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A Canadian startup and some garage YouTubers are on the verge of beating one of the world’s largest automakers to the punch. Stellantis’ extended-range Ram pickup was originally supposed to launch as a 2025 model, and a revised timeline of starting customer orders in the first half of this year looks unlikely to happen, too. Meanwhile, Edison Motors is making steady progress on launching diesel-electric conversion kits for older pickups, including Rams. A prototype is now running under its own—electric—power.
Edison started out building diesel-electric, series-hybrid semi trucks, a neat idea that could balance the need to reduce emissions with the current limitations of batteries. There’s a video on The Drive’s YouTube channel if you want more details on that. To bring the pickup conversion-kit project to fruition, Edison teamed up with Rich Bosch from Deboss Garage, making him Vice President of Work Truck Fabrication and effectively making him lead designer for the project.
Edison Motors and Deboss Garage via YouTube
Late last year, Edison unveiled two prototypes for the kit project—a 1995 Dodge Ram and a 79-Series Toyota Land Cruiser. Deboss Garage has meticulously chronicled the Ram’s build on its own YouTube channel, devoting 15 videos to the build. In the latest video, Bosch and company finally assembled the pickup and got it running. The truck was only driven enough to confirm that everything was working properly, but it’s a start.
The second-generation Ram has a Cummins 2.8-liter diesel crate engine under the hood. The inline-four powers a generator mounted aft of the engine, which supplies electricity to a battery pack mounted between the frame rails. The wheels are actually turned by a pair of e-axles with integrated electric motors, eliminating the need for driveshafts and transfer cases and providing the instant torque delivery of a fully electric powertrain, but without the range anxiety that comes with having to plug in to charge.
FINALLY! First Drive Under Electric Power #RamRecharger [EP15]
From the outside, the main clue to the modifications is the lack of noise when the small-displacement diesel isn’t in use. Peeking underneath the trucks reveals the e-axles, but everything is packaged to be as clean as possible and keep powertrain components out of the bed. To make that happen, the battery management system and cooling hardware are concealed in a repurposed housing from Edison’s semi trucks that was noticed to fit between the frame rails and rear cross member without hanging below the hitch.
Edison has big plans for these conversion kits. The company hopes to market them to militaries and other government agencies, emphasizing the potential of series hybrids to provide emergency backup power when the grid goes down. Chance Barber, Edison’s president and co-founder, previously told The Drive that the company is considering selling its own rolling chassis with hybrid powertrains already installed as well. Completion of this prototype is a big step toward those goals.
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Stephen has always been passionate about cars, and managed to turn that passion into a career as a freelance automotive journalist. When he’s not handling weekend coverage for The Drive, you can find him looking for a new book to read.
