- over the next 12 months, jeep will launch a network of level 2 ev charging stations placed at off-road trailheads across the united states, starting with trails in moab, utah, big bear, california, and the rubicon trail, also in california.
- jeep's first plug-in, the wrangler 4xe, will fully charge in about two hours at the stations.
- electrify america, a program run by volkswagen of america, will administer the charging stations, and wrangler 4xe owners will be able to charge for free.
when jeep announced the wrangler 4xe plug-in hybrid last fall, the brand promised that the electrified version of the wrangler would be just a trail-ready as gas- and diesel-powered variants of jeep's most capable off-roader. but it seemed like owners would have to arrive at the trailhead with a full battery if they wanted to do any of their rock-crawling in ev mode, because off-road trailheads are often devoid of flush toilets, let alone ev charging stations. but jeep is working to solve that problem. the company says it will launch a network of level 2 charging stations at off-road trailheads across the country over the next 12 months, to help ev and plug-in hybrid owners test their cars' limits.
the project will start with stations at three locations important to jeep lore: moab, utah, the rubicon trail in pollock pines, california, and big bear, california. over the next 12 months, more stations will open up at so-called badge of honor trails, 56 trails scattered across the country that jeep has highlighted as part of an app-based rewards program.
the charging stations will be operated by electrify america and will consist of level 2 chargers capable of recharging the wrangler 4xe's 17.0-kwh battery pack from empty in roughly two hours. the 4xe is rated to earn 21 miles of ev range, though that's according to the epa's combined city and highway cycle tests which may not translate directly to the range drivers will earn on off-road trails. the stations will be available to the general public, but wrangler 4xe owners will be able to charge for free (at least at first) via an electrify america mobile phone app.