REV vs Ramcharger - who would buy a REV?

[StuartV]

Buying a vehicle with both a engine and motor from a company that can't launch a engine only change sounds like fun

I thought the change to the SST motors was going fine. Are there issues?

 

[Cueva del Osos]

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This today on the Stellpower website: Ram is investing $406 M in Sterling Heights plant gearing up for production of REV and Ramcharger. It also says Ramcharger production will begin production some time in 2025.
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STLA investing $406 million in three Michigan plants
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Here’s the pdf of the news report if the link doesn't work for you…

 

[Biga]

Buying a vehicle with both a engine and motor from a company that can't launch a engine only change sounds like fun

Well to be fair the engine in the Ram Charger is the proven Pentastar V6 and a stripped down version at that.

 

[mikeru82]

Well to be fair the engine in the Ram Charger is the proven Pentastar V6 and a stripped down version at that.

Not sure what you mean by "a stripped down version at that". The sole purpose of the engine in the Ram Charger is to run a generator. Seems like a great choice for that purpose.

 

[theblet]

Not sure what you mean by "a stripped down version at that". The sole purpose of the engine in the Ram Charger is to run a generator. Seems like a great choice for that purpose.

Maybe it doesn’t run power steering, and AC. I really don’t know what stripped down means. It is a good proven engine tho

 

[Biga]

Maybe it doesn’t run power steering, and AC. I really don’t know what stripped down means. It is a good proven engine tho

yes, it doesn't have all the accessories attached to it. Also I assume it will be under a much lighter load and not always running.

 

[mikeru82]

Maybe it doesn’t run power steering, and AC. I really don’t know what stripped down means. It is a good proven engine tho

I haven't seen details to that degree on which accessories are powered by the v6, if any. The one pic I saw looks like it has at least one accessory that it's driving. But there is a cover over the belt system so I can't tell what it is from the angle of the pic. I'll post that below. The power steering on 5th gens is electric, so there's no reason to believe they'll go back to a belt driven P/S pump on the Ram Charger. As far as AC goes, something will have to power the compressor. I see no reason why the v6 can't do that unless there are times when the engine isn't running at all (which is possible). But I haven't read anything that definitively says that. Maybe other's have? Of course, much of what I've just posted is based on assumption and opinion LOL.

yes, it doesn't have all the accessories attached to it. Also I assume it will be under a much lighter load and not always running.

I wouldn't call that stripped down. A more accurate description would be unburdened.

 

[cpetku]

Probably just the water pump

 

[mikeru82]

Probably just the water pump

I won't dispute that. I'm not familiar enough with the Pentastar engine.

 

[go-ram]

I haven't seen details to that degree on which accessories are powered by the v6, if any. The one pic I saw looks like it has at least one accessory that it's driving. But there is a cover over the belt system so I can't tell what it is from the angle of the pic. I'll post that below. The power steering on 5th gens is electric, so there's no reason to believe they'll go back to a belt driven P/S pump on the Ram Charger. As far as AC goes, something will have to power the compressor. I see no reason why the v6 can't do that unless there are times when the engine isn't running at all (which is possible). But I haven't read anything that definitively says that. Maybe other's have? Of course, much of what I've just posted is based on assumption and opinion LOL.

View attachment 189728


I wouldn't call that stripped down. A more accurate description would be unburdened.

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For certain no accessories will be driven directly by the V6 gas engine. The gas engine will do two things only: (1) take care of itself - whatever it needs to run (like water pump, oil pump), (2) spin the generator. Air conditioning compressor, power steering, etc. will all be electrically driven. It's a full-on EV plus an on-board, gasoline-powered electrical generator that can feed electricity either to the EV battery or directly to the electric traction motors, or both simultaneously. Think of it as a Tesla, with an on-board gasoline-ppwered generator to replenish the EV battery as needed.
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[mikeru82]

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For certain no accessories will be driven directly by the V6 gas engine. The gas engine will do two things only: (1) take care of itself - whatever it needs to run (like water pump, oil pump), (2) spin the generator. Air conditioning compressor, power steering, etc. will all be electrically driven. It's a full-on EV plus an on-board, gasoline-powered electrical generator that can feed electricity either to the EV battery or directly to the electric traction motors, or both simultaneously. Think of it as a Tesla, with an on-board gasoline-ppwered generator to replenish the EV battery as needed.
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Not sure if you're speaking from insider knowledge or opinion, but I have no reason to disagree. In doing a little research on the current Pentastar engine, it does look like that's where the water pump is located. So it's the only external thing driven by the v6 on the Ramcharger. Oil pump is internal and would obviously be powered by the engine. I'm a little surprised that there is no alternator, but then again there's probably no need for a 12v battery in this truck. Voltage from the main battery pack can be regulated down for any lower voltage needs.

 

[Phoon]

I haven't seen details to that degree on which accessories are powered by the v6, if any. The one pic I saw looks like it has at least one accessory that it's driving. But there is a cover over the belt system so I can't tell what it is from the angle of the pic. I'll post that below. The power steering on 5th gens is electric, so there's no reason to believe they'll go back to a belt driven P/S pump on the Ram Charger. As far as AC goes, something will have to power the compressor. I see no reason why the v6 can't do that unless there are times when the engine isn't running at all (which is possible). But I haven't read anything that definitively says that. Maybe other's have? Of course, much of what I've just posted is based on assumption and opinion LOL.

View attachment 189728


I wouldn't call that stripped down. A more accurate description would be unburdened.

Un burdened by what has been. Lol

 

[go-ram]

Not sure if you're speaking from insider knowledge or opinion, but I have no reason to disagree. In doing a little research on the current Pentastar engine, it does look like that's where the water pump is located. So it's the only external thing driven by the v6 on the Ramcharger. Oil pump is internal and would obviously be powered by the engine. I'm a little surprised that there is no alternator, but then again there's probably no need for a 12v battery in this truck. Voltage from the main battery pack can be regulated down for any lower voltage needs.

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Not an insider, but it can't be any other way. If the Ramcharger is to run for up to 145 miles in electric-only mode, all of the traditional engine-belt-driven accessories have to be electrically powered (steering, air-conditioner). Heck, my 20-year-old Prius town car beater has the AC powered via electric motor, no coupling to the gas engine at all for the AC compressor.
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[cpetku]

Looks like the REV is delayed by at least a quarter. The article states at dealershis in 2025, I thought it was suposed to be 4Q24...

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