the new competitor, 2025 ram charger

the wanderer · November 9, 2023

What are all your thoughts on the new ram charger? Basically an EV with a gas generator on board to power up the battery as needed.

Leaving aside the issue of Ram vs GM, I'm curious how you guys feel about the concept itself, ie: an EV with no range anxiety. More pulling power (well over 600 hp) for towing, a very low/heavy-ish center of gravity for better trailer control, no public charging needed, and when daily driving you just plug it in at night!

The devil is in the details though. Price is everything here, as well as implementation (like is it too complicated?). The generator used in this truck is the very popular 3.6 pentastar, though it is only wired into the generator and there is no physical connection to the drivetrain (unlike the volt).

I'm mildly optimistic. I want a v8 for many years, but if we're forced into EV's then this is the only truck I'd consider if the price can be kept in check.

Edited November 9, 2023 by the wanderer

newdude · November 9, 2023

Its like the Volt (not 100% the same but simliar) but in a pickup truck. And the Volt idea was great. Up to 50 miles of pure EV driving, you could recharge it, and if you needed to go past the just EV range the engine fires up as a generator but could if needed drive the wheels. RamCharger however just uses the engine strictly as a generator.

So to me, a great product but its late to the game about 5-7 years.

Edited November 9, 2023 by newdude

the wanderer · November 9, 2023

I don't see how something can be late to the game when there is no direct competitor (no other EV truck has a generator onboard so they all suffer from range anxiety). The other standard EV's are still ramping up production in a market that is 95% untapped. We're all going to be pushed into EV's, yet nobody is driving them when it comes to trucks. Seems like this charger is being brought out right when it needs to be.

newdude · November 9, 2023

30 minutes ago, the wanderer said:

I don't see how something can be late to the game when there is no direct competitor (no other EV truck has a generator onboard so they all suffer from range anxiety). The other standard EV's are still ramping up production in a market that is 95% untapped. We're all going to be pushed into EV's, yet nobody is driving them when it comes to trucks. Seems like this charger is being brought out right when it needs to be.

Late to the game = What they've come up with is pretty much the same idea GM came up with from 2010-2017, the Chevy Volt. And if we want to get really technical, everyone does keep mentioning how the ICE engine in the Volt "drives the wheels" but at a fully depleted battery. Its otherwise just a generator like the Ram.

Ram should have had this truck years ago, but FCA/Stellantis always seems broke.

Everyone seems to still be hung up on range anxiety, but its not range anxiety, its charge anxiety. Silverado EV with the 450mi battery has potentially 450mi of total range. Towing figure it cuts it 200mi. For 99% of use cases, there is zero need for a range extender there.

And, the point of EVs coming out is do get away from fossil fuels, not add them into the mix for range extending. Better batteries (less weight but more energy density), less rolling resistance (more aero) and lighter weight and more affordability are what is needed for EVs to really make them stick for 99% of consumers.

ember1205 · November 9, 2023

If you're going to carry an engine strictly for use as a generator, why not diesel? Wouldn't that make the complexity slightly less while improving the overall longevity of the engine?

For me, I'll never own any Dodge/Jeep product. There's something about their seat design that isn't compatible with my body. After about an hour behind the wheel, no matter the model, I am extremely sore. I travel for work and have issues with all kinds of Dodge/Jeep vehicles over the years plus I owned a Ram and a Jeep at one point in time - have never been comfortable driving them.

2024Denali · November 9, 2023

25 minutes ago, ember1205 said:

If you're going to carry an engine strictly for use as a generator, why not diesel? Wouldn't that make the complexity slightly less while improving the overall longevity of the engine?

For me, I'll never own any Dodge/Jeep product. There's something about their seat design that isn't compatible with my body. After about an hour behind the wheel, no matter the model, I am extremely sore. I travel for work and have issues with all kinds of Dodge/Jeep vehicles over the years plus I owned a Ram and a Jeep at one point in time - have never been comfortable driving them.

Because you don’t want that eco-diesel

the wanderer · November 10, 2023

2 hours ago, newdude said:

Late to the game = What they've come up with is pretty much the same idea GM came up with from 2010-2017, the Chevy Volt. And if we want to get really technical, everyone does keep mentioning how the ICE engine in the Volt "drives the wheels" but at a fully depleted battery. Its otherwise just a generator like the Ram.

Ram should have had this truck years ago, but FCA/Stellantis always seems broke.

Everyone seems to still be hung up on range anxiety, but its not range anxiety, its charge anxiety. Silverado EV with the 450mi battery has potentially 450mi of total range. Towing figure it cuts it 200mi. For 99% of use cases, there is zero need for a range extender there.

And, the point of EVs coming out is do get away from fossil fuels, not add them into the mix for range extending. Better batteries (less weight but more energy density), less rolling resistance (more aero) and lighter weight and more affordability are what is needed for EVs to really make them stick for 99% of consumers.

The concept of a gas engine generating electric power on board is not exactly new and exciting. That's how diesel trains have worked for decades, so this is not some earth shattering discovery on GM's part with the volt. This idea makes far more sense in a truck than a commuter car which just shuttles back and forth between home/work and can be kept charged overnight. A (work) truck can have other needs, like immense amounts of power and unpredictable destinations that change every day.

However that misses the point. This truck has no competition. By definition it can't be late to a game when it's the first one there. You can say that Ram should have had this years ago, but I don't see Ford or GM building one, do you?

And as for range/charge anxiety, you can call it what you will but the problem is the same: guys who regularly pull trailers will never buy a pure EV in the next 2 decades. The battery capacity is not there, the charge time is too slow, the chargers are too few and far between especially in rural areas, and that doesn't even get into the uglyness of charging where you block other spots or have to disconnect your trailer to fit into the tiny EV spot.

An onboard gas generator completely eliminates all this. It's really the best of both worlds.

Finally; as I said in the first post it'd be nice if we can stick to the idea (gas generator on board) vs the brand.

Edited November 10, 2023 by the wanderer

the wanderer · November 10, 2023

As for the diesel, no way you can fit a modern diesel into a small package like this along with the generator, battery, emissions, def etc etc. Diesel weighs significantly more as well making an already heaviest truck in the class even heavier.

KARNUT · November 10, 2023

If I was to buy an electric truck. I would put a generator in the back like my 1500$ stand by generator for my house. I would use rubber mounts have a bed cover run the exhaust to the truck exhaust. Easy plum job. I would open the bed cover fire up the generator. But of course the electric trucks are way too expensive, why bother?

KARNUT · November 10, 2023

13 minutes ago, KARNUT said:

If I was to buy an electric truck. I would put a generator in the back like my 1500$ stand by generator for my house. I would use rubber mounts have a bed cover run the exhaust to the truck exhaust. Easy plum job. I would open the bed cover fire up the generator. But of course the electric trucks are way too expensive, why bother?

Ok, I gave it a few minutes. There’s no exhaust on an electric truck.

oldmann · November 10, 2023

I just can't figure out why the gen engine is a v6

Jus Cruisin · November 10, 2023

I haven't read up on it but I'll certainly check it out when I'm ready to swap trucks. I've had about 8 Rsm/Dodge trucks. Last being a 2019 Ram Limited which was a great truck. I liked the air suspension and the interior was the best truck interior by far at the time. The GMC Denali Ultimate interior rivals the Ram Limited. If the Ram has the new Hurricane twin turbo straight 6 along with the hybrid electric drive I will really interested in it if offered in the Tungsten model. I had the F150 Powerboost.. That was fine till it broke. The dealers can't diag and/or fix them.

gemarsh · November 10, 2023

Let me understand this...

This truck has a full onboard ev system? Then it has a full onboard V6?

So you have the complexity of a EV and the complexity of a V6 in one truck.

Won't this V6 have to have emissions? O2 sensor, a cat, a gas tank and evap components for it, a charging system, a water pump, and cooling system.

Dodge, Mopar, Chrysler, Ram Stenatlas(sp) whatever it is today, needs to die and just go away.

Jus Cruisin · November 10, 2023

https://www.ramtrucks.com/revolution/ram-1500-ramcharger.html

I think this is brilliant. EV running around town. Then load it up and take off for Florida. Able to drive straight thru with only one stop for gas (690 mile range). Hands free driving of some sort. Hopefully equal to Super Cruise. Best of both worlds. Doesn't have the Hurricane....the only con for me.

Edited November 10, 2023 by Jus Cruisin

ember1205 · November 10, 2023

14 hours ago, the wanderer said:

As for the diesel, no way you can fit a modern diesel into a small package like this along with the generator, battery, emissions, def etc etc. Diesel weighs significantly more as well making an already heaviest truck in the class even heavier.

So, we can put a diesel engine in a vehicle capable of pulling 80,000 pounds but we can't put an appropriately sized one in a pickup... to run a generator? A diesel engine, comparable in size and power output to what the V6 gas engine can do would add... a couple hundred pounds overall max?

We can have the diesel in the truck to directly operate the truck, but it won't fit if there's a generator added on. Which already adds more weight. There seems to be a lot of holes in this rationale.