In addition to the all-electric Ram REV, the Stellantis truck brand announced this week that it will also release a Pentastar engine gasoline-powered hybrid version of its electric pickup, called Ramcharger. The goal here is to use the V6 engine as a generator for the electric powertrain when the 92 kWh battery is depleted. The two power supplies together can power the truck to a projected 690 miles of combined range, which is pretty impressive for a 663 horsepower truck that runs from 0-60 in 4 seconds.
The Ramcharger is pushed along the road by a pair of electric motors, a 250 kW unit at the front and a 238 kW unit at the back. Ram has re-branded the iconic (and long-lived) 3.6 Pentastar V6 as a “130 kW on-board generator” and has given the engine a number of jobs to do. Not only does the V6 generate electricity for the electric motors to consume, but it can be connected in a vehicle-to-vehicle arrangement to charge another electric vehicle, or in a vehicle-to-grid manner to power your house during a storm, power a tailgate party, or run a jobsite. If gas engines are going to stick around, and it seems Stellantis is determined to make that happen, this is a good use for them.
Carrying an engine onboard allows the Ramcharger to use a much smaller battery than its REV counterpart. The REV is available with either a 168 kWh battery pack, or an optional 229 kWh pack, allegedly good for as many as 500 miles of range. That giant pack is extremely heavy and resource intensive, while the Ramcharger’s pack is less than half as large at 92 kWh (which is still significantly more battery than many smaller EVs).
“With unlimited battery-electric range, the Ram 1500 Ramcharger is the pinnacle of the light-duty pickup truck segment and the ultimate electric truck,” said Tim Kuniskis, Ram brand CEO – Stellantis. “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.”
If I were Tim, I’m not sure I’d be throwing around “unlimited range” quite so willy nilly. It’s not a perpetual motion machine. You eventually will have to either stop for gasoline or a DC fast public charger to keep going. And calling this an “electric truck” with “zero need for a public charger” is similarly disingenuous, because it’ll certainly require gasoline to keep running if you don’t use a public charger. That’s not to say this idea doesn’t have its merits, but the way it’s being talked up is troubling at best.
The Ram 1500 Ramcharger seems like a decent option for people who need a truck in their lives, as it will certainly be able to drive around town for day to day use without burning a drop of gasoline, then convert to a more conventional fueling source for longer trips or towing needs. Ram hasn’t unveiled any consumption figures for the truck yet, but I have to assume it will be better for the world than the current behemoths clogging Texas highways.