Automaker Stellantis is expanding production of hydrogen-powered commercial vehicles – and its largest Ram truck is on its shortlist of new models.
“This year we are starting production of larger vehicles in Poland, and development in North America should follow quickly – especially with the large Ram 5500 in a fuel cell version,” Jean-Michel Billig, head of Stellantis’ hydrogen program, told German publication Welt Am Sonntag. ”The new variant of the Ram 5500 pickup truck is to be manufactured in Mexico.”
While no official specs were shared, the diesel-powered version of the 2024 Ram 5500 Chassis Cab has a towing capacity of 35,150 pounds when equipped with the available 6.7-liter Cummins Turbo Diesel I6 engine and a maximum payload capacity of 12,550 pounds when equipped with the 6.4-liter Hemi V8 engine.
Despite only 350 hydrogen-powered vehicles sold by the manufacturer since starting production in 2022, Stellantis sees potential for the technology and wants to expand production to 100,000 units per year by 2030.
“In the next decade we expect a significant market share for this technology; for commercial vehicles, it could be up to 40 percent,” Billig told Welt. “Hydrogen will be an essential part of CO2-free mobility in the future. We want to offer a completely decarbonized product range in Europe from 2030. We also need this technology for this.”
Stellantis is exploring battery and fuel cell options for its Ram lineup. The company announced its Ram 1500 Ramcharger electric pickup in November 2023. The truck, which is really more of a plug-in hybrid, is equipped with a liquid-cooled 92 kWh battery pack and is paired with a 3.6-liter V-6 engine on-board 130 kW generator, sending power to two electric drive motors (EDM) – a 250-kW one in the front and 238-kW in the rear. Ram’s website calls it a “Range-Extended Electric Truck.”