Featured Finally a pickup truck I might buy

You might want to do a little more research.......

 

It's a Dodge...so...I wish you luck. You're going to need it.

 

It's an EREV; BEV + series hybrid. no transmission to worry about.

 

IDK; the information presented was sketchy at best. Around the 2 minute mark; he claimed that the motor just drives a generator - no connection to the drive train, like your i3-Rex. Why cram a V6 into it to simply drive a generator. I would think all you need would be a small three or four cylinder for that task to save yourself a lot of fuel. Going by what was stated, it's only going to get ~28.5mpg on gas. Range stated, minus charged battery pack. This is under ideal conditions - no load. The new i6 hurricane is spec'ed at about 24 mpg and around $40K. What's that extra 4-5 mpg going to cost ya???? @fotomoto pointed out, they don't have a very good track record on PHEV or EV.

Just my 2-cents...

FWIW; I believe the i6 hurricane engine is manufactured in Mexico, so it's going to get hit with tariffs.

 

Forget the 14,000 lb towing capacity ... it has >2600 lb payload capacity. That's Best in Class of any 1500 series pickup by 100s of lbs.
As for why the large v6? Yeah you need lots of generating capacity to drive a vehicle with those kinds of loads once the 140 mile traction pack is depleted.
As for reliability? Yeah we hate taking our plug-in Chrysler minivan (same V6 power plant) to the Dodge dealer, but we hated taking in our Chevy Volt, Prius, Range Rover AND the ¾ ton 2500 chevy 10 speed Duramax 6.6L pickup, that the Ramcharger will supplant in a few months.
Our minivan has gotten mpge as high as 83 driving around town exclusively - month after month in the summer. Sub-0°f temps kick on the ice to warm the pack (& peeps) - so then, slushy freezing rainy snowy weather will drop it into the 30s & 40s. The Ramcharger is expected to be in the '60s EV .... so folks who use a pickup less than 20% of the time to do major loads? Who cares if it's under 30 mpg if you stupidly leave the vehicle uncharged on rare occasions.
My friend - you got your $100 deposit in yet Bob? Get in line!

 

A diesel locomotive can save fuel by using a smaller engine too. It just won't be pulling any cars.

Ram 1500 Ramcharger - Wikipedia
It is just the Ram EV coming out with a smaller battery and generator. The 4xe is a parallel hybrid; a motor replacing the torque converter on an 8 speed automatic.That's more mechanical and software complication for a defect to crop up. several threads about the 12V issues for the Prius here.

The i3 REx engine wasn't large enough to provide full power on its own. When the battery was down to 5% charge, the car would be under powered at highway speeds and climbing big hills. Ram wants to avoid this. Then there is no free lunch. They and their customers want a truck that can do all the ICE model does or more in terms of hauling. Downsizing the engine for a bigger efficiency gain means losing hauling ability. We see the same in the Tacoma and Tundra hybrids where the engine size doesn't change from the ICE trim.

 

Sign me up for the 2030 model.....maybe.

FWIW I think that Dodge is heading in the right direction with this thing.
Near adult-size EV range.
Decent tow/haul capacity for most suburbanites and a few hobby farmers.
Does everything pickup truck should do (keep bulky/nasty cargo out of the people compartment.)
Has an ICE instead of a generator cosplaying an ICE.

IF they keep the price sub-stratospheric, and they can avoid some of the nastier QA issues - this thing shows promise!!!!

PLUS.....it's a Dodge.
Say what you will about them, they UNDERSTAND that personal vehicles do not have to be stodgy Johnny-cab appliances.

 

The Chevy Volt also started on engineering drawing boards as an all electric power-train too, but turned into a parallel hybrid just before manufacturing began.
Point is; we need to wait and see what the actual, final specs will be. Something like the BYD pickup truck or a PHEV parallel hybrid. There was no views under the chassis, which would've given us an idea.
First Drive Video: Are Chinese Pickup Trucks Any Good? I Drive the New 2025 BYD Shark - The Fast Lane Truck

 

I believe the Volt being a series hybrid may have been spin from the marketing department, and it was always a power-split system that tried to avoid direct drive of the wheels by the engine(like the current Honda system), but lets assume it was a series hybrid at first. The Volt concept was unveiled in 2007. The production prototype was shown in 2009, with first sales for a 2011MY. We have several years between concept and production to make such changes to the drive train.

On the overhand, the Ram EV and Ramcharger were originally suppose to go on sale last year, with the BEV coming out first. Interest in the Ramcharger had Ram swap the release order. The release date was also pushed to first half this year. Then again to the last half for the Ramcharger, and 2026 for BEV. This means Ram has months to make a switch GM made in 2 years. We might see minor changes from specs, but the drive trains are set at this point.

https://insideevs.com/news/741624/ram-1500-rev-ramcharger-delay/
https://www.autoevolution.com/news/ram-pushes-back-1500-ramcharger-production-yet-again-247541.html

 

RE Chevy Volt Gen II;
( after 75k miles we just sold ours)
It kind of sort of has elements of both, turning on state of charge and speed.

2016 Chevrolet Volt Powertrain: How It Works In Electric, Hybrid Modes
As for Chryslers plug-in system, why in the world would they reinvent the wheel?. They've already done all the R&D for the system and thus, although no one has sworn an oath to it, it just makes sense they would use what they've got. The plug-in minivan is parallel.
.

 

(double post bug)