Jeep® Looking At HEV Powertrains For Wagoneer S and Recon?

As the automotive industry undergoes significant shifts in the electric vehicle (EV) market, Jeep® is contemplating a strategic pivot, considering the introduction of hybrid-electric (HEV) variants for its highly anticipated Wagoneer S and Recon models. This potential shift reflects the dynamic leadership of the new Jeep® CEO, Antonio Filosa, and a commitment to adaptability in response to changing market demands. Filosa’s tenure commenced with a flurry of strategic adjustments aimed at realigning Jeep’s offerings with evolving consumer preferences. Notably, a repricing initiative was launched, slashing the Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of popular models like the Compass and Grand Cherokee. … (read full article...)

 

[patfromigh]

If they can keep the price at a competitive level, a hybrid Recon would be a very desirable vehicle.

 

[bill burke]

Things change, fact of life. Under intense pressure from environmental extremists in and out of government auto manufacturers succumbed to the pressure, spent billions of dollars on a fools mission and now reality has set in and here we are.
Check it out, myself and hundreds of others have condemned the poor judgement, outed the non-existing market and the dogmatic forces of the free market in a sincere effort to bring reality and reason to the fore. Finally reality has prevailed. HELLO !!
Yes the Wagoneer S and Recon are viable BEV products in limited numbers that MUST be brought to market with a true hybrid option that needs no plug in albatross around its neck to drive the majority of buyers to other products.
Truth be told, if it needs a plug, it’s a dud. HELLO !!!
Thankfully the SLA large platform and the new Charger engineering just might save the day. Don’t know for sure if it was me and our army of cohorts of common sense out there who shed light on the unenlightened or the bottom line logic, but hopefully good old gas will save the day and these two promising Jeeps. HELLO !

 

[Archknight]

This was not a surprise. I said from the moment they announced these EVs that they wouldn't be all electric, because of cost and nonprofitability. Having gas/hybrid variants of all their models is a better way to remain profitable while tinkering with BEVs. The STLA platforms having that flexibility built in will allow them to adjust their manufacturing needs accordingly. I see both Recon and Wagoneer S recieving hybrid variants of the the 2.0T and SO I6 to keep them as "electrified" versions.

 

[patfromigh]

Truth be told, if it needs a plug, it’s a dud.

The full hybrid models currently offered by CDJ all have plugs. I can't speak for the Dodge Hornet because I have yet to see one, but it does have a save-charge driving mode. The Jeep 4Xe has settings to charge the batteries with the ICE and regenerative braking. (All though it does this in hybrid mode anyway). One can drive in town on battery electric power and then charge the batteries while cruising on a long distance trip. The operator doesn't need to plug the vehicle in. Our level 2 chargers at work charge a Jeep Wrangler 4Xe from 0 to a full charge in around 2 and a half hours. Electric only range in a Wrangler Rubicon 4Xe is 25 miles and 30 miles in a Grand Cherokee 4Xe. That is adequate for many commutes. Plug in at home and save the gas for the weekend and use e-save while on longer journeys.

I have no idea what the ICE offerings for these models will be, but I suspect it will be some sort of hybrid.

 

[bill burke]

The full hybrid models currently offered by CDJ all have plugs. I can't speak for the Dodge Hornet because I have yet to see one, but it does have a save-charge driving mode. The Jeep 4Xe has settings to charge the batteries with the ICE and regenerative braking. (All though it does this in hybrid mode anyway). One can drive in town on battery electric power and then charge the batteries while cruising on a long distance trip. The operator doesn't need to plug the vehicle in. Our level 2 chargers at work charge a Jeep Wrangler 4Xe from 0 to a full charge in around 2 and a half hours. Electric only range in a Wrangler Rubicon 4Xe is 25 miles and 30 miles in a Grand Cherokee 4Xe. That is adequate for many commutes. Plug in at home and save the gas for the weekend and use e-save while on longer journeys.

I have no idea what the ICE offerings for these models will be, but I suspect it will be some sort of hybrid.

Frankly, taking the various opinions in their most fundamental elements, the plain fact is the public in general is not interested in pure electric vehicles for three reasons, cost, range and inconvenience. The market has peaked and is falling off a cliff and as a business case, manufactures must offer conventional gas engines and non-plug in hybrids to sell their vehicles. The STLA platforms can solve that issue and Stellantis and Jeep must use that adaptability to save the company from a huge over reach and misreading of the free market at work. This article points to the reality check being a new direction and profitability. Fundamental.

 

[Archknight]

The full hybrid models currently offered by CDJ all have plugs. I can't speak for the Dodge Hornet because I have yet to see one, but it does have a save-charge driving mode. The Jeep 4Xe has settings to charge the batteries with the ICE and regenerative braking. (All though it does this in hybrid mode anyway). One can drive in town on battery electric power and then charge the batteries while cruising on a long distance trip. The operator doesn't need to plug the vehicle in. Our level 2 chargers at work charge a Jeep Wrangler 4Xe from 0 to a full charge in around 2 and a half hours. Electric only range in a Wrangler Rubicon 4Xe is 25 miles and 30 miles in a Grand Cherokee 4Xe. That is adequate for many commutes. Plug in at home and save the gas for the weekend and use e-save while on longer journeys.

I have no idea what the ICE offerings for these models will be, but I suspect it will be some sort of hybrid.

Plug-in hybrids are not what the average person thinks of when you use the "hybrid" term, they'll immediately think of the original Prius or mild hybrid setups that are get in and go like additional gas variants. Plug-in hybrids haven't been around that long and still the inconvenience is there of lugging around traditional equipment and finding places to charge them if you're not a home or live in a place (apt dwellers), that haven't been designed to accommodate these types of vehicles. Also, those 4xe models aren't selling that fast and are piling up on lots. I went to 3 dealers this past weekend because of the almost 7 grand in rebates promotion they were running. All had very few regular gas variants of the GC, but were packed with 4xe models.

Series hybrids make more sense to the typical buyer as they offer better fuel efficiency and no additional planning. Look at Mazda with an inline 6 in large SUVs with similar FE to cars much smaller. The plug-in model is sold in addition to that because most customers will buy something they can fuel and forget versus having to seek out additional available power sources while hoping no one tampers with it.

 

[WXman]

See, I think plug-in hybrid is the only way to do it. The F-150 hybrid is terrible and nobody likes it because the things that COULD be a benefit are not due to lack of control by the operator. With a PHEV like the Jeep 4xe you get the best of both worlds. You can charge youself and drive on only electricity as far as it'll take you. OR you can drive on gasoline. Or both. The choice is yours. The flexibility is superior. If Ram could figure out how to make a 1500 PHEV with 100 miles of electric only range and the 3.0 SO Hurricane as the ICE powerplant, that would be the perfect truck for the masses.

 

[TripleT]

I was so sold on PHEV I got another one, The 3 best selling PHEVs are now 2 Jeeps and "Dodge" (actually slightly uglier Alfa)

 

[patfromigh]

Which part of the ability to charge the batteries while in motion don't people understand? The Jeep Wrangler and Grand Cherokee 4Xe hybrids can be charged, while in motion, by the IC engine and regenerative braking. The driver is given a choice to plug in or not with a button on the dash. There is no need to find a place to charge when one arrives at a place far from home, because the batteries are charged to full while driving to the destination.

The Mazda Cx-90 and 70 hybrids are parallel hybrids. The mild hybrid uses a renamed BSG like the Jeep and Ram eTorque setup, the Mazda PHEV uses an 8-speed transmission with with an internal electric motor.

The upcoming Ram Ramcharger uses a series hybrid system, the ICE is used to generate electricity, to power the electric motors, that drive the vehicle. If someone lives in an apartment complex, they probably wouldn't own such a large vehicle.

 

[WXman]

Which part of the ability to charge the batteries while in motion don't people understand? The Jeep Wrangler and Grand Cherokee 4Xe hybrids can be charged, while in motion, by the IC engine and regenerative braking. The driver is given a choice to plug in or not with a button on the dash. There is no need to find a place to charge when one arrives at a place far from home, because the batteries are charged to full while driving to the destination.

The Mazda Cx-90 and 70 hybrids are parallel hybrids. The mild hybrid uses a renamed BSG like the Jeep and Ram eTorque setup, the Mazda PHEV uses an 8-speed transmission with with an internal electric motor.

The upcoming Ram Ramcharger uses a series hybrid system, the ICE is used to generate electricity, to power the electric motors, that drive the vehicle. If someone lives in an apartment complex, they probably wouldn't own such a large vehicle.

I haven't seen a single Jeep 4xe video where the owner was able to get significant amounts of charge from the regenerative braking system. The system may help extend range a bit, but it doesn't seem to actually charge the battery to full.

 

[Archknight]

Which part of the ability to charge the batteries while in motion don't people understand? The Jeep Wrangler and Grand Cherokee 4Xe hybrids can be charged, while in motion, by the IC engine and regenerative braking. The driver is given a choice to plug in or not with a button on the dash. There is no need to find a place to charge when one arrives at a place far from home, because the batteries are charged to full while driving to the destination.

The Mazda Cx-90 and 70 hybrids are parallel hybrids. The mild hybrid uses a renamed BSG like the Jeep and Ram eTorque setup, the Mazda PHEV uses an 8-speed transmission with with an internal electric motor.

The upcoming Ram Ramcharger uses a series hybrid system, the ICE is used to generate electricity, to power the electric motors, that drive the vehicle. If someone lives in an apartment complex, they probably wouldn't own such a large vehicle.

You must live in a small town somewhere, because if you live in a major city, I've lived in 3 so far, there are large vehicles all over the place in these complexes. Just because people are renting a place doesn't mean they aren't buying large SUVs and trucks especially here in TX.

 

[patfromigh]

I define "such a large vehicle" as a plugin electric large pickup truck. Example of those are the Ford F-150 Lightning, Chevy Silverado EV and the upcoming Ram REV and Ramcharger. A conventional ICE powered pickup wouldn't have the same issues. The PHEV Jeeps have small battery packs and can charge relatively quickly.

I live in a major metropolitan area in a small apartment complex, the building is only 154 units.The underground parking is very cramped, a large pickup truck will not fit. I could easily park a Ram 1500 in the outside parking lot, but they are only six standard, 120 volt, 3-prong outlets. A Ramcharger would take a few days to fully charge at that voltage with its 92 kWh battery pack. Downtown there are curbside level 2 chargers offered to the public, but I don't know what the costs, if any, are involved. Parallel parking in a truck that size is a chore. Various grocery stores in the suburbs also have level two chargers in their lots, but only a few at each store.

A contemporary full-size pickup truck is workable for someone going from suburb to suburb. If a person lives in a downtown hi-rise, they might be out of luck. There are park and ride lots for those who work downtown and live in the suburbs. Some of those lots have charging stations as well.

That said, the Ram EVs are a topic for another thread. The lack of charging stations is also another thread, and the news for that topic gets worse on a daily basis.