2010 Jeep Wrangler EV – An Electric Version of a Classic Jeep
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Chrysler LLC announced that the Company and its ENVI organization will roll out an advanced electric-drive technology vehicle for each of its brands, Chrysler, Jeep, and Dodge. Chrysler and General Electric have actually jointly pursued a project with the United States Department of Energy to explore advanced energy-storage technology. In Jeep’s case it will be the 2010 Jeep Wrangler EV. The Jeep EV development vehicle is a Range-extended Electric Vehicle, it combines the electric-drive components of the Electric Vehicle with a small gasoline engine and integrated electric generator to produce additional energy to power the electric-drive system when needed. In Chrysler’s words, they “have a social responsibility to our consumers to deliver environmentally friendly, fuel-efficient, advanced electric vehicles”. Considering Chrysler’s bold ambitions, this is likely a glimpse into the future of vehicles, and it is likely that other automakers will follow suit, especially if Chrysler’s EV vehicles are a success. These electric vehicles will do what no production car has done, reduce dependency on foreign oil, nearly eliminate monthly gasoline bills, and at the same time deliver performance and utility. With the Wrangler EV you get complete range-extended electric status and the possibility of monster rock-crawling capabilities. It can’t get better than that.
What is ENVI?
ENVI represents the first four letters of ‘environment’, and this is the Company’s in-house organization that was formed to focus on electric-drive production vehicles and related advanced technologies. The development of electric-drive systems for future Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge vehicles has been a priority for the company, with its progress moving quickly. Considering it was only created in the past few years, it is impressive that there are already plans to roll out vehicles from the organization.
Wrangler EV Power
Chrysler’s Electric Vehicles utilize just three primary components. These include an electric motor to drive the wheels, an advanced lithium-ion battery system to power the electric-drive motor and a controller that manages energy flow. The electric-drive system is being developed for front-wheel-drive, rear-wheel-drive, and body-on-frame four-wheel-drive vehicle applications. This means zero tailpipe emissions and a
150- to 200-mile driving range. The Range-extended Electric Vehicle combines the electric-drive components of the Electric Vehicle with a small gasoline engine and integrated electric generator to produce additional energy to power the electric-drive system when needed. This provides the positive attributes of an Electric Vehicle with the driving range equivalent to today’s gasoline-powered vehicles – with no compromises in performance. The Jeep EV Range-extended Electric Vehicle uses an electric motor, an advanced lithium-ion battery system, and a small gasoline engine with an integrated electric generator to produce additional energy to power the electric-drive system when needed. The 200 kW (268 horsepower) electric motor generates 400 N•m (295 lb.-ft.) of torque. With approximately eight gallons of gasoline, the Jeep EV has a range of 400 miles, including 40 miles of zero fuel-consumption, zero-emissions, all-electric operation.
Trail Ability for 2010
Many ‘Jeepers’ already live by the laws of “Tread Likely” – have fun while off-roading, while at the same time considering the impact on nature and minimizing negative effects. So for Jeep to put out a ‘green’ Wrangler seems perfect. It may be a first reaction for many that an electrically motivated Jeep might severely compromised on the trail, but consider maximum torque at zero RPM, a power source unaffected by orientation, and no engine noise to get in the way of your spotter's directions. The new Jeep EV may not be the offroad king that its gas siblings are but over time Jeep may figure out how to make it more capable. The instant high torque of the electric-drive motor and the ability to precisely control each wheel independently results in off-road capability ideally suited for the Jeep brand, without compromising on-road driving capability.
Driving the 2010 Wrangler
Besides the differences in the regular and EV Wrangler power trains, there's the center of gravity. The EV's is significantly lower; the battery pack is axle height. However, Chrysler says the weight of the two Jeeps is about the same. During driving, the added weight underneath the vehicle helps to take away some of the Wrangler's usual "tippy" feel when cornering at higher speeds. It is unclear how long the Jeep battery will last, since this is new territory, but, considering the cost of one of these, it will hopefully remain reliable for years to come. 
Summary
While other SUVs may be using fuel saving technologies such as cylinder shutoff systems, Jeep will be way ahead of the pack with the release of the 2010 Jeep EV. This is some fresh news for the automaker, as the Wrangler is generally considered to be a throwback as far as technology goes, and certainly not an industry leader. Chrysler has promised to release its ENVI vehicle by 2010, so expect to see the 2010 Jeep Wrangler EV on the road within the next year. View an excellant atricle of the Jeep Wrangler EV by Motor Trend for more research.
