Street Trucks Without the Mild-Hybrid System
Ford kicked things off with the Maverick Lobo and then the V8-powered F-150 Lobo, but Stellantis responded with something that makes a lot more noise: the 2027 Ram 1500 Rumble Bee lineup. The highlight is the Rumble Bee SRT, a 777-horsepower supercharged truck that channels the old Ram SRT10 more than any special-edition trim. There are also naturally aspirated Hemi options, with a 395-hp 5.7-liter and a 470-hp 6.4-liter 392 in the mix.
At the reveal, Ram coyly confirmed that these trucks no longer use the 48-volt eTorque mild-hybrid system. The V8s in the Rumble Bee lineup now run without the electric assist that was standard on earlier Ram Hemi models. That detail hints at a bigger shift: non-eTorque Hemi V8s are coming back, not just for the Rumble Bee.
Non-eTorque Hemi Trucks
Speaking during an exclusive interview with The Drive, Ram CEO Tim Kuniskis confirmed that the company intentionally removed the mild-hybrid system from the Hemi V8 as part of its wider return strategy.
“But think about what that enables,” Kuniskis explained, before outlining how removing the system creates more flexibility in pricing and trims. He said Ram could now “go deeper” into lower-priced configurations and offer Hemi-powered trucks in more accessible variants, pointing to a hypothetical $50,000 Black Express equipped with a V8 but without the mild-hybrid hardware.
In short, by removing the extra hardware, Ram can cut costs, simplify the build, and bring back the kind of V8 trucks buyers have been asking for.
What eTorque Actually Did – And Why Some Owners Won’t Miss It
To be fair, the eTorque Hemi V8 had its benefits. The 48-volt mild-hybrid system swapped out the usual alternator for a belt-driven motor-generator, which aided smoother acceleration, made stop-starts less jarring, and provided a small torque boost at low speeds. It was supposed to make the Ram 1500 feel a bit more refined, especially in traffic or when towing lighter loads.
But even though Ram promoted eTorque as a seamless upgrade, owners have reported concerns for years. Reliability issues like bearing failures and other drivetrain problems have come up often enough that they’re now a regular topic in online forums. Some lemon-law firms have even started tracking complaints about eTorque-equipped Ram 1500s.
With the non-hybrid Hemi coming back, a few questions remain. Will Ram drop the eTorque Hemi entirely, or keep it for certain trims? And will Hemi pricing change now that the mild-hybrid system is out of the picture?
For now, Ram’s message is simple: the Hemi is back, and this time it comes with fewer complications.
