The race to win over consumers eager to convert to electric vehicles is about to heat up once again.
The SUV market, one of the most lucrative and competitive, is about to welcome a new competitor, and not the least. Their name will undoubtedly push or even encourage the current leaders -- Ford (F), Rivian (RIVN), GM (GM), and to a lesser extent Tesla (TSLA) -- to redouble their efforts.
Jeep, the iconic all-terrain SUV brand, is about to enter the 100% electric vehicle market or BEV (battery electric vehicle). Its owner, Stellantis (STLA), a group born of the merger between the Italian-American car manufacturers Fiat Chrysler and the French Peugeot, has just announced its roadmap.
This roadmap, unveiled during the presentation of the fourth-quarter earnings, provides for the launch of a passenger electric vehicle under the Jeep brand by no later than 2023. In this document, Stellantis maintains the mystery around this vehicle. Apart from the date displayed 2022 and 2023 in the launches section, there is nothing other than a 'TBA' (to be announced) in the model section.
An Electric Variant for All Jeep SUVs by 2025
The company led by Portuguese Carlos Tavares will undoubtedly lift the veil on this car either on March 1 when presenting its long-term strategic plan to investors or between April 9 and 17 during the 2022 Easter Jeep Safari held in Moab, Utah.
"It is important to see that the Jeep brand is absolutely on the right tempo to serve on the successful electrified technology of our company," Tavares, who is chief executive officer, said during thecompany's most-recent earnings' call.
Jeep, Stellantis' flagship brand, particularly in North America, symbolizes the group's strategy in electrification. Unlike its rivals in Detroit, Stellantis has chosen to gradually support consumers in their conversion to electric by offering them a middle solution: hybrid vehicles.
Jeep thus markets the Plug-in-Hybrid Jeep Wrangler 4xe, and soon the Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe. The brand does not offer any 100% electric vehicle as of now.
Stellantis has promised, however, that there will be an electric variant of all Jeep brand SUVs by 2025.
But which model will be the very first electric Jeep is the question that plagues the industry.
Which Model Will Be the First Jeep EV?
The bets are on the Jeep Wrangler and for good reason: Stellantis presented a concept during the 2021 edition of Easter Jeep Safari.
From what we've seen the Wrangler Magneto is an electric concept vehicle designed to show off what you might expect from a future electric Wrangler.
It's based on the 2020 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon and seems to cling to many of the Wrangler's off-road skills, delivering power to match the 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 engine, while retaining the 30-inch wading depth and featuring a skid plate and a plate skid to protect electrical components and batteries.
There are four batteries, spread out to keep the weight balanced, with a total capacity of 70kWh. It runs on an 800-volt system, with a custom motor that will deliver 273 lb-ft of torque and equivalent power of 285 hp.
The Jeep Wrangler Magneto can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph (miles per hour) in about 8.1 seconds, but Stellantis says nothing about range. But it's important to note that most cars with this type of battery capacity go around 250 miles.
Plus, Jeep has kept something dear to its fans: there's a six-speed manual transmission available, which drives a manual-electric powertrain, so you drive it like a regular stick-shift model with a real clutch. Most electric cars are single-speed.
The Li-ion batteries are mounted on the wheels to balance the weight.
The grille emblematic of the wrangler is there, its round lights and a profile (two doors at the rear, convertible) very similar to that of the model we know. In short, fans are not going to complain.
By choosing to convert Jeep to electrification, Stellantis confirms its promise to invest $35.5 billion in electrified vehicles by 2025.
The company, which already has many electric models on the European market, had given the impression of being completely behind in North America while Ford is already marketing the Mustang Mach-E SUV and will start the production of the pickup F-150 Lightning in the Spring.
GM launched the GMC Hummer EV, while Rivian is selling its "all-terrain, all-weather" truck R1T.
