Get Ready for the Electric Jeep

September 23rd, 2008 by Justin

There’s big news coming from Detroit today as one of the big 3 American car manufacturers unveiled their line up of electric and hybrid vehicles. While the Jeep was originally designed as a military vehicle, it has morphed greatly into a vehicle perfect for one to enjoy the outdoors. As nature lovers are more conscious of the imprint they make when offroad, the electric Jeep (Jeep EV) which is slated for production in 2010 makes a lot of sense.

The Hybrid Jeep
Actually, the Jeep EV will not be a pure electric or a typical hybrid such as the infamous Toyota Prius. Instead it will have both a gas engine and an electric motor. The electric motor will be similar to what is expected in the Chevy Volt, it will have a range of about 40 miles on a full charge. According to recent estimates, a full charge would take about 6 to 8 hours using a 110 volt connection (half this time for a 220 volt connection). However, in addition to a 40 mile all electric range, the Jeep EV will also have a back up gasoline engine to enhance the vehicles distance indefinitely.

Expect Decent Performance from the Jeep EV
While much is still unknown about the specs on the 2010 Jeep EV, some details that were mentioned were that there were plans for both a 2 wheel and four wheel drive version, the engine/motor would produce about 268 hp and 296 lb/feet torque. Acceleration will be decent at about 0 to 60 in 9 seconds and a top speed of 90 mph.

For those excited about electric vehicles, the Jeep EV is definitely a product that will surely thrill. While there is a long way to go for electric vehicles to catch up with their gas counterparts, it looks like the future will be bright for both electric vehicles and Jeep.

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