Ram has confirmed first details for a pickup that no other automaker has dared yet build, yet one that might possibly offer the best of both worlds: a plug-in series-hybrid truck.
The truck, which Ram calls the Ramcharger, is claimed to offer “class-shattering unlimited battery electric range.”
The Ramcharger always has electric propulsion at the wheels, but it’s backed up with electricity from an internal combustion engine. Ram is claiming a 4.4-second 0-60 mph time for the 1500 Ramcharger, which will be rated at 663 hp and 615 lb-ft of torque.
With a 92-kwh battery pack, the Ramcharger will go 145 miles on electric-only power from the battery, then another 545 miles with the gasoline engine running a generator providing up to 190 kw or 130 kw continuous and functioning as a range-extender.
To make the configuration abundantly clear: The Ramcharger engine won’t have any direct connection to the wheels. That task will be handled by dual electric motor systems—250 kw in front and 238 in back. During driving the motors will optimize propulsion between front and rear, sometimes even just using one or the other, Ram said.
2025 Ram 1500 Ramcharger
An EV without range anxiety?
On the other hand, the Ram REV battery electric truck stands for Ram Electric Vehicle, or Revolution. While the 2025 Ram 1500 REV has 168-kwh standard range or 229-kwh extended range batteries, for up to 500 miles of range, the Ramcharger owner with a smaller battery “never worries about range or towing,” argued Ram CEO Tim Kuniskis, who called it the ultimate electric truck.
During this range-extended mode after running through most of the battery’s charge, the Ramcharger can achieve an additional 545 miles on gasoline, through what Ram says is the most efficient use of the front and rear motors, also balancing the use of the generator versus battery pack. It also incorporates a control logic to blend friction braking and regenerative braking.
“It’s not a PHEV. It functions as a pure battery electric truck—all the instantaneous torque, all the power…but without the downside,” Kuniskis said in a preview of the truck to the press.
2025 Ram 1500 Ramcharger
Why aren’t there other plug-ins like this one?
There is a downside for series hybrids: They’re rarely an efficient option on the highway, and the numbers from Ram point to that same issue.
Using quick math, given the Ramcharger’s 27-gallon fuel tank, it sees this truck getting about 20 mpg when running in its range-extender mode. That’s considerably less than the ratings of a number of non-hybrid pickups—or the Ford F-150 Hybrid, which returns an EPA-rated 24 mpg.
For instance, underwhelming highway mileage with a series hybrid system is the primary reason Honda clutches the engine in with the wheels with its two-mode hybrid system under low-load highway conditions, and it’s why GM opted to add a mechanical drive connection in its Voltec system for the Chevy Volt, and why the Nissan e-Power hybrid system might be different for the U.S.
But outside of the Fisker Karma and its Karma GS-6 descendent, such a system is unprecedented. None of these systems have used this configuration combining plug-in capability and a rather large battery.
The layout is fully up to the same towing and hauling of Ram’s ICE trucks, though. Ram conducted the Davis Dam test on the Ramcharger, and in a situation like that it’s pulling power from both the battery and generator. On a long-distance highway trip after the main charge is used, the truck is running mostly in what the company calls a charge-sustaining mode—meaning the engine is running continuously. Stellantis didn’t give an idea of what engine operation would be like at those loads.
Ram 1500 Revolution BEV concept
REV or Ramcharger: Speedy charging all around
The Ramcharger can add up to 50 miles of range in about 10 minutes, with a peak of up to 145 kw. The Ram REV can charge at up to 350 kw.
Drivers will get to choose between Electric+, E-Save, and Eco modes, with the former saving the electric for later and the latter prioritizing electric propulsion and minimizing engine use.
STLA Frame platform
The Ram REV and Ramcharger use essentially the same STLA Frame platform, with the battery and fuel tank encapsulated within the fuel rails—the battery pack under the passenger cell and the tank under the bed. The 92-kwh battery pack uses an NMC (lithium-manganese-cobalt) lithium-ion chemistry, with 12 modules.
The suspension is a short-long-arm setup in front and multi-link in back. A four-corner air suspension and adaptive damping systems are standard on STLA Frame vehicles. The air suspension offers a lower height for entry and exit plus an aero mode and two off-road modes. There are also five dynamic drive modes—auto, sport, tow, snow, and off-road—that tweak accelerator response, brake regen, suspension behavior, and steering. And an electronic diff lock allows powering through a range of conditions confidently.
Ram hasn’t said anything about how many Ram REV versus Ramcharger models it plans to build, but it did hint that it sees the Ramcharger as a somewhat more limited offering that’s for shoppers who think about an EV but decide against it for a number of concerns.
2025 Ram 1500 Ramcharger
2025 Ram 1500 Ramcharger
2025 Ram 1500 Ramcharger
2025 Ram REV and Ramcharger tech
All these models load up with tech features. In upper trim levels, these Ram trucks offer a 14.5-inch touchscreen in the middle of the dash, plus a 10.3-inch passenger screen that only the front passenger can see, including an HDMI input and mirroring for phones or tablets. There’s also a 12.3-inch reconfigurable gauge display plus a full-color head-up display that wraps in automatic emergency braking, lane monitors, and other adaptive safety.
The Ramcharger and Ram REV offers a smartphone-based digital key system with an NFC-based smart card for backup entry.
Glancing at the whole Ram lineup, which still includes a vast array of gasoline models looking not that much unlike the REV and Ramcharger, there’s everything from basic Tradesman trucks to the sporty Rebel and the new top-of-the-line Tungsten model.
Ram didn’t ignore its other, non-electrified gasoline light trucks. In those, it’s doing away with the Hemi V-8s, offering instead 3.0-liter twin-turbo in-line sixes—including a 540-hp high-output version featured in the RHO performance version.
2025 Ram 1500 Ramcharger
As Ram electrifies, a new look
Across the lineup, the Ram family gets an even more upright look in front, borrowed from the brand’s heavy-duty trucks, with even bigger badging. Some models drop the steel bumper in favor of a refined, aerodynamically-savvy front fascia, and there’s also a near-flush bed and cab for aerodynamics. Top Tungsten models get a suede-wrapped headliner, heated-and-cooled 24-way quilted-leather massage front seats, and 23-speaker sound. On top models, Stellantis will also roll out a new hands-free Driving Assist feature, with “Level 2+” automated driving capability.
The Ramcharger could shape up as a great companion for camping and RV use. A 7.2-kw power panel is enough to charge a whole campsite of accessories, and for towing, the truck also has a camera system to identify the ball of the trailer hitch and do all the steering automatically—leaving the operation of the accelerator and brake to the driver.
Range Electric Paradigm Breaker – 2021 Stellantis EV Day
Ram back in 2021 teased a truck called the Range Electric Paradigm Breaker (REPB). Now it’s clear what the company was talking about. What’s still unproven is whether this is truly the start of a new plug-in paradigm.
Credit : Source Post
