Stellantis is already on the road to electrification. The company currently has 19 pure electric vehicles (BEVs) and 15 plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEV) on the market. Now, the big automaker has unveiled its electrification roadmap for 2022 and 2023. This reveals exciting things to come, especially for the Jeep and Dodge brands.
Stellantis announces a roadmap for electrification for 2022-2023
In Stellantis' roadmap, the four-wheel drive girl is more focused on the upcoming Jeep BEV, and the new car may be inspired by the Jeep Wrangler Magneto concept.
Jeep BEV concept map
Unveiled at the 2021 Easter Jeep Safari, the Wrangler Magneto electric concept car features a custom axial flux motor that delivers an output of around 285hp and peak torque of 370N·m via a six-speed manual transmission.
Jeep has been planning and installing solar charging stations from an early age to support Jeep electric vehicles across the United States, and also plans to install charging stations for off-road venues in the near future.
As the cross-sectional view shows, the Wrangler BEV appears to have used a similar trapezoidal frame chassis as its internal combustion and partially electrified carrier, with a traditional longitudinal transmission and transfer case behind the electric motor where the ICE is located. Similarly, the drive shaft and differential drive the rear wheels, and the battery pack is located on both sides of the drive shaft and behind the rear axis.
This layout appears to allow Jeep to use traditional off-road transmission hardware, such as a low-speed divider and locking differential, and possibly also with a rocker disconnect feature that allows for greater axle articulation and suspension travel. Of course, the CONCEPT OF BEV can only be clearly known when it is fully disclosed.
For comparison, the current electric Wrangler is a 4xe variant with a battery pack located under the rear seats. These are lithium-ion battery packs with a nickel-manganese (NMC) graphite chemistry that provides 400 volts and 17 kWh of electricity. All high-voltage electronics in the Wrangler 4xe are sealed and waterproof to provide the same 76cm wading capability as its ICE brother product, and the Wrangler BEV should seal the components in a similar way.
The all-electric Wrangler will also be part of the Jeep series, which will include "electrification options for each model in the coming years and take green and 4×4 technologies to the next level." The Jeep CEO said it would be "the most powerful jeep ever built".
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