“Unlimited battery-electric range.” It’s one heck of a claim, and it’s easy to see how absurd the claim is. But don’t let RAM’s marketing puffery distract you, because the 2025 RAM 1500 Ramcharger might be exactly what the truck market needs. And it might be the truck that proves you don’t actually need a gas engine anymore.
The 2025 RAM 1500 Ramcharger is a little bit like a train in that the engine never drives the wheels, but instead powers the battery and motors. It’s also a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) with a battery that’s more than double the size of any other PHEV on the market.
RAM has crammed a 92kWh battery between the widened frame rails of its STLA Frame electric pickup platform. The big pack leaves it just 6 kWh shy of the standard-range Ford F-150 Lightning pickup.
2025 Ramcharger Gets Gasoline Generator
Instead of settling for an EV range of somewhere close to the F-150’s 230 miles, RAM went for more by way of its 3.6L V6.
The 3.6L V6 is not connected to the wheels, and it will be the first mass-market vehicle — aside from the low BMW i3 with range extender — that can make the claim. The V6 is linked to a 130kW generator instead, which sends energy to the big battery pack. When you floor the accelerator, the generator can send its electric power directly to the motors, combining with the battery’s output for maximum power when you need it.
This is a special version of the 3.6L Pentastar V6 found in other RAM trucks and Stellantis vehicles. For this application, the engine has been adapted to be better suited to driving a generator instead of a transmission.
663 Electric Horses
The Ramcharger will have a total of 663 horsepower and 615 pound-feet of torque. That’s more of each than any RAM 1500 model, other than the high-power and fuel-sucking supercharged TRX off-roader.
RAM estimates the Ramcharger will hit 60 mph in just 4.4 seconds. With 14,000 pounds of towing capacity and 2,265 pounds of payload, it will also be the most capable light-duty RAM truck. It has more towing capacity than any other half-ton on the market — gas included — and comes within a couple of hundred pounds of being the highest payload.
Level 3 Fast Charging, but Unlimited Range?
You can plug the Ramcharger into a Level 3 fast charger and get 50 miles of range in 10 minutes. But RAM isn’t giving a range estimate for the truck while brand CEO Tim Kuniskis says it has unlimited range and “zero need for a public charger.”
Clearly, the truck doesn’t have unlimited range. With a full battery and every drop of gas in the tank, RAM thinks it will go just shy of 700 miles.
And, 690 miles is a really great number. This pickup promises to do something that no other current pickup can do: drive for several hundred miles at a time without using gasoline, and then give you all the range and power you could ever need when battery storage isn’t enough. And, it has the ability to recharge the battery — so to speak — by topping up at any gas station in the country.
It’s a great solution for long-distance electric towing and hauling, as well as road trips.
7.2 kW of Campsite Power
The Ramcharger also promises to be a campsite hero. Taking a page from the Lightning, it can use its inverter and big battery pack to give you loads of power. With 7.2 kW of AC power available from a panel in the bed, the Ramcharger can power fridges, stoves, and TVs, and they should even run an air conditioner.
Ramcharger has enough juice to power a worksite or most of your home. Bidirectional charging makes it easier to power your home for days at a time, and the Ramcharger will be able to recharge another EV using its own power sources. With the gas generator, it can do this for much longer than a Lightning.
Is the 2025 RAM 1500 Ramcharger the Truck Route to EV?
How could it help convince buyers they don’t need a gas engine anymore? Because of that big battery. Range anxiety is real, and a truck like this that can offer the range of a full EV without the worry of having to find a charger might just show drivers how far they really travel in a week.
If a Ramcharger owner goes a few months without getting gas, they might decide their next ride doesn’t need the gas generator. For them, RAM will have a full EV pickup. Of course, they might learn that they need the gas engine more often, but using electric power most of the time is still an emissions and performance improvement.
So, don’t expect unlimited electric range when the 2025 RAM 1500 Ramcharger goes on sale next year. But, you can expect a pickup truck with capability and flexibility like nothing else on the road.
