Jeep may offer a gasoline engine in its first electric vehicle (EV).
Jeep CEO Antonio Filosa told the U.K.’s Autocar that the upcoming Jeep Recon off-road EV may employ a hybrid powertrain as an option to an electric one.
We expect the Recon to be the first of two Jeep EVs appearing later this year. Jeep initially called both 2024 models, but it’s getting late enough in 2024 that the pair will likely be part of the 2025 Jeep lineup.
The Recon fits the traditional Jeep mold. It’s an off-road-focused SUV with removable doors. With short overhangs and square proportions, you’ll know it as a Jeep from every angle.
The Jeep Wagoneer S is different – a pavement-focused high-performance midsize SUV.
The Wagoneer S, Filosa said, “will stay BEV [battery electric vehicle]-only, for sure. But, being faithful to our main strategy of deep electrification, we can think about opportunities on Recon.” Autocar reports that Filosa said a gas-only Recon was “unlikely.”
The news comes as EV sales have slowed in the U.S., leading some automakers to tap the brakes on their transition plans.
While Filosa said “hybrid,” the brand already has a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrain. PHEVs differ from classic hybrids because they can travel on electric power alone for a certain distance before starting their gasoline engines, and you can recharge their drive batteries by plugging them into a power source.
The Wrangler 4xe and Grand Cherokee 4xe both use the same PHEV powertrain. Jeep’s most straightforward and least expensive move would be to fit the same system as the Recon. It mates a turbocharged 4-cylinder engine to a pair of electric motors, combining to make 375 horsepower.
It gives the Wrangler an all-electric range of about 21 miles and the Grand Cherokee 25.
