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Rubicon 4xe

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MARSHMELLA

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Does it list the price of the 4XE? 😁
 

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xjgary

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xjgary

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Interesting information. What spooks me is that you are supposed to plug it in if the outside air temperature is below 5 degrees F. I've lived places where the high for the month never went over 0F, so how do you accomplish that if away from home or are dependent on public charging stations? Even worse is: "If the battery temperature is below -22°F (-30°C), or 131°F (55°C) or above, the vehicle will NOT start". If it is 105 degrees outside and the Jeep is parked outside in bright sun/low humidity, it will probably be 150 degrees inside where the battery is located. Similarly, there are lots of situations where it is below -22F and you are far from electricity and cell coverage. Walking out could easily be deadly. And if in deep snow or a 4WD trail, you won't be getting a tow. Had it been set up to only run the ICE at these temps it would not be a problem. But the possibility of being stranded on a cold night or hot desert is not for me. This is a deal-breaker unless I'm reading this wrong.
 

Chris Hall

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I was just reading in the owners manual about scheduled charging. You may be wondering what that is. Some power companies offer cheaper electricity rates during specific times over night to encourage people to shift some of their power usage to off-peak times. This helps the power companies better balance their production and provides an opportunity for EV and PHEV owners to charge cheaper. By programming the vehicle or the EVSE to only charge inside those windows of time, you can lower your cost to charge the vehicle. It appears as though the 4XE is coming with this in mind.
 

Chris Hall

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Pressurized fuel tank?

If you've been pouring over the owners manual you may have noticed a part where it talks about depressurizing the fuel tank when you need to fill up and wondered what that's all about. There is a button on the dash that you have to push to depressurize the tank and open the fuel door.

Depending on your use case, you may find it possible to use the Wrangler 4XE as a short range EV. If your daily driving can be covered in all electric mode, you might not start the engine very often. While this is awesome from an emissions standpoint, it can cause some issues. One thing the owners manual indicates is that the engine will start when it senses that it has been a while to keep everything lubricated. It will also start the engine when it detects that the fuel is getting stale. Many PHEV drivers won't top their gas tanks all the way up unless they are going on a long trip. That way, there isn't as much fuel to go stale. They can simply add a few gallons to refresh what's in there. In the case of the Wrangler 4XE, it appears that it needs 4 gallons added to meet the refresh criteria.

So back to the pressurized tank? Why is it there? Pressurizing the tank will extend the life of the fuel. Oxygenation and evaporation will cause the fuel to lose some of the lighter hydrocarbons. Gasoline has been compared to wine. Once you take it out of the bottle, it starts to go bad. So pressurizing the tank makes it last longer. Not only is this good for performance, it also protects the engine from bad gas.

When we were contemplating why the 4XE has a smaller gas tank a few months ago, I wasn't even thinking about the pressurized tank system that would be required. Pressurized systems on PHEVs is common. If you operate in electric only mode most of the time, you may find you won't be stopping as gas stations much at all. Chevy Volt and Toyota Prius Prime drivers regularly report that they only visit gas stations every few months. Often times, it is when the vehicle forces them to burn off some old gas or at least freshen up the fuel that's in the tank.
 

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... This is a deal-breaker unless I'm reading this wrong.
I just read the following from page 76. Apparently, the HV battery will use the heater or AC to stay in the proper temperature range, but you must have the 12V battery connected so that the AC or heater can keep the traction battery at proper temperature.

"NOTE:
Disconnecting the 12 Volt battery will prevent the High Voltage (HV) battery from accepting a
charge from the Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE). Also, the vehicle will not condition
the HV battery (if needed and connected to a powered EVSE). If the HV battery is not able to
condition itself and it becomes cold enough (or hot enough), the vehicle will not start until the
HV battery’s cell temperatures are between -22°F (-30°C) and 122°F (50°C)."

Edit: upon further reading, on pg 7 the supplement implies the Jeep will not start if the HV battery is cold soaked below -22F or heat soaked above 131F. That's not good...I'll try to get confirmation of this.
 
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Moriarty

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Pressurized fuel tank?

If you've been pouring over the owners manual you may have noticed a part where it talks about depressurizing the fuel tank when you need to fill up and wondered what that's all about. There is a button on the dash that you have to push to depressurize the tank and open the fuel door.

Depending on your use case, you may find it possible to use the Wrangler 4XE as a short range EV. If your daily driving can be covered in all electric mode, you might not start the engine very often. While this is awesome from an emissions standpoint, it can cause some issues. One thing the owners manual indicates is that the engine will start when it senses that it has been a while to keep everything lubricated. It will also start the engine when it detects that the fuel is getting stale. Many PHEV drivers won't top their gas tanks all the way up unless they are going on a long trip. That way, there isn't as much fuel to go stale. They can simply add a few gallons to refresh what's in there. In the case of the Wrangler 4XE, it appears that it needs 4 gallons added to meet the refresh criteria.

So back to the pressurized tank? Why is it there? Pressurizing the tank will extend the life of the fuel. Oxygenation and evaporation will cause the fuel to lose some of the lighter hydrocarbons. Gasoline has been compared to wine. Once you take it out of the bottle, it starts to go bad. So pressurizing the tank makes it last longer. Not only is this good for performance, it also protects the engine from bad gas.

When we were contemplating why the 4XE has a smaller gas tank a few months ago, I wasn't even thinking about the pressurized tank system that would be required. Pressurized systems on PHEVs is common. If you operate in electric only mode most of the time, you may find you won't be stopping as gas stations much at all. Chevy Volt and Toyota Prius Prime drivers regularly report that they only visit gas stations every few months. Often times, it is when the vehicle forces them to burn off some old gas or at least freshen up the fuel that's in the tank.
Thx for that info. I read that in the manual as well, but not know the reason for pressurizing.
 

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xjgary

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I just read the following from page 76. Apparently, the HV battery will use the heater or AC to stay in the proper temperature range, but you must have the 12V battery connected so that the AC or heater can keep the traction battery at proper temperature.

"NOTE:
Disconnecting the 12 Volt battery will prevent the High Voltage (HV) battery from accepting a
charge from the Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE). Also, the vehicle will not condition
the HV battery (if needed and connected to a powered EVSE). If the HV battery is not able to
condition itself and it becomes cold enough (or hot enough), the vehicle will not start until the
HV battery’s cell temperatures are between -22°F (-30°C) and 122°F (50°C)."

Edit: upon further reading, on pg 7 the supplement implies the Jeep will not start if the HV battery is cold soaked below -22F or heat soaked above 131F. That's not good...I'll try to get confirmation of this.
Thanks! The inside of a vehicle gets way over 131 deg F on a hot day, especially with a black top. On a Jeep trail where you got for a 3-hour hike and return, you'd be stranded. Or in many winter sport activities, you are in sub 5 degree situations for many hours in a spot no tow truck can reach and there certainly is no plug for miles.
 

xjgary

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Thanks! The inside of a vehicle gets way over 131 deg F on a hot day, especially with a black top. On a Jeep trail where you got for a 3-hour hike and return, you'd be stranded. Or in many winter sport activities, you are in sub 5 degree situations for many hours in a spot no tow truck can reach and there certainly is no plug for miles.
Even just parking at an airport parking lot for a two week trip in winter or summer would drain the 12V battery fast.
 

Rickss

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Not sure if this is the right place to post this question, but do we know if there will be any interference of new powertrain components with lift kits? The big battery is inside the body so no issue there, but do we think any of the new electrical will pose any issues? I certainly hope not... thanks in advance.
 

HardSell

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Based on my 50 years of wheeling around Utah and Colorado, most of the interesting trails require water crossings.... some quite deep. Based on my 50 years of using outdoor electrical systems, water always finds its way.
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