The new version of the Ram 1500 pick-up, called the Ramcharger, has a combustion engine with a generator in addition to a 95kWh battery. That engine, however, in the spirit of the lesson “You can’t replace volume with anything”, is nothing less than the 3.6-liter Pentastar six-cylinder fork.
When one says “electric car with a range extender” in Europe, one imagines the two-cylinder in the BMW i3 or the single-rotor wankel under the hood of the Mazda MX-30 R-EV under the range extender. The Ram 1500 Ramcharger, introduced shortly after the updated 1500 “frame”, also has a range extender – in the form of a 3.6L Pentastar six-cylinder.
The technical basis of the car is the STLA Frame platform, i.e. the chassis frame, which includes a 95kWh battery. Here it is possible to charge from the network with a power of up to 145 kW, which ideally adds 80 km of range within ten minutes. The second charging option is a 130kW generator, connected to the aforementioned six-cylinder engine, which has a 102l fuel tank.
The generator can charge the battery when it is discharged, or it is possible to turn on the mode of maintaining the current state of the battery. When maximum power is required, the motors receive energy from both the battery and the generator. And if the driver tames the acceleration, the total range on a full battery and a full tank should be up to 1,110 km.
The V6, which has no direct connection to the vehicle’s wheels, shares the space under the front hood not only with the generator, but also with the front electric motor, which offers 250 kW (340 hp) of power. Together with the rear electric motor of 238 kW (324 hp), the car gives a total of 488 kW (664 hp) of power and 834 Nm of torque. That’s enough to accelerate to 60 mph (97 km/h) in 4.4 seconds.
And why did the automaker choose such a bulky engine as a range extender, when it could have reached for, for example, a two-liter from the GME family, working in the Jeep Wrangler or Alfa Romeo? According to Trevor Dorchies, Ram’s spokesman, tenacity is behind it, among other things.
“The V6 is a natural choice as it offers the capability and tenacity needed for towing. If you are towing a heavy trailer or going full throttle, both the battery and the generator are used at the same time,” Dorchies explained to InsideEVs. He added that the Pentastar was the best choice also in terms of smoothness of operation.
The press release does not reveal the weight of the car, but let’s count on roughly three tons without a load. The car can carry up to 1,191 kg; pulls a trailer weighing up to 6,350 kg. Air suspension of the front and rear wheels is standard.
The front wheels have freewheels that can completely disconnect the electric motor from the wheels to reduce consumption while driving calmly at a constant speed. On the contrary, with the rear electric motor, it is possible to have a differential with an electronically controlled lock, which will help the car when driving off asphalt.
On the outside, in addition to the design, which is a combination of the modernized Ramu 1500 and the purely electric Ramu 1500 REV, the logo on the bow is worth noting. This will show the charge status of the battery with its light pulsation. The rear lights are also different from the modernized conventional “1500”.
The automaker revealed the ramcharger as a 2025 model year, which means we can’t expect it to hit the market until the second half of next year. By then, the prices and perhaps the weight of the car will be known. We do not consider it very likely that it will reach Europe other than through individual imports.
2023-11-11 16:47:00
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