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Stellantis unveils 2025 Ram 1500 ‘Ramcharger’ with gas tank and battery

Credit: Stellantis

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Stellantis has unveiled its new 2025 Ram 1500 Ramcharger, which features both battery-electric motors and a gas engine to recharge on the go.

According to a press release shared by Stellantis on Tuesday, the Ram 1500 Ramcharger will feature 250-kW front and 238-kW rear electric drive modules, as powered by a 130-kW generator and a 92-kWh battery. Between these and a 3.6-liter, V6 gas engine, the truck is expected to offer up to 690 miles of range, with the gas-powered hardware turning on to charge the truck once the battery runs out of power.

The partially electric truck will essentially function like a plugin hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV).

The Ramcharger also boasts a 0-60 mph acceleration of 4.4 seconds, along with 663 horsepower, 615 lb.-ft. Of torque, and up to 14,000 pounds of towing with payloads up to 2,625 pounds. The company says that the truck will be able to gain 50 miles of range in just 10 minutes using 400-volt fast charging at a capacity of up to 145 kW.

“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 for 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.”

The partially electric pickup will be built on the Stellantis STLA Frame platform, and it will feature advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) capabilities, including the Level 2 hands-free highway assist. The vehicle is also set to include regenerative driving modes, a set of e-shifter buttons, a 1,228-watt Klipsch audio system with 23 speakers and more.

It will include adjustable driving modes and air suspension with the following settings:

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Driving Mode settings for the 2025 Ram 1500 Ramcharger

  • Auto
  • Sport
  • Tow
  • Snow
  • Off-Road

Air Suspension settings for the 2025 Ram 1500 Ramcharger

  • Entry/Exit
  • Aero
  • Normal
  • Off-Road 1
  • Off-Road 2

The electric pickup will also include a 400-volt DC fast-charging port on the front quarter panel on the driver’s side. It also has a power tailgate and interior features such as a 14.5-inch front touchscreen, a 12.3-inch instrument cluster, a 10.25-inch passenger screen, a digital rearview mirror, a Head-Up Display (HUD) and more.

Those who are interested in buying the Ram 1500 Ramcharger can reserve a spot here with just a $100 refundable membership charge.

You can see a few more images of the forthcoming Ramcharger below.

Credit: Stellantis

Credit: Stellantis

Credit: Stellantis

Credit: Stellantis

Earlier this year, Stellantis announced the fully electric Ram 1500 REV, which reportedly ran out of reservation spots a little over a week after it went live. The upgraded trim of the electric pickup is expected to have a 229 kWh battery pack offering up to 500 miles of range, while the standard range option will feature a 168 kWh battery with up to 350 miles of range.

The announcement arrives amidst increased competition in the electric pickup sector, including direct Ram 1500 REV competitors like the Ford F-150 Lightning, the Chevy Silverado EV and the Rivian R1T. Although it’s a less conventional electric truck, the Tesla Cybertruck will also begin deliveries later this month.

Lucid Motors adopts Tesla’s NACS, leaving only Volkswagen and Stellantis

What are your thoughts? Let me know at zach@teslarati.com, find me on X at @zacharyvisconti, or send your tips to us at tips@teslarati.com.

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Zach is a renewable energy reporter who has been covering electric vehicles since 2020. He grew up in Fremont, California, and he currently lives in Colorado. His work has appeared in the Chicago Tribune, KRON4 San Francisco, FOX31 Denver, InsideEVs, CleanTechnica, and many other publications. When he isn't covering Tesla or other EV companies, you can find him writing and performing music, drinking a good cup of coffee, or hanging out with his cats, Banks and Freddie. Reach out at zach@teslarati.com, find him on X at @zacharyvisconti, or send us tips at tips@teslarati.com.

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Elon Musk

Elon Musk updates the SpaceX timeline for Mars

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Rendering of a colonized Mars by way of SpaceX
Rendering of a colonized Mars by way of SpaceX

Elon Musk has updated his timeline for when humans will walk on Mars and for when ships will simply get there.

The objective of getting to Mars has been one of Musk’s biggest goals since becoming a serial entrepreneur and realizing that time on Earth is limited. Musk has said several times he hopes to die on Mars, and not by impact.

Musk now believes that people will be on Mars in “roughly 5 to 7 years.” He said that a Mars lander will get there “a few years sooner.”

The response from Musk comes after NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said that SpaceX’s biggest priority is the Moon and not Mars. Because of this, Isaacman conceded that he believes nuclear power and propulsion investments will provide “potentially the pathway with the fewest miracles required to put four people on Mars in the next 10 to 15 years.”

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Of course, this is what NASA can do through taxpayer funding and nuclear investments, he added.

Musk’s grand ambitions are much more optimistic than most, and it is certainly a double-edged sword. This is not the first time timelines for Mars have been somewhat lofty, especially to those normal thinkers like you and me, not super geniuses like Musk.

SpaceX Board has set a Mars bonus for Elon Musk

In fact, the SpaceX and Tesla frontman has said on at least a dozen occasions that we could be on Mars in the coming years. Musk said 2020 would be the big year as early as 2009. In 2020, he was “highly confident” of a landing in 2026, and had even said 2024 in a best-case scenario.

The point is, the range has varied, and it’s anyone’s guess when we’ll get there. This latest adjustment to the timeline is typical of Musk, and while the Moon has seemingly taken priority over Mars, it is still worth mentioning that the ultimate goal is to make life multiplanetary, and it starts potentially with the Red Planet.

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Investor's Corner

SpaceX gets an absolutely crazy price target after rough IPO

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Credit: SpaceX

SpaceX (NASDAQ: SPCX) got an absolutely crazy price target rating from Raymond James after the company experienced a tough first few weeks following its Initial Public Offering (IPO).

Despite the tumultuous start, SpaceX has plenty of believers, and the company’s massively successful Starship launch last Friday, its 13th test flight of the massive rocket, went so smoothly that Raymond James analysts pushed its price target on the company to roughly 7 times its current trading level.

SpaceX Starship just nailed something it’s never done before

The firm officially put a “Strong Buy” rating and an $800 price target on the stock. It currently trades at around $113. Its all-time high is $225.64, reaching this trading level shortly after shares first went public.

Raymond James’ price target is tied to the firm’s confidence after Starship’s 13th test flight. Analysts at the firm said it was an incremental step that reduces engineering risks, citing the widely successful heat shield test that CEO Elon Musk recently detailed, the smooth deployment of Starlink V3 satellites, and a successful in-space engine relight.

SpaceX also managed to see Starship splash down safely in the Indian Ocean, while the Super Heavy Booster fell down to the Gulf of America with no incidents.

It is interesting to see these launches have such a tremendous impact on the stock and what investors think of it. After SpaceX initially delayed the Starship launch last week, shares fell tremendously. Most probably did not realize that the stand-down is a standard practice, especially if everything is not perfect.

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The mission was initially aborted due to an issue with Raptor engines. This was resolved, and Starship launched last Friday after another delay on Thursday, which was caused by weather.

Now that analysts have seen what SpaceX launches are capable of and how impressive the feat is, firms are adjusting their price targets accordingly, making it known that they have high expectations for the space exploration company.

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Elon Musk

Elon Musk responds to Volvo’s latest LiDAR decision

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(Credit: Tesla)

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has responded to reports that Volvo is officially discontinuing the LiDAR sensor on two of its cars.

Volvo announced that it would officially scrap LiDAR systems on its EX90 and ES90 vehicles in various markets. In Norway, owners will get a €1,800 compensation for features that will never arrive due to this decision. There will be no option to remove the unit from vehicles, either.

The issue stems from Volvo’s supplier, Luminar, and its bankruptcy filing. Luminar will no longer be able to supply LiDAR units to Volvo for the EX90 and ES90, effectively axing any use the unit has on vehicles. Volvo will phase out the data collection processes via the LiDAR system, and it will not be utilized whatsoever.

Musk saw the story on X and responded, stating:

“I did try to warn them. Humans drive using neural nets and optical sensors. Same is true for robot cars.”

Musk has been publicly vocal about his disdain for LiDAR systems, once calling them “a fool’s errand,” as he has consistently kept the outlook that they are not needed for effective self-driving.

The typical example used as evidence for this by Musk is humans themselves: made with only eyes and memories, humans are capable of navigating a car by using what they can see and what they’ve personally experienced on the road.

Elon Musk argues lidar and radar make self driving cars more dangerous

“Same is true for robot cars,” Musk says, as Teslas have eight exterior cameras that help see everything surrounding the vehicle, and a neural network that analyzes behavior and tendencies with every mile driven.

Tesla is a vision-only self-driving company that ditched sensors and radar several years ago in favor of cameras. Behind this effort, the company has established a reputation for having one of the most robust self-driving platforms in the world.

Musk’s big bet with Tesla on its self-driving program’s strategy has widely paid off. Other companies continue to utilize things like LiDAR, radar, and sensors for effective self-driving, but Tesla has shown that there is more than one way to give consumers a strong and accurate driver assistance suite.

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The real question is: who will be the first company to take Musk’s advice and attempt a self-driving platform based on cameras only, or even license FSD for themselves?

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