Jeep will install electric vehicle charging stations on off-road trails in the United States as part of a partnership with Electrify America, the company announced. Chargers in the Jeep 4xe Charging Network will be powered by solar energy or connected to an electrical network.
The first of the seasons will open this spring in Moab, Utah; the Rubicon trail in Pollock Pines, California; and Big Bear, California. The chargers will have level 2 charging (240 volts), which Jeep notes will fully recharge the 17 kWh battery in its Wrangler 4xe in about two hours and provide 49 MPGe and 21 miles of electrical range. The chargers will be available free of charge to Jeep 4x owners through a mobile app and will be compatible with their future EVs.
Over the next year, additional chargers will be added to the Jeep Badge of Honor off-road trails in the United States. The announcement comes just days after Jeep unveiled its concept for a fully electric Wrangler, called Magneto. Its design is based on the 2020 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, with an electric motor that offers up to 273 pound-feet of torque and 285 horsepower, with an 800-volt system spread over four batteries, according to Jeep.
Rivian, the Amazon-backed electric vehicle startup, said last week that it plans to install 10,000 fast EV chargers in the U.S. and Canada by 2023.