Ram Is Killing the eTorque System on the 5.7-Liter Hemi V8 for 2027The aftermarket stop/start defeat device has been a surprisingly brisk seller for years. Ram buyers would take delivery of a new Hemi-powered 1500, drive it off the lot, and within days have a small module plugged into the OBD port to make the automatic engine shutoff go away forever. Ram has apparently noticed.According to a Ram spokesperson, the eTorque mild-hybrid system paired with the 5.7-liter Hemi V8 will be discontinued at the start of the 2027 model year, replaced by a conventional version of that engine without any hybrid components. Power figures stay put at 395 hp and 410 lb-ft of torque. The 48-volt battery pack, the belt-integrated starter-generator, and the automatic stop/start system all go away. Variable valve timing and the Multi-Displacement System – which cuts the engine to four cylinders under light loads – both carry over.The transition won't be a clean overnight switch. According to production records obtained by MoparInsiders, the Sterling Heights Assembly Plant is expected to start manufacturing trucks without the eTorque system sometime in late September, which would create a period during which both eTorque and non-eTorque versions are available at dealerships at the same time. Ram's guidance is that the non-hybrid trucks will reach buyers this fall.The Rumble Bee Already Showed Where This Was HeadingThe Rumble Bee lineup, which starts at $59,995, launched without eTorque and without stop/start across every Hemi configuration – whether that's the base 5.7-liter, the 470 hp 6.4-liter, or the 777 hp supercharged 6.2-liter at the top of the range. The move signaled that Ram no longer considered mild-hybrid technology an obligatory pairing with the Hemi engine.AdvertisementAdvertisementRam CEO Tim Kuniskis confirmed the change won't stay confined to performance-oriented trims. "It allows me to go deeper into my Express trims," he said, pointing toward more affordable configurations getting the simpler engine. Kuniskis also made his take on customer sentiment fairly plain, calling removing the hybrid hardware "Hell yeah, that's a good idea" for traditional truck buyers.Since its introduction in 2019, the eTorque mild hybrid system came paired with every Hemi-equipped Ram 1500, though it disappeared alongside the Hemi itself during the 2025 model year – an absence that brand head Kuniskis publicly acknowledged as a misstep after resuming leadership of the company. When the 5.7 came back for 2026, it returned with eTorque partly because that combination already had EPA certification and an established regulatory path. With the EPA walking back rules that had made mild-hybrid fuel economy credits effectively essential for compliance, that constraint is gone.A Ram spokesperson said: "Ram buyers who want a HEMI often want the sound, feel, and simplicity of a naturally aspirated V8. They do not necessarily want extra mild-hybrid hardware, a 48-volt battery, or more components added to the system." That's a remarkably direct acknowledgment from a manufacturer that the tech wasn't being received the way it was supposed to. The customers who spent years buying workarounds for a system they didn't want now just get the truck they were asking for.
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