Ram introduces the 1500 Ramcharger, a pickup truck with a range extender concept. This means that the car is powered purely electrically; the electricity either comes from the battery or is generated by a combustion engine via a generator.
The drive is provided by two electric drive modules (EDMs) with 250 kW at the front and 238 kW at the rear. This results in an all-wheel drive with 488 kW system output and 834 Nm torque. This means that the car offers a similar amount of power as the purely battery-electric Ram 1500 REV. The sprint is identical at 4.4 seconds (0-60 mph, i.e. 97 km/h).
While the purely electric model comes with either a 168 or 229 kWh battery, the range extender version requires a 92 kWh battery. When the battery is empty (or you want to save the power for later), the 3.6-liter V6 on board starts. It supplies 130 kW of electricity via a generator. The electricity can also be used to supply more power to the drive than the battery can deliver. The drive only delivers maximum power in this mode.
However, the V6 cannot drive the wheels directly. The combustion engine was adapted for the task of driving the on-board generator. It is installed particularly compactly so that the front EDM also fits under the front hood. The generator is also mounted directly on the engine.
The battery can be charged with up to 145 kW on a 400-volt DC battery. This should allow you to recharge electricity for a further 80 km in 10 minutes.
The range is stated to be up to 690 miles, i.e. no less than 1,110 km. This probably refers to the sum of the battery range and the range extender range. The total range is not broken down. For comparison: The battery-electric pick-up from Ram offers a range of 800 km with the large battery – both of course according to the demanding American EPA standard.
As with the Ram 1500 REV, the technical basis for the pick-up is the STLA-Frame platform. The chassis offers a multi-link wheel suspension and standard air suspension. The latter offers five different modes: entry/exit, aero, normal, off-road 1, and off-road 2.
There is an automatic wheel-end disconnect on the front axle, which allows the front wheels to spin freely under certain conditions, maximizing efficiency. The second EDM is positioned on the rear axle and has an electronically lockable rear axle differential. The maximum trailer load is 6.4 tonnes and the payload is up to 1.2 tonnes.
Inside, there’s a 14.5-inch touchscreen, a 12.3-inch instrument display, a 10.25-inch screen in front of the passenger seat, and a head-up display. The car allows bi-directional charging. This means you can charge another electric car with up to 7.2 kW or you can feed electricity into the grid.
Ram has not yet announced how much the car costs or when exactly it will start. Currently, you can only reserve a place on the waiting list.
