Jeep unveils the all-electric Wrangler SUV

EMBARKED FOR 12:01 AM MONDAY, MARCH 22.

Jeep has unveiled a new all-electric version of its iconic Wrangler SUV, but consumers will likely have to wait at least a few years to buy one.

The brand on Monday launched “Magneto” Wrangler as a concept vehicle, which means it is a custom product usually built by carmakers to assess customer interest or to show the future direction of a vehicle or brand.

“It’s a lasting, stealthy force that climbs the rock,” Jim Morrison, vice president of the North American Jeep brand, said during a media event. “It’s a zero-emission concept vehicle with the ability to take Jeep 4×4 to the next level.”

Jeep executives said each Jeep will provide some form of electrification in the future, but did not confirm a fully electric version of the Wrangler. The company recently began selling a plug-in hybrid electric version of the Wrangler under a new name “4xe”, a piece of the brand’s off-road reputation combined with electrification. Plug-in hybrid electric models have batteries like EVs, but they also have a traditional internal combustion engine.

The Jeep Wrangler Magneto concept is based on a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 2020 with two doors. To make it an EV, the engineers changed the internal combustion engine and some spare parts for electrical components, such as four batteries and an e motor.

The vehicle is capable of up to 273 kilograms of torque and 285 horsepower. Magneto runs 0-60 mph in 6.8 seconds. The company did not launch the electric range of the vehicle.

The only thing about the Magneto is that it has a six-speed manual transmission, which electric vehicles do not require because of their motors. Mark Allen, head of Jeep design, said the vehicle “has the best features” of an automatic transmission, but the “sense of direction” of a manual transmission, which is a key attraction for off-road enthusiasts.

Magneto was unveiled along with several other custom or concept vehicles for the Jeep Easter Safari, an annual off-road event for the Moab, Utah brand. Jeep regularly uses the off-road event as a test ground for the capabilities of its vehicles, as well as a way to assess customers’ interest in new products.

“The Moab Easter Jeep safari has been a great tradition for more than half a century,” Morrison said. “It’s a place where we get to connect with the most enthusiastic off-road enthusiasts and those who are most loyal to our brand.”