Ram 1500 EV To Offer Optional Range-Extending Gas Engine
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GM’s crosstown rival, Stellantis, recently unveiled the Ram 1500 Revolution concept, an all-electric pickup design study that previews a new production model set to compete with the Chevy Silverado EV and GMC Sierra EV. Now, a recent report indicates that the forthcoming Ram 1500 EV will offer an optional range-extending gasoline engine.
According to a recent report from Car And Driver, Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares confirmed during a roundtable interview at the 2023 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) that the upcoming Ram 1500 EV will indeed offer a gasoline-fueled range-extending engine, as originally reported by EV Pulse. In the EV Pulse report, Ram CEO Mike Koval Jr. hinted that the new Ram 1500 EV would offer a range-extender engine.
The hybrid setup is expected to include a gasoline engine that will act as a generator and provide additional electricity to the pickup’s battery pack. While the battery will still be available to plug in, the range-extending ICE will provide added range should the battery be depleted. Additionally, this setup will continue to leverage electric power for the drive wheels, with the onboard ICE simply acting to generate electricity, rather than to send rotational energy to the drivetrain.
Also making its debut at the CES 2023, the Ram 1500 Revolution introduces a brand-new look for the popular pickup nameplate, with full LED lighting, a deleted B-pillar, and “grand saloon-style” doors. The interior of the pickup concept is all-new as well, offering a flexible and configurable layout that provides a removable center console, a workspace, and fold-flat surfaces, among other features. Third-row jump seats are located on a power-operated mid-gate, with a pass-through section that can accommodate objects up to 18 feet long, stretching all the way into the frunk.
Beyond aesthetics and design, the concept features two electric drive motors and all-wheel drive, as well as four-wheel steering. The battery also incorporates DC quick-charging capabilities for 100 miles of range in as little as 10 minutes. Under the body, the pickup rides on the STLA body-on-frame architecture.
The new Ram 1500 EV is set to hit production next year.
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Thank you Jonathan for bringing us this great article. I certainly don’t understand why some want to complain about the reporting on GMA. If they don’t like it, then maybe they should go write the articles or just pass up those articles and move on to another.
Anyhow, not only do I find this Ram EV concept attractive, but I truly feel it’s smart for a truck especially to have the range extender motor.
I agree with you completely. If I may add there is a request for journalists at the top of this article so, anyone with the “skills” can join and show everyone else what is lacking .
I agree Dan. Chevy had the Volt years ago and that technology made sense to me. The dream of 100% Electric is possible BUT a range extender is a great idea. The government wants different… but what the people WANT is what should matter. I sell Chevy’s now and been doing it for 27 years… I disagree with them often.
ChevyMAN: You may have read before where I wrote how absolutely stupid GM/Chevy was for dropping the Volt. Pure and simple, stupidity. Someone responded to me by saying that it would have been too costly for GM to keep the Volt-tech (to be used in many more applications) because it wouldn’t pass the government mandates. WHAT????
I’m not 100% onboard with pure EV for everyone. Not going to happen. But I’m also not against EV’s. I have a 2021 Malibu now that I absolutely love. But I ordered a Bolt (EV, not EUV) 2 months ago thinking it would take 6-10 months to get. Well the car arrived at the dealership today. It’s difficult for me to walk away from my Malibu, but the Bolt truly works better for me personally based on my driving and needs. Yet I totally see where many just can’t do an EV, and I don’t blame them for being upset about going all EV. This is where the Volt type (or this Ram) powertrains come into play. Who the heck wouldn’t want a full sized truck with towing and hauling capabilities that would almost never need gas again? But, if needed, could be driving across the country without the real need to stop and re-charge?
Bottom line? If Chevy offered the Malibu with the Volt powertrain, it would 100% be in my garage!
My wife had a Volt and she loved it. GM decided to quit making the car instead of trying to make it better.
Brilliant idea. This should send gm and Ford back to the drawing board.
Ford already sells hybrid F-150 trucks so Ram is just copying Ford.
The f150 hybrid is not the same as the Ram EV with a range extender. The ford has a small electric motor to help reduce gasoline consumption. The range extender helps improve range of the ev…which the lightning doesn’t have.
They also said the ram extender won’t provide power to the axles, just add charge to the batteries. Again very different.
I still prefer the Ford hybrid to the lightning because I live out in the country, but if the range extender was effective enough, I could be swayed.
I like this idea better, but once you add the needed batteries/weight I’m not sure you really gain much real efficiency, but it’s a great virtue signal for greenies!
The Ram Concept appears to be a modified knockoff of the Chevy Volt, although Ram’s powertrain design seems to be a much better choice. I love the design In theory, but, just like the Ram body design, we’ll see if any/all of these ideas come to fruition. I could be swayed away from GM, depending on how well it turns out. Hate Ram, but might learn to love it.
It’s important to remember that a ICE that doesn’t drive either axel/wheels is a very efficient ICE. Drag and rotational resistance are the two things that spoil ICE efficiency, so you’re talking maybe 50-60% more fuel efficiency here with the onboard ICE, minimum. Unless it’s been inaccurately reported that ICE efficiency loses 40% efficiency on average just on drag alone. The question is what kind of returns does the generator offer? Does it offer just 50 miles of added range? 100? 250? That’s the glaring unknown.
My understanding is that any current supplied by the onboard generator will go directly to the drive motors (like the diesel electric trains) any current produced not needed for the drive motors would be sent to the battery pack for charging.
So the only range limitation would be running out of the fuel that powers the generator.
Good idea but you can’t wait to start the generator until when you need it because it won’t be able to keep up.
I imagine the motor would automatically start before that point.
Just buy a gas truck.
Another system to maintain, no thanks.
So…the logical extension of RAM Engineering’s “Brain-Trust” thinking would be to tow a smaller vehicle behind this Truck.
You know, like the little cars you see attached to the back of big Motor Homes with a front bumper bar.
A used Dodge Dart or nicely preserved K-Car would be perfect…maybe even a Fiat 500.
(Respectfully / IMHO, it’s really amazing how the rational for this whole EV transition has gotten so delusional and deep in the weeds…)
Walter: What the heck are you talking about? Do you even understand the article and what they are saying? Because I don’t think you do.
It seems RAM is always making better decisions than GM.
Ask all those people without power out in California how those EV’s are doing during those storms? When they slip into the ocean because they have no way to escape disaster the rest of America will be laughing!!😂😂😂😂 Green woke dopes!!
Your comment makes as much sense as everyone being afraid to buy an EV because you hear of one catching on fire, see which is safer below. You can’t buy gas when the power goes out just the same as you can’t charge when power is out.
Electric vehicles: 25 fires per 100,000 sold
Gas-powered cars: 1,530 fires per 100,000 sold
Hybrid cars: 3,475 fires per 100,000 sold
Looks like the Hybrid fires may have more to do with the gas engine included!
Finally! Sanity is back.
Unless you can remove the extender pretty easily when not needed, how is this different than any other hybrid? Except maybe the size of the battery and probably extremely limited use of the ICE motor, it is still two ideologies for making forward motion, sharing the same goal in a hybrid design.
Honestly, an ICE powered RV Generator is essentially what is being offered here which if never used will certainly gum up with bad gas inside of 6 months and if it does not charge the batteries while in motion then it is really just a generator and not an extender really. you still have to stop at the same point to fill up the battery.
ICE engine to run a generator to power electric motors to the drivetrain. Batteries for start stop use only. Done. Kinda like a freight train, which has been around for decades….
Decades ago the CEO of Compaq did this with many vehicle brands and commercial buses. He used light efficient turbine engines without using batteries for energy storage. Buses in Los Angeles and Nashville were cities that used them. Cut down on rare earth mining and giving China more money. Win…Win.
In the time since Tesla’s been out I bet you there’s a whole lot more Teslas that have to been towed than a train. It works….!
All I know that several of my friends have dodge trucks and they have so many problems with them they are scared to use them.
I’m new to this forum, but I think it’s great that GM can talk about competitors products without bashing them, and also talk about their own shortcomings. In these times we live in there’s going to be a lot of strike outs before somebody knocks a home run.
Steve B: Welcome. I’ve been reading GMA for years now and (sadly or otherwise!!) leave comments.
But give it time. You will find some commenters bashing any products not GM. You will find the trolls on here bashing GM at all costs (mostly Toyota fans trying to hide their shortcomings). And then you will find some just pure crazy comments that are all over the place. So welcome and buckle up! haha.
Actually it’s GM Authority talking about another manufacturer NOT GM, just for clarification.
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Given their years of proven experience with the Volt, it will be easy for GM to do this, and do it well.
Make the generator removable since you will only need it for long trips anyways. No sense hauling all that weight around all the time. It could also function as a stand alone generator when removed.
I think the range extender idea will work because a set up similar to that has been an efficient part of American transportation for decades–diesel-electric trains. A gas-powered generator feeding batteries that power instant torque electric motors should mitigate the extra weight penalty and push this dog’s mpg ahead of the pickup truck pack. It’s pretty too. Hope they make it.