Can the 2025 Ram 1500 Ramcharger Vanquish EV Towing Range Anxiety?
Has Ram stumbled across the right way to bring electric driving to the pickup truck market? The new 2025 Ram 1500 Ramcharger rides on the same platform as the new electric Ram 1500 REV, but the Ramcharger has an advantage. This new Ram truck doesn’t suffer from range anxiety or towing challenges.
Towing is the unsolved EV pickup truck problem
Sometimes, it feels like the challenges facing electric trucks should be on an episode of “Unsolved Mysteries.” Electric trucks immediately show reduced driving range when a trailer is hooked up to the rear. This reduced driving range becomes problematic when owners want to pull a heavy load over long distances. Some truck owners need to pull a trailer all day long, which makes using fully electric trucks problematic.
How does the 2025 Ram 1500 Ramcharger provide an EV solution?
The new Ramcharger is a hybrid truck, but it’s different from the Ford F-150 PowerBoost, which is also a hybrid truck. Ram gives the new Ramcharger a gas-powered generator, which isn’t connected to the wheels. Instead, the 3.6-liter V6 gas engine sends power to the electric motors, ensuring all driving is done using electricity/
The pair of electric motors combine for 663 horsepower and 615 lb-ft of torque. More important than the power is the 690 miles of driving range from the combination of full electric batteries and a V6 gas engine. When full, the batteries provide 145 miles of driving range, making the new Ramcharger the longest-range PHEV in the market.
The gas-powered generator ensures this new Ram truck continues to drive long after other electric trucks have run out of juice while towing. In most electric trucks, the lack of driving range while towing and lengthy recharging time make towing impractical. The new 2025 Ram 1500 Ramcharger provides a practical solution. Drivers can quickly refill the gas tank and continue driving with only short interruptions.
Doesn’t towing reduce the driving range in all trucks?
Yes, when a truck or SUV must pull added weight and handle reduced aerodynamics from a trailer, the fuel efficiency declines significantly, regardless of what’s powering the truck. The biggest problem facing EV pickups is the time it takes to recharge batteries. This makes the new Ramcharger a smart solution.
How much does the 2024 Ram 1500 Ramcharger tow and carry?
This new Ram PHEV truck can tow up to 14,000 pounds and carry as much as 2,625 pounds of payload in the bed. These figures make this new Ram one of the most capable trucks in the half-ton class.
The battery pack recharges using a 400-volt electrical connection, adding 50 miles of range in 10 minutes at a DC fast charging station. The Ramcharger can be used as a mobile charging station, providing bi-directional charging up to 7.2-kW.
Should more automakers apply this truck’s solution?
Despite the new 2025 Ram 1500 Ramcharger being a PHEV and not a fully-electric truck, the setup for this truck could provide the desired solution until automakers overcome the charging time problem. Will we see a Chevy Silverado or Ford F-150 PHEV in the next few model years? Only time will tell.
Sources: MotorTrend, Car and Driver
