Jeep has launched an EV offensive and acknowledged that its emerging range of electric off-roaders would need charging stations in the most remote areas. The off-road specialist revealed that it would deploy solar-powered charging stations on the off-road trails in the U.S. and Australia.
Every carmaker drools over Tesla’s Supercharge network. Still, traditional car companies have preferred relying on third-party providers for the charging infrastructure. Stellantis strays off the beaten path (obviously) with its Jeep brand, which will build an off-grid charging network for its young range of electric off-roaders. The stations, installed on the most famous off-road trails, would be powered by solar energy. This was confirmed during Detroit Auto Show by Jeep boss Christian Meunier.
According to Australian media outlet Drive, Jeep has already installed four solar-powered stations out of a batch of 18 on popular trails in North America. Now, Jeep wants to extend the network in the Australian bush and beyond, allowing off-road enthusiasts to charge their brand-new electric off-roaders where no one thought possible.
“We will have 18 trails in the US which are ‘badge of honor’ trails, which you get a badge when you make it,” said Christian Meunier. “You can stick it on your car. And all these trails will be equipped with charging stations. I’m pushing the other regions, including Australia, to do the same.”
Jeep's boss also announced plans to “trail-rate” its electric off-roaders the way it does with existing vehicles. For instance, the recently announced Jeep Recon will get a level-six rating, which puts it below the Wrangler in this regard, but still shows impressive capabilities.
“The trail rating is going to stay, and it’s going to be even more stringent,” said Mr. Meunier. “We’re going to push the limit of what you can do, and the Recon is going to be trail-rated six, which make the Rubicon Trail. The Wrangler is 10, so the king remains the king for now and forever.”
There were no details about the solar-powered charging stations that Jeep deploys on the trails. Still, we suspect they would have, besides solar panels, a sizeable storage battery. This approach differs from Rivian’s, which offers remote charging services for customers with a flat battery. Hopefully, Jeep’s take will be followed by other carmakers, helping accelerate EV adoption.
According to Australian media outlet Drive, Jeep has already installed four solar-powered stations out of a batch of 18 on popular trails in North America. Now, Jeep wants to extend the network in the Australian bush and beyond, allowing off-road enthusiasts to charge their brand-new electric off-roaders where no one thought possible.
“We will have 18 trails in the US which are ‘badge of honor’ trails, which you get a badge when you make it,” said Christian Meunier. “You can stick it on your car. And all these trails will be equipped with charging stations. I’m pushing the other regions, including Australia, to do the same.”
Jeep's boss also announced plans to “trail-rate” its electric off-roaders the way it does with existing vehicles. For instance, the recently announced Jeep Recon will get a level-six rating, which puts it below the Wrangler in this regard, but still shows impressive capabilities.
“The trail rating is going to stay, and it’s going to be even more stringent,” said Mr. Meunier. “We’re going to push the limit of what you can do, and the Recon is going to be trail-rated six, which make the Rubicon Trail. The Wrangler is 10, so the king remains the king for now and forever.”
There were no details about the solar-powered charging stations that Jeep deploys on the trails. Still, we suspect they would have, besides solar panels, a sizeable storage battery. This approach differs from Rivian’s, which offers remote charging services for customers with a flat battery. Hopefully, Jeep’s take will be followed by other carmakers, helping accelerate EV adoption.