A week ago I picked up my new vehicle. I ordered it the first week of April so it was just over a 4 month wait, but its worth it!
So, what is the 4xe (four-by-e, not four-ex-e)? Simple, take a Wrangler Unlimited with the 2.0-liter turbo and stuff a 16.6 kilowatt-hour battery under the rear seat and a 134 HP/181ft-lb electric motor in the transmission. There’s a few more differences of course (like an extra cooling system for the battery and the alternator is replaced by another motor-generator) but it retains the Rubicon package goodness of front and rear lockers, 4:1 gears in the T-case and an electronically disconnecting sway bar. The battery is good for 22 miles of range (I’m getting 25-27 right now) and the system runs as a regular hybrid when that’s depleted for an EPA estimated 20 MPG combined (I averaged 23 once the battery was done on my 600 mile return trip from picking her up). Oh, and put your foot down and the ICE and electric both combine to put a smile on your face .
That torque comes at a cost though, but not what you might think. The tax rebate makes this drivetrain roughly the same or cheaper than the V6 so the price is a wash. The real cost is in payload, or lack of it. The GVWR for all the Wranglers is the same, so the electric components eat 450 or so pounds of the typical 1300 leaving only 850 pounds to play with. Subtract out my fat ass and I’m not going to build this out with every item in the catalog unless I want to be over max. For the record, the diesel engine is also handicapped by its weight and only gets a payload 100 pounds or so more.
So, what is my plan? I don’t plan to sell the Taco until I get some time to play with the Jeep and see if it can be my new adventure rig. For now, it’s my DD and will see use hitting local parks and destinations. I pay 10 cents per KWH for electric so I pay half of what gas would normally cost each week, plus I have a ton of new tech to play with. I must admit that it’s a bit disconcerting to see that the oil pressure is at 0 when cruising along on the highway though. For now I am focusing on safety and useability mods, but I’ve known myself for a while now and I’m sure that more stuff will be on order soon enough.
So, what is the 4xe (four-by-e, not four-ex-e)? Simple, take a Wrangler Unlimited with the 2.0-liter turbo and stuff a 16.6 kilowatt-hour battery under the rear seat and a 134 HP/181ft-lb electric motor in the transmission. There’s a few more differences of course (like an extra cooling system for the battery and the alternator is replaced by another motor-generator) but it retains the Rubicon package goodness of front and rear lockers, 4:1 gears in the T-case and an electronically disconnecting sway bar. The battery is good for 22 miles of range (I’m getting 25-27 right now) and the system runs as a regular hybrid when that’s depleted for an EPA estimated 20 MPG combined (I averaged 23 once the battery was done on my 600 mile return trip from picking her up). Oh, and put your foot down and the ICE and electric both combine to put a smile on your face .
That torque comes at a cost though, but not what you might think. The tax rebate makes this drivetrain roughly the same or cheaper than the V6 so the price is a wash. The real cost is in payload, or lack of it. The GVWR for all the Wranglers is the same, so the electric components eat 450 or so pounds of the typical 1300 leaving only 850 pounds to play with. Subtract out my fat ass and I’m not going to build this out with every item in the catalog unless I want to be over max. For the record, the diesel engine is also handicapped by its weight and only gets a payload 100 pounds or so more.
So, what is my plan? I don’t plan to sell the Taco until I get some time to play with the Jeep and see if it can be my new adventure rig. For now, it’s my DD and will see use hitting local parks and destinations. I pay 10 cents per KWH for electric so I pay half of what gas would normally cost each week, plus I have a ton of new tech to play with. I must admit that it’s a bit disconcerting to see that the oil pressure is at 0 when cruising along on the highway though. For now I am focusing on safety and useability mods, but I’ve known myself for a while now and I’m sure that more stuff will be on order soon enough.
