Here’s Why the 2025 Ramcharger Is Considerably Heavy, Even for an Electric Vehicle

Here’s Why the 2025 Ramcharger Is Considerably Heavy, Even for an Electric Vehicle

      The 2025 Ram Ramcharger was never expected to be lightweight. However, it came as a surprise that it turned out to be heavier than other electric pickups despite its smaller battery pack—initially, there was a thought it might be slightly lighter. While it does feature a gas V6 engine, its 92-kilowatt-hour battery is significantly smaller than the F-150 Lightning's 131-kWh battery or the Cybertruck's 122-kWh unit.

      Today I discovered that I was mistaken, and the Ramcharger weighs an impressive 7,507 pounds. How did that happen?

      For context, a crew cab Ram 1500 equipped with the twin-turbo 3.0-liter inline-six has a weight of 5,764 pounds. This indicates that the hefty Ramcharger exceeds the weight of the gas truck by nearly 1,800 pounds. While one might expect a considerable difference, the situation becomes even more intriguing when we examine the industry as a whole.

      The Ford F-150 Lightning Platinum fitted with the large battery weighs in at 6,893 pounds, while a tri-motor Tesla Cybertruck carrying its largest battery pack weighs slightly more at 6,898 pounds. Therefore, the Ramcharger consistently bears the extra weight equivalent to a Harley-Davidson.

      Notably, the Ram is the sole vehicle in this group that features a 27-gallon fuel tank along with its gas engine. According to Joe Tolkacz, the lead propulsion engineer for the Ramcharger, it also has “more than 1,000 pounds of battery.” Considering all this, I suspect that the chassis contributes to its high curb weight as well.

      The Ramcharger is built on the STLA Frame platform, marking the first production vehicle on this architecture. The truck's specifications indicate that this frame is quite robust. Ram rates the Ramcharger's maximum tow capacity at 14,000 pounds, with a maximum payload capacity of 2,625 pounds, implying that it must be exceptionally resilient to support all that alongside the powertrain. The automaker states that the Ramcharger’s frame is eight inches wider in the center section than the standard Ram 1500, and the frame rails are taller. Adding greater amounts of high-strength steel usually results in increased weight.

      One could argue that the indications were apparent from the beginning. Among the electrified pickups revealed thus far, only the Ramcharger, all-electric Ram 1500 REV, and GMC Hummer EV are equipped with eight-lug wheels, typically reserved for heavy-duty models such as the Ram 2500 and 3500. Fortunately, the Ramcharger is still lighter than a Hummer, but we are still awaiting the curb weight for the 1500 REV—and the outlook isn't promising either.

Here’s Why the 2025 Ramcharger Is Considerably Heavy, Even for an Electric Vehicle Here’s Why the 2025 Ramcharger Is Considerably Heavy, Even for an Electric Vehicle Here’s Why the 2025 Ramcharger Is Considerably Heavy, Even for an Electric Vehicle

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Here’s Why the 2025 Ramcharger Is Considerably Heavy, Even for an Electric Vehicle

The Ramcharger features a V6 range extender and a battery that is 25% smaller than that of the Cybertruck, yet it still has a weight that is 600 pounds heavier.