Full Plug-in Electric Wrangler in 2020!

[FranklinFlyer]

Ah...a full electric Wrangler at the top of the Rockies...just enough juice to get you to the top but none left to run the electric heater!

It's a plug in Hybrid, champ

“For the Wrangler you need to strike the right balance; we don’t want to do something that will leave you stranded on a hillside. So for me, full battery EV is not a great fit. But hybridisation works well with the brand because of the attributes that come with electric motors – not just the torque, but also the control.”
-Mike Manley-

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[GARRIGA]

Portable solar panels or go all out and install some on the roof.

 

[nerubi]

Another thing to consider when thinking about a pure EV (not hybrid) Jeep is that, if done right, it would be a FAR more capable off-road vehicle. Think about it: one ~100 hp motor per wheel, no engine, no transmission, no transfer case, no differentials, no gas tank, no radiator, no oil. Just 4 motors and a big battery under the floor like a Tesla (with some armor . Super smooth EV torque (and lots of it). Torque to each wheel modulated independently by software, better than lockers on the rocks AND better on the street. Lots more ground clearance with no crap underneath to get hung up on. And no need for a snorkel

Range is not much of an issue even today. There are EV charging spots everywhere these days. There's even a Tesla Supercharger in Moab!

Tesla could make such a "Jeep" today if they had the manufacturing capacity (and didn't have a dozen more important things to work on). FCA could make one in a couple of years if they wanted to. I'm not holding my breath but I'll be first in line when someone does make one.

I gather you aren't familiar with this country. Charging spots everywhere? Maybe in heavily populated areas but not in most places where real Jeep users go. And one charger in Moab - wow that will work for everyone. Remember when hydrogen was the cure? They started building a few refill stations but then they realized that the hydrogen was made from fossil fuel and people said what? And how do you think electricity is made? Coal and natural gas for most of the country. Many people will be disappointed trying to find charging stations and waiting for the batteries to get charged when there are gas stations everywhere and it takes 5 minutes and ready to go. Plus they haven't solved the problem of running out of a charge in the middle of nowhere and how to get the car going again. Versus someone bringing out a couple of gallons of gas.
Yes we will eventually need to move away from fossil fuels for cars but not in 5 years like some people think. If you live in a city where you only need to drive a few miles then EV is ok. But if you drive longer distances like a lot of people do in Alaska, Montana, Texas, Wyoming, Colorado and other less populated states they are not anywhere near practical and won't be for decades. And many of us are fed up of paying taxes to incent people to buy electric vehicles. If a technology can not support itself then it should die.

 

[scramboleer]

Getting a big off-topic, but you can charge your EV from a grounded120V wall outlet in the wall of your garage or carport. It's like your phone - your EV charges while you work, sleep, cook, hang out with and friends. This data kills me as a car guy, but cars sit parked more than 21 hours each day. 21 hours is plenty of time to recharge, even using the 120V wall outlet.

If you drive long distances and fast chargers (like the Tesla Superchargers) aren't installed yet in your area, then a plug-in hybrid like the Chevy Volt or Chrysler Pacifica or Ford Fusion Energi are great options.

Of course electricity has to be generated somewhere, so that causes pollution too. That being said, most electricity generation is far from where we all live and it's easier to clear up a small amount of power plant smokestacks rather than millions of tailpipes. And are we as a society willing to walk away from all subsidies, including what we give the oil and gas industry? There are other ways to encourage the right behavior, such as yanking all subsidies and then increasing the gas/diesel tax slowly over time (say a ten-year-period) so we all can plan for it. Globally there is talk of a carbon tax, but we in the US aren't that in tune with carbon.

Discussions of economics and air pollution are far beyond the scope of this thread, but it comes down to how we each believe the best way is handle - or ignore- what is largely invisible, until suddenly its not.

All I can say is that I'm really looking forward to the 2020 plug-in hybrid Jeep Wrangler. It's going to be sweet off-road. Can't beat that smooth electric torque.

 

[TIDALWAVE]

GM does not sell the Bolt in Minnesota! Think about the range for a electrical vehicle that has to travel while also heating the passenger compartment from -20F or even colder. A Nissan Leaf's lithium battery has the energy equivalent of about 2/3 gallon of gasoline for about 85 miles of travel. My Rubi with a 20+ gallon gas tank has about a 400 mile range. For a Leaf 4x4 to have the same range, the battery will have to be about 5 times its present size. So an all-electric JLU would have the whole rear passenger/cargo area filled with lithium batteries to have anywhere near the same range as a gas powered Jeep. So one day of rock crawling and the rest of the week charging the batteries.

 

[scramboleer]

Well, EVs with small batteries like the LEAF might not make sense for cold weather. Cars.com does claim that Chevy dealers within 20 miles of Minneapolis are selling the Bolt EV, which has more than 2.5x the range of the LEAF. A fully-electric EV might not also be the best product to take on long off-road excursions for those of us who do so. A plug-in hybrid might be perfect. Drive to the trailhead using gas, switch to electric mode at the trailhead,rock crawl on electric power, and then drive home using gas. I've been driving a plug-in hybrid Pacifica minivan for work that has about 33 miles of electric range and then 300+ of gas range (with the 3.6L Pentastar V6). On a daily basis, it rarely uses a drop of gas. The electric range is plenty. For longer trips, the gas engine is there. Its a very elegant solution, and easy to live with.

I was at the LA Auto Show for industry day, and while my favorite reveal was the Gladiator, the Rivian electric truck and SUV were both impressive.

 

[FranklinFlyer]

The problem is that a lot of people don't know the difference between a plug-in hybrid and a hybrid.
Or a plug-in hybrid and EV.
There is not a single good argument against a plug-in hybrid.

 

[GARRIGA]

I can see solar cell stations installed off the beaten path with large underground batteries storing energy for off-roaders to use. Thread Lightly fits the concept of less chance of leaving pollution on trails. Who cleans up oil and gas from wrecks? Plug in hybrid sounds interesting. Best of both worlds. Why be forced to chose?

 

[BrntWS6]

I did not realize these were coming in 2020. Any word if they will be more information at upcoming autoshows? I was going to order a 2019 but a hybrid may be the way to go providing it just needs a standard 120v outlet and not a 240v charger fed into the garage. Price will also be a major factor, an optioned out jeep is expensive enough.

 

[BearJewJonny]

It’ll probably be late 2020 like early 2021 probably. No info at all in them yet. Probably next November LA auto show.

 

[scramboleer]

It’ll probably be late 2020 like early 2021 probably. No info at all in them yet. Probably next November LA auto show.

Yeah, that’s what the media has been reporting. We’re about a year out from a plug-in hybrid Jeep Wrangler.

 

[GARRIGA]

Been researching this solution with range extenders and having the ability to chose between electric only, gas only or auto sounds promising. Drive to one’s off-road destination under gas, traverse that destination under gas and when encountering high torque sections just switch to electric. Carry gas cans and you can ensure you have enough to get out and to the nearest gas station.

I agree most complaining about this technology aren’t grasping it’s still a gas solution and the electric is just an available option to get max torque when needed or save money on daily commutes.

Still rather have a diesel to move big tires and the increased towing capacity but this wouldn’t be a bad solution where DD is first priority. Not all live near Moab.

 

[BearJewJonny]

Yea it’s honestly a perfect combination, assuming they do the research and do it right. For example if you lose most of the little bit of trunk space the wrangler has to House the battery then that’s gonna be a big problem for me. Even when I’m not carrying all my fun gear I also have a Great Dane that will barely fit back there as is. Can’t afford for the trunk to get any smaller.

But I do remember someone on here who worked at Toledo or something saying they’ve been doing a lot of R&D and work into developing this and doing it right. Hopefully he’s right. If not I’ll be picking up one that’s coming off lease. Already seeing a few used ones here in NYC with under 10k miles that are going for low 30’s.

 

[xjgary]

This is gonna be really interesting because EVs get their mileage from aero effeciency. The Wrangler is a box on wheels so it's gonna take a huge hit on range. And I can't see people using their EV Wrangler for serious off roading as there's no way to charge up. But torque and reliability should be pretty good compared to fossil fuel wranglers.

It is a plug in, so no worries about range as long as you have fuel in the tank. The electric "traction" motor will be great off road in big rocks because of the instant torque from 1 rpm on. The control you get from an electric motor is fantastic. My understanding is that plug-ins allow you to turn off the all electric function, and turn it back on when you hit the trail where it would be really useful. Because they want to sell Jeeps in China they will need at least a 32 mile (50 km) range on electric only mode. If your commute is 16 miles one way you won't need gas!

 

[scramboleer]

It is a plug in, so no worries about range as long as you have fuel in the tank. The electric "traction" motor will be great off road in big rocks because of the instant torque from 1 rpm on. The control you get from an electric motor is fantastic. My understanding is that plug-ins allow you to turn off the all electric function, and turn it back on when you hit the trail where it would be really useful. Because they want to sell Jeeps in China they will need at least a 32 mile (50 km) range on electric only mode. If your commute is 16 miles one way you won't need gas!

Exactly this. Happy New Year!

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