Go-Go-Gadget Range: Ram may add ‘range-extender’ to EV pickup

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Lost in the hype of last week’s Ram 1500 Revolution all-electric truck reveal was the admission by top brass that the pickup is likely to be offered with an internal-combustion range-extender as an optional powertrain at some point in its life-cycle.

Referring to a “Range Extended Paradigm Breaker” (marketers were working overtime on that one) Mike Koval Jr., CEO of Ram, told some outlets south of the border that the range-extender would provide an answer to naysayers who complain all-electric trucks are not optimal for towing duties, or getting about in cold weather. “Let’s call out the elephant in the room, and that’s real-world range, especially under towing,” he said in a conversation with Green Car Reports.

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“So when we talk about the Range Extended Paradigm Breaker (REPB) …it will carry all of those characteristics that are outlined but will also provide class-leading real-world range.” He went on to say this range-extender could be part of a portfolio of solutions, one which permits the company to stand apart from competitive trucks at Ford and General Motors.

What’s interesting is absolutely none of these details come from the official press materials about Ram’s new all-electric pickup, information which currently covers the Ram media page like flocked wallpaper on a wall. This leads us to speculate the range-extender may not be ready for prime time at the precise moment when the all-electric Ram 1500 Revolution is shown in production form later this year.

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The spectre of hydrogen fuel-cells being deployed for Ram’s heavy-duty trucks and vans was raised as well, though those discussions are surely in prelim, with prototypes in the embryonic stages. But a range-extended EV pickup could be the ticket to more widespread acceptance of electric pickup trucks, especially amongst customers who prize towing prowess and long-distance travel.

Remember, a true range-extended EV is not a plug-in hybrid. In the latter, such as Stellantis’ own 4xe range of products, it is possible for the gasoline-powered engine to directly drive the wheels under certain circumstances. A range-extender, by the strictest sense of its definition, functions essentially as a series hybrid once its electric stores are depleted, relying on the gas engine to generate enough charge for the electric propulsion system, with the battery acting as a buffer between the two. Depending on the size of that gasser, performance could be drastically reduced (see: BMW i3 REx). Don’t expect Ram to make that error.

Also, consider that official SAE J2807 testing procedures, designed to level the playing field in trailer tow ratings, will likely require a range-extender truck to pass its battery of tests when the pickup is both full and bereft of electrons. Ram engineers are surely aware of this, and wouldn’t be talking about a range-extended Ram 1500 Revolution if they couldn’t handle (or negotiate) those demands.

In any event, it’s a great time to be a truck fan. We’ll be watching with interest.