2025 RamCharger Raises The Electric Truck Bar

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Ram Trucks took the wraps off its hotly-anticipated 2025 RamCharger electrified pickup truck today, and it’s a stunner. Packing 663 HP electrified horsepower and 615 lb-ft of torque, this is a big, fast, and powerful pickup with a 14,000 lb. tow rating, a 2625 lb payload capacity, a four-second 0-60 MPH time, and an absolutely jaw-dropping “range” of 690 miles.

Never mind that said “range” includes the RamCharger’s gas tank. The normals — the people who actually buy pickup trucks — won’t care. They’ll see the specs, read the headlines, and almost certainly cancel their pending Chevy Silverado EV orders to get in line for the RamCharger. It ticks all the “real truck” boxes, especially this one:

It Looks Kinda Normal

That’s the RamCharger chassis, and the reason I’m highlighting it here is that it looks — well, kinda normal. That’s exactly what you want when you’re looking at a fleet vehicle that needs to be upfitted with tool bodies, utility bodies, etc. You need to feel confident that all the aftermarket goodies your business depends on to keep moving will work, and that’s not something that Chevy’s “unit body” Silverado EV can promise commercial buyers.

And, make no mistake, Ram is absolutely targeting commercial buyers with its new RamCharger PHEV pickup. You can see that in the company’s press photos, which make a big deal about standard features and commercial/WT “Tradesman” trim level availability.

2025 RamCharger Tradesman

Stellantis is showing that it’s learned lessons from some of Ford’s mistakes. They’re putting the work truck right there in the launch, and they’re addressing Jim Farley’s charging issues with the addition of a 6-cylinder range-extending gasoline engine. And, I know — look, we all want to be BEV maximalists, but the reality of the market is that pickup and fleet buyers don’t want to struggle to find charging, and convincing them that they don’t need to worry about range anxiety as much as they think they do will be much easier with a PHEV or two in their fleet.

To quote the materials:

Power flows in sequence from the 3.6-liter V-6 engine to the on-board 130-kW generator. The engine generates mechanical power that is converted to electrical power by the generator. The electrical power can be used to charge the battery when the battery is depleted or if the driver wants to preserve the battery power. It can also be applied to the high-voltage bus where the EDMs can use the generator electrical power plus the battery electrical power to provide maximum power to the wheels. There is no direct mechanical path from the engine to the wheels.

It’s a lilypad vehicle, in other words. And it just so happens to be a lilypad vehicle that’s actually desirable — even through all the misleading corporate double-talk and extra helpings of Stellantis PR bullsh*t. Here, check this out: “With unlimited battery-electric range, the Ram 1500 RamCharger is the pinnacle of the light-duty pickup truck segment and the ultimate electric truck,” said Tim Kuniskis, Ram brand CEO – Stellantis. “The new RamCharger is a beast of a light duty – 663 horsepower, 615 lb.-ft of torque, 4-second 0-60 mph, 14,000 lbs. of towing… and zero need for a public charger.”

Yeah, this Kuniskis guy is arguing that the RamCharger isn’t range limited by its battery, so that makes it “unlimited.” Which … I don’t even know where to start with that. Stellantis’ entire corporate team seems to be utterly and unforgivably full of baloney, but this is a truck that’s going to win over a lot of hearts and minds, and it should be applauded as such.

That’s my take, anyway — what’s yours? Head on down to the comments and let us know what you think of the new big Ram PHEV and whether or not you think it will be able to challenge the F-150 Lightning and perpetually upcoming Tesla Cybertruck for light-duty dominance. On your way there, check out some pictures:

2025 RamCharger 1500 Hybrid Pickup