I remember the ENVI projects and this Jeep BEV reminds me of the 2009 Jeep Patriot range extended EV. The Patriot, along with the other range extended EV concepts from 2008-09, used a 2-cylinder engine with range extending EV transaxle, all provided by a vendor. In other words, it was a kit. Today there is a 3 cylinder GSE engine available in-house along with the eFlite hybrid transaxle. All this would easily fit in a Renegade, but Stellantis already has both a mild hybrid and front drive based 4Xe plugin hybrid setups, which they aren't selling to us here in North America. The B-Jeep now represents a third item we don't receive.
There is a PHEV powertrain option on the Ford Escape that uses a sizable battery pack for a longer range. Ford also offers this powertrain in lower trim levels for affordability. An Escape equipped this way will exceed the battery only range of the Patriot ENVI concept. Our regional electric utility has some Escape PHEVs in a fleet trim level.
Affordability seems to be a lost concept to Stellantis. I realize there is a chip shortage to deal with and there is a whole new generation of electrified vehicles always around the corner. At least I can get on a waiting list with Ford. (That seems to be the only way to get a Maverick hybrid.) I also understand the Renegade comes to us from Europe where the demand for EVs is much higher. The Compass, on the other hand, is made in Mexico and uses the same powertrain pieces as the Renegade.
If battery electric vehicles are going to be hard sell for North America, plugin hybrids as well as other hybrid types will be more successful. I'm glad the Jeepster is going with a GSE option. I don't like the PSA based engines. My wish is there would be a less complex plugin hybrid with a small gas engine (GSE) to try to keep things more affordable.
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