When it comes to thinking about auto brands tied to electric vehicles, odds are good Jeep is among the last names to cross your mind. That’s starting to change; the carmaker SUV-and-truck-maker has just rolled out the first of its electrified plug-in hybrid models, and has plenty more in the works. In terms of purely electric vehicles, though, Jeep’s offerings are, well, nonexistent.
Not for long, however. As Stellantis revealed to investors during a presentation that was picked up by The Detroit News and then quickly disseminated across the Internet, Jeep’s first true EV will debut in 2023 — in other words, less than two years from now.
Read More
It’s not clear exactly what type of Jeep this inaugural seven-bar-grilled-EV will be; Stellantis’s presentation didn’t offer specifics on that. It is clear, however, that it won’t be the last purely electric Jeep. Not by a long shot, in fact; Stellantis revealed back in July that the iconic off-road brand will roll out an EV in every category it competes in by 2025.
That means, at the very least, a small EV crossover along the lines of the Renegade and Compass (they’re technically a subcompact and a compact, but we figure they’re close enough to be consolidated); a medium-sized EV along the lines of the Cherokee; a large two-to-three-row EV SUV like the Grand Cherokee; an extra-large electric SUV like the Wagoneer/Grand Wagoneer; a pickup truck like the Gladiator…and, of course, a good-old fashioned off-roader along the lines of the Wrangler.
Indeed, if Jeep really wants to prove its intentions as a bona fide EV brand, kicking things off with an electric Wrangler might be the best way to do it. The brand already teased such a vehicle with the Magneto concept revealed at this year’s Easter Jeep Safari; granted, that was a pretty simple EV, simply swapping the Wrangler’s gas-powered engine for a battery pack and electric motor, but it was merely a proof of concept. And seeing as how good the Wrangler 4xe PHEV is (and how fun battery-powered off-roading is), following it up with a Wrangler EV might be a slam dunk.
Then again, maybe it’ll be a mass-market EV crossover to fight the Chevy Bolt EUV or Ford Mustang Mach-E. We’ll know soon enough.