Blast From the Past (Recession): A Jeep Wrangler EV!

Isn’t it strange how new ideas are never truly new? Once upon a time, somewhere and somehow, someone probably worked up some rudimentary version of a similar concept, and for whatever reason, it just didn’t stick. Or maybe it did, but in a foundational (but often forgotten) way that paved the path for the future. Case in point: Stellantis has its eyes set on EVs, and its plans include a Jeep Wrangler EV. But, nearly fifteen years ago, Chrysler (the parent of Chrysler, Dodge, and Jeep at the time) had its eyes on an eerily similar prize? Among a bevy of EVs and extended-range electric concept vehicles it paraded out at the 2009 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, all intended to drag Chrysler into the electric age, was this 2010 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited EV. Actually, it was an extended-range hybrid electric vehicle (EREV), but there was a full-electric version.

It was joined in Detroit by a Chrysler 200C range-extended EV, a Jeep Patriot range-extended EV, a Dodge Circuit EV, and  a Chrysler Town & Country range-extended EV. All were primarily battery electric vehicles assisted by small gasoline-fed generators onboard.

Chrysler described this electrified prototype portfolio as “production-intent,” as in, the company wanted to make production EV models across its lineup. It wanted its first electric vehicle to be produced in 2010, with hopes of three additional models hitting production by 2013. Chrysler projected having half a million electric vehicles on the road by 2013. Was one of those to be an electric Wrangler? Probably.

The Best Laid Plans…

Formed in late 2007, Chrysler ENVI—that’s the first four letters of the word “environment”—was the in-house organization responsible for developing Chrysler’s electric and range-extended electric vehicles (Chrysler’s terminology) and related technologies. ENVI electric-drive technology would be adapted for front- and rear-wheel drive and body-on-frame four-wheel drive platforms.

Check out the rhetoric from 2009 regarding ENVI’s work: “ENVI is quickly bringing electric vehicles to market, completely changing the game for our customers,” said Lou Rhodes, President – ENVI, and Vice President – Advance Vehicle Engineering. “Chrysler’s ENVI-powered electric vehicles will allow consumers to move away from their reliance on fuel stations and traditional maintenance, and instead enjoy a new, more socially responsible level of performance-instant torque, quietness, smoothness and efficiency-that today’s internal combustion engine vehicles can’t offer.

“ENVI harnesses the promise of electric vehicles, but takes it further,” Rhodes added. “By working with electric utilities and with battery manufacturers, we are developing a seamless approach to electric-vehicle ownership-an approach that will soon allow consumers to move brilliantly forward in an environmentally friendly, intuitive mobility package.”

Sounds a bit like 2022, eh? The goal was the same, but the execution was different. Also the timing: The run-up to the 2009 North American International Auto Show, if you’ll recall, was 2008’s plunge into recession following the housing-market implosion.

Decent Range, Okay Performance

The electric-drive technology utilized by Chrysler’s ENVI-powered electric vehicles consisted of an electric motor (to drive the wheels), a lithium-ion battery system (to power the electric drive motor), and a controller (to manage energy flow). The range-extended versions added a small gasoline engine and integrated electric generator that kicked in when the battery level got low. The gasoline engine acted as a generator that fed electricity to the battery and electric motor. The pure EVs had a range of 150 to 200 miles; the range-extended EVs—which, like the original Fisker Karma, were more like plug-in hybrids—had an all-electric range of 40 miles and a 400-mile total-driving range (while using only 8-10 gallons of gas) thanks to the range-extender—so Chrysler optimistically claimed. Both the all-electric and range-extended vehicles charged using 110-volt or 220-volt outlets.

Draped in a fresh coat of ENVI Green Pearl exterior paint and sporting prominent EV graphics along its sides, the Jeep Wrangler EV Unlimited range-extended electric prototype was two-wheel drive—although ENVI was starting to play with four-wheel drive and in-wheel electric motors at the time. The electric motor of its ENVI powertrain produced 268 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque. It had regenerative braking. The range extender was a SULEV gasoline engine and electric generator producing 70kW (94 hp) of continuous electric power.

Jeep reports these performance stats for the Jeep Wrangler EV: 0 to 60 in about 9.0 seconds; quarter mile in about 16.5 seconds; and a top speed that crested 90 mph. None of those figures were terribly far off from what a standard, V-6-powered JK-generation Wrangler was capable of. They also nearly exactly shade those of the first two-door Magneto concept Jeep showed at last year’s Easter Jeep Safari in Moab, Utah, an electric-converted Wrangler with a novel manual transmission.

So there you have it. The Jeep Wrangler EV of yesteryear had optimistic hypothetical stats when it came to range, but it would not be competitive performance- and technology-wise with the Wrangler 4xe plug-in hybrid (which combines a 2.0-liter turbo engine with a 17-kWh battery, two electric motors, and an eight-speed automatic transmission, good for a net output of 375 hp and 470 lb-ft), let alone the Wrangler Magneto 2.0 Concept (that instantly delivers 625 hp and 850 lb-ft of peak torque).

In all likelihood, it also would pale in comparison to the upcoming production electric Wrangler coming in 2024. That model is expected to have integrated batteries tucked between likely modified frame rails, and perhaps even axles with built-in electric motors front and rear, rather than a single motor driving the transmission and transfer case as a traditional engine would, even though that’s the Magneto’s basic layout. The 2010 Wrangler EV did, however, help pave the way for the 13-year (and counting) journey to the Jeep Wrangler EV of the future, while hopefully this new one doesn’t also come with so much macroeconomic baggage.

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