Photo: Jeep
One year ago, Jeep introduced the Wrangler Magneto concept, an all-electric off-roader that pretty much came out of the blue. Well, the carmaker had just revealed the Wrangler 4xe, the first venture into electrification for the venerable trail master, but even though it still bore the familiar look of a Wrangler, the battery-powered prototype was an entirely different beast.
Bringing electric power to the Wrangler lineup was always going to be an important moment for Jeep and starting things off with a plug-in hybrid like the 4xe was probably the safest and most efficient solution. If successful, it showed using battery power out in the wild could be a viable option while the presence of the internal combustion engine kept things friendly enough for all those used to a certain type of experience inside a Jeep Wrangler.
Most people looked at the Magneto and thought it was nothing more than a pet project for the development team - a vehicle so out there that it would bring a lot of headlines before disappearing into the sunset, never to be seen again.
However, the fully-electric Wrangler with a six-speed manual transmission (low gear and everything) is set to make a comeback, and it seems like last year's surprise is going to turn into this year's absolute shocker. Not only has the Magneto 2.0 kept everything that made the initial version such an odd proposition, but Jeep promises the second iteration will have it all dialed to 800.
800 volts, to be more exact, which is the same figure used by Porsche for its Taycan range. The German sedan may have fallen off the performance top spot after the arrival of the Tesla Model S Plaid and the Lucid Air, but its 800-volt architecture is still an industry benchmark (particularly for its high-speed charging capability).
You wouldn't have expected the Jeep Wrangler to be the next vehicle to follow suit but here we are looking at a press release from the Stellantis company saying its working prototype uses just that. What's more, the carmaker has also upped the peak amperage to 600 amps, enough to deliver up to 850 lb-ft (1,152 Nm) of instant maximum torque and 625 horsepower through that six-speed manual.
We're not entirely sure how Jeep managed to build a transmission that can withstand that kind of punishment, but we do know we'd like a thousand of them to build a bomb shelter. At this point, you're probably wondering how all this translates into the kind of figures we understand best: 0-60 mph acceleration and quarter-mile times.
Jeep didn't say anything about the latter, but it did mention the "electric powertrain calibration" tool that enables this 600-amp peak power can flex its muscles for up to ten seconds. Considering the press release also talks about a two-second 0-60 mph acceleration, those ten seconds are probably enough to complete the standing quarter mile.
It would appear Jeep is trying to convince us that you only need one vehicle to have both an excellent off-roader and a drag strip beast. However, you're more than likely going to need two sets of wheels because there's no way it'll come anywhere close to two seconds on the 40-inch mud and rock grabbers the Magneto 2.0 comes equipped with.
Most people looked at the Magneto and thought it was nothing more than a pet project for the development team - a vehicle so out there that it would bring a lot of headlines before disappearing into the sunset, never to be seen again.
However, the fully-electric Wrangler with a six-speed manual transmission (low gear and everything) is set to make a comeback, and it seems like last year's surprise is going to turn into this year's absolute shocker. Not only has the Magneto 2.0 kept everything that made the initial version such an odd proposition, but Jeep promises the second iteration will have it all dialed to 800.
800 volts, to be more exact, which is the same figure used by Porsche for its Taycan range. The German sedan may have fallen off the performance top spot after the arrival of the Tesla Model S Plaid and the Lucid Air, but its 800-volt architecture is still an industry benchmark (particularly for its high-speed charging capability).
You wouldn't have expected the Jeep Wrangler to be the next vehicle to follow suit but here we are looking at a press release from the Stellantis company saying its working prototype uses just that. What's more, the carmaker has also upped the peak amperage to 600 amps, enough to deliver up to 850 lb-ft (1,152 Nm) of instant maximum torque and 625 horsepower through that six-speed manual.
We're not entirely sure how Jeep managed to build a transmission that can withstand that kind of punishment, but we do know we'd like a thousand of them to build a bomb shelter. At this point, you're probably wondering how all this translates into the kind of figures we understand best: 0-60 mph acceleration and quarter-mile times.
Jeep didn't say anything about the latter, but it did mention the "electric powertrain calibration" tool that enables this 600-amp peak power can flex its muscles for up to ten seconds. Considering the press release also talks about a two-second 0-60 mph acceleration, those ten seconds are probably enough to complete the standing quarter mile.
It would appear Jeep is trying to convince us that you only need one vehicle to have both an excellent off-roader and a drag strip beast. However, you're more than likely going to need two sets of wheels because there's no way it'll come anywhere close to two seconds on the 40-inch mud and rock grabbers the Magneto 2.0 comes equipped with.
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