At its launch Jeep Wagoneer S electric SUVSUV brand Stellantis on Thursday confirmed plans to push ahead with what’s likely to see various electrified powertrain options across its lineup by the end of the decade.
That includes extended-range EV versions of the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer, which were first confirmed for “next year” by Jeep CEO Antonio Filosa, in a Q&A with the press following the reveal .
Filosa also confirmed that extended-range Wagoneer versions will retain the three-row layout, but the Wagoneer S EV will not be offered as a three-row.
Before the electrified versions, the full-size Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer had a body-on-frame offering a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six that made either 420 horsepower or 510 horsepower. EPA fuel economy ratings are only 17 to 20 mpg combined, depending on trim. On the outside, they are significantly larger than the Wagoneer S EV.
Jeep 2024
Filosa suggests that the range-extended Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer models could be followed, on an unconfirmed timeline, by a range-extended version of the Wagoneer S, built on the STLA Large platform, Filosa suggested. The STLA Large platform itself has been described as “BEV native” but ready for applications with internal combustion systems “without affecting the vehicle’s core capabilities”.
Baskin-Robbins’ approach to electric Jeeps
In what is shaping up to be almost the opposite of Tesla’s limited build mix, Jeep plans to offer an expanded range of hybrid, plug-in hybrid, battery-electric and electric vehicle configurations. scope of operation. That adds up to a lot of near-duplicate vehicles in terms of technology. It doesn’t quite overwhelm the Baskin-Robbins 31-flavor approach to SUV selection, but it seems that way to some shoppers.
“We will have everything but the fuel cell,” Filosa emphasized as he outlined all those powertrain types.
“It’s all about our choices. Just saying this is a BEV, this is an ICE, is not a good option for us,” Stellantis chief technology officer Ned Curic elaborated. Curic has verified with Green Car Reports that every model in the lineup will offer multiple levels of electrification options, and Jeep will offer range-extending ICE, plug-in hybrid, BEV and EV options across the range. its entire product line; But no one model will offer all four.
2025 Ram 1500 Turbocharger
Jeep’s parent company Stellantis has developed a range-extending truck called the Ram 1500 Boosterthat is built on Ram 1500 REV the all-electric version, uses a slightly smaller 92 kwh battery pack (compared to 168 or 229 kwh for the REV) and adds a 27-gallon fuel tank and V-6 engine to operate essentially as a Rolling generator when needed. According to company officials, the REV will launch in the fourth quarter of 2024, while the Ramcharger will launch about six months later.
The Ramcharger will be the first test for such an application—a plug-in hybrid series, with a longer-range battery pack—since the Fisker Karma and its Karma GS-6 and Revero offspring. Honda’s hybrids (and the Chevy Volt before them) primarily use a series hybrid setup but allow parallel mode, which follows the engine, at some cruising speeds.
Charging an electric Jeep Wagoneer
The Wagoneer will have a technologically tuned version of the Ramcharger. While the Wagoneer is built on the foundation of the regular Ram versions, the Ram 1500 REV and Ramcharger run on the STLA Frame platform. However, executives have confirmed that it will follow a similar approach to the Ramcharger, with a much larger battery pack than the plug-in hybrid versions.
In addition to the 4xe plug-in hybrid versions, such as Jeep Wrangler 4xe is the best seller, which the brand has introduced over the past few years, Jeep has traditionally offered various levels of off-road capability. Therefore, different versions can add to the level of inventory complexity for dealers and the higher level of technical explanation that shoppers need.
Jeep Wrangler 4xe 2021
But Curic didn’t think communicating to consumers would be that complicated. “You give customers a choice and the market will decide,” he said. “Customers want more electric vehicles, we sell more electric vehicles; customers want more hybrids, we sell more hybrids; It’s as simple as that.”
Of course, it’s much more complicated than that due to many policy factors, ranging from EPA regulations encourage plug-in hybrid vehicles Starting in 2027, electric vehicle tax credits can apply to these PHEVs and electric vehicles that extend their range, even beyond the electric vehicle itself, Threat of tariffs on China and the isolationist trade tactics predicted by both major party Presidential candidates.
Range Extended vs. PHEV: Which is better?
That said, Green Car Reports pressed Stellantis’ Curic for suggestions on which types of Jeep models could be extended-range electric vehicles versus which could be plug-in hybrids, and the CEO executive added some clarity that off-road vehicles may be the most technologically sound.
“For off-roading, extended range is better because it gives you more power, more power, more torque,” he says, and the refinement of engine control system. And he adds, you can maintain similar driving characteristics whether running on battery power or combined with the engine on.
Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe 2022
But with the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer perhaps the models in the lineup that can no longer crawl over rocks, and the Grand Cherokee 4xe and Wrangler 4xe relying on a traditional plug-in hybrid system, that could lead to a confusing technology debut.
Curic didn’t add to that, but he emphasized the company’s flexibility. “We have equipped many factories, so we have the scale to supply the number of vehicles that customers need,” he said.
For all the contingencies, one technology on the roadmap that it doesn’t allow, Curic reiterated, is a fuel cell option for the Jeep brand—though Stellantis will offer them on a public basis. company through a number of other brands.
