If the Ramcharger were available when you bought your lightning...

[Altivec]

There are also stories of people who had previous gen PHEVs where they'd religiously plug in and stay on EV power, ICE component would not have to kick in, and that also caused issues due to lack of use.

I am one of those. Dealing with all these problems and costs when you hardly use the engine is just plain dumb but the worse part is the battery is much smaller than a BEV. That means, we went through its life cycles fast. The Car is still great and usable but the battery needs to be replaced. A battery swap costs more than what the car is worth and therefor its end of life is much much sooner than it should be.

If you plan on using it as an EV 90% of the time, save yourself a ton of problems and money by going BEV. The stops you make for the other 10% will be well worth the time and money you lose keeping the thing on the road and its short lifespan.

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[MaintGrl]

Sorry, Ram and Hummers are out of the question for me . . just sayin...

 

[ZeusDriver]

Based on those experiences, and the fact that Stellantis is a Dutch-owned company now, with many quality issues, we would never consider them.

in the 70's and 80's I worked with both Ford and Fokker. Nothing in that experience would lead me to think that there is anything wrong with Dutch companies. However, I share you dislike of Stelantis in particular.

 

[JRDM2]

Can't say i had/have any interest in the Rev though since it don't travel/tow a lot so the lightning is perfect.

For what it's worth the current RAM REV page claims 14k lb tow rating. I had to check and even deleted a previous reply to the thread because I didn't know.

 

[RickLightning]

in the 70's and 80's I worked with both Ford and Fokker. Nothing in that experience would lead me to think that there is anything wrong with Dutch companies. However, I share you dislike of Stelantis in particular.

I don't have anything against Dutch companies. Ford is a US-based company. If I choose between two companies with comparable product offerings and pricing, US-based would win.

That said, Stellantis has nothing comparable.

 

[El Duderino]

On a pure BEV forum, you are going to get a lot of no...

Ask that question in two years from now and base your results on the sales volume of the Scout and/or Ramcharger versus the Lightning sales from the past few years.

 

[ZeusDriver]

BTW, I used PHEV to describe both my micro car (an EREV... a series PHEV) and my Volt (A parallel PHEV) I prefer the older terminology because 1. I am an old fart. 2. They both benefit from hybridization for efficiency: they both put the engine under high load, where it is relatively efficient, and not low load, where it is inefficient.

The Prius gained a barely measurable amount (of its excellent efficiency) from having regen braking. (My Volt did too, but the more significant ownership advantage is that the Volt's brakes, at 75,000 miles, still looked new.) The Prius was (is) efficient enough that in well-to-wheels terms, it still beats driving a Tesla in West Virginia, because its engine's combustion efficiency is is higher than that of coal fired powerplants... provided the Prius engine is usually under high load, which hybridization allows.

My boat is an oddity that requires two trailers, one of which used to be towed by my Volt. The other heavier trailer was towed by my 2002 Durango (which I bought in spite of, not because, of my thoughts re Dodge reliability... it was cheap and low mileage). The Lightning does a great job with either trailer, but is overkill in that respect... unless I go a long distance, given the iffy reliability of off-brand chargers, etc. (Even some of the Tesla chargers do not accommodate my Lightning).

(BTW, in boating, I would not dream of using an ICE... the noise, the stench, the water and air pollution, the vibration, the limited range are just too objectionable. However, now and for at least another decade, going electric means going slowly through the water. In my case, it also means never having to fill up or plug in -- the boat is always charged by its solar panels. I'm a sailor, so am fine with going slowly.)

I have found that I do better on routine (non-towing) trips if I manually plan charge stops, because if I let Google do it, I have ended up too often at non functioning chargers, and in two cases (in a year) late at night. I've avoided having to get a tow, but have not avoided some anxiety.

Certainly, if my Lightning had 500 mile (EPA) range, I could easily deal with 250 mile towing range. Non-towing range would cease to be an issue. But right now, we are still pretty far from a $50,000 500 mile truck. I see EREVs as being a bridge to the day when 800 mile range is common in smaller vehicles and 500 miles is common in trucks.

I am not planning to snap up a Ramcharger (or whatever they are calling it now) when they become available. But I can envision a lot of people seeing it as usable when a Lightning is too much of a stretch. I see a lot of RV trailers on the road... the Lightning is not the truck for those.

 

[ZeusDriver]

I told my wife we're gonna be like those people with 6 Camaros in the driveway, half on blocks, only it'll be Lightnings...

HA HA. I find myself in that boat. I finally cleaned up my old Durango to sell it. Put it in the local paper and on Facebook. Crickets. Too many boats, too many tools, piles of wood cutoffs. I had this place built as part of my "simplification" plan. arghhhh.

 

[ZeusDriver]

I might be tempted, but the utility, space, and comfort of the Lightning is hard to beat.

Boy it sure is. I really enjoy driving it, even though many previous cars were sports cars and I had a couple exotics. It even has pretty impressive dynamics.... and I have thought that is about as fun to drive as a Miata, but in a quite different way.

 

[PJnc284]

My boat is an oddity that requires two trailers, one of which used to be towed by my Volt. The other heavier trailer was towed by my 2002 Durango (which I bought in spite of, not because, of my thoughts re Dodge reliability... it was cheap and low mileage). The Lightning does a great job with either trailer, but is overkill in that respect... unless I go a long distance, given the iffy reliability of off-brand chargers, etc. (Even some of the Tesla chargers do not accommodate my Lightning).

(BTW, in boating, I would not dream of using an ICE... the noise, the stench, the water and air pollution, the vibration, the limited range are just too objectionable. However, now and for at least another decade, going electric means going slowly through the water. In my case, it also means never having to fill up or plug in -- the boat is always charged by its solar panels. I'm a sailor, so am fine with going slowly.)

I'm stuck with gas. Don't think they'll get batteries small/energy dense enough to suit my use case. At least not in our lifetimes. We regularly go 50+ miles out here in SE NC and 200 miles total isn't out of the question. That gas bill sure hurts.

 

[EV Engineer]

On a pure BEV forum, you are going to get a lot of no...

Ask that question in two years from now and base your results on the sales volume of the Scout and/or Ramcharger versus the Lightning sales from the past few years.

I had a ton of hesitancy getting an SR over an ER to the point I didn't even look for SR for first few months. Now that I've owned it for 8 months, there have been maybe 1 or 2 days where an ER would've been 'slightly' more convenient. I.E., about 12 minutes less at a charger.

I think the same will be true of EREV. People will buy them in more quantities than BEV in the next 5 years because they think they need them. Then I'm sure they'll discover that 95%+ of their miles were BEV only, and they were carrying around thousands of pounds of metal for rare use cases. Their next vehicle will be BEV only.

I'm fine with that.

Some people absolutely need EREV and RAM would've been a better choice. I suspect MOST people will never really use the EREV, but they'll buy a vehicle with one.

 

[TechnoSwiss]

I love my Lightning, and as a commuter vehicle and a truck it's just awesome, and it tows like a dream. But road trips, towing? I've got issues with abdominal pain and other GI issues that can make sitting for long periods painful, when 6.5 hour trip turns into 11 hours because of charging stops... nah man, if the Ramcharger had been available I would have probably gotten it over the Lightning. As for RAM vs Ford... honestly I swore I'd never own a Ford, of the 4 times I've been stranded on the side of the road, it was always a Ford, not that I think Stellantis is any better. There are plenty of form/fit/function issues with my Lightning that reminding me why what I'd really love to see is Toyota or Honda come out with some viable options. Keep in mind that very few hybrids use the same drive-train as the Ramcharger is supposed to, I think only the Ramcharger and the RAV4 Prime, where the drive-train is entirely electric and the gas engine is literally nothing more than a generator. While more complex than BEV it is less complex than the other hybrids on the market. At this point if the Ramcharger does come out I wouldn't bother with trading.

 

[hturnerfamily]

I think that while the current environment and sentiment to 'go EV' is too overwhelming and fearful for some, the Hybrid and even Plug-In Hybrid, and/or the REV version 'generator' Hybrid, will be no more successful... although many might be led to believe it's the 'interim' we need to get over the hump. It's almost true that unless a Hybrid, a PHEV, or even a REV are LESS IN PRICE than a full 'gas only' vehicle, we will continue along the same path we are on... why would most folks, most 'common everyday owners', want to have to now PLUG IN, as well as gas up?

- the 'fear' of range anxiety, or charge anxiety, continues to hold back the general public, and, I would say even more of female owners. Many of us 'husbands' may be into EVs, but, probably not near as many of our 'wives', generally speaking, otherwise. My wife would not have. But, she now drives a very comfortable and capable EV9, with 34,000 miles, everyday to work, and many, many travel/trips... she gets it.
She went thru the several years of a Kia SORENTO PHEV, with 30-32 miles EV range, and enjoyed the 'car', but did not enjoy the combinations of having to charge EVERY night, and, even then, STILL having to stop periodically to 'gas up'... A beautiful car, but not necessarily for the long=term.

Before our EV9 and LIGHTNING, which has towed our camper 20,000+ miles, with no issues, on MANY trips, we had TWO different 2014 Nissan LEAFS to 'learn' with... a car with only 70 miles range, down hill, will help you to start to understand how EV life works...or, better yet, how to change how you look at travel - daily driving and commuting is rarely any issue - traveling? that's a test of patience, planning, and, well, how you want to try to 'stomach' owning such a vehicle.

I've parked my Leaf next to a Volt on several occasions. They were always on a Level 2 charger - oh, right, they don't have a DCFS port, sorry. But, they are still doable, for those wanting to learn that type of lifestyle. Having to still put 'gas' in it, though, seems to be an annoyance...

- until EASY everyday charging options, at home, are available to the public in general, no matter WHERE you live, you won't have the public's true attention. Until every parking spot at every apartment complex has a level 2 outlet or charger, it is just too complicated of an issue for most to consider. Gas works just fine for them. They can park anywhere.

 

[FloridaMan655321]

When the RamEV was first announced, I planned on waiting 4-5 years and trading in the Lightning for it. It looked awesome and Dodge certainly knows how to create nice cabins. I just wanted to make sure it would be more reliable than their ICE engines have been for the last 20 or so years

 

[ClevelandBeemer]

For me, likely no. For those who two regularly, it’s certainly a compelling option. I wanted a 100% battery electric vehicle as I already have a PHEV. Im a big fan of several of the RAMs features, expecially the Klipsch sound system which I’m sure blows the 8 speaker B&O out of the water.

That said there are some big negatives. DCFC is slooowwwwwwww. 145kW max…… It’s also concerning that RAM is giving no indication how much range is coming purely from the range extender, just that it can charge at 130kW.

In a towing road trip, I wonder what it would be like. It seems like initially it should go 250 to 300 miles on a a full tank/charge. It’s after depleting the HVB that I’m curious about….

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