Even though there are numerous electric vehicles capable of covering over 300 miles on a single charge, the issue of range anxiety continues to be a barrier to widespread adoption in the United States.
One interesting solution to address the concern of running out of power mid-journey is to include a charger within the vehicle. While traditional hybrid vehicles rely on gasoline engines as a back-up, a new category of vehicles uses an ICE motor solely to recharge a large onboard battery. This approach, while not the most efficient or cost-effective, could be a valuable short-term innovation.
Take the upcoming 2025 Ramcharger pickup, set to be released next year. This sizable truck will have a 92 kWh battery allowing for 145 miles of range, sufficient for the vast majority of daily drives. Additionally, it will feature a 6-cylinder engine that recharges the battery while driving, functioning as a mobile charging station at speeds up to 75 mph.
While a small, portable generator is far less efficient than a full-scale power plant—where less than a tenth of a gallon of natural gas is used per kilowatt-hour of electricity—the Ramcharger’s approach is not without merit. Once the battery is depleted, the truck will consume 27 gallons of gasoline to travel an additional 545 miles, translating to a modest 20 miles per gallon.
Despite this, the use of gasoline to extend the range of EVs might be a more environmentally friendly option than it appears. Many Americans overestimate their driving needs and underestimate the growth in charging infrastructure. Once the gas engine activates, the Ram trucks will not be as efficient as their traditional combustion-engine counterparts—indeed, they will be less efficient—but they will rarely use gasoline because most people drive far less than 145 miles a day.
Furthermore, the production of large batteries, particularly the mining of their constituent metals, is the most carbon-intensive part of making an EV. Battery-powered vehicles are still significantly cleaner than internal combustion engines, often reaching a break-even point in emissions within two years. But a smaller battery, as found in the Ramcharger, reduces the initial carbon footprint.
At 92 kWh, the Ram’s battery is less than half the size of that in the GMC Hummer EV. The Ram battery is estimated to cost around $16,000 less than the Hummer’s, which costs about $139 per kWh.
Stellantis (RAM) is betting that this approach will attract a broad audience by making electrification more affordable.
Ultimately, range extenders may only be a temporary solution on the road to electrification. For now however, they may fill a useful niche as the market and consumers evolve.
