Ram Ramcharger PHEV doesn’t need a charge to haul 14,000 lb up 6% grade

• The 2026 Ram Ramcharger plug-in hybrid will now arrive in the second half of 2025
• The Ramcharger will have a total driving range of 690 miles
• Ram’s CEO mentioned a theoretical price of $69,995

No one said it’ll be quick, or efficient, but Ram’s upcoming Ramcharger plug-in hybrid can do the tough truck deeds, according to the automaker.

On Monday, Ram CEO Tim Kuniskis and an engineering team provided powertrain, scenario, and spec details surrounding the 2026 Ram Ramcharger plug-in hybrid pickup truck. 

Timing was part of the update. The Ramcharger is now set to arrive in the second half of 2025, while the fully electric Ram REV will arrive the following year—or, as Kuniskis framed it: “whenever, think late 2026.” The REV was originally due to be the first of the two and was set to launch late in 2024.

Here’s what Ram has revealed about the 2026 Ram Ramcharger’s powertrain, latest specs, and how it will work in various scenarios. 

For buyers looking to tow, it passes the Davis Dam SAE J2807 test with 14,000 pounds and a dead battery. Though, it might hobble to get there.

Ramcharger is a plug-in hybrid pickup truck

But it’s not the plug-in hybrid you’re thinking of. The Toyota Tundra or Ford F-150 Hybrid are primarily parallel hybrids without a plug. In contrast,Ramcharger has a plug, and it’s a series hybrid, which means there’s no direct connection between the gas engine, which acts as a generator, and the drive wheels or electric motors. The 271-hp, 3.6-liter V-6 does not run the expected-for-a-hybrid Atkinson cycle, as the Ram team said it’s not necessary for efficiency and adds both cost and complexity. 

The V-6 powers a generator that can extract the engine’s peak output, as 202 kw, or a continuous 130 kw, providing energy to the battery, which then powers the two electric motors (one per axle). The gas engine runs on 87 octane and feeds off a 27-gallon fuel tank.

When the gas engine is running Ram expects it to only average about 20 mpg. That’s notably worse than the combined rating, and significantly worse than the highway rating, of almost the entire Ram 1500 lineup. It’s also worse than the city, highway, and combined EPA fuel economy ratings for the Ford F-150 Hybrid, which are 22/24/23 mpg.

That battery contains 92 kwh of NMC lithium-ion cell capacity, but Ram’s only having 70 kwh be usable. Ram said it will take about 8 hours to fully charge the battery on a 240-volt connector, taking advantage of the 11-kw onboard charger, or 45 minutes from 20-80% on a 350-kw CCS connector. On a 120-volt AC (Level 1) charging Ram says to expect about 45 hours for a full charge.

The front axle has a 250-kw motor with a coaxial 15:1 gearset and inverter all packaged together while the rear axle has a 244-kw motor with an offset 15:1 gearset and inverter in one housing. The front motor will disconnect and sail at speeds above 12 to 18 mph, effectively switching to rear-wheel-drive mode.  When higher speeds are reached, or higher throttle pressure is engaged via accelerator tip-in, the front motor will instantly reconnect and engage for what Ram is calling four-wheel drive. There is no 2-speed transfer case to actually create four-wheel drive, and the system uses the brakes and stability control system to control wheelspin up front. The rear will have an electronic locking differential like the Hummer EV, Ford F-150 Lightning, and Tesla Cybertruck.

Total system output is rated at 647 hp and 610 pound-feet of torque. Ram said the Ramcharger will go from 0-60 mph in 4.5 seconds and has an electronically limited top speed of 114 mph. Tow capacity checks in at 14,000 pounds and payload is estimated at 2,625 pounds.

How much range does the Ramcharger have?

All-electric range will check in at about 145 miles. That increases to a total of 690 miles with a full tank of gasoline. 

Ram said it will only allow the state-of-charge to drop to 16.75% before the range extender kicks on, and the truck will be charge-limited to 97%. But those numbers will vary by mode.

What are the Ramcharger drive modes?

Ramchargers will have three powertrain modes: Electric+, E-Save, and Eco.

Electric+ will put the Ramcharger in electric-only mode. If the accelerator is pushed to the floor the gas range extender will not fire as long as the battery has enough juice to power the truck in the given conditions and mode. When the charge reaches a low point in Electric+ the truck will act like a hybrid.

E-Save turns on the gas generator and preserves or sustains the current level of charge. Ram engineers said the E-Save mode will naturally run the generator a bit harder and a bit longer to generate a state-of-charge of up to 50%. But the gas generator can not and will not be used to fully charge the Ramcharger under any circumstance, according to the engineers.

Eco mode is said to “encourage responsible driving and optimize the climate control system to optimize energy use,” according to the engineering team. The engineers didn’t elaborate on Eco mode.

Beyond the powertrain itself the truck has drive modes including: Sport, Off-Road, Snow, and Tow. It’s unclear if there are more modes.

Sport mode kicks on the generator immediately to heat up the powertrain and ensure all power will be available at all times even if the generator isn’t needed immediately. This is to ensure that if battery charge runs low, or the driver changes to E-Save, the generator is warm, according to engineers.

Off-Road mode acts like a Low mode if the Ramcharger were a gas-powered truck with a 2-speed transfer case. Engineers said users would use this mode if they were off-road, on rocks, or slippery surfaces such as a boat launch. It will provide the experience of a 2-speed transfer case while creeping off the brake pedal and smoothing throttle tip-in for more precise power delivery.

Snow mode will smooth out power delivery and desensitize the accelerator pedal to make it feel like the truck is engaging a second-gear start situation for less wheel slip.

The Ramcharger is rated to tow 14,000 pounds, even with a “dead battery”

Tow mode will never let the state of charge go below 37-39%, though the team said it’s still fine tuning the system and final number, before engaging the gas generator. But not always.

Engineers said that with a full 14,000 pounds attached the truck will be capable of climbing the Davis Dam tow test, which is required to be SAE J2807 rated, even with a “dead battery”—referring back to that 37-39% threshold. 

When Green Car Reports asked what would happen if an owner were to drive in one of the other modes electrically, running the battery down below 17%, then hitch up for Davis Dam, engineers said the truck will still reach at least 45 mph during the test with the 14,000 pounds, which is the minimum requirement.

Ram engineers said that if the battery was at the 37-39% minimum while towing, it would still accumulate charge and later be able to sustain higher speeds. Ram engineers claim that there’s no situation where the generator won’t keep up with the power needs to the point of the truck not performing, though further details weren’t discussed.

With a full battery and 14,000 pounds connected the Ramcharger will have an electric-only range of about 39 miles of relatively level towing before battery is depleted and the generator kicks on, according to the automaker. With the 27 gallons of gas for the range extender the Ramcharger can tow 14,000 pounds for a total of 266 miles before running out of juice and gas.

What will the gas engine sound like in the Ramcharger?

Ram engineers said the team went with a naturally-aspirated V-6 instead of a turbo-4 because it’s simpler, met the efficiency, NVH, and packaging (along with cost) requirements, and was a better solution. It’s also going to be an easy transition for customers, according to the team.

Even with the battery “depleted,” which it won’t be because Ram won’t let it go below 16% state-of-charge, the engine won’t be on all the time, according to the engineers.

“The engine won’t be operating at one annoying point at all times,” the engineering team said. The engine will rev up and down in accordance with the accelerator pedal and where it’s being pushed in the pedal’s travel. It’ll feel, sound, act like a normal V-6-powered engine to the customer for the experience and power delivery. And when a customer pushes the start button on the dashboard, even with a “depleted battery,” the truck will start silently. 

How much does the Ramcharger cost?

Ram isn’t ready to talk about Ramcharger prices. Kuniskis noted that a theoretical price of $69,995 would be slightly higher than the average transaction price of a gas-powered truck. But it’s significantly lower than the average transaction price of an electric truck.

As for how many trim levels and ways to order the Ramcharger there might be—the team is still participating in “lots of debate” about the topic, according to Kuniskis.