Ram says the Ramcharger REEV is just right for the electrified age

[Stubedo]

I put a deposit on one to hold a spot.

Three times in the last year I have had to rent vehicles instead of taking my lightning because there were no level 2 or above chargers where I was going (Maine) and I did not have enough range to to a round trip on a single charge... Not to mention that the range significantly decreases in the cold. I am not towing anything... Just need something with more range.

I would hate to lose my frunk and give up my lightning, but EV programs that would have provided the higher level chargers for some of these remote areas are being cut and I am coming to the conclusion that the EV ownership situation is worsening and that resale values for all EVs are going to be in the toilet for the foreseeable future.

All it costs me is $100 to hold a spot and see where we are when these eventually make it to market.

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[Altivec]

I hadn't seen an EPA rating yet, looking further it's mostly speculation at 20mpg. Although that fits for the claimed range - EV range. I'm surprised that's all they could muster from it, and slightly disappointed. My brother's diesel get's 25mpg on the highway.

That said, I think you are assuming worst case scenario. Most driver's will likely put the battery on "hold" or whatever Ram calls it, and primarily use the engine while on the freeway/towing. So no, EV range won't get cut. The point of the truck is to use the gas when it's more efficient/convenient and save the battery for everything else.

We do this with my wife's XC90. She uses the engine once a week to take kids to school, the rest is 100% battery. When we road trip, the battery gets placed on hold as soon as we hit the freeway. Plenty of battery left once we exit. We are getting 46 mpg equivalent when all modes of driving are combined. It's working perfectly for our use case.

I'm curious, what where the problematic fixes for your EREV? Which one was it? Is common/uncommon? For instance, I had a subaru, supposedly very reliable vehicles. Well mine left me stranded due to electrical problems about once a year. It wouldn't release the key from the ignition until I'd sat in the car for several minutes with it off. I'm glad to be rid of it. On the other hand, I had a Saturn Ion in 2012, loved that thing. Zero problems, I regret selling it.

Some will claim that our beloved Lightning is a ticking time bomb from all the battery modules going bad. How's that going to be different from the EREV issues you encountered? I'm not trying to imply anything by asking, genuinely curious since I don't have any first hand experience.

The fuel economy is the biggest factor in why I say what is the point of this truck. If it was in the 30's, Then you could at least say, the savings in fuel costs will eventually make it worth it. Again, this is assuming you do a lot of long distance driving, which should be the reason for getting an EREV in the first place. Your brothers diesel at 25, would be a way better option in this case and diesels last longer and no complex drivetrain to worry about.

I have a 2014 Cadillac ELR, which is based on the Volt Erev type system. I am not saying it doesn't work, because it does, but there are compromises and in the end, it costs you more than you save. At first we loved it (we still do, just wish it was a BEV now) but as it gets older, I started having to deal with all the nuances and complexities. I just wrote about some of them in another thread so if you are truly interested, I start going into it at around post 30 here.

https://www.f150lightningforum.com/...e-knows-how-to-beat-the-chinese-on-evs.25018/

I agree that some think our lightnings are ticking time bombs, All vehicles are in a way. They all have a lifespan. ICE and EV's are all basically the same in terms of diagnosing issues and repairing them. Drivetrains usually lasts for the 150k to 200k mile lifespan they were designed for (yes some don't make it and some have a million miles but that is the intention). EREV's and hybrids have small batteries that take a beating because you are going through cycles left and right. Although things appear to be going great in the beginning, at some point during the cars still viable life span, you will be put in a predicament to replace an expensive battery or junk a perfectly good car. Because each hybrid is also a little different in how they work, you need to seek out the very few specialized techs that know that system (means long wait time and big dollars). Which leads back to the 20MPG. If I am not saving my money on gas to account for this big future cost, what's the point of this.

Maybe your XC90 hasn't reached that point yet, but when it does, I believe you will change to how I feel now. I had the same opinion as you when I bought the car and the first 6 or 7 years of ownership. Mainly because I assumed it would last as long as all my previous ICE vehicles. I've learned, that is not the case unless I pay up.

 

[VTbuckeye]

I think this RAM is going to sell well, assuming it’s priced right. It opens up the market to EV haters who complain about range.

Chevy Volt used the same system of electric battery and motors Replenished by a Gas generator. The two people that I know who owned one loved them. EV range satisfied 90+% of their driving needs. One reported only 8 gallons of gas used in a year.

I almost bought a Volt but it was too small for me. Getting in and it was like a Tesla Model 3. I didn’t fit.

We really liked our volt, until the bolt came to market. I can't tell you how many times I told the volt "I know you think it's cold, but it really isn't. I have a coat, hat and gloves. We are almost home/to work. You don't need to turn on your engine." I don't have a spreadsheet of volt fuel use from 2013 through 2019, but I probably filled the gas tank two times per year. Oil changes every other year looked like a chocolate milkshake due to the condensation that never boiled out of the oil due to short running cycles, particularly in the cold.

 

[RickKeen]

Already can see the Ford F150 Hybrid as being more popular than the Lightning.

 

[Zprime29]

The fuel economy is the biggest factor in why I say what is the point of this truck. If it was in the 30's, Then you could at least say, the savings in fuel costs will eventually make it worth it. Again, this is assuming you do a lot of long distance driving, which should be the reason for getting an EREV in the first place. Your brothers diesel at 25, would be a way better option in this case and diesels last longer and no complex drivetrain to worry about.

I have a 2014 Cadillac ELR, which is based on the Volt Erev type system. I am not saying it doesn't work, because it does, but there are compromises and in the end, it costs you more than you save. At first we loved it (we still do, just wish it was a BEV now) but as it gets older, I started having to deal with all the nuances and complexities. I just wrote about some of them in another thread so if you are truly interested, I start going into it at around post 30 here.

https://www.f150lightningforum.com/...e-knows-how-to-beat-the-chinese-on-evs.25018/

I agree that some think our lightnings are ticking time bombs, All vehicles are in a way. They all have a lifespan. ICE and EV's are all basically the same in terms of diagnosing issues and repairing them. Drivetrains usually lasts for the 150k to 200k mile lifespan they were designed for (yes some don't make it and some have a million miles but that is the intention). EREV's and hybrids have small batteries that take a beating because you are going through cycles left and right. Although things appear to be going great in the beginning, at some point during the cars still viable life span, you will be put in a predicament to replace an expensive battery or junk a perfectly good car. Because each hybrid is also a little different in how they work, you need to seek out the very few specialized techs that know that system (means long wait time and big dollars). Which leads back to the 20MPG. If I am not saving my money on gas to account for this big future cost, what's the point of this.

Maybe your XC90 hasn't reached that point yet, but when it does, I believe you will change to how I feel now. I had the same opinion as you when I bought the car and the first 6 or 7 years of ownership. Mainly because I assumed it would last as long as all my previous ICE vehicles. I've learned, that is not the case unless I pay up.

I think the savings will come from the 90% daily use case. Using the battery for daily commutes will make up all if not more than the difference for the weekend jaunts. The use case for this truck is not for someone who only needs to use it for long distance/towing. It's for the city slickers that want to take their toys half way across the state for some weekend fun without compromise. It's for the people who want an EV experience but don't want to deal with poor/non-existent infrastructure. I don't think it will take over as king of the hill but it has its place.

When I try to research reliability I get a mixed bag. Several with no issues and 100k+ miles and several that had issues. We use about 2 cycles per week on the XC90, battery cycle life expectancy is around 2000 cycles so we can expect around 1000 weeks, or about 19 years. I think we'll be good to reach 10-12 years. At that point, I'm praying we'll be in much better shape so I can get my wife into a full BEV.

 

[daveross1212]

I think the savings will come from the 90% daily use case. Using the battery for daily commutes will make up all if not more than the difference for the weekend jaunts. The use case for this truck is not for someone who only needs to use it for long distance/towing. It's for the city slickers that want to take their toys half way across the state for some weekend fun without compromise. It's for the people who want an EV experience but don't want to deal with poor/non-existent infrastructure. I don't think it will take over as king of the hill but it has its place.

When I try to research reliability I get a mixed bag. Several with no issues and 100k+ miles and several that had issues. We use about 2 cycles per week on the XC90, battery cycle life expectancy is around 2000 cycles so we can expect around 1000 weeks, or about 19 years. I think we'll be good to reach 10-12 years. At that point, I'm praying we'll be in much better shape so I can get my wife into a full BEV.

Totally agree with this. Our X5 PHEV after 3 years and 40k miles (~30k of EV miles) has zero battery degradation.

The "city slickers that want to take their toys half way across the state for some weekend fun without compromise" is exactly the demographic for the Ramcharger, and it is large market. I could barely do a 200 mile rt ski trip with the Lightning this winter, and it only worked because I had L2 at our destination (which is not the norm).

 

[klossfam]

I have reservation slots for both the Ramcharger and Scout Terra Harvester (EREV). I like the Scout/VW approach with a 2.0L I4 for the generator mounted over the rear axle. Keeps the frunk in play vs the Ramcharger with a 3.6L V6 Pentastar under the hood. I assume the bed of the Scout will have a access panel for the engine.

Right now myself and immediate family only have BEVs, but for the local vs road trip driving I do (a lot of both), an EREV would be a good compromise (especially when towing long distances). Other than distance towing, I really haven't had a ton of bad DC charging experiences, so EREV isn't a total savior in my mind. It would be a bit of a 'Goldilocks' situation for my use case, however.

 

[gbuydos]

Here is a RAM promo video. The Ramcharger EREV is at 7:26 on the video.

https://www.ramtrucks.com/electric/ram-1500-ramcharger.html

 

[TaxmanHog]

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