EV sales growth has slowed sharply in recent months, and pricing is a critical concern for many potential buyers — the typical EV costing nearly $57,000 in May, according to Kelley Blue Book. 

　　The new Jeep Wagoneer S, the off-road brand’s first all-electric model in North America, certainly doesn’t fall into the “affordable” category, starting at $72,000 for the Launch Edition. But Jeep has something else in mind for budget-minded buyers — at least if they’re willing to wait a few years.

　　2024 Jeep Wagoneer S Trailhawk concept at NYC reveal event; (photo/Headlight News) Today, the Detroit-based brand formally confirmed that it will bring a compact Jeep SUV to market in 2027. Pricing is expected to start somewhere “under $25,000” — after factoring in federal tax credits, that is.

　　Electrifying the Line-Up

　　2023 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 4xe 20th AEV level II upfit; (photo/Bryon Dorr) The U.S. side of Stellantis has been slow to electrify its product line-up. But that’s beginning to change. And, Jeep already is out in front. Its Wrangler 4xe is the country’s best-selling plug-in hybrid, the Grand Cherokee 4xe second on the list.

　　2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe; (photo/Paul Eisenstein) Going forward, Stellantis is adopting a new array of “multi-energy” platforms that will allow it to offer a variety of different powertrain technologies on any given model. This is a decidedly different approach from what competitors like Tesla, General Motors, and Volkswagen are doing, as they are adopting skateboard-like platforms capable of only going all-electric.

　　The newly redesigned Ram 1500, for example, launched this year with the Hurricane Inline-6 gas engine. The all-electric Ram 1500 follows for 2025, with the range-extended Ramcharger model to follow.

　　Jeep will offer six drivetrain options, including internal combustion engines, mild, conventional, and plug-in hybrids, range-extenders — where a gas engine is used solely to keep the batteries charged up — and EVs.

　　Jeep CEO Antonio Filosa at Wagoneer S reveal; (photo/Paul Eisenstein) Going Renegade Jeep is just launching its first all-electric model, the Wagoneer S. By this time next year, the EV count will be up to three. And, that will double again, to six, by 2027, brand boss Anthony Filosa said today.

　　They’ll cover a broad range of models and price segments, he noted, starting with the entry model based on the next-generation Jeep Renegade. As with the Ram 1500 and the Wagoneer S, it will use one of those multi-energy platforms.

　　Carlos Tavares at Stellantis investors day 2024; (photo/Paul Eisenstein) Neither Filosa nor Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares would go into specifics, but it’s likely to be either the automaker’s Smart Car platform — which recently went into production underpinning the new Citroen eC3 — or the STLA Small platform set to anchor a wide array of future Stellantis models.

　　Multiple Versions Likely As with most new products, whether electrified or conventionally powered, expect to see multiple versions of the next-generation Renegade. And there’ll all but certainly be several EV packages.

　　To bring in a base model at $25,000 won’t be easy, said Tavares. It’s a target that most mainstream manufacturers are striving for, but only a handful of products have come close to hitting — and only then after factoring in federal tax credits.

　　Holding Down Costs

　　CATL LFP battery pack; (photo/CATL) The key will be to bring down the cost of the battery pack, the single most expensive component in any EV. And there, Tavares confirmed, Jeep will have to go with lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) batteries rather than the more familiar lithium-ion chemistry found in most of today’s electric vehicles.

　　“They’re about 25% cheaper,” he noted during a QA session with reporters today.

　　There are several downsides, however. For one thing, they can’t pack in as much energy — which equals range — in a given space. So, with a Renegade-sized vehicle, that might limit range to something around 200 miles, several insiders cautioned on background.

　　Made in America The other challenge is that there are no plants currently producing these LFP batteries in the U.S. Virtually all now come from China, and under President Joe Biden’s recent move, will soon face hefty new tariffs that would largely offset any cost advantage. Imported batteries also don’t qualify for those critical federal tax credits.

　　“We have to respect the IRA,” the Inflation Reduction Act passed by Congress in 2023 setting local sourcing requirements, said Tavares, “So, we have to find a way to make LFP batteries in the U.S.” He also said one of the three battery plants Stellantis has announced for North America could be dedicated specifically to LFP cells

　　Indeed, to get the credits of up to $7,500 per vehicle, the EV itself will have to be assembled in the U.S. or a handful of approved trade partners. The original Renegade was produced in Italy.

　　Possible future muli-energy Stellantis platform, in BEV configuration; (photo/Stellantis) More to Come Officials cautioned that development work on the affordable Jeep EV is really just getting underway. And it’s subject to undergo significant change before it reaches the market, said Tavares.

　　EV motors are getting more efficient. And, there are an assortment of new battery technologies under development — though the CEO said he doesn’t think the longed-for breakthrough, solid-state batteries, will be ready for mass production by 2027.

　　But he does believe that if Jeep can meet its cost target, the Renegade EV could generate significant interest, and not just in the U.S. Tavares is confident that the current slowdown in the growth of the battery-car market is temporary and that it’s just a matter of time before the industry goes all-electric.

　　2021 Jeep Wrangler 4xe Rubicon Review: Electric Propulsion Off-RoadWe finally got a chance to get behind the wheel of the first-ever Jeep with electric propulsion, the 2021 Jeep Wrangler 4Xe. While it comes in three flavors (Sahara, Rubicon, and High Altitude), we got to experience the off-road-focused Rubicon model. Read more