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Dodge Ram Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle

Two-mode Hybrid Transmission
Two-mode Hybrid Transmission



Dodge Ram Hybrid

Dodge Ram Hybrid Update
Chrysler to build 140 plug-in hybrid Ram trucks for a demonstration project, but scraps plans for the 2011 Ram Hybrid truck

March 22, 2010

Chrysler also announced that it will not continue development of the 2011 Ram hybrid truck it had originally announced in 2008. Production of the conventional hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) was scheduled to begin later this year, but has been cancelled due to low demand for hybrid pickups in the marketplace.

All is not lost however, as Chrysler plans to use the hybrid technology to build a test fleet of a plug-in hybrid Dodge Ram pickups as part of a new three-year study. The project is being funded by a $48 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. The money comes from the $2.4 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act DOE Vehicle Electrification program.

The Ram plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) are powered by the 5.7-liter HEMI V-8 combined with a two-mode hybrid transmission. Power is stored in a 12 kilowatt-hour lithium ion battery supplied by Electrovaya Inc. The truck can travel up to 20 miles on zero-emission electric power from the battery alone. In average use when a combination of gasoline and electric power is sued, an average fuel economy improvement of 65 percent is expexted.

A total of 140 plug-in hybrid trucks will be built and tested by 21 different partners in various locations throughout the United States. Various government agencies, utility companies and Universities will test the vehicles and provide feedback to Chrysler. According to Paolo Ferrero, Senior Vice President of Powertrain for Chrysler, the proejct will help "understand and test customer acceptance and the capability of PHEV systems in a variety of real-world conditions."

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