Is the 4xe a ‘disposable car’?

[Wbino]

I'd be more worried about Jeeps longevity @ 40 than I am @ 60.

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[PatriotX]

I’m your huckleberry.

I plan on driving this one quite a few miles, and purchased a Mopar Unlimited Mileage warranty.

Good or bad, I’ll report back.

 

[timbermusic27891]

Bought the 4xE Rubicon last year. It’s extremely fun to drive. Had a 2006 before and there is no comparison between the two in any form or fashion other than both are a box on wheels… Awesome power and torque and sexy as all get out with the 4xE. Got a 11 year or 150,000 mile warranty bumper to bumper with it. Averaging around 39 mpg right now. Had a Prius back around 2007. Man what a slug and lame of a car to drive and I NEVER looked back at it walking away. (Wife wanted it) Can’t walk away from the jeep and not turn back and do a double take on one sexy beast of a 4x4… If you don’t look back at what you drive every day and smile something ain’t right and dang sure not going to worry about will it still be running in 20 years.

 

[The Last Cowboy]

That’s an interesting point, BJM.

And you’re right, most of my fears concerning electric car batteries stem from my negative experience with phone batteries and the premature obsolescence it creates.

I’m not familiar with the internal cooling capability of EV batteries, but it sounds like an important feature to be aware of before jumping into an EV. Thanks!

**typed in my iPhone X, which will no longer hold a decent charge!** LOL

Ha! I’m on an iPhone 8 right now. Works great as long as I’m close to a charger. Wont last but 2-3 hours without. I’ve had it so long now I almost feel like keeping it to see how long it will go, or take it to a phone fix place and get a new battery.

 

[Spartan99]

Now, I would be amazed if a 2008 JK with the original 3.8L engine and 4 speed Chrysler transmission was still using the original engine/transmission after 25 years. Unless it was some grandma's go-to-church car, and probably even then it probably has a flashing check engine light and misfires by now. Don't even get me started with the 2012-2018 3.6 engine that was notorious for lifter issues and leaking radiators and other issues.

Again, I think quality is a big problem regardless of drivetrain.



If you asked me whether a Model 3 or JL wrangler would last longer, I'd shrug. Total tossup. You think a 3.6 V6 is going to last a million miles?

15 years on my 2008. All original. 171k miles and drives perfectly.

 

[Rusty Shovel]

[QUOTE="Yawnie'sPapa, post: 2348534, member: 91462”]I suspect in 5 years batteries and motors won't need a fraction of the "rare" materials needed today, and the range will increase dramatically. Necessity is the mother of invention?
[/QUOTE]

I suspect you’re right. Sold state batteries certainly seem to be the next wave and, if they deliver as promised, would dominate the short-range transport market. Perhaps the 4xe couple be retrofitted with new battery tech?

 

[Kyanche]

15 years on my 2008. All original. 171k miles and drives perfectly.

That's wonderful! I'm very glad for you!

I sometimes wonder about the people that complain about their car breaking down all the time and what they do with it to cause all the problems. It sounds like you probably take very good care of yours! I'm glad.

 

[Sean L]

You’d say that based on what? The 2.7L work trucks your guys abuse to death? The 3.5 ecoboost will make 300k easily with minimal maintenance and is the best example of a turbocharged undersized engine in a full sized vehicle.

Transmissions are the primary fail point of the typical pickup.

GM 5.3 and the 5.7 hemi both easily do 250 if they don’t suffer from a lifter failure for no good reason and get driven into the ground.

There is no reason for modern engines to fail other than neglect, or the rare occasion of improper build that fail early in life.

my point is that the vast majority of people will never have to replace the engine in a well maintained car, but they will absolute HAVE to replace the battery.

If by abuse you really mean, sometimes pulls a trailer to a job site. Then yes. Its our diesel trucks that are really abused. lol.

The two that needed replacement were 2.7 liter F-150s. The other truck was a 6.2 liter F-250 and the one I drive so definitely not abused. You bring up the 3.5. Ours only needed new turbos after they blew so somewhat better than the 2.7s.

My other experience would be the 2.0 turbo in my Nephew's VW that blew and his brother's 1.6 Turbo in his Mini cooper. It was one right after the other. I can't speak for the maintenance on those since they were bought used and they blew shortly after they were bought.

These are great little motors that will sometimes just blow up on you. And they're wildly popular.

My point remains that even with good maintenance, a modern gas engine can and will fail you. Especially over the period of time you're talking about. They seriously don't make em like they used to.

 

[sdiver68]

1st, I believe almost all cars are disposable. How many are wrecked beyond repair value before 200k miles?

2nd, I echo the sentiment that in 8-15 years, there will be replacement batteries available probably with 2-3x energy density.

Last and most important- technology matures with markets to fill, experience from use and investments made. We will never get to a better place without taking steps today.

 

[mwilk012]

If by abuse you really mean, sometimes pulls a trailer to a job site. Then yes. Its our diesel trucks that are really abused. lol.

The two that needed replacement were 2.7 liter F-150s. The other truck was a 6.2 liter F-250 and the one I drive so definitely not abused. You bring up the 3.5. Ours only needed new turbos after they blew so somewhat better than the 2.7s.

My other experience would be the 2.0 turbo in my Nephew's VW that blew and his brother's 1.6 Turbo in his Mini cooper. It was one right after the other. I can't speak for the maintenance on those since they were bought used and they blew shortly after they were bought.

These are great little motors that will sometimes just blow up on you. And they're wildly popular.

My point remains that even with good maintenance, a modern gas engine can and will fail you. Especially over the period of time you're talking about. They seriously don't make em like they used to.

What happened to the 6.2? Curious.

 

[Sean L]

What happened to the 6.2? Curious.

The cams started pitting and needed replacement. Apparently Ford only sells replacement cams with the heads so they got replaced too.

 

[wscottyh]

I see no remarks on the environmental damage the mining of lithium in countries like Africa causes, also don’t most owners charge their batteries at night or does driving charge the batteries to a full charge, the cost of electricity needs to be added to the cost of MPG I believe.

 

[ViperJon]

My main concern with almost any EV is that in five to seven years, assuming battery technology advances at a reasonable rate it might be a very hard sell as a resale vehicle. How's the market for Iphone 8's now?

 

[Sean L]

I see no remarks on the environmental damage the mining of lithium in countries like Africa causes, also don’t most owners charge their batteries at night or does driving charge the batteries to a full charge, the cost of electricity needs to be added to the cost of MPG I believe.

A COUNTRY like AFRICA?

The worlds largest producer of Lithium is Australia actually. Lithium isn't the issue, its Cobalt. Thanks to the Congo it is virtually impossible to ethically source the Cobalt needed for Li-Ion batteries. Its a problem that should be addressed most definitely.

 

[wscottyh]

I see, thanks for the clarification, any info on the charging needs of the batteries and how much the cost of electricity reduces the overall cost of MPG

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