Is the RamCharger Just a Hyped Up Hybrid?

Ram has come out with its answer to EV truck range anxiety - and they're doing it by throwing a V6 under the hood in what they claim is still a full-blown ev truck equipped with an onboard range extender generator. Many YouTube Influencers such as Raiti's Rides, TFLEV, and Redline Reviews have pitched this as a straight EV, following the company's narrative and praising this as the best bridge to EV truck adoption. But iss that what this is, or is there more to this story than what Ram is letting on?

Sources quoted in this video:

Ram Trucks YouTube Ramcharger promotional video:

One of my informed and always helpful viewers suggested I provide a link to a video that seems to clarify the generator 'electric mode' issue, but it still could be interpreted multiple ways. I'll leave it here if you wish to dig deeper (time stamp 1:09:00)

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0:00 - Intro
0:50 - Is it really 'launched'?
1:14 - Move by Stellantis is a smart one
2:25 - An EV or a series hybrid?
3:51 - What's up with the batteries?
5:39 - Isn't this what we all wanted?
5:59 - BREAKING EDIT!- does Ramcharger burn gas all the time?
7:25 - Weight
9:20 - Complexity
10:50 - Cost
11:53 - Practicality
13:38 - Conclusion

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Chevy Volt image Permission: PD-USGov, public domain
#ramcharger #evtruck

[truckedupevs]

Legacy Auto claims that there is a huge divide that North America manufacturers have to bridge to convince truck buyers that EV trucks are a viable option. In order to do so, Ram Trucks is leaning heavily on a century-old technology and revamping it in the Ram 1500 Ramcharger. Do you think this is the direction we should go, or is this feeding a fear that is rapidly diminishing each year as technology advances? Let me know in the comments!

[guzzimike]

Diesel-Electric has been the standard in railroad locomotives since the 1930s, and for good reason. I've wondered why no one has applied the concept to a pick up. Now, RAM has it in the upcoming Ramcharger! The Ramcharger has 2500/3500 series capabiliites in a 1500 package. The nearly 700 miles range is similar to our F150 with 5.0 and 36-gallon fuel tank, but with 150% of the power and torque. A Ramcharger will make the long days towing our horse trailer a breeze, with no worry of using an electric charging terminal in some parking lot, somewhere. And can be all electric on those days we're running between the house and barn or running errands. Then there is the ability to power a campsite or worksite, which makes days at horse shows or off-grid camping just that much more convenient. I want a Ramcharger!

[marksexton]

As the current owner of an f150 powerboost and former owner of an I3 Rex I can say You don't have a clue what you are talking about. The v6 will only run when the battery is low. Most people will be able to drive 100 miles a day on electric only . When you tow it will be like every other truck, just put gas in every 300 miles or so. I will be getting one

[vetteguy]

I drive a Chevrolet Volt, It also has the range extender gas engine, the volt gets an average 50 miles on all electric, my wife uses it for daily runs she averages 40 miles per day, she puts gas in maybe 1 a year and this is only due to use the gas before it ages. the Ramcharger is the perfect scenario for me for my 100 to 150 miles average trip and will never use gas, I am on the list to order one as soon as it arrives. It may not be for everyone, but it sure works for me.

[mytwogoodhands]

Sandy when it comes to a truck weight helps you my 2003 Ram 2500 with V10 weighs in at 8, 800 and pulling a 16, 000 load the heavy truck is a big plus. if this is to tow 14, 000 the heavy weight is a plus.

[MotoGuzziMoto]

This video will not age well. EV evangelists and Tesla pumpers will tell you hybrids are the worst of both worlds, but the truth is somewhere in the middle. Used wisely or have the right use case, you can get the best of both worlds. Great towing with the immediate torque, regen in hilly conditions and long range without the delays and charging anxiety of pure battery EV. Yes it will be heavy, but not as heavy as the equivalent range in batteries. Its biggest valid criticism, which applies to all hybrids, is that it is not as efficient as a pure battery EV, but most savvy consumers will sacrifice some efficiency for the convenience, and it will be way cheaper to run and long lasting overall than a pure ICE vehicle.

[tylerproctor]

The engine does not run constantly. You can find several interviews on youtube with engineers that will tell you that was a mistake. You didn't mention anything about the specs of this vehicle ( which are impressive). It boosts 660 hp, 14k towing, 2300 lbs of payload. This truck will cost a lot but its more of an alternative to a diesel engine. They cost a lot also. Its not for every consumer but you think just because it's not for you its bad. Its a good idea. Its a new way to deliver massive power to the wheels and lower environmental footprint during daily driving. Of course reliability will be an issue! ITS NEW!!!! Reliability has been an issue in EV in every EV car without a tesla badge. Despite having fewer components because in most cases they are new as well.

[kdlange]

RAMCHARGER POWER MODE SELECTOR

Manage your truck’s energy and performance. Select between Electric Mode, E-Save Mode, and Eco Mode, and additionally choose Charge-Depleting Mode, Battery Hold Mode, eAWD Mode, or eSport Mode to optimize energy consumption and to enhance vehicle performance.

[taragwendolyn]

So I do drive a PHEV -- 2023 Subaru Crosstrek to be specific. I mention it because it's got an appallingly small EV range - combined city/highway of ~27km. Realistically it's closer to 40km city and we generally avoid driving highway in EV mode because of it. What I can tell you from experience is that even that small range is enough for our regular commute & errands most of the time, with the gas for those camping trips into places where charging infrastructure doesn't exist (which are still fairly common for us) - not counting the summer camping season, we're buying gas once a month if even that, and a tank's only $40 CAD. I hope you're wrong that this one runs the generator all the time - that would be monumentally stupid. If it actually works like every other PHEV on the market, it really is a good interim step to address range anxiety. But even then - it's better for the environment to keep an old truck on the road than it is to buy a new one. Only buy it if you would be buying a new truck anyway, and only get the PHEV over a BEV if you actually have a use case where the gas makes sense.

[danielgiron]

This is probably the most moronic take on this truck I have seen to date. First, this will basically be a 2500 with a much higher payload than a 1500 and a GVWR higher than a 1500 (prelim #'s from Ram are around 1000-1500 lbs higher payload than the 1500). For my purposes, this is exactly what I have been waiting for. I use my truck as a daily, meaning less than 100 miles each day so I would use zero gas most of the time. I also have property in the mountains where I like to use my travel trailer. I will be able to tow my travel trailer to my property (or anywhere to camp) without having to stop and charge every 75-100 miles like in the Ford Lightning, not to mention EV charging stations are not set up for tow vehicles (requiring me to disconnect a trailer somwhere and leave it so I can charge for a couple hours if i am lucky). I will have the power provided by electric motors which is much better than a gas engine (especially in the mountains at high altitudes) and when the batteries die and I am running low on gas, I can just pull into a gas station and fill up and keep going. To top it off, I can use the truck as my camper generator instead of a portable generator when there is no shore power available. And your take on "centuries old technology" is ridiculous. This layout is used because it works and for the last century there hasnt been a better alternative. The complaints on current EV trucks is simply you could not do truck things because it significantly reduced range, enough to make them unusable as trucks. This literally has all the benefits of the electric drivetrain (power and fuel effeciency) without the main drawbacks (range). To be transparent, I was part of a focus group over a year ago about EV trucks and this was the same opinion from everyone that owned or wanted trucks, EVs were not the answer, but an EV with a generator would be perfect.

[nolan]

From other overviews I've watched, the only time the generator would run most of the time is when it is set into "towing" mode. This keeps the battery in a highly charged state to ensure the vehicle keep it's high performance capability for as long as possible, because if the battery is empty when putting the vehicle under a high load, the generator's power will likely not be enough to sustain the high levels of power needed.
There is a need and desire for such options because a truck is not solely meant as a transport vehicle. It is a high performance Work vehicle where hauling and towing a sizable load can severely drain the vehicles energy much faster. And many owners will need the versatility of not relying on public electric infrastructure to source their energy.

[RamblersDiner]

I see this as the ultimate in practicality in a truck. I can pull a camping trailer, power the A/C and EVERTYHING else in the camper on that 7kw of power from the bed. Not to mention that you can’t even buy generators in CA anymore. I can drive from my home to my favorite campground, stay a week, start up the truck a couple of times to keep the batteries topped off, and run everything in my camper without ever having to worry about someone complaining about my “generator”. Frankly, I don’t think you know what you are talking about, or perhaps you have an alternate agenda.

[Skotty]

I would guess marketing just said it wrong, and it will be electric only until the battery gets low. I suppose it's possible it might run the engine at a low power level even at high states of charge, causing the battery to discharge more slowly, but I'll be surprised if that's really how it works. This type of hybrid can make sense if you want to drive electric but don't want to be limited by current electric range and charging infrastructure. Reminiscent of the Volt, but not quite the same thing. I'm not sure this makes as much sense as the Volt did, though. I think it would be pretty niche use case for someone that likes electric but has to tow trailers on the highway frequently.

[angusandleigh]

...actually, what really hurts engines isn't that they run...it's that they are all over the rev range, that is what eats up fuel and does the most polluting (due to a richer, and less efficient burn)...if you can keep that engine in it's optimal power range, it will use a lot less fuel pollute and less. It will also last much longer as it isn't near as stressed and heat cycling....this will also help reduce (likely by half) the maintenance costs of ownership as what does the most wear on the engine and it's fluids will be the size of fuel tank is fairly large in terms of a genset, you have to remember that the engine and primary load will take away the parts of the duty cycle that consumes the most, acceleration.

...locomotives work like this by keeping the engines at their peak and letting the motors change speed makes them more efficient and pull almost from the get go by using motors as the prime mover. However, you still have to idle down that engine to keep the generator from to 'electrically separating' at slower speeds...by using a battery as an 'absorber' you can maintain the engines RPM (for shits and giggles say, 2, 500-3, 500rpm - I'm not quite sure where it is, but peak power should be around there) then you loose all the efficiency losses by operating the engine in low power areas...

RAM gets this truck to market, I think that it will be a hit with smaller contracting etc. it should be a success. Yes you can stop to do stuff and recharge, but this can stop, and go. Who knows, if they future proof designed this, it might just be a software upgrade to go from always motor and battery driven, and then the engine comes on to recharge/drive...that would really makes this a gamechanger.

[hi]

It's the best and worst of both worlds, but you can override the downsides by being rich (8 car garage).

[metinozsavran]

You don't get what's going on here at all. As truck operating farmers, constructors, etc. the deal we want is high mileage, low fuel consumption. We are running businesses, not fake environmentalist hippie beggar groups. The efficiency is the reason why submarines, ships, and trains use diesel electrics. Conversion from electric energy to mechanical energy is close to 100%. So they generate electricity to run the generator, then the generator fills batteries of subs, or the pickup truck in here. The arrangement is more fuel efficient than the diesel running the transmission directly. And the battery is much smaller and cheaper than a huge Tesla battery with thousands of utterly stupid cylindirical cells. I drive a Toyota Hilux, and eagerly waiting Toyota to put out a hybrid pickup truck, OK. Don't try to debate with the actual users who are voting with their vallets. Run a business with trucks, than talk to us in length, please.

[calledout]

This truck seems amazing and EXACTLY how electric vehicles should be done. Is it just a hybrid? I don't know, perhaps. It seems very practical and as soon as I understood what they're doing, count me in! Drive it on electric around town (most of my daily driving is less than 20 miles anyway) and then you can rely on gas when you take a road trip. 6:40 but if I'm not mistaken I think I heard that only happens when the batteries are depleted to a certain point, so if you charge every night, the generator won't come on at all.

[robertbowman]

I don't see howits possible the gen runs all the time, if so that would make the battery completely pointless. There is a lot of advantages to having the engine running a constant peak speed and shutting off one the bat is full

[LaddGardner]

The V6 only runs when the battery reserve drops below 5%. Gasoline costs play a big part in this discussion. Where I live, near Aspen, CO, regular gas is over $4 per gallon and fuel is closer to $5.00 I seldom drive more than 100 miles per day, so the vast use of the truck will be costing me 8¢ per kwh, or about 10¢ per mile. When you factor 140 miles of range at 10¢ and the rest at 20¢, the average cost of even long-haul scenarios is bette than or equivalent to a 1/2 ton diesel pickup truck, say 24 mpg, and that's pretty great. Again, with the vast majority of Americans not exceeding the all-electric range limit on a daily basis, this truck is a fantastic option. Also overlooked in this dump-fest is all the camping and overlanding benefits of having a truck with inverter power that'll take care of the needs of a campsite for days, including power tools, electronics, refrigeration, etc. I'm getting one as soon as they're available.

[PegLegAdventures]

You make some fair points. However, the Ram website says there will be power mode select options like Electric+, E-Save, Eco and even Charge-Depleting Mode. So it sounds like there is a way to go all electric for short drives.