Review: 2012 Ram 2500 Heavy Duty CNG

While I prefer to write about my guilty pleasure, hot hatchbacks, I’m a truck guy.  I popped my truck cherry with a ’97 GMC Sierra short bed.  I added exhaust, tires, and completed numerous doughnuts.  I once got lost in the Rocky Mountains, missed my turn, and drifted my way through a gravel parking lot in that truck.  I miss her.

I moved from the Sierra to an ’04 Jeep Wrangler (the truck equivalent of a convertible) while I lived in FL, drove an ‘05 V8 Tundra for the life of that lease, and have finally settled with the truck version of the minivan; a GMC Yukon XL Denali.

Despite this inner “truck guy”, I recycle, wear bamboo clothes, try not to fart too much, eat cows to help eliminate methane gas, and genuinely love the environment.  I don’t know where the truck guy comes from…  Maybe the truck guy is my dark side?  I need more metachlorians (if you get this reference, we can be friends.).

Well, I’ve found myself in a truck that erases (or at least eases) the guilt of driving a big gas guzzler; the 2012 Ram 2500 Heavy Duty CNG Crew Cab. The name is a mouthful, but for a massively large truck, it isn’t a handful.  The Ram has Hemi power, burns natural gas, only costs $25 to fill the CNG tanks, and could flatten most family sedans without batting an eye.  It’s a set of 36’s away from being a Monster Truck. So here are the basic stats.

Base Price: $32,400
As Driven: $57,342
Engine:  5.7L Hemi V8 CNG, 383 horsepower & 400 ft-lb of torque
Transmission: 6-Speed Automatic
Wheelbase: 169.4 inches
Curb Weight: 5,995 lbs.
MPG rating: < 13 city/< 19 highway (This is a guess because no one has published the Ram 2500 mpg rating and it isn’t on the sticker).

With that, on to the review.

Interior:

The interior of the Ram is styled as a work truck: utilitarian and functional.  The plastics feel rugged and not cheap.  Everything feels like it was designed to be abused.  It could be the perfect vehicle for my two boys.  We treat everything rough, but the Ram handled them with ease. There is plenty of room in the 2500.  It has seating for six in the crew cab; three seat belts on the front bench and space for three more passengers in the back.  It is quite roomy, rear legroom is 42.9 inches.  Both of my boys’ car seats fit well in the back and left enough room between their legs and the driver’s seat to allow an adult to slide past them to sit comfortably in between.  Remember comfort is relative.  A sardine would find the fit in the rear middle seat incredibly relaxing, while a Bentley Mulsanne* owner would be offended that they might have to come into contact with another human in the back.

With the bench seat in the front you have the option of having your wife/girlfriend/mistress/hooker sit closer to you.  Antics could ensue…  Or you could use it like we did and just stash some of the shopping from the local bulk store between my wife and I.  When you lift the center armrest/console, there is a ton of room up front.  I eventually curled all 6’4” of me into the front bench for a refreshing nap, while my wife finished up shopping on Black Friday.  It was quite lovely.

There are storage compartments everywhere.  The center console, under the front middle seat, on the floor in front of the rear side passengers, all four doors have storage cubbies, two glove compartments up front, and there’s also half a long bed open for storage in the back.  Human traffickers could increase their profits by at least three to four people per trip using the interior storage of this truck.

Exterior:

Ride height is very noticeable.  You must add the side step bars as a very necessary option.  If not, no one will ever ride with you.  The 2500 has amazing ground clearance and was taller than almost everything on the road.  The only vehicles larger were dump trucks and semis.  I did not fear any deer in this truck.  If I would’ve hit a deer with the Ram, there might have been a slight tremor, but I wouldn’t expect anything else.  While all other vehicles experience deer through the windshields; 98.4% of the carcass would be deflected under the truck.

This truck is long.  The reason is the crew cab and the 8 foot bed (half is taken up by CNG tanks) on the back.  While driving the Ram east, it feels like the cab is in the Central time zone, but the bed is back in the Mountain time zone.  It’s a very long truck.  It doesn’t drive like a long truck though.  The Ram handled well.  It was easy to navigate in traffic, but I wouldn’t want to try and win a race in it.  A calm, relaxed driving style is needed to navigate it through traffic easily.

The side mirrors are the size of decent TV’s.   Part of the mirror is a regular rear view mirror and the outside three inches are blind spot mirrors.  Both provided a ton of visibility to aid in lane changes and reversing the truck.  The right side mirror does not have the “objects are closer than they appear” warning on it.  The warning isn’t there for a very good reason.  Ram, Dodge, or maybe the Italians from Fiat have worked some kind of dark magic on the mirror (or Science) that makes the image look bigger than reality.

Tech:

The tech in the 2500 Heavy Duty is understated. You don’t notice the tech immediately because of the casual utilitarian look of the interior.  The Ram does have a 6 inch touch screen with the infotainment system in the middle of the dash.  It does have satellite radio, a CD player, an auxiliary input, 2 USB jacks, a 110 Volt electrical outlet with a ground, and AM/FM radio.  Navigation is included in the infotainment package.  The navigation is powered by Garmin and very easy to use.  Small Garmin GPS units are so prevalent that having the same software in Dodges makes the factory Nav very easy to use. The backup camera was very helpful in navigating “Black Friday” parking lots.  Using the camera, I exercised an amazing amount of patience and generosity.  I didn’t run over or bump anyone’s cars, even though the rage monster inside wanted to…

The instrument cluster is easy to read.  The dual fuel gauges for the unleaded and CNG fuel are front and center over the information center.  There is a lack of information in the information center, so it’s more of just a center.  There are two trip computers and an odometer.  There isn’t a current or average mpg meter anywhere that I could find.  I even had to RTFM (that’s “Read the F-ing Manual for the uninitiated.)!

Nothing anywhere on a mpg meter.  The only way I know my average for the CNG is because I reset the trip computer, filled the tanks, and did some Math.  You do get tire pressures, transmission temperature, and other fun statistics for when you’re pulling a heavy load.  Hehe, load.  I like Ford’s cluster better than the Ram’s.  Ford’s has high-res graphics, displays, mpg meters, trip computers, vehicle diagnostics, etc.  I haven’t seen GM’s cluster in their heavy duty trucks.

Performance:

The performance of the Ram 2500 HD CNG varies.  It really depends which fuel you are using.  Other than that I had zero issues with the performance for the Ram.  It was assertive, but not overly aggressive.  Poised, but not flashy and I only hit one curb with it over the whole week.

The 5.7L Hemi V8 makes 383 horsepower and 400 ft-lb of torque.  That’s a lot, but the 2500 weighs as much as a small whale.  The mpg numbers are also harder to find for the Ram.  The Hemi V8 is listed at achieving 14 city and 20 highway, but that’s in the 1500 4×2 regular cab.  The 4×4 version achieves 13 city and 19 highway.  The 2500 is probably averaging close to the 4×4 numbers.  No one lists mpg numbers for the 2500…  No one.  Not even Dodge, Ram, Fiat, Jeep, or Chrysler.

The 5.7L Hemi V8 that I drove was actually an upgraded option.  The 5.7L V8 does come standard with the 2500 Heavy Duty, but my tester had the $11,000 optional 5.7L Hemi V8 with CNG compatibility.  There are twin 3600psi CNG tanks in the bed behind the cab.  I drove on Compressed Natural Gas for a couple days before having to refill the tanks.  There is only one CNG station in the Kansas City area.  One.  Talk about a monopoly…  I paid $1.69 a gallon to fill the CNG tanks.  I put in 14.36 gallons of CNG for a total of $24.41.  I drove 180 miles on the first tank of CNG and drove about 195 miles on the second. There is also an optional 35 gallon regular unleaded fuel tank.  The standard regular unleaded tank is only 8 gallons.  This is an option that you must check.  With CNG stations so spread out and only eight gallons, you’d be lucky to travel more than 350 miles between the two fuel types.

Now for some Math.  With a 35 gallon tank and an average of 19mpg on the highway, that’s a range of 665 miles.  At $3.19 a gallon (the price I drove past this morning in KC), that’s $111.65 for a full tank.  I bought CNG for $1.69 a gallon for a total of $25 and traveled an average distance of 185 miles (combine city and highway) for a full tank.  That’s four fill-ups with CNG to get to same amount of money spent as the regular unleaded and a distance traveled of 740 miles.

That’s 80 more miles on CNG, and I saved $11.65.  Factor in about 4 more gallons of regular petrol to close the distance gap, and the cost difference-per-tank of fuel becomes about $24.50.  If you were to run only CNG, it would take approximately 450 fill-ups to make up for the $11,000 price difference. Yet unlike EVs, CNG vehicles have a wider appeal, though acceptance is still taking some time.

Overall, I liked the Ram 2500 Heavy Duty CNG.  It’s got a long name, and that’s fitting on a truck that feels like it is a thousand feet long.  The CNG is a very good option, albeit an expensive one that could take the entire life of the vehicle to repay.  As it becomes more readily available and the technology refines itself, we should see more of these vehicles.  The CNG does require you to fill up more frequently, but you’re still saving money.  It just matters how much your time is worth.

Source: Gas2.0

Fiat-Chrysler CEO: CNG Will Set U.S. Free

While America’s energy policy hangs in the balance, one thing both Democrats and Republicans agree on is the exploitation of America’s vast natural gas reserves. According to Fiat-Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne, if the United States full-on embraces CNG as a transportation fuel, we could reduce emissions and eliminate our reliance on foreign oil in just a few years time.

Marchionne’s exact quote was this;

A rapid adoption of CNG as a fuel source for automotive applications would almost instantly kill the reliance on foreign oil, and it would bring about a substantial reduction in emissions. Those are opportunities that need to be grabbed and they need to be industrialized. Especially with large vehicles like pickups and large SUVs, we could probably accommodate the installation of CNG tanks within the next 24 to 36 months.

It is worth pointing out that Marchionne’s Fiat is the largest seller of CNG vehicles in Europe, and that Chrysler’s Ram brand has just started production of CNG-powered heavy-duty pickups. So the guy has a horse in the game. On the same token, CNG is probably America’s best hope for cutting off foriegn oil imports.

New drilling methods, including the controversial practice of fracking, mean that energy suppliers can now exploit massive deposits of natural gas. There is enough natural gas to power America for decades, if not longer, yet the engine technology and infrastructure still hasn’t caught on in this country.

And it won’t catch on without a helpful nudge from the government. Human beings have a hard time embracing change, and as long as gasoline remains at a “reasonable” price level, Americans will continue to fill up on foreign oil. Right now the only CNG passenger car on the U.S. market, the Honda Civic NGV, is being sold with a $3,000 fuel card just to get customers in the seat.

For what it’s worth, Marchionne also noted that Big Oil is the largest obstacle to the acceptence of alternative fuels. Yup, this car guy gets it.

Source: The Truth About Cars

Chrysler Ceases Testing 37 MPG Plug-In Hybrid Pickups Over Battery Woes

The holy grail of hybrid technology isn’t the 100 mpg car; it’s the 50 mpg pickup. Because pickup trucks are the #1 selling vehicle in America, as well as some of the least fuel efficient, applying hybrid technology to trucks could drastically cut our nation’s fuel consumption.

But creating a hybrid pickup is harder than it looks. Chrysler has just stopped testing a fleet of plug-in hybrid pickups due to overheating battery woes. But don’t count them out yet, because there is real potential here.

At issue are the 12.9 kWh battery packs on three of the test pickups, which were damaged due to overheating. While no such issues were recorded in the 23 hybrid minivans or the other 106 hybrid pickups Chrysler is also testing, the Pentastar would rather be safe than sorry, and is replacing all of the battery packs. The packs came from a small electric battery maker named Electrovaya.

If you recall, the Chrysler hybrid pickups have been in developmental hell for some time. Chrysler began testing a small fleet of plug-in hybrid pickups and minivans last year as part of a government project, though they have not announced any plans for public sales. Yet on the same token, the potential for hybrid pickups is huge. Even with Chrysler’s efforts to build a 25 mpg Ram pickup, a well-done hybrid drivetrain could increase fuel economy even further.

The key though is to increase fuel economy without reducing the ruggedness that American trucks are known for. More like than not, the overheating battery issues came from the trucks being pushed hard, as truck drivers are wont to do. Even so, Chrysler reported that the fleet had collectively racked up over 1.3 million miles. Even better, the hybrid pickups were averaging over 37 mpg. The hybrid minivans? Over 55 mpg, and testing isn’t slated to end until 2014. Damn Skippy!

If Chrysler can figure out the battery woes, and actually deliver a plug-in hybrid pickup at a reasonable price, they could really shake up the truck market. But at least one Detroit competitor is working on a plug-in hybrid pickup of their own, and there is always the DIY crowd to look out for as well. Whoever can be first to claim the Pickup MPG Crown will have a huge advantage in the years to come.

Source: Green Car Reports

2013 Ram 1500 Gets 8-Speed Auto, Start/Stop Tech

American automakers are facing a do-or-die moment in regards to fuel economy. Heavily reliant on gas-guzzling trucks and SUV’s, Ford, Chrysler, and GM have got to figure out a way to make their number-one sellers suck down less gas. While Ford bets on EcoBoost and GM focuses on weight savings, Chrysler has announced that for 2013, the Dodge Ram will get start-stop engine technology and an 8-speed automatic transmission that could help raise highway fuel economy to 24 mpg.

Chrysler is implementing an 8-speed automatic across much of its lineup, with impressive results in terms of fuel economy. When combined with the new Pentastar V6 in the Chrysler 300/Dodge Charger, the 8-speed auto can deliver up to 31 mpg on the highway in a full-size sedan. Not too shabby.

Now Chrysler plans on implementing that same engine/transmission combo (though tuned for truck duty, rather than cruising) in the Ram 1500. The 3.6 liter V6 will deliver 305 horsepower and 269 ft-lbs of torque, matching other V6 competitors in the full-size truck market. But the Pentastar V6 will be the only one available with start-stop technology, and it will also include active grille shutters and an air-ride suspension that lowers the pickup at highway speeds, reducing drag. There are other aero enhancements done as well which, when combined with the 8-speed auto, Chrysler promises will deliver fuel economy gains of at least 20%. That would put the V6 engine at around 17 mpg city and 24 mpg on the highway. A 24 mpg, gasoline-powered full-size truck? Who would have thought.

Granted, the Ram 1500’s Pentastar V6 lacks the 420 ft-lbs of torque found in Ford’s EcoBoost V6 F-150…but it will also probably cost a lot less too. Detroit has mostly given up on the mid-size truck market, what with vehicles like the Ford Ranger and Dodge Dakota recently ceasing production (though the Chevy Colorado soldiers on, and will in fact get a sexy replacement next year). But if they can bring the fuel economy of full-size trucks on par with those of full-size sedans, there will be a lot of happy small-business owners. So what is it going to take to combine the V6 with some natural gas technology?

Source: Gas2.0

Ram to Build North America's Only OEM Compressed Natural Gas-powered Pickup

PRESS RELEASE

Today, Ram Truck announced it will become the only manufacturer in North America to offer a factory-built compressed natural gas-powered (CNG) pickup truck.

The Ram 2500 Heavy Duty CNG pickup is designed for fleet and commercial customers and offers cost and emissions benefits, using an abundant, domestically sourced fuel while reducing America's dependence on foreign oil.

"Commercial customers are extremely important to Ram Truck," said Fred Diaz, Ram Truck President and CEO Ram Truck Brand and Chrysler de Mexico – Chrysler Group LLC. "Adding a hard-working, fully capable CNG-powered truck to the Ram lineup makes a lot of sense – both economically and environmentally."

"Our commercial fleet customers have been asking us to build a CNG powered Ram," said Peter Grady, Vice President, Network Development and Fleet – Chrysler Group LLC. "These fleets have already developed their own fleet fueling infrastructure for CNG, and are strong proponents of the technology."

Bi-fuel
The Ram HD CNG is powered by the 5.7-liter HEMI® V-8 and features both compressed gas storage tanks and an 8-gallon gasoline fuel tank. Canadian customers can opt for a 35-gallon gasoline tank.

"Compressed natural gas is a widely accepted fuel in the U.S., Europe and Asia," said Robert E. (Bob) Lee, Vice President and Head of Engine and Electrified Propulsion Engineering -- Chrysler Group LLC. "As a fuel, CNG is readily available, well-suited to run in our 5.7-liter HEMI engine and is clean-burning with a low environmental impact. In fact, CNG demonstrates a reduction of 70 to 90 percent of smog-producing pollutants and significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions."

The Ram's 5.7-liter HEMI bi-fuel engine has been modified to run on compressed natural gas as well as gasoline. Redesigned cylinder heads with specifically designed CNG compatible valves and valve-seat materials allow the engine to burn both fuels. It also gets a second, CNG-specific fuel rail and set of injectors. New spark plugs improve combustion and durability, and a new powertrain control module allows the HEMI to seamlessly operate on either of the two fuel sources.

The Ram 2500 CNG system was fully engineered and tested by Chrysler Group and assembled at the company's Heavy Duty truck plant in Saltillo, Mexico.

In use, the system is automatic; eliminating operator switches altogether and utilizes either CNG or gasoline, transitioning from one to the other with little discernible difference in operation or capability.

Although a small amount of gasoline is used during engine startup, the Ram CNG runs exclusively on compressed natural gas. If the CNG tanks are emptied, the vehicle will automatically switch to gasoline.

In addition to a conventional gasoline fuel gauge, a second CNG-specific gauge sits adjacent to it in the instrument cluster.

CNG-only range is estimated to be 255 miles, while the backup supply of gasoline extends the range to 367 total miles.

The Ram 2500 Heavy Duty CNG's two ultra-strong 4.6 cu.-ft. (130-liter) CNG tanks are located in the forward portion of the Ram's 8-foot pickup bed. Both tanks are mounted to the frame and covered by a painted 50 ksi high-strength steel cover. The CNG filler connection is located next to the gasoline fuel neck, accessed through the Ram's fuel filler door.

The CNG tanks provide a gasoline gallon equivalent (GGE) of 18.2 gallons.

GGEs are calculated as having the same energy equivalent as one gallon of gasoline. CNG sold at filling stations in the U.S. is priced in dollars per GGE. A gasoline gallon equivalent of CNG is approximately 14.5 liters at 3600 psi.

At current prices, which are generally $1.25 less than the gallon equivalent of gasoline, CNG promises significant cost savings over the life of the truck.

Capability
The Ram 2500 CNG retains its heavy-duty capability: competent towing, payload hauling and outstanding acceleration for highway merging and passing.

Ram 2500 CNG offers 1,580 lbs. of payload, 4-ft.-8-in. usable bed length and 7,650 lbs. of towing capability.

The Ram 2500 is delivered ready-to-tow and standard equipment includes the integrated 4- and 7-pin connectors along with a Class IV hitch receiver. The Ram CNG also comes with a trailer brake controller with customer-programmable electric or electric-over-hydraulic trailer brake options.

Like every Ram 2500 Heavy Duty model, the 2012 Ram CNG's brake system reflects distinctive advantages, with huge, oversize 14-inch rotors and calipers to match. Front GAWR is rated up to 5,200 lbs. - ideal for northern climates requiring snow plow attachments.

Clean Energy
Natural gas is found abundantly in North America and is a common fuel source for large vehicle fleets.

CNG comes primarily from underground sources in the U.S. and Canada. It is plentiful and offers lower tailpipe greenhouse gas emissions than gasoline or diesel fuel. In fact, CNG vehicles emit 20 percent less CO2 than gasoline vehicles – and benefit the environment not only by lowering tailpipe emissions, but also generating fewer greenhouse gasses in fuel production, as well. Also, dedicated NGVs produce, on average, 70 percent less carbon monoxide, 87 percent less non-methane organic gas and 87 percent less NOx than traditional gasoline powered vehicles.

CNG is a mature technology that's available at a lower cost than other alternative fuels. It's further supported by positive consumer attitudes regarding green products and favorable governmental regulations and policy initiatives.

CNG technology is a viable near-term option to lessen transportation system dependence on crude oil.

Fleet Solutions
Fleet operators have a number of fueling choices.

There are approximately 1,500 CNG fueling locations across the U.S., half of which are accessible to the public. CNG producers are working aggressively to bring more on line every day.

"This technology is ready now and offers a viable solution along with number one fleet 'reason to buy' which is lower total cost of ownership," added Grady. "Delivering a factory-built Ram 2500 CNG underscores the importance of commercial and fleet customers to Ram Truck Brand."

In addition, large fleet operations frequently install both quick-fill and slow-fill CNG fueling stations. In addition, the Ram CNG's bi-fuel capability allows it to operate on gasoline indefinitely, until CNG can be added.

Ram executives expect customers for the new Ram 2500 HD CNG to include telecommunications companies, public utilities, natural gas production firms and government agencies.

Expanded CNG vehicle offerings and wider adoption of CNG as a primary fuel are expected to serve as a catalyst for expanded CNG product offerings and greater investment in CNG fueling infrastructure.

5-year/100,000-mile Warranty
A 5-year/100,000-mile powertrain limited warranty covers the HEMI V-8 and transmission, and adds internal engine components specific to CNG: the upgraded valves, the valve seats, fuel injectors and rail and the specially designed spark plugs - all part of the factory installed manufacturing and production processes.

Covering virtually every other aspect of the Ram 2500 CNG is a 3-year/36,000-mile bumper-to-bumper limited warranty. Specific to the CNG engineering, this covers all non-engine components, including the tanks, storage compartment and fuel filler equipment.

Fiat and CNG
Fiat is by far the dominant CNG manufacturer in Europe with a greater than 80 percent share of the market. Fiat sales of compressed natural gas vehicles in Europe have exceeded 480,000 passenger cars and light duty vehicles (1997-2011).

Moreover, since 1995, Iveco (Fiat Industrial's truck and commercial vehicles division) has focused heavily on natural gas propulsion, and is now European leader in research and sale of natural gas vehicles, with 11,000 units now in use by private companies and public authorities.

Italy has more widely adopted CNG vehicles than the U.S. and offers 800 public CNG stations.

(For further information: www.fiatspa.com and www.fiatindustrial.com.)

Facts about Natural Gas Vehicles

* There are about 150,000 Natural Gas Vehicles (NGVs) on U.S. roads and more than 13 million worldwide
* The U.S. ranks 14th in the world for NGVs, with less than 1 percent
* The International Association of Natural Gas Vehicles estimates that there will be more than 50 million natural gas vehicles worldwide within the next 10 years, or about 9 percent of the world transportation fleets
* While the United States imports more than 60 percent of the oil it uses, 98 percent of the natural gas used in the U.S. was produced in North America
* NGVs can be refueled from existing natural gas lines. This makes home refueling stations that utilize such lines possible

Availability
The company is currently taking fleet orders and expects to deliver the first vehicles in July 2012.

The Ram 2500 CNG is available exclusively as a Crew Cab 4x4 model with 169-inch wheelbase, in either an ST or SLT trim level.

Pricing starts at $47,500, including $995 destination charge.

About BusinessLink™
BusinessLink is a free program that connects business owners with a network of Chrysler Group dealers that are specially equipped to work with small businesses. Nationwide, Chrysler Group's 489 BusinessLink dealers offer the convenience of one-stop sales and service essential to help commercial/small businesses stay on the road to profitability. Business owners may access this free membership program with proof of business ownership at any BusinessLink dealer. Benefits include no dues or fees, specialized in-dealership commercial/small business sales and service personnel, extended service and repair hours, priority next-available-bay service, free shuttle service, 24/7 towing service, free loaners for select vehicles, expertise in commercial financing options and unique business variable incentives.

Find a local BusinessLink dealer at (877) 2THELINK or on the web at www.chryslerbusinesslink.com.

About "On The Job"
Chrysler Group's "On The Job' vehicle program provides commercial/small business owners a variety of incentives and discounts to assist them in purchasing, servicing and customizing vehicles to specifically address their unique professional needs. Custom upfit allowances, service contracts, Mopar® certificates, and cash allowances are just a few of the stackable incentives that business owners can utilize at any of Chrysler Group's 2,317 dealerships. Business owners may take advantage of these incentives in addition to existing BusinessLink or retail specials. Most Chrysler Group vehicles qualify for On The Job program advantages when the vehicle is purchased for business use.

For On The Job program information, call (877) ONTHEJOB or click on www.dodge.com/en/commercial/programs_discounts/.

About Ram Truck Brand
The Ram Truck brand continues to establish its own identity and clearly define its customer since its launch as the newest Chrysler Group LLC vehicle brand. Creating a stand-alone brand for Ram trucks has allowed the brand to concentrate on how core customers use their trucks and what new features they'd like to see. Whether focusing on a family that uses its half-ton truck day in and day out, a hard-working Ram Heavy Duty owner or a business that depends on its commercial vehicles every day, Ram has the truck market covered.

Ram Truck to offer factory-built CNG pickup

Chrysler’s Ram Truck will offer a factory-built compressed natural gas-powered (CNG) pickup truck—the only manufacturer in North America to do so. The Ram 2500 Heavy Duty CNG pickup is powered by the 5.7-liter HEMI V-8 and features both compressed gas storage tanks and an 8-gallon gasoline fuel tank. The truck is designed for fleet and commercial customers.

The Ram’s 5.7-liter HEMI bi-fuel engine has been modified to run on compressed natural gas as well as gasoline. Redesigned cylinder heads with specifically designed CNG compatible valves and valve-seat materials allow the engine to burn both fuels. It also gets a second, CNG-specific fuel rail and set of injectors. New spark plugs improve combustion and durability, and a new powertrain control module allows the HEMI to seamlessly operate on either of the two fuel sources.

The Ram 2500 CNG system was fully engineered and tested by Chrysler Group and assembled at the company’s Heavy Duty truck plant in Saltillo, Mexico.

In use, the system is automatic; eliminating operator switches altogether and utilizes either CNG or gasoline, transitioning from one to the other with little discernible difference in operation or capability.

Although a small amount of gasoline is used during engine startup, the Ram CNG runs exclusively on compressed natural gas. If the CNG tanks are emptied, the vehicle will automatically switch to gasoline.

In addition to a conventional gasoline fuel gauge, a second CNG-specific gauge sits adjacent to it in the instrument cluster.

CNG-only range is estimated to be 255 miles, while the backup supply of gasoline extends the range to 367 total miles.

The Ram 2500 Heavy Duty CNG’s two 4.6 cu.-ft. (130-liter) CNG tanks are located in the forward portion of the Ram’s 8-foot pickup bed. Both tanks are mounted to the frame and covered by a painted 50 ksi high-strength steel cover. The CNG filler connection is located next to the gasoline fuel neck, accessed through the Ram’s fuel filler door. The CNG tanks provide a gasoline gallon equivalent (GGE) of 18.2 gallons.

Ram 2500 CNG offers 1,580 lbs. of payload, 4-ft.-8-in. usable bed length and 7,650 lbs. of towing capability. The Ram 2500 is delivered ready-to-tow and standard equipment includes the integrated 4- and 7-pin connectors along with a Class IV hitch receiver. The Ram CNG also comes with a trailer brake controller with customer-programmable electric or electric-over-hydraulic trailer brake options.

A 5-year/100,000-mile powertrain limited warranty covers the HEMI V-8 and transmission, and adds internal engine components specific to CNG: the upgraded valves, the valve seats, fuel injectors and rail and the specially designed spark plugs—all part of the factory installed manufacturing and production processes.

Covering virtually every other aspect of the Ram 2500 CNG is a 3-year/36,000-mile bumper-to-bumper limited warranty. Specific to the CNG engineering, this covers all non-engine components, including the tanks, storage compartment and fuel filler equipment.

Chrysler parent Fiat is the dominant CNG manufacturer in Europe with a greater than 80% share of the market. Fiat sales of compressed natural gas vehicles in Europe have exceeded 480,000 passenger cars and light duty vehicles (1997-2011).

Moreover, since 1995, Iveco (Fiat Industrial’s truck and commercial vehicles division) has focused heavily on natural gas propulsion, and is now European leader in research and sale of natural gas vehicles, with 11,000 units now in use by private companies and public authorities.

Italy has more widely adopted CNG vehicles than the US and offers 800 public CNG stations.

Source: Green Car Congress

Chrysler Group LLC Providing DTE Energy with Test Fleet of 10 PHEV Ram 1500 Pickup Trucks

PRESS RELEASE

• Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) will be supplied to DTE Energy as part of a demonstration project by Chrysler Group LLC
• Real world city miles to be accumulated on demonstration vehicles over the next three years
• Fleet of vehicles developed in partnership with U.S. Department of Energy
• Ram 1500 plug-in electric hybrid test trucks will be used to evaluate city drive cycles, charging performance, fuel economy and real-world performance

December 15, 2011 , Auburn Hills, Mich. - Chrysler Group LLC, working in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), will deliver 10 demonstration fleet Ram 1500 plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) pickup trucks to DTE Energy of Detroit.

The PHEV Ram 1500 pickups, delivered by Abdullah Bazzi, senior manager of the Chrysler Group's advanced hybrid vehicle project, are part of a national demonstration fleet of 140 vehicles that will be used during the next three years to evaluate customer usage, drive cycles, charging, thermal management, fuel economy, emissions and impact on the region's electric grid. In addition to DTE Energy of Detroit, more than 100 vehicles have been delivered to 16 different cities in the past six months.

"Cities have been carefully selected to help the Chrysler Group LLC collect a wide range of data," explained Abdullah Bazzi, senior manager of Chrysler's advanced hybrid vehicle project. "Working with a local energy partner like DTE that is in our backyard offers a great combination of suburban and rural driving, as well as ever-changing Michigan weather, is ideal as a test cycle for these vehicles. The constant charging will allow us to measure the impact on battery life and charging efficiency."

Chrysler Group LLC began delivering Ram 1500 PHEV trucks to the city of Yuma, Ariz., in May, 2011 to take full advantage of hot weather and conduct thermal testing in the desert southwest. Other cities that have received the demonstration Ram 1500 pickups include San Francisco and Sacramento, Calif., Charlotte, N.C., Boston, Mass., and Albany, N.Y. Just recently, the New York Police Department also took delivery of five PHEV Ram 1500 PHEV trucks.

"The trucks will provide us with a glimpse of what kind of fuel savings cans be afforded with PHEV technologies so we can, at some point, make our truck fleet more environmentally friendly," said Trevor Lauer, DTE Energy vice president Marketing and Renewables. "We'll be using the trucks at our service centers and in the field at our renewable energy facilities."

Strictly a demonstration program, there are no plans for a production version of the PHEV Ram 1500 trucks at this time.
Cities and states were selected to evaluate temperature extremes, urban traffic cycles and diverse climates and geographies.
The Ram 1500 PHEV includes a liquid-cooled 12.9kWhr lithium ion battery pack and a 6.6 kilowatt (kW) on-board charger. Additional features include AC power generation of up to 6.6kW; directional charging; reverse power flow and full regenerative braking used to capture more energy. For fuel economy improvements, the front axle of the four-wheel-drive automatic transmission can be disconnected when not needed. The powertrain also includes a 5.7-liter HEMI V-8 engine and a two-mode hybrid transmission. The 5.7-liter Hemi is equipped with a Fuel Saver technology that improves fuel efficiency at highway speeds by shutting down fuel delivery to up to four cylinders.

The battery pack is located under the second-row seat of the pickup and is liquid cooled to help maintain a consistent battery temperature. For on-the-job electrical power tools, a 240 volt/30 amp four-prong outlet and 120volt/20amp duplex outlet power strip is located in the rear box.

Urban use will be tracked to measure battery performance and overall hybrid efficiency with the demonstration fleet of pickups. Other uses include military bases where vehicles will be able to provide power back to the electric grid in what is termed "reverse power flow" of up to 6.6kW.

Funding for the program in part is provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 through the Transportation Electrification Initiative sponsored by the DOE. The grant, totaling $48 million from DOE and $49.4 million from Chrysler Group LLC, was designed to develop vehicles that will be cost efficient for consumers, satisfy safety concerns of daily travel without recharging and help reduce dependence on foreign oil.

The Chrysler Group LLC also is developing a similar fleet of 25 Town & Country minivans with plug-in hybrid technology for demonstration and evaluation that will be allocated to select cities next year.

20 plug-in hybrid Ram trucks to be deployed by month's end

As scheduled, Chrysler says that it will deploy 20 plug-in hybrid Ram trucks by month's end, with ten headed to Clark County, Nevada and ten shipping out to Yuma, Arizona.

During his presentation at the U.S. Department of Energy 2011 Merit Review in Washington, D.C., Chrysler's Abdullah Bazzi described the Ram as a blended plug-in hybrid, saying that it doesn't run exclusively on electric power during its charge-depletion period. Chrysler claims that the Ram plug-in has an equivalent electric-only range of more than 20 miles and a fuel economy rating that exceeds 32 miles per gallon in charge-depleting mode. The plug-in Ram comes packing a 5.7-liter Hemi V8 gasoline engine, a two-mode hybrid transmission, a 12.9 kWh battery pack and a 6.6 kilowatt charger.

The Ram plug-in project is a $97.4-million effort. Partial funding for the Ram comes from a $48-million grant from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act DOE Vehicle Electrification Program and a $5-million grant from the Canadian government. The government monies, along with cash from Chrysler, will be combined to eventually field a test fleet of 140 plug-in trucks.



Source: Autoblog Green

Electovaya Chosen to Supply Lithium Ion Batteries to "Major North American Automotive" OEM

Electrovaya Inc. said that it has been chosen by a “major North American automotive OEM” to supply battery packs for its second plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) platform, and delivery has commenced.

Electrovaya is already delivering battery systems for the Chrysler LLC Ram PHEV vehicle program.

We are extremely pleased to be supplying lithium Ion SuperPolymer based battery packs to this second major PHEV automotive platform which has global recognition. This development is a significant breakthrough in the company’s goal of becoming the major battery supplier for the electric automotive marketplace.

—Dr. Sankar DasGupta, CEO Electrovaya

Is There A Dodge Ram CNG In The Future?

Chrysler Group LLC, the U.S. automaker operated by Fiat SpA, is exploring the possibility of adding compressed natural-gas powered engines to its Ram truck brand, a top executive said.

“I’m eager and very interested to see what we can do with CNG in our truck applications,” Fred Diaz, head of the Ram brand, said yesterday in an interview at the Chicago Auto Show.

Fiat, which holds a 25 percent stake in Chrysler, is the market leader in Europe for engines using compressed natural gas, or CNG. It has an 80 percent share of CNG-powered cars and 55 percent of light commercial vehicles. Sergio Marchionne, chief executive officer of both automakers, has said natural-gas engines are an attractive way to cut emissions because they’re cheaper than competing technologies.

“If that becomes the new in-thing for alternative fuel going forward, we’re going to be miles ahead of the competition,” Diaz said. The U.S. became the world’s largest producer of natural gas in 2009.

Ram may experiment with vehicles sold to fleet customers, which would have their own fueling station, Diaz said. He declined to give a time line or specify which Ram models might get the new engine.

A lack of fueling stations in the U.S. limits the market to fleet vehicles in the near term, Phil Gott, an IHS Automotive analyst in Lexington, Massachusetts, said in a telephone interview last month.

The U.S. ranks 14th globally in sales of natural gas vehicles and Italy is sixth, according to the International Association for Natural Gas Vehicles. Pakistan ranks first, with 2.3 million vehicles and 3,068 fueling stations.

Source: Bloomberg

Chrysler/DOE Ram PHEV Project Exploring Battery Life Modeling

The RAM plug-in hybrid truck. Click to enlarge.

Chrysler is showcasing its two-mode Ram Truck Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV), equipped with a 12 kWh, 33 Ah cell, 355V Li-ion battery pack from Electrovaya, at the Washington DC Auto Show. The RAM Plug-in Hybrid development was initiated last year as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act DOE Vehicle Electrification Program.

At the Advanced Automotive Battery Conference (AABC) in Pasadena last week, Oliver Gross, an energy storage systems specialist in the High Voltage Energy Storage Solutions group at Chrysler, provided an overview of one of the DOE-Chrysler project’s primary goals: how to model real-world life to determine how viable PHEVs can be and the best way to deploy them.

The project entails a 140-vehicle field trial to evaluate customer acceptance and battery performance across a wide range of drive cycles and temperature ambients. The program is slated to rack of 9 million miles of data, with 1.4 million miles in sub-freezing temperatures and 1.1 million in temperatures above 32 °C. In addition to battery again and life cycle analysis, the project is exploring smart grid interfaces; bi-directional charging; second life—i.e., grid storage and load balancing for the battery pack; and integration with renewable energy.

The Ram PHEV is a blended plug-in hybrid, meaning that it doesn’t run exclusively all-electric during its charge depletion period. The fully-charged plug-in starts off with charge depletion with limited regeneration at the high end of the SoC; the team will look at calibrations in the field for full optimization, Gross said.

That ramps up to a full regenerative capability somewhere in the 70 - 95% range and depletes down to about 20%. Once it’s depleted, it comes into a narrow charge sustaining range.

The PHEV life challenge, Gross said, is that a PHEV is expected to demonstrate durability comparable to non-electrified vehicles. This then brings attention to the AT-PZEV battery warranty requirements of 10 years, 150,000 miles. This has been translated into a set of basic battery requirements by USABC:

• 15 years calendar life at 30 °C (recently changed from 35 °C); and
• 5,000 charge-depleting (CD) and 300,000 charge-sustaining (CS) cycles (e.g., microcycles) (75 MWh total energy throughput, for a nominal PHEV-20).

To date, no battery meeting PHEV performance and packaging requirement has been shown to meet the calendar and cycle life requirements, Gross said, although some have come close.

Battery life. For a given chemistry, capacity loss and impedance growth over calendar time will comply with a linear time relation, a square-root time relation, or in-between, Gross said. This can only be determined under controlled test conditions; accelerated testing is used to determine this model fitting.

Probably the most common way [Chrysler] looks at battery calendar life is we do Arrhenius modeling... The Arrhenius models are well done and well understood, its very simple to take this and then say, for example based on some experience with this location, offset them and adjust them for particular solar episodes....this way you can actually start looking at your data, processing it, trying to get some ideas as to how long you are really going to be able to operate this vehicle and meet the end of life requirements.

—Oliver Gross

With the derived acceleration factors, you can begin to do simple prediction on calendar life and the effects of operating temperature on life.

Some of their initial results show that operating 3 hours per day with a 10 °C operating temperature above ambient can lower battery life by 5%—which, for the battery pack in that evaluation, would take it to an end-of-life calendar life of just over 15 years for some locations.

Chrysler’s battery use model blends UDDS, HWYFET and US06 cycles to represent multiple use scenarios. Putting this all together (merging calendar life, energy throughput and an operational temperature increase of 10 °C), resulted in product life estimates that vary by location and by miles driven.

Battery packs in use in Los Angeles, Phoenix and Miami had the lowest estimated calendar lives, at 11.8, 11.6, and 11.6 years respectively at 10,000 miles per year. That dropped to 7.6, 7.5 and 7.5 years, respectively, at 30,000 miles/year.

The longest calendar lives were for packs modeled to be in use in Minneapolis, Detroit and Fairbanks, with 15.8, 15.4 and 18.6 years, respectively, at 10,000 miles/year. That dropped to 8.6, 8.5 and 9.2 years, respectively, and 30,000 miles/year.

These vehicles are now going to be out in the field for three years. We are going to be collecting the data remotely, and we have a good ensemble and team out there helping us process the data and then we are going to apply that to the battery lab cycle and calendar life data to see exactly is this model correct, is it calibrated, and then we can actually apply it back onto a new set of data where we would then modulate the operational performance and begin to optimize the vehicle.

This is what we really want because this is what we are going to use to determine the proper PHEV profiles we will be using in the future.

—Oliver Gross

Source: Green Car Congress

A Closer Look At the Dodge Ram Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle

Electrovaya today announced that Chrysler's Ram truck plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, packing Electrovaya's 12-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack, is being showcased in public for the first time at the Washington D.C. Auto Show that started today.

You'll recall that with the help of a $48-million grant from the Energy Department early last year, Chrysler announced plans to build and test a fleet of 140 half-ton Ram pickups with plug-in hybrid drive systems sometime this year.

Chrysler spokesman Nick Cappa said at the time that the commercial market lends itself to hybrid truck applications more than anything else. A half-ton pickup is much better at carrying a battery pack than a car and trucks really work much better as hybrid vehicle platforms, he said.

Since then, Chrysler has developed a Ram PHEV featuring the automaker's 5.7-liter HEMI V-8 mated to a two-mode hybrid transmission and the Electrovaya battery pack. The vehicle is said to be capable of up to 20 miles of zero-emissions, pure-electric range and offer an overall fuel economy improvement of more than 65% for average drive cycles.

Delivery of the Ram PHEVs to fleet operators "is expected to begin this summer," Electrovaya said, without elaborating. We hope so, and more importantly we hope Chrysler will be able to eventually commercialize the Ram hybrid.

But given Chrysler's recent track record with bringing hybrids and electric vehicles to market, we're not betting the farm on it.

As Edmunds Sr. Editor Bill Visnic noted in a chat with us earlier today, to date individual truck buyers have demonstrated scant interest in hybrids, "and I think for reasonable points: pickup duty cycles don't align well with hybrid attributes."

But, he said, if there's more pressure on businesses to run more fuel-efficient fleets, the commercial side of the pickup business could drive an increasing "need" for hybridized pickups - whether or not they make sense based on how "work" pickups are used.

There's also the chance that Chrysler is showing off the Ram PHEV as a response to General Motors' announcement that it was withdrawing an application for $14.4 billion in direct loans from the Energy Department to develop advanced-technology vehicles.

GM's move could be seen at Chrysler as boosting its own chances for more DOE dollars, which it needs much more than General Motors.

Source: Green Car Advisor

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

Chrysler To Receive $48M to Develop Ram Plug-In Hybrid Pickups; Conventional Ram Hybrid Dead

PRESS RELEASE

Ram Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV)

- Department of Energy provides up to $48 million grant toward test fleet of 140 Ram Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles
- PHEV technology to improve fuel economy up to 65 percent with up to 20 mile electric-only driving range

Auburn Hills, Mich., Mar 22, 2010 -

Chrysler Group has been 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. Chrysler Group is planning to build a total of 140 Ram PHEVs for a three-year demonstration project that includes various geographic and climatic locations across the United States.

“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 features Chrysler Group’s 5.7-liter HEMI V-8 with a two mode hybrid transmission and a 12KwHr lithium ion battery. The vehicle is capable of up to 20 miles of zero-emission, pure-electric range without the need for gasoline. An overall fuel economy improvement more than 65 percent is expected for average drive cycles. Chrysler Group has partnered with Electrovaya Inc. to supply the advanced lithium Ion batteries for the Ram PHEV test fleet.

The DOE grant will expedite the development of vehicle-electrification technology. More than 21 Chrysler Group partners across the U.S., including utility companies, government agencies and Universities will independently test the Ram PHEV and provide valuable data for the advancement of the technology.

In 2008, Chrysler Group announced the company’s intention to bring a Ram Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV) to market. After closely evaluating the response to hybrid pickups in the marketplace, the company could not formulate an appropriate business case and has decided to cancel development work on the 2011 Ram HEV.

Chrysler Group’s alliance with Fiat Group brings new platforms and technologies that allow the company to create an improved long-term product strategy with greater fuel efficiency and reduced emissions. Chrysler Group’s five-year plan has an uncompromising product schedule, including a progressive vehicle electrification strategy.