Ram made an electric truck with a generator for people who aren't ready to give up gas convenience
- The 2025 Ram 1500 Ramcharger is a new electric truck... kind of.
- It uses an electric battery and motors — plus a gas-fueled generator.
Ram's newest pickup truck could turn EV skeptics into true believers.
Electric trucks are a great invention for a lot of reasons. They're quick, powerful, and have large batteries that can provide off-grid electricity for truck stuff like tailgating and construction.
But not everyone is ready for a Ford F-150 Lightning, Rivian R1T, or Tesla Cybertruck (if it ever arrives). Public charging plugs are still a hassle to find and use. Moreover, an EV's limited range suffers greatly if you hitch up a hefty boat or trailer.
Ram's answer to those anxieties is the 2025 Ram 1500 Ramcharger, an electric truck with a range-extending gasoline generator. The plug-in-hybrid setup gets you 690 miles of total range, Ram says, trouncing some all-electric rivals by a factor of two.
Here's how it works: The Ramcharger is equipped with two electric motors fed by a 92 kilowatt-hour battery. That's roughly what you'd find in a Tesla Model S and much larger than the small batteries in plug-in hybrids like the Toyota RAV4 Prime. Electric-only range is estimated at 145 miles, which again is less than a pure EV but handily beats other plug-in hybrids.
After you drain the battery, the gas engine kicks in to produce electricity and keep the motors turning. Unlike most plug-in hybrids, the Ramcharger's engine doesn't drive its wheels. (This is how the Chevrolet Volt worked too.)
The result is a vehicle that's a happy middle ground between gas-powered trucks and electric ones. The Ramcharger meets a moment when interest in EVs is higher than ever, but people still have legitimate hangups about their cost and practicality.
Other plug-in hybrids have a similar appeal — and they're getting more popular — but the Ramcharger's big battery and dual motors mean it offers better range and more EV benefits.
An owner could charge their Ramcharger at home using cheap electricity and have plenty of range to go about their day. They wouldn't have to worry about range or long charging stops during road trips or towing adventures.
Thanks to its 663 horsepower and 615 pound-feet of torque, the Ramcharger can zip to 60 mph in a brief 4.4 seconds, Ram says. It can tow up to 14,000 pounds and carry a payload of 2,625 pounds. Bidirectional-charging capability means it can charge a stranded EV or power an owner's house. Using a fast charger, the truck can add 50 miles of range in 10 minutes, Ram says.
Truck-making rivals Ford and General Motors have already beat Ram to the punch when it comes to EVs. Both the Ramcharger and the Ram 1500 REV, an upcoming all-electric truck coming in 2024, are taking preorders now.