Electric Wrangler: How Technology Changes the Way we Travel

[Jimmyb]

The smell of gas burning has its own kind of magic - but we also have to think of the environment when using our cars on a daily basis. After all, we only have one planet (at the time, that is) where we can live, so preserving it for the generations to come is a pretty important goal. This is why it is laudable for car makers to come up with products that will not only offer their users the experience of speed and/or power they seek but to be friendly with nature. After all, technology has already changed the way we travel in the air, on the tracks, and on water - so it is time for it to fundamentally change the way we travel the roads.

If at first, electric cars were nothing but novelties, perhaps small city cars good for little more than running errands in town or taking the kids to school, today they are starting to cover pretty much every aspect of road travel. Tesla is leading the way with its high-range (and high-speed) sedans - and it is said to have plans to launch its first SUV in the near future (no word on an offroad vehicle as of now) - plus it is already taking pre-orders for the Tesla Semi, the truck that can go around 500 miles on a single charge (according to Tesla, it might reach a range of 1,000 miles, depending on the cargo it hauls).

Thanks to Tesla, electric cars have become "cool", prompting other manufacturers to start working on their own. As a result, we now see an ever-increasing number of brands launch at least a plug-in hybrid or even a fully electric car to "compete" with the cocky innovator (who admittedly wanted to provoke other manufacturers to follow his lead and "beat" him). And Jeep seems to finally pick up the gauntlet, too - after showcasing the Yuntu plug-in hybrid SUV concept at the 2017 Shanghai Auto Show, they announced a full-electric Jeep to be launched most likely in 2020, just two years from now. The goal of Jeep is more than just allowing the brand's fans to enjoy the great outdoors in a greener, more environmentally friendly fashion - they also want to "future-proof" the Wrangler with the new additions to the lineup.

While having a full-electric car is still considered by many manufacturers to be a less-than-viable business model, there is a lot of pressure on them to slowly shift in this direction, especially from regulators. And admit it: a full-electric Wrangler with maximum torque from the moment you press the pedal is an attractive idea, right?

[dru]

What is an attractive idea is that electric motors have their greatest torque at idle. Sounds like the perfect torque band for a rock crawler.

Let's hope Jeep keep their focus on the product and it's purpose - something very interesting could result.