Ram Is Axing the V-8's Hybrid Assist and Stop-Start Tech on Most 2027 Half-Ton Trucks

• The 2027 Ram 1500 lineup will lose the 48-volt hybrid system that assists its available Hemi V-8, as reported by Motor1.
• Ram is also ditching the unpopular stop-start function that automatically turns off the engine when it's idling.
• Some "eTorque" versions of the 2027 Ram 1500 will still be available during the transition, but nonhybrid V-8s are expected to take over this fall.

The Hemi V-8 is still alive and well after its short-lived retirement from Ram's half-ton trucks, but the engine's 48-volt hybrid system and automatic stop-start function are getting the boot for the majority of 2027 models, as reported by Motor1 and confirmed by a Ram spokesperson.

Ram has long been associated with muscular V-8 power, but since 2019, the famed Hemi engine has been assisted by a hybrid system dubbed "eTorque" that replaced the traditional alternator with a 48-volt battery. This helped provide more torque at launch, better fuel efficiency, and smoother starts while keeping in line with the brand's V-8 heritage and grit.

In 2025, the Hemi enjoyed a brief year of retirement before customer demand brought it right back to work, still equipped with the hybrid system. Now, Ram is returning the Hemi closer to its roots. For the 2027 model year, most customers who want a V-8 Ram 1500 will get a nonhybrid version, though a Ram spokesperson shared the following statement with Car and Driver: "Starting early in the 2027 model year, Ram will phase out the 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 eTorque, replacing it with the nonhybridized version of the 5.7-liter Hemi V-8. A limited number of 2027-model-year Ram 1500s will be built with the eTorque powertrain during the production transition."

The exiting hybrid engine will take the truck's stop-start technology with it. If you're not familiar, it's a function that automatically turns off the engine when your car comes to a complete stop. The tech was meant to reduce emissions from idling vehicles at stoplights or in heavy traffic, but it's been generally unpopular among American drivers.

Though it was never required, the EPA encouraged automakers to add stop-start technology into new vehicles by offering off-cycle credits to companies that installed the feature. In February 2026, the federal government repealed several EPA policies, including the credits given to automakers that included stop-start technology in their vehicles.

When news of the policy repeal broke, we reached out to several automakers for their thoughts on axing the stop-start tech. Stellantis, along with most other manufacturers, seemed to imply the technology would not be leaving its vehicles. Now, the global brand may be changing its tune, and Ram seems to be one of the first automakers to remove the feature. Ram's nonhybrid 1500 models will start arriving in showrooms this fall, but there should still be some hybrid versions available if your heart is set on the eTorque trucks.

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Alayna Wilkening grew up reading motorsport magazines and following her grandpa around his Chevrolet dealership's showroom floor. In true Hoosier fashion, her first car was a hot pink custom cardboard "Fiero-vette" for her kindergarten Kindy 500 race. She now autocrosses a 1994 Miata with her dad, which she learned to drive the night before her first event. Alayna went to Indiana University and graduated with a degree in journalism and a minor in graphic design. As a testament to her great taste in cars, her first real one was a metallic orange 2007 Chevy HHR, which she lovingly called "The Dumptruck."