Chrysler Group plans to deliver 10 plug-in hybrid Ram pickups to the U.S. Department of Energy next week.
The pickups will be delivered in Yuma, Ariz., and are part of a $100 million joint research project funded by Chrysler and the government agency, according to truck enthusiast Web site pickuptrucks.com.
In all, 140 Ram 1500 pickups will be delivered by Oct. 1 to agency offices across the United States. A wide variety of driving conditions are planned to test the Ram hybrid, with temperature extremes ranging from minus 25 degrees to 125 degrees.
The trucks will be equipped with a 345-hp 5.7-liter Hemi V-8, a modified two-mode hybrid transmission manufactured by General Motors and a 12.9-kilowatt-hour lithium ion battery.
According to the Web site, the plug-in Ram pickup can operate on electric power for over 20 miles and it will be able to travel up to 655 miles with its 26-gallon gasoline tank. The truck's towing capacity is rated at up to 6,000 pounds. It will have a 1,000-pound payload capacity.
The program with the department of energy runs through June 2014.
A Chrysler spokesman declined to comment on the pickuptrucks.com report.
