Key Points

  • The Jeep Recon and Jeep Wagoneer are Electric SUVs being released by the Stellantis Corporation in 2024. The company is not shutting down production of gas and diesel vehicles but is instead adding production of EV and PHEV, and hybrid vehicles to the lineup. The Jeep Recon will be a compact 5-passenger SUV and the Jeep Wagoneer will be a full-size 5-passenger SUV.

Jeep intends to bring electric power to North America’s wide open spaces and back-country trails with its compact SUV lineup. The next two EVs Jeep plans to release in the USA are the Recon and the Wagoneer S. Unlike the Wrangler 4xe, a plug-in electric hybrid or PHEV, the Jeep 2024 Recon, and Wagoneer S will be all-electric vehicles. The company hopes to have both available in showrooms by 2024. Its electrification plans don’t end there, however.

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Jeep, a subsidiary of Stellantis, says it wants to electrify 100% of sales in Europe and 50% in America by the decade’s end. At this point, the company isn’t shutting down U.S. production of gasoline and diesel models it’s already making. Instead, it’s adding EVs, PHEVs, and hybrids to the product line without discontinuing its existing vehicles. Jeep says every model will have an electrified version by 2025 besides its 2030 EV sales goals. Here’s what we know about the automaker’s first two dedicated American BEVs.

Quick Facts About Jeep’s Upcoming Releases

Jeep Recon EV: Off-Roading Electric Power

The Jeep Recon EV isn’t simply an electric version of the Wrangler but has a similar purpose and design. Though it includes more rounded, aerodynamic contours in its design, the Recon still looks the part of a Jeep. This is helped by the abbreviated, symbolic seven-slot grille between its headlights and other styling cues. Jeep describes the vehicle as “rugged and capable” and “100% electric and 100% Jeep 4×4.”

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Wrangler owners will find familiar features on the Recon EV, including removable doors. The vehicle also features a powered soft top that retracts or deploys with a button push, though it’s unknown whether this is standard or optional.

Curiously, there are fewer concrete specs for the Recon EV available in late September 2022 than for the Wagoneer. Jeep hasn’t announced an even approximate range. According to CarBuzz, chief executive Christian Meunier says the Recon can cross “the mighty Rubicon Trail […] and reach the end of the trail with enough range to drive back to town and recharge.” This statement isn’t a meaningful endorsement of long-range, however, since the Rubicon Trail measures just 22 miles long. While the Trail’s rugged obstacles could increase power use, even the shortest-range EVs sold today can drive 44 miles.

Guesstimates peg the Recon’s range at 250 miles but there is zero concrete data, to support these claims. 0-60 times, horsepower, and torque are also question marks.

Off-Road Moxie

The Recon doesn’t just resemble the Jeep Wrangler in style but has seemingly been built for off-roading, too. Skid plates, tow hooks (in an electric blue color), and all-terrain tires prep the vehicle to conquer America’s many trails. The EV’s overall design includes the ability to wear large tires, mated to abbreviated front and rear overhangs. These proportions give the Recon excellent breakover, angle of approach, and angle of departure.

The Stellantis engineers gave the Recon enough ground clearance for an off-roader. The axles feature electronically controlled e-lockers able to boost traction on command when more is needed. Finally, the Jeep Recon EV includes the Selec-Terrain system, enabling drivers to fine-tune performance for rock, snow, sand, mud, or towing.

Jeep Wagoneer S EV: A Premium Jeep Model

Where the Recon EV is a battery electric offshoot of the Wrangler centered on off-roading, the Wagoneer S EV is a performance powerhouse. Company engineers designed it with a full-size SUV body style. Jeep revived the Wagoneer nameplate in 2021 as premium SUVs, 27-years after halting production of models with the same name. The Wagoneer line is now Jeep’s top line rather than the Grand Cherokee Limited.

Jeep is pulling out all stops, using electric motor acceleration’s potential to make the Wagoneer EV fast as greased lightning. The company claims a 0-60 mph time of 3.5 seconds, driven by 600 horsepower and presumably similar ft-lbs of torque. This metric equals the Kia EV6 GT’s promised performance and matches some Shelby GT500 Mustang, Porsche 911 Carrera, or Maserati MC12 model years.

Jeep’s designers are also looking to achieve 400 miles range on a single charge for the Wagoneer S EV. This range comes not only from battery architecture but also from Wagoneer’s streamlined aerodynamics. The vehicle’s rear even features a wing sprouting from the D-pillars, though it’s unknown if this will survive the concept-to-production transition. CarBuzz claims a dual-motor all-wheel drive (AWD) drivetrain propels the Wagoneer S, though this isn’t yet confirmed.

Jim Morrison, chief of Jeep North America, says the Wagoneer S is not Rubicon Trail rated, as quoted by Motortrend. However, it remains a strong off-road vehicle with 4WD capability plus the clearance and torque for trail and cross-country competence.

Wagoneer Interior Design and Exterior Style

Photos indicate a luxurious premium interior, possibly with leather or leatherette upholstery on the seats. At least some trims should feature a glass roof, much larger than a typical sunroof or moonroof. This should provide greater interior light in the daytime and an additional feeling of spaciousness.

Jeep designed the Wagoneer S to seat five people, likely with a 60/40 split rear seating row. The five-door design includes a hatchback, and a rear cargo space reviewers are currently estimating at between 35 and 45 cubic feet. The rear seating row will undoubtedly fold down to provide much larger room for a cargo payload if needed.

Images suggest purple, blue, and silver exterior paint colors are likely planned. Despite the smoothing of Jeep’s typically boxy lines for aerodynamic purposes, the Wagoneer retains the brand’s recognizable styling cues. Like the Recon and other EV models, it keeps the seven-slot grille, even though this is now aesthetic and not helping to cool an ICE engine.

Jeep’s European Releases

Jeep announced even more aggressive electrification plans for Europe than North America. It says its lineup on that continent will consist exclusively of EVs by 2030 rather than being half electrified like in the USA. As part of that push, the company will launch four EV models in Europe by 2025. Then, between 2026 and 2030, it will discontinue its ICE models entirely in Europe while rolling out four more EVs, Automotive News Europe reports. This is a completely different from America’s, where Jeep will offer progressively more EVs while still producing gasoline models.

The Avenger: Compact and Luxurious for Europe

Jeep’s first European EV model will go on commercial sale even before the Recon, and Wagoneer S are in production. The company engineered the Avenger as the smallest Jeep SUV produced to date, intended for easy maneuvering in Europe’s cities. The design “will offer Jeep brand capability that is rightsized for the European market,” per Antonella Bruno of Jeep Europe. Photos show a slick, aerodynamic subcompact SUV bearing the familiar seven-slot Jeep grille in stylized form.

HotCars reports the Avenger features good ground clearance, locking rear differentials, and an AWD option providing a fairly vigorous off-road muscle. Speculatively, a 50 kWh battery will give the bantam Jeep approximately 250 miles of range. The planned single-motor two-wheel-drive model will likely generate around 201 horsepower. On the other hand, the dual-motor AWD model will probably develop around 402 horsepower and comparable torque.

The Avenger’s interior seats five people and may include heated and ventilated seats at higher trims. Some models may also feature a cutting-edge sound system, power lumbar support, and other premium flourishes. One possible downside of the Jeep Avenger is a fairly slow charging if it features a 100 kW maximum charging capacity. If Jeep uses this limited electrical architecture, reaching 80% via Level 3 DC fast charging could take 40 minutes. However, none of the SUV’s specs are officially finalized as late September 2022.

Despite the success of subcompact EVs like the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Bolt, Jeep won’t sell the Avenger in America. The company says it thinks the Avenger is too small to sell in the U.S. market, Edmunds reports. Jeep will, however, sell the Avenger in South Korea and Japan.

European preorders for the Avenger open in October 2022, and shipments will start in early 2023.

Other European Jeep EVs

Stellantis aims to debut the Recon and Wagoneer S in Europe, too, but only after their USA launch. The company slates the Recon to start U.S. manufacture in the first half of 2024, followed by export to Europe in the year’s second half. The Wagoneer S will go on sale sometime in 2024 in America. However Jeep says it will appear in European showrooms later. No release date has been provided.

Jeep hasn’t revealed any details about the fourth European EV Jeep model beyond promising 2025 availability. However, it says hybrid, PHEV, and all-electric BEV models will continue growing fast in number and importance. Jeep intends to focus on the electric segment as the adoption of EVs gathers momentum. During a CNBC interview in March 2021 CEO Christian Meunier declared the company’s “vision is to be the greenest SUV brand in the world.”

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