Cancelled Ram Plug-In Hybrid Seen in Testing in Death Valley

Chrysler announced last March that it had pulled the plug on retail plans for the 2011 Ram dual-mode hybrid.

But with help from a $48-million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, the automaker said it would build 140 RAM plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, or PHEVs.

That vehicle would use a 5.7-liter Hemi V8, the two-mode transmission and a 12 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery, they said.

The company estimated that the Ram PHEV would be able to run 20 miles on electric power alone and said that it would be distributed to utility companies, government agencies and universities.

You'll recall that Chrysler produced two-mode versions of the Aspen and Dodge Durango full-size sport-utility vehicles. They were available to the general public - for a very little while.

Spy photographers this week caught the vehicle being put through hot-weather testing in Death Valley. We thought you might like to see what the dead-on-arrival-for-retail Ram PHEV is looking like these days, seeing as your tax dollars contributed to it.

Note the plug socket is offset from the rear license plate.

Source: Green Car Advisor