Chrysler cancels Ram Hybrid, building 140 Ram plug-in hybrids as demo fleet

In 2008, Chrysler announced its intention to bring a Ram Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV) to the U.S. market. However, after much consideration and evaluating the response to hybrid pickups in the marketplace, Chrysler said it could not formulate an appropriate business case and has decided to cancel development work on the 2011 Ram HEV.

In the meantime, Chrysler said it will be building a total of 140 Ram plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) for a three-year demonstration project after being selected for a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) grant of up to $48 million as part of a $2.4 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act DOE Vehicle Electrification program.

“This initiative represents how government, automotive industry, suppliers and key partners are reaching common goals and demonstrates how rapidly this type of advanced technology can be brought to market,” said Paolo Ferrero, Senior Vice President””Powertrain, Chrysler Group LLC. “DOE-support for domestic advanced technology is an important enabler for Chrysler Group and its key suppliers in order to understand and test customer acceptance and the capability of PHEV systems in a variety of real-world conditions.”

The Ram PHEV is powered by a 5.7L V8 mated to a two-mode hybrid system and a 12 KwHr lithium-ion battery. Chrysler said that the Ram PHEV is capable of up to 20 miles of pure-electric driving and is expected to improve fuel-economy by more than 65 percent.

– By: Omar Rana