Ram’s global CEO, Tim Kuniski, is so excited about the brand’s upcoming range-extender pick-up it is rushing to release it ahead of its fully-electric sibling.
After it was announced in 2023, the Ramcharger 1500 will launch in the US in the second half of the year, with order books poised to open before the middle of 2025.
The launch of the battery electric version will be pushed back to 2026 – the Ramcharger’s initial launch date.
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“I think this is really going to be a secret weapon in the industry,” an enthusiastic Kuniskis said, according to Motor1.
“It's why we wanted to share it with you as soon as possible. It's not a PowerPoint slide. This thing is real, and it's coming fast."
The Ramcharger 1500 uses a Pentastar 3.6-litre V6 petrol engine generator to charge its 91.8kWh battery pack that in turn powers two electric motors that are solely for propulsion.
In addition to a 102-litre petrol tank, the brand claims it will deliver a staggering 1100km of driving range once all battery and fuel capacity is exhausted.
Power and torque are quoted at 482kW/827Nm, and despite it nearly weighing an almighty 3500kg, Ram claims it will still sprint from 0-60m/ph (0-98km/h) in just 4.5 seconds.
To accommodate the much larger powertrain, Ram said it has widened its STLA Frame undercarriage by eight inches compared to a regular 1500.
Three drive modes will be available: Electric+, E-Save and Eco. Electric+ will only use petrol power once the battery is fully depleted, which takes about 226km. Once that happens, the petrol engine will kick in to power the generator that powers the front and rear axle electric motors.
The petrol motor generator can add some power to the battery if it dips below 50 per cent charge but cannot fully charge it.
In E-Save mode, the engine will turn on and maintain the battery at its current state of charge while driving. It is designed for when electric-only operation is required later, such as entering an urban zero-emissions zone.
Eco, meanwhile, takes the most energy conservative approach by reducing available horsepower and dialling down the amount of power spent on air conditioning.
At no point will the petrol engine power the wheels – it only powers a built-in generator that powers the wheels. If at any point, however, you require the full range of power and torque, the engine and its petrol generator will be active.
Pricing hasn’t been confirmed yet, although Ram said it is aiming for parity with the new petrol 1500 in the US, which will be powered by the new V6 Hurricane engine.
The new petrol 1500 hasn’t launched in Australia yet, so it is difficult to make an accurate estimation on pricing, although the previous V8 Hemi 1500 started at around the $120,000 mark.
Ateco, Ram’s Australian distributor, has previously said it is exploring the Ramcharger for Australia. CarsGuide has contacted it for a further update. An update to the story will follow with a response.
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