Stellantis Announced Ram Hydrogen Powered Vehicles to Start with US Commercial Consumers

Stellantis and its major automakers are slowly making the change to electric vehicles. The Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid was one of the first plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), followed by Jeep 4xe models like the Jeep Wrangler 4xe and Grand Cherokee 4xe. Soon, all-electric vehicles would be next, like the Ram 1500 REV and the recent debut of the Dodge Charger Daytona SRT battery-electric vehicle (BEV). There are also other kinds of alternative fuel and power sources automakers are experimenting with, like the Ram 1500 Ramcharger. Most notably, Ram Truck may be the first Stellantis automaker to produce hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, with reports of them being produced as early as next year (2025).

Back in 2023, Ram Truck announced four new models to be added to the lineup for the 2025 model year. In 2024, we got the Ram ProMaster electric cargo van and the premier of the 2025 Ram 1500 REV. It would seem all that’s left is the 1500 Ramcharger, also slated for a 2025 launch, and a supposed hydrogen fuel cell vehicle. The Ramcharger is in a class of its own, not quite an electric vehicle but not a plug-in hybrid vehicle, either.

Powered by an electric motor, the motor gets its power from a 92 kilowatt-hours (kWh) battery pack tied to an onboard 130 kW generator. The Ramcharger is able to generate 663 horsepower and over 615 lb-ft of torque, but here’s the kicker. The Ramcharger comes with an onboard generator that is recharged by a 3.6-liter V6 engine.

Now, the 3.6-liter V6 engine may raise some eyebrows, but none of the power generated is transmitted to the wheels. It all goes towards the generator that converts the power generated by the engine into electric power to charge the battery. With an all-electric range (AER) of 141 miles, it’s already pretty impressive. So, how can Ram Truck outdo the Ramcharger? Aside from a rumored mid-size pickup truck called the Ram 1200, hydrogen fuel is the next power source on the table.

Now, this wouldn’t be completely out of nowhere. Stellantis Pro One already has hydrogen fuel cell vehicles in Europe. The latest announcement, however, claims that Stellantis will begin offering hydrogen-powered versions of its biggest RAM Trucks in North America, most notably their commercial consumers, or those in the US. We don’t expect any Ram 1500 hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (HFCEV) anytime soon, though. The first Ram HFCEVs will be going on much larger commercial trucks, such as the Ram 5500, also known as the Ram chassis cab made to do some serious towing. The 5500 tradesman alone has a towing capacity of 18,860 when properly equipped, and a payload capacity of 11,010 when properly equipped.

For pure work trucks, it makes sense that Ram Truck would go bigger before it goes smaller. The first all-electric vehicle by Ram was the ProMaster. Only then was the 1500 REV unveiled. So, if the Ram 5500 HFCEV does well, we can expect a 1500 HFCEV in the coming years. After all, Stellantis announced a goal of 75 new electric vehicles by 2030 as a part of its Dare Forward 2030 business strategy. There is plenty of time between now and 2030 to see what happens with that.

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