Ram copies Toyota’s BS with ridiculous PR campaign for new Ramcharger 1500

Published

6 months ago

November 7, 2023

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It looks like Ram has taken a page from Toyota’s playbook on how to spin a hybrid into a “class-shattering battery electric vehicle” that gets “unlimited range”: just make stuff up. Ram, owned by Stellantis, insists too that we not call its new Ramcharger 1500 pickup a hybrid, when it in fact houses a 27-gallon gas tank between the battery and the rear axle. So yeah, it’s clearly a hybrid.

Since making its commitment to go all-electric by 2035, Stellantis has been slowly trickling out new EV models, building loads of hype, and teasing that a range extender electric pickup – the first of its kind for trucks – has been in the works. Last April, the company unveiled the Ram 1500 Rev with a reported range of up to 500 miles due to a frighteningly monstrous 229kWh battery.

Now Ram has released details about its Ram 1500 Ramcharger, which revives the old Dodge Ramcharger name but apparently turns it into the “ultimate” electric machine. The press release says it has “unlimited battery-electric range,” but then pares that down to a range of 690 miles. What? All of this deception just obfuscates what this thing actually is.

The Ramchanger is a plug-in series hybrid, an EV with an onboard range-extending generator. It’s a decent idea, with the REX configuration made popularized by BMW’s i3. But Ram has taken what was pretty modest by BMW’s comparison (small generator/small gas tank) and amped it up into something too big and too annoying.

The vehicle takes the battery-electric powertrain used for the Ram 1500 Rev and adds a Pentastar V6 as a 130 kW onboard generator (it can produce up to 190 kW when pushed). The Ramcharger has a 92 kilowatt-hour battery pack that can deliver 145 miles of range – and when paired with the V6 combination can potentially deliver that 690 miles of range.

Front and electric drive units puts out 663 hp and 615 pounds of torque, for a 0-60 mph in 4.4 seconds. As the vehicle reaches 20% state of charge, the V6 generator kicks on to either maintain or charge up the battery.

Ram executives at the launch event were sure too to emphasize that since there is no direct mechanical path from the engine to wheels, it’s a battery-electric truck, not a hybrid. “There’s no connection between this generator assembly and the wheels, like one might find in even a plug in hybrid — all of the propulsion is electrical,” said Ram Trucks chief engineer Doug Killian, according to Newsweek. “And that’s really important to that story of this being an electric vehicle.”

Story aside, we are talking about trucks here, so this thing is designed to haul an insane amount of heavy stuff. Like the Rev, the Ramcharger will be able to tow 14,000 lb. with a class 5 hitch and will have a payload capacity of 2,625 lb.

The Ramcharger 1500 will go on sale sometime at the end of next year. No word yet on pricing, but it’ll likely be cheaper than the Rev since it has a considerably smaller battery pack.

Electrek’s Take

For those very few among us who actually need a massive truck to haul a lot of heavy stuff for a very long distance, the Ramcharger has you covered. It has way more capacity and range than pretty much any plug-in hybrid out there. And thanks to the freshly launched publicity blitz, it’s getting loads of hype from the media today – and there is a market out there who will find it sensible, an “entryway” into EVs “to bridge the gap” that everyone thinks is needed to get truck drivers to buy electric and stop stressing over range anxiety.

But that’s not the point. Big, heavy EVs, including this Ram hybrid, aren’t part of the inspired electric future that we are need. For one, smaller EVs can easily do the jobs most people use these big trucks for, like picking up kids or running errands. And the deceptive Toyota-esque PR tactics, which we covered at Electrek here and here) at this stage in the game, Stellantis/Ram have no excuses.

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Environment

In April, Tesla prices were higher month-over-month but lower year-over-year

Published

9 hours ago

May 15, 2024

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In April, Tesla prices were higher month-over-month but lower year-over-year

Tesla posted larger-than-average ATP (average transaction price) increases month-over-month in April, but its prices were lower year-over-year, reports Kelley Blue Book.

April saw Tesla post a month-over-month ATP increase of 5.7% compared to March, but the EV giant’s prices were lower year-over-year by 3.3%, according to EV transaction price data from Kelley Blue Book’s newly released April Average Transaction Price report.

Tesla prices have been a key driver of volatile price dynamics in both the luxury and EV markets because it’s the highest-volume seller in both segments. Tesla prices plummeted from $62,269 in January 2023 to $50,099 in December 2023, a decline of 19.5%.

EV transaction prices in April were essentially flat compared to March – up roughly 0.1% – at $55,252, an increase of only $75 from the prior month. Year-over-year, the average transaction price for an EV was down 8.5%, thanks in part to price pressure on EVs driven by slowing sales, healthy inventory, and more competition.

EV incentive packages remain well above the industry average, in many cases more than 15-20% of the average transaction price.

Some popular EVs posted significant year-over-year price reductions in April – Ford F-150 Lightning’s transaction prices were down 23%, Ford Mustang Mach-e’s were down 15%, Tesla Model Ys were down 12%, and Hyundai Ioniq 6s were down 10%.

However, most EVs presently transact for prices lower than a year ago by approximately 4-5%.

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Environment

BYD launches new Shark PHEV as its first pickup to rival Toyota’s Hilux, Ford Ranger

Published

9 hours ago

May 15, 2024

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BYD launches new Shark PHEV as its first pickup to rival Toyota's Hilux, Ford Ranger

A new electrified pickup is hitting the global market. China’s BYD introduced its new Shark plug-in hybrid (PHEV) pickup in Mexico this week. The new BYD Shark is poised to compete against top-selling trucks globally, like the Toyota Hilux and Ford Ranger.

BYD confirmed its first electrified pickup will be called the Shark last month after years of speculation.

The pickup was spotted for the first time by CarNewsChina at BYD’s facility in November 2022, and the anticipation has been building ever since. We’ve seen leaked patents giving away the design, prototype testing, and more, but the Shark is finally officially here.

BYD introduced the Shark PHEV pickup in Mexico at an overnight launch event. The hybrid pickup will be available in two variants: the GL and GS.

The base GL starts at 899,980 pesos ($53,400), while the GS costs 969,800 pesos ($58,100). Based on BYD’s DMO platform, the Shark features 170 kW (228 hp) front and 150 kW (201 hp) rear motors.

With 429 combined hp, the hybrid truck can sprint from 0 to 62 mph (0 to 100 km/h) in 5.7 seconds. Powered by a 29.58 kWh BYD Blade battery, the Shark has all-electric NEDC range of 100 km (62 mi). Combined NEDC range is 840 km (522 mi).

Meet BYD’s first pickup, the Shark plug-in hybrid

According to BYD, the Shark has low charge fuel consumption of 7.5 L per 100 km, which is 40% lower than that of full gas-powered engine pickups.

At 5,457 mm long, 1,971 mm wide, and 1,925 mm tall, the BYD Shark will directly rival top-selling trucks like the Toyota Hilux (5,325 mm long X 1,855 mm wide X 1,815 mm tall) and Ford Ranger (5,370 mm long X 1,918 mm wide X 1,884 mm tall).

BYD’s new pickup has up to 5,512 lbs (2,500 kg) towing capacity and 1,841 lbs (835 kg) max payload.

Inside, you can see other BYD design features, such as a rotatable 12.8″ center screen and 10.25″ instrument panel.

BYD America CEO Stella Li confirmed the company has no plans to sell the Shark, or any passenger EV (BYD already sells electric buses in the US), in the US. Meanwhile, BYD does plan to take the Shark globally.

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BYD Shark PHEV pickup (Source: BYD)

A right-hand drive prototype was spotted testing in Australia earlier this year, suggesting it could launch there soon. Other global markets will likely include Thailand, South Africa, and parts of Europe. Stay tuned for more info on the BYD Shark as it hits new markets.

Source: CnEVPost, BYD

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Environment

Oakland is now first in the US to have a 100% electric school bus fleet – and it’s V2G

Published

10 hours ago

May 15, 2024

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Oakland is now first in the US to have a 100% electric school bus fleet – and it's V2G

Oakland electric school bus — Photo: Zum

An Oakland, California, school district is the first in the US to transition to a 100% electric school bus system with vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology.

Modern student transportation platform Zum has provided Oakland Unified School District with a fleet of 74 electric school buses and bidirectional chargers. Utility Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) supplied 2.7 megawatts (MW) of load to Zum’s Oakland EV-ready facility. The fleet will be managed through Zum’s AI-enabled technology platform.

“Oakland becoming the first in the nation to have a 100% electric school bus fleet is a huge win for the Oakland community and the nation as a whole,” said Kim Raney, executive director of transportation at Oakland Unified School District. “The families of Oakland are disproportionately disadvantaged and affected by high rates of asthma and exposure to air pollution from diesel fuels.”

The 100% electric school bus fleet is not only emissions-free but also plays a critical dual role as a Virtual Power Plant (VPP), giving 2.1 gigawatt hours (GWh) of energy back to the power grid at scale annually. Here’s how it works:

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Student transportation is the largest mass transit system in the United States, moving 27 million students twice daily. Today, over 90% of the US’s 500,000 school buses run on carbon-based fuels, releasing over 8.4 million tons of greenhouse gases annually.

Zum, which already has a presence in 14 states, says its next step is to electrify the school bus fleets of San Francisco Unified and Los Angeles Unified school districts, which have fleets three and six times the size of Zum’s Oakland fleet, respectively.

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