Jeep prepares Wrangler EV to challenge Hummer EV and Rivian R1S for off-road supremacy ^↺

Jeep CEO, Christian Meunier, recently confirmed in an interview with Auto Express that a fully-electric Jeep Wrangler is indeed on the way, even if it will only land for the 2027 model year. With the Wrangler EV, Jeep will aim to push the boundaries of off-road capability beyond the Jeep 10-point Trail Rating. The CEO specifically highlights that electrification would open doors for Jeep because it allows for more flexible design parameters.

The Trail Rating is a scale up to ten. At ten is the two-door Wrangler Rubicon; the five-door Wrangler Rubicon is at nine. We start at four for the Renegade with Trail Rating. I want to push that to 12.

Between the variety of 4xe hybrids and fully-electrified Avenger, Wagoneer, and Recon models, Jeep buyers have options for an electric drivetrain, but outside of concept vehicles, there has been no concrete sign of an all-electric Jeep Wrangler until this confirmation. It's clear that the hybrid Wranglers have been a hit for the brand, with 38 percent of all Wranglers sold in Q1 2023 coming from the 4xe lineup.

Vehicles like the Rivian R1T and Hummer EV have already demonstrated that electrification can have some spectacular advantages when it comes to off-road performance. With something like a quad-motor EV, you don't need to worry about complex differentials, and there's less interplay between the suspension components and the drivetrain.

The Magneto 3.0 concept shown off at 2023's Jeep Easter Safari event might give us a glimpse of how an all-electric Wrangler would come to fruition, given that it was based on a two-door Wrangler Rubicon.

Instead of a dual- or quad-motor setup, the Wrangler Magneto 3.0 used a single custom-engineered axial flux motor delivering up to 650 hp to all four wheels. It also featured two power modes and aggressive regenerative braking and hill descent — all in an effort to maintain a semblance of the traditional driving feel of a trail-rated Jeep in an electric platform.

It's unclear whether or not Jeep will employ the same sort of axial flux motor or if it will do something more conventional, like the solutions Fisker, Hummer, and Rivian have opted for, skipping out on complex mechanical components in favour of simple electric motors.

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