense financially and engineering-wise, you have to imagine that Toyota or Honda would have put out similar products years ago. I simply don’t trust they’ll get it right period, let alone at a price point where they’ll sell enough units to be profitable.

@EVBuyersGuide

8 ай бұрын

Neither Toyota or Honda are pushing very hard to bring plug-in hybrid or EV models to market. Yes, Toyota has the Prime line and they're very good, but those are smaller vehicles and operate very differently than this will. -Travis

Alex, is there any concern with the fuel getting old if you aren't going through a tank every month?

@worldtrav72

7 ай бұрын

My i3 gas tank is pressurized so the gas doesn’t weather and ‘breathe’ oxygen in and out. I presume the other PHEVs are doing the same.

@miccijrful

7 ай бұрын

My 4xe has a pressurized tank as well.

It wouldn't surprise me if it was transverse because the promaster has the same layout i also would expect a ramcharger setup coming for the promaster lineup

This is one of the few segments where a hybrid makes sense. A pure BEV is a better for everything light duty, however, EVs still suck at towing long range. This solves that completely especially when most only tow 4-5 times a year anyways.

Most truck buyers are more concerned with power and range than efficiency. So their concerns about efficiency aren't shared by most vehicle buyers. That's why the Jeep Wrangler 4xe is the best selling PHEV. While it's not the most efficient Hybrid, it's enough for the majority of consumers.

@EVBuyersGuide

8 ай бұрын

You're right, the 4xe is incredibly popular and similarly inefficient in EV mode. The EV mode is still much more efficient than a standard gas model would be. -Travis

I see this as cutting my current fuel consumption in half on long towing trips. I'll be taking a very close look at this thing to see if it performs as advertised. I wonder if it could survive a towing trip up the Alaska and Dempster highways and back without having to change out springs and things?

The only thing I find attractive about this truck is the range.- 690 miles Not really a fan of the light extending into the center grill like that. I heard they put the 300hp 3.6L Pentastar for the generator part, getting mixed info on that. If that's true, that would be the same engine that's in the base model 1500, except this one isn't tied at all to the drivetrain and only powers a generator. It's too bad they are going to make you pay for an options to use that generator from the bed for power, but they didn't add a 240V option if you wanted to use it to feed a house during a blackout when that generator puts out plenty to power a house. And what's with the LCD on the passenger side? Did they lose the top glove box for that? One thing I like about my 1500 Laramie is all the space inside, including the top glove box.

Wording from the Canadian web site (seems different from the US site): "REx stands for Range Extended Electric Vehicles that use Electric Drive Modules (EDM) as their main means of propulsion but also feature a gasoline engine to generate electricity when the battery is depleted. The 2025 Ramcharger REx can also be plugged in to recharge the battery."

@EVBuyersGuide

8 ай бұрын

Thanks for the definition. -Travis

my guess is when the tailor electrical receiver is engaged, it will automatically trigger Tow mode.

@EVBuyersGuide

8 ай бұрын

Possibly. -Travis

Hey Alex, great talk as always. Can our friend get a microphone? I had to raise the volume to hear what he was saying but then you are too loud.

@EVBuyersGuide

8 ай бұрын

Thanks for the feedback, everything should be set up shortly so audio is no longer an issue. -Travis

@THirayama

8 ай бұрын

@EVBuyersGuide much appreciated!

If you had googled Ramcharger, the name would have made a lot more sense. Dodge had a Ramcharger (1500 based suv) model for nearly 20 years.

My concern is repairs. A friend bought a Shelby F150 and traded it back in because no one could do an oil change and repairs…. I do want one though.

@EVBuyersGuide

7 ай бұрын

There (in theory) shouldn't be much in the way of repairs on the electric drivetrain and the engine being used is the same as you find in a significant percentage of Stellantis vehicles on the road now and moving forward. The good news is that I don't think people will run into the issue your friend did. -Travis

While cruising at 60mph on flat road the generator can top up the battery you only need 170hp to keep it going at 60 even while towing

Sounds like a good platform. Hopefully it has a 6 1/2 foot bed.

what is towing MPG? i am very interested...but there are questions...20 mpg from the engine but how much does that change when towing? also, all you see is the loaded Limited in pictures, will there be a stripped down work truck, or like a moderately equipped version with like no passenger screen...why, by the way....but like a lower end version with NEEDED options but not all the useless crap?

@EVBuyersGuide

7 ай бұрын

No manufacturer reports towing MPG and I would not expect that to change anytime soon. I would expect this truck to see changes in efficiency similar to just about every other truck when it's towing. -Travis

Quirky! Using metal disks and ablative brake pads to slow down is 1900s tech. We can now capture that energy and re-use it during our drive. Game changer!

@donswier

7 ай бұрын

Yep👍 The savings on brake maintenance & costs alone are worth it. The little bit of regen is negligible in my own experience (i3 REx in a mountainous area near Mt Rainier). I cringe now when braking our 4runner, turning all that momentum into heat & worn parts lol.

@EVBuyersGuide

7 ай бұрын

The regenerative braking doesn't just save/capture energy but should help provide more breaking power in downhill towing situations. -Travis

@donswier

7 ай бұрын

@@EVBuyersGuide Like a Jake Brake that gives you a rebate in the form of kilowatts. Can't wait to see a full review, including towing in mountains. Can't believe GM didn't capitalize on their history with diesel-electric locomotives and Voltec.

This isn’t complex. A generator produces electricity and doesn’t drive the vehicle. If the ICE engine solely produces electricity, it is solely a generator (a range extender). If it powers wheels as well, it is a plug-in hybrid drivetrain.

@EVBuyersGuide

8 ай бұрын

Not according to the EPA, or the SAE (society of automotive engineers), both define this as a PHEV. This debate happened back when the i3 launched and the EPA classed it as a Plug in hybrid as well

@afcgeo882

8 ай бұрын

@@EVBuyersGuide Why do we care about the EPA or SAE definitions for emerging technologies? They’re government regulators, and by definition can only define what already exists and are extremely rigid in their legal concepts. Both are also heavily impacted by ICE lobbies.

@EVBuyersGuide

8 ай бұрын

Even if you don’t want to go by the official definitions it’s literally a hybrid between a gasoline and an electric vehicle blending both power sources…

@afcgeo882

8 ай бұрын

@@EVBuyersGuide You can refer back to my initial comment. A hybrid power plant is DIFFERENT than a hybrid drive system. If the systems are basically the same, shy categorize it as one thing for BMW and something completely different for Ram? Imagine finding a new ape species, but instead of giving it its own name, you just go by what’s already documented, even if that’s not what it is. Imagine if all science or art or language worked that way… nothing new, just drop everything into one of three categories.

@danimal107

8 ай бұрын

Who cares what the EPA calls it? It in FACT is a range extended electric vehicle. @@EVBuyersGuide

I have the escape phev but my big complaint is the driving experience. 80hp on ev mode really stinks lol. I want it all in a truck. I need a replacement for my 2000 F250, have a boat and camper and live 200 miles from family. 60-100 mile commute daily. I wanted a lightning but need the towing ability as well. This truck does it all. I also have access to level 2 charging at work. Hoping it comes out at a decent price point.

@EVBuyersGuide

7 ай бұрын

This seems like a great fit for your needs and I suspect many others will find the same. -Travis

That’s the same exact steering wheel that’s on my Jeep 4xe lol

@EVBuyersGuide

8 ай бұрын

All in the family! -Travis

Since GM said no one wants a PHEV, Toyota can't build them fast enough. GM is almost always wrong so I'm betting this will be a great success.

Synergy opportunity. Have batteries that don’t like cold, charge best at 70F. Have ICE that makes 55% of energy go out as NASTY heat. Use ICE to heat to heat battery pack circuit in winter/cold and as needed to set up for rapid charging. Use one shortcoming (waste heat) to mitigate shortcoming of battery system (cold pack performance)!!

If it wasn't too long to fit in my garage, I'd trade my Pacifica Hybrid in on it. This approach is OLD. At least as old as WWII. The Pacific fleet submarines used 4 big Fairbanks-Morse diesels to turn big generators. (On the surface) The generators powered the electric motor driven propellors and charged up the battery. For submerged operations, the engines were shut down and the prop motors ran off the battery. It was also not particuarly efficient, but hey, when you're 300 feet long you have room for a LOT of diesel fuel.

Funny it's called a "Half-Ton" with 14K towing and 2,700 lb payload, and 8-lug wheels. In my Rivian, the front motors power the wheels about 60/40 vs the rear. It even has an "Eco" mode that turns off the rear motors completely. When comparing this RamCharger to any other EV Truck, this is by far the best-looking truck, period.

In my opinion, the larger battery is in the front versus the rear, due to balance and towing for axle rating. If the larger battery was in the back, the back would be heavier, and you could not put as much weight onto the rear independent suspension, but with the large motor in the front with the gasoline motor in the front, it’s front, heavy and lighter in your rear to take heavier, towing and payload.

@EVBuyersGuide

7 ай бұрын

The engine being on the front axle is going to make a much more significant weight impact that the difference between two electric motors. It's more likely that the rear motor is tuned more towards efficiency and when the front motor disconnects it's logical to have the more efficient motor running. -Travis

Regarding the efficiency under battery electric range, I'm wondering if they are saying that the 92 kW battery starts getting charged when it reaches around 20% state of charge . If you figure it has similar efficiency to a Ford Lightning, then that would mean that it's buffer is around 20%, or 70 kW hours. The numbers sound close if this theory is correct.

@EVBuyersGuide

8 ай бұрын

It's entirely possible (and relatively logical) that the generator would kick on before the battery is completely depleted. However, they haven't given any indication that this is what will happen nor have they provided any numbers on what battery percentage that limit might be at (which we could use to guess the usable size of the battery). -Travis

It's a tweener truck. Once battery and charging tech matures and evolves, this will go away. When exactly does that happen is the main question. Nobody really knows, so maybe this is a very good move or visa versa. Personally, I think it will take trucks longer than expected. I think your right to point out the efficiency, because at the end of the day, that drives the whole shabang.

@EVBuyersGuide

7 ай бұрын

I agree that it's a place holder of sorts but I also think it'll be a healthy chunk of time before it's considered outdated. -Travis

I think it is a great idea and they outsmarted their weak competition. RamCharger will present power, indurance and range....

I'm not an engineer but I do understand this technology. I'm looking at the design and there is certainly some serious potential for some heat problems. I'm curious about how the battery is cooled and how the wiring is protected from hear. Do we know this? This could be a reliability nightmare if the don't get this right. I love the concept but if ram messes up the reliability it will ruin the prospects for more vehicles like this. The obvious improvement for the vehicle is a more efficient generator engine. Ram can produce the pentastar for fairly cheap driving the cost of this vehicle down and it's reliable. However it has never been known to be the most efficient engine.

Serious truck buyers that people who use a truck for its intended purpose tow alot and a full ev trucks range falls off a cliff when towing for a lot of tradesman this could work and using the engine purely to charge the battery is more efficient because the ice engine only has to power a generator so it doesn't have to rev up and down or contend with stop and start traffic.

Does it support DC fast charging?

@joemontana4370

8 ай бұрын

Yes

@EVBuyersGuide

8 ай бұрын

Yes, it seems that it will be released with a CCS connector (at least for now) and be able to charge up to a respectable 145 kw. -Travis

As a current Ram 1500 owner with the 5.7......its a great vehicle for what it is. I also own a Tesla which is amazing in its own right specificaly an around town vehicle. What's left out of the conversation is how much it costs to charge at a typical Tesla Supercharger (which are amazing albeit not cheap) which can be equal to gas and certainly takes longer. For this pending truck launch it will bridge the gap for those anti-EV folks and be a great daily driver in the EV mode. Towing is crazy good for a half ton vehicle and will limit the number of possible charging stops. I'm in line for the CT and the range is simply not there nenver mind the vehicle looks. For me this is a total win.....my biggest concern is with system integration.....Tesla software integration is amazing. It is every bit as good as my Iphone with updates.