Ram has some very different powertrains coming for the 2025 model year. One is the fully electric Ram 1500 REV. Another Ram will defy categorization. It is the “Ramcharger” which will share electric motors with the REV and a gas-powered V6 to charge its batteries on the go.

Now that reviewers can finally see the Ram 1500 in person, it is obvious it has little in common with a half-ton truck. With a 14,000 towing capacity, 690 mile range, 2,625 pound payload, and eight-lug hubs, this hybrid performs much more like some heavy-duty trucks.

So how does a environmentally-friendly hybrid embarrass half-ton trucks? Its two electric motors (one at each axle) make a combined 663 horsepower. That’s enough get-up-and-go to tow 14,000 pounds. And what about stopping all that weight? These electric motors can also help slow the truck in regenerative braking mode.

So where does that 2,625 pound payload capacity come from? With a gasoline motor and a lithium ion battery this big Ram will probably have a dizzying curb weight. For comparison’s sake, the “midsize” Rivian R1T electric pickup weighs 7,100 pounds. The Ramcharger’s eight-lug axles are evidence it shares some underpinnings with heavy-duty Rams. So that 2,625-pound payload is likely not a huge percentage of its GVWR.

Few non-diesel trucks offer ranges that can rival the Ramcharger’s claimed 690 miles. The Ramcharger is essentially a plug-in hybrid. Ram claims it will have about 145 miles all electric range. But it when that battery gets low, it will tap into its 28 gallon fuel tank, fire up its V6 engine, and recharge the battery. Another benefit of this setup is that it will likely be able to tow heavy loads long distances, unlike other EVs. But it will burn through more gas to do it.

A quick back-of-the-envelope calculation shows that Ram expects the Ramcharger to get 545 miles of additional range once it fires up its “range extender” V6. Divide that by the 28 gallons in its tank, and it’ll get about 19.5 miles per gallon. That’s not great mileage, especially because its V6 will spin at a constant speed while the battery takes care of extra load during acceleration. I expect it to do better than 19.5 and suspect Ram is being conservative with range estimates. But while towing, we will probably see its unladen range sliced in half.

So will the Ramcharger be a half-ton truck? It comes out sometime in 2025 and Ram is currently advertising it alongside the 2025 Ram 1500. But I’ll bet you dollars-to-donuts that it will have a GVWR much higher than the 8,500 pound cutoff for Class 2 trucks.

Next, read why the Ramcharger will be as much locomotive as truck, or see the new Ramcharger for yourself in the reveal video below: