By Henry Payne | The Detroit News
In the electrified era, common acronyms include EV, HEV and PHEV. Get used to a new term: REEV.
Ram on Tuesday introduced its new Range Extender Electric Vehicle (REEV), the 2026 Ram 1500 Ramcharger. The Ramcharger is a truck for customers who want electric vehicle (EV) performance but with the range of a Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV). Its internal combustion engine (ICE) — a 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 — acts as a generator and kicks in when the battery bricks. It’s just like a gas generator connected to your house when the electric power goes out.
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Ram CEO Tim Kuniskis calls it the Goldilocks truck: it’s just right for the electrified customer who wants EV performance and ICE utility. It’s also just right for Stellantis NV, which has faced massive government fines for selling too many V-8 ICEs and not enough green EVs.
Kuniskis made it clear that government rules have forced the industry to make EVs to “comply with the regulations.”
“Who is calling the shots? The government? Or is it the customer that used to be the case?” he said standing in front of the Ramcharger’s huge, 7,507-pound fame.
With the auto industry/government bet on EVs souring and electric truck sales stalled, Ram is determined to make an electrified pickup that will satisfy both its masters, consumer and bureaucrat. So it has moved up production of the Ramcharger to the second half of 2025 due to “overwhelming” consumer interest while indefinitely postponing its battery-only, so-called Ram REV pickup. It claims the Ramcharger meets California’s increasingly stringent SULEV III regulations that are targeting all-electric sales by 2035.
The 2026 Ram 1500 Ramcharger’s internal combustion engine— a 3.6- liter Pentastar V-6— acts as a generator and kicks in when the battery bricks. (Stellantis/TNS/TNS)
Here are five things about the Ramcharger.
1) How REEV works. Unlike a HEV or Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV), the Ramcharger is an EV with gas-engine assist — not a gas engine with electric assist.
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Like an EV, the Ramcharger’s big 92-kWh battery (about the size of a long-range Tesla Model X) powers twin drive motors, one on each axle. Only when the battery is depleted will the generator — aka, the V-6 — kick in to power the battery and generate enough juice to turn the motors. There is no direct connection from engine to wheels.
Charge the battery overnight and the Ramcharger will deliver about 145 miles of electric range. When that depletes, the ICE kicks in for an estimated total electric-gas range of 690 miles. No long stops at charging stations on road trips. No range anxiety.
“Charging? Who cares?” said Kuniskis. “It runs off the generator.”
2) Truck performance. On electric power, the Ramcharger’s 400-volt architecture posts formidable numbers with 647 horsepower and 610 pound-feet of torque, making it the most powerful Ram on the market, eclipsing the Ram RHO performance truck’s 521 pound-feet of torque while nearly matching the legendary (discontinued), Hellcat V-8-powerd TRX truck’s 650. Ram’s 0-60 mph target of 4.5 seconds is shy of the Ford Lightning EV’s 3.8 seconds.
As for pickup utility, the Ramcharger advertises a maximum payload of 2,625 pounds and towing capacity of 14,000 pounds.
3) Eight-lug wheels. The Ramcharger’s provdigious power requires heavy-duty equipment. In addition to the high-strength steel rails to carry its nearly four tons of weight, the pickup will ride on wheels with eight lug nuts — typical of heavy-duty trucks, not the Ramcharger’s light-duty peers.
4) Drive modes. Jeep has a lot of experience with PHEVs, and the Ramcharger will offer drive modes similar to its Stellantis stablemate. In Electric + mode, the Ramcharger will maximize its battery output before calling on the generator (at around 145 miles) for assistance. Or you can choose E-save mode to run on the engine/generator alone. Or you can choose Eco mode to maximize electric range.
The 2026 Ram 1500 Ramcharger has a 14.5-inch touchscreen, 12.3-inch instrument cluster and 10.25-inch passenger screen. (Stellantis/TNS/TNS)
5) Toys, toys, toys. In keeping with other HEV and EV trucks, Ramcharger has the ability to charge another EV, charge your home during a blackout, and power multiple electrical devices at a tailgate bash. Ramcharger features signature Ram elements like a smooth-riding, multi-link rear suspension, and Hands-free Highway Assist for assisted driving on those long, 690-mile trips. You’ll know the Ramcharger by its unique, body-colored fascia and updated Ram badging.
Ramcharger — like most EVs — will be targeted at luxury buyers with Ram’s posh interior including 14.5-inch touchscreen, 12.3-inch instrument cluster and 10.25-inch passenger screen. All that hardware won’t come cheap. Expect a starting price north of $70,000 when it goes on sale later this year.
Ramcharger does require more upkeep than a traditional EV because of the gas engine onboard, but executives said it will go longer between oil changes and other routine maintenance because the generator won’t run all the time. The ICE will occasionally kick on automatically if it hasn’t run in a certain length of time to safeguard the engine’s health and ensure water isn’t infiltrating engine oil.
“With unlimited battery-electric range, the Ram 1500 Ramcharger is the pinnacle of the light-duty pickup truck segment and the ultimate electric truck,” Kuniskis said. “The new Ramcharger is a beast (with) zero need for a public charger.”
(Staff Writer Luke Ramseth contributed.)
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