4XE in the winter

[KDX]

I was wondering if there was any benefit to having the PHEV in the winter, or if it's advantages were only seen in the three seasons that don't suck. My typical vehicle usage is an approx 80kms per day (50 miles) commute to work with 90% of that on the highway (65mph). Winter is typically -20C to -40C (-4F to -40F) here. At this point I'm not sure if I would be able to charge at work. If possible, it would be 8hrs at level 1.

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[Old Dogger]

I don’t have one, nor do I live in cold weather. But there has been several reports on the Forum, that they don’t do well in severe cold climates.

 

[doublethebass]

In for some opinions….winter is slightly less mental here in MN but it’s still the primary thing holding us back from an EV

 

[Reinen]

You can look at it this way, the 4xe is still primarily an ICE vehicle. You will have reduced electrical efficiency in the cold and/or usage of the electric motors when it reaches the cold end of that range but it will still be a fully functional vehicle. So it won't leave you stranded and you should have the increased benefits of a hybrid at least 80% of the time. If you're doing mostly highway driving the added weight of the batteries will be less impactful.

 

[BigMaCro]

I use my 4xe to commute in south central Alaska. It's usually not below 0F for more than an occasional few days.

Lithium batteries only work in about the same temperature range as humans do. Outside that range they must be heated or cooled, and so Jeep does just that. So to condition the battery they must be plugged in if parked below -15C ambient. If the battery reaches -30C it won't start at all until warmed up. It's got a resistive heater in the battery coolant circuit to do just that, best to keep it plugged in for that to work.

The 4XE doesn't have an option for a block heater, but I'm thinking of adding one. In my experience the engine warms up relatively quickly when cold started after being plugged in, but I don't think the engine is heated from the battery circuit. I'd love to see the service manual description of this.

To answer your question, if you're really in that sustained cold for much of the winter, and have limited assurance of plugging in, the 4xe my not be for you.

I am able to plug into a 240V welder outlet at work and use my portable L2 EVSE charging cable. But even the normal block heater plugs you should have access to should work to keep the battery warm enough.

 

[KDX]

Thanks for the replys gentlemen.

I use my 4xe to commute in south central Alaska. It's usually not below 0F for more than an occasional few days.

Lithium batteries only work in about the same temperature range as humans do. Outside that range they must be heated or cooled, and so Jeep does just that. So to condition the battery they must be plugged in if parked below -15C ambient. If the battery reaches -30C it won't start at all until warmed up. It's got a resistive heater in the battery coolant circuit to do just that, best to keep it plugged in for that to work.

The 4XE doesn't have an option for a block heater, but I'm thinking of adding one. In my experience the engine warms up relatively quickly when cold started after being plugged in, but I don't think the engine is heated from the battery circuit. I'd love to see the service manual description of this.

To answer your question, if you're really in that sustained cold for much of the winter, and have limited assurance of plugging in, the 4xe my not be for you.

I am able to plug into a 240V welder outlet at work and use my portable L2 EVSE charging cable. But even the normal block heater plugs you should have access to should work to keep the battery warm enough.

At home my vehicles are in a heated garage and at work we do plug in for the winter. I'm not sure if I would be able to plug in and charge spring, summer and fall (without someone making an issue of it). I was wondering about a block heater also as I had not seen any mention of one anywhere.

 

[fogby]

We live at 9,500' in Colorado. The 4XE is in a heated garage. When the temps got to roughly 10F, we'd only have electric drive for first 5-10 miles. I'm assuming once the batteries got cold after leaving their snug abode, it converted to ICE. Obviously after letting the 4XE sit while we skied there were -0- miles on electric - not that it lost charge, just that it won't run on electric when so cold.

 

[Sazabi19]

I was thinking of getting a 4xe but the forums all had me reconsider. From what I can tell they aren't good. You'll not only see reduced battery mileage, but reduced all together since it's going to be lugging around the extra weight of the batteries.

The Jeep will not heat up on batteries alone, Jeep have stated they aren't meant to do that, it would simply take too much of the battery to do so. It will pretty much be an ICE only vehicle.

If you're still set on getting one make sure you get the grill cover. It says it's meant for the diesel but it fits on the 4xe and helps keep things warm and you may even see improved mileage from it.

*Again this is from reading the 4xe forum, not first hand!*

 

[fogby]

I was thinking of getting a 4xe but the forums all had me reconsider. From what I can tell they aren't good. You'll not only see reduced battery mileage, but reduced all together since it's going to be lugging around the extra weight of the batteries.

Don't interpret my comment as saying the 4XE isn't good. In fact, we're very pleased. I simply answered the OP's question about cold temps. I doubt the cold weather issues impact over 4-5% of the US population in any meaningful manner. It's pretty rare to see 10F for more than a couple days in the US except in lightly populated areas.

If your lifestyle meets certain criteria, I think it's a great vehicle. For us, almost all trips are less than 30 miles roundtrip, so it works great for us. We like the added acceleration. And we love driving with the skytop open & windows down without the sound of the ICE. It's a great experience while off-roading. So peaceful. You just seem to sneak up on wildlife.

 

[BXFXJeep]

I'm in Toronto, I'm pretty much running 1000km electric to <100km Hybrid when the temp is above 10c

I don't have a commute, nor do I have a home charger, but I charge for free.

Initially when I first got the 4xe(November 25) I was paying $3 a day to charge up, but after a couple of months I figured out I can just charge for free, also back then I was also just driving for the sake of driving, because the 4xe is amazing.

The real benefit here is if you can charge the 4xe, you said you are doing 80km a day, I'm assuming that's about 40km each way, so if you can charge at home, and then charge at work, then there is a benefit.

When you start to deal with -12c the battery depletes quickly, it's actually a waste of time trying to run in pure electric, at those temps the 4xe will run on ICE and sip the battery, which is actually better.

From what I gather people are trying to use some cover to force the 4xe to heat up and "exit" FORM so they can drive pure electric, this is a waste of time IMO, because the battery just melts away in -20c, so what's the use running pure electric for 15-20km, best to let the 4xe run in the blended hybrid.

So figure out how much of the year you are above +15c temp, and if it's worth it.

In Toronto with the way gas prices are, and we know they will just keep climbing, the 4xe is the best Wrangler for me.

The reality is though an EV is a much better choice in winter, than a PHEV.

But I am only willing to drive a Wrangler, so the 4xe is the best for me.

 

[BXFXJeep]

I was thinking of getting a 4xe but the forums all had me reconsider. From what I can tell they aren't good. You'll not only see reduced battery mileage, but reduced all together since it's going to be lugging around the extra weight of the batteries.

The Jeep will not heat up on batteries alone, Jeep have stated they aren't meant to do that, it would simply take too much of the battery to do so. It will pretty much be an ICE only vehicle.

If you're still set on getting one make sure you get the grill cover. It says it's meant for the diesel but it fits on the 4xe and helps keep things warm and you may even see improved mileage from it.

*Again this is from reading the 4xe forum, not first hand!*

Lugging around extra weight in the winter on snow is a good thing, also you still have that insane HP and torque all the time, and the extra weight in the 4xe makes for significantly superior handling over the non 4xe Wranglers.

 

[Jocko]

Goodness all of these people with zero 4xe experience sharing their random opinions...

Anyhow, cold temps really eat into the 4xe's usual sweet spot of short trips around town on electric only since it needs to fire up the engine often to keep the battery warm. And that typically leads to fuel oil refresh mode (FORM) because the engine doesn't get enough sustained time running hot to burn off fuel in the oil.

But, OP, your highway-centric use case might actually work quite well. Even if you're running with the ICE on the entire time in hybrid mode, the system could be blending in the battery power the whole way to give you overall better mileage. And you'll probably almost never see FORM. Worst case you could get that grill cover. Plus that heated garage is a big plus. I think it just might work for you!

Granted I just live in New England, so I don't think my mind is capable of truly comprehending how cold -40 actually is!

 

[Robsolf]

There's a benefit, but there's no doubt its range is diminished. I'd say you lose about 20%, and it takes about 20% longer to charge at level 1, in my experience.

 

[Steph1]

Milleage wise, I believe with your daily commute, it's not worth getting it. Now if it was 25kms It'd be another story, but unfortunately it will cost you more. Get a regular wrangler and maybe the next time you're ready to change, the range will be greater and the Jeep techs will have a better clue on how it works avoiding you to lose your jeep for weeks/months for something that should be repaired in days.

Maybe check here and it ain't half as cold in this thread as it gets in Winnipeg.

https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/winter-has-neutered-the-4xe.84385/

But which ever you get, make sure you get the Selec-trac transfer case which has the 4h auto..... I've owned wranglers forever and with this T-case, it's the absolute best wrangler to drive in a snow storm.

 

[BigMaCro]

I also commute 50 highway miles to work, and I'm getting over 35 miles per gallon measured at the pump with a full charge at home and work. I'll get the US $7500 tax credit and that makes it worth it economically for me. But I'd do it anyway because it's just better all around - wheeling with silent instant smooth torque up a boulder strewn hill climb is awesome!

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