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Jeep to release four EV models by 2025

Credit: Jeep

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During Jeep’s 4xe Day event, the brand announced it would introduce four new Jeep EV models by 2025.

Jeep and other American Stelantis-owned brands Dodge and Chrysler have been late to the electric vehicle market. Still, Jeep intends to change that by introducing four new all-electric models by 2025. In their 4xe event, they announced a fully electric Jeep Wagoneer, a Jeep Wrangler-inspired Jeep Recon (an all-new model name), a Europe-based Jeep Avenger (what has been previously teased as a Jeep Jeepster), and a slew of PHEV models that will come to North America.

 

After hemorrhaging money in paying for carbon credits, primarily in Europe, the American Stelantis brands are now introducing their first all-electric models as part of their 100% EV sales goal for Europe and 50% EV sales goal in the U.S. by 2030.

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Jeep Wagoneer S EV

The first model shown in Jeep’s 4xe event was the all-new Jeep Wagoneer S EV. This electric rendition of the now incredibly popular Jeep Wagoneer offers far more angular styling and lighting and a series of aerodynamic upgrades to aid in the vehicle’s efficiency. Most notably, the Jeep Wagoneer EV now adopts a BMW X4 coupe styling as the back window is aggressively slanted, as a wing compliments the rear of the vehicle. Jeep shared a few specs for the Wagoneer S EV; the SUV would have ~400 miles of range (643.738 kilometers), 600 horsepower, and a 0-60 of ~3.5 seconds. No other specifications were released.

jeep grand wagoneer ev

Jeep Grand Wagoneer S EV (Credit: Jeep)

Jeep Avenger EV

Jeep’s Avenger, the first of two new model names announced, will be Jeep’s first all-electric offering in Europe and will be available early next year. The Jeep Avenger is the vehicle that has been inaccurately rumored to be the Jeep Jeepster, though it may come to the U.S. under that model name. The small crossover SUV is ideal for the European market and offers a playful look and feel. Similarly to the wagoneer, limited specifications were released, but the vehicle will have ~400 kilometers (248.548 miles) of range.

jeep avenger ev

Jeep Avenger EV (Credit: Jeep)

Jeep Recon EV

Finally, the Jeep Recon is the brand’s new serious all-electric off-roader. Inspired by the Jeep Wrangler, the vehicle has styling reminiscent of the Ford Bronco and Land Rover Discovery. Jeep gave no specifications for this vehicle, but the brand stated that it was focused on maximizing off-road capability, fun, and freedom. If built off of the Jeep Wagoneer EV platform, the vehicle would likely not be capable of the same 400-mile range due to its decreased aerodynamics and more capable suspension setup but could retain the incredible 600 horsepower.

jeep recon ev

Jeep Recon EV (Credit: Jeep)

Excitingly, Jeep only showed off three fully electric vehicles that would be introduced by the end of 2024, but they stated that the brand would release four. Some have speculated that the brand may be working on an electric truck model based on their Jeep Gladiator platform.

Overall, this is exciting news for the heritage brand! Jeep is one of a few brands attempting to infuse fun and enjoyment into each vehicle. With electric powertrains, their vehicles can become more fun and cleaner simultaneously, and it is good news that they have recognized this fact.

https://youtu.be/bQNxyMYXHmY

What do you think of the article? Do you have any comments, questions, or concerns? Shoot me an email at william@teslarati.com. You can also reach me on Twitter @WilliamWritin. If you have news tips, email us at tips@teslarati.com!

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Will is an auto enthusiast, a gear head, and an EV enthusiast above all. From racing, to industry data, to the most advanced EV tech on earth, he now covers it at Teslarati.

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Tesla Semi enters new Pilot Program with interesting challenge

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Credit: PTI

The Tesla Semi is entering a new Pilot Program with Paper Transport, LLC (PTI), a Wisconsin-based transportation provider. The company will test the Semi’s Long Range configuration through “dedicated operations within the Chicago market.”

Chicago presents an interesting challenge for the Semi, as it will be a colder-weather climate that will test the Semi’s ability to operate in lower temperatures and in potentially large accumulations of snow. This is something Tesla has been testing with the Semi in Alaska and even in Northern California during the colder months, but Chicago will present a truly tough midwestern winter.

Tesla Semi spotted on journey home after winter performance testing

PTI says it is using the Semi to evaluate its strategy of reducing transportation emissions while maintaining performance, reliability, and cost efficiency. These are major arguments for the Semi being introduced into new fleets.

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CEO of PTI Tyler Ellison said:

“PTI has been a leader in sustainable transportation solutions for over 15 years. We take a consultative approach to helping customers identify and implement the right transportation solution for their network. Our partnership with Tesla expands our portfolio alongside renewable natural gas and intermodal, giving customers more ways to reduce Scope 3 emissions without compromising service or economics.”

PTI is far from the first company to adopt the Semi within a fleet, as Tesla entered strategic agreements with PepsiCo. and its subsidiary Frito-Lay for a Pilot Program that extended throughout the California region.

Tesla has let companies like those utilize the Semi to determine whether it would be suitable for their operations. Additionally, Tesla gets valuable information regarding the Semi’s performance, knowing what to improve and what is ideal for companies that will utilize the all-electric truck for regional and nationwide logistics.

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PTI plans to utilize the Long Range configuration, which is priced at $290,000 and features a range of approximately 500 miles, a three-motor powertrain, up to 800 kW of drive power, and consumption of just 1.7 kWh per mile.

Tesla Semi pricing revealed after company uncovers trim levels

VP of Maintenance at PTI, Bryan Ellen, added:

“We are excited to partner with Tesla, leveraging their ever-evolving technology. We are bullish in our estimation of the parallels available between our dedicated model and the efficiency of their fully electric Class 8 tractor. We anticipate a growing synergy between our businesses as we work to facilitate this sustainable solution for our customers.”

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PTI has logged more than 87 million miles using sources like compressed and renewable gas, but now is looking to take it a step further with fully electric operations.

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Tesla is building a wheelchair-accessible Robotaxi

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A beautiful spring landscape at SoFi Stadium with lush green palm trees and plants with powerful clouds at sunset in Inglewood California USA. (Credit: Tesla)

Tesla revealed on Monday that it is building a new autonomous vehicle at Gigafactory Texas, its plant just outside of the City of Austin. This particular vehicle will be geared toward those who are in need of a wheelchair-accessible car that would require no human driver for operation.

According to a new report from Wired, Tesla’s Senior Policy Advisor, India Herdman, told members of the Washington D.C. City Council on Monday:

“We are in development for a purpose-built, wheelchair-accessible autonomous vehicle. We know that paratransit can be very difficult, and people who are confined to wheelchairs permanently should still be able to move around freely, so that is an active product being built by Tesla in Texas.”

This builds upon what CEO Elon Musk said last year on X, which confirmed the company was working on accessible rides within its Robotaxi platform, which currently is confined to the Model Y.

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Tesla is also developing the Cybercab, which started employee rides last week. However, this vehicle is not necessarily geared toward wheelchair accessibility.

That leaves a major gap in the autonomous ride-sharing program that Tesla is attempting to build; the company has been pretty clear that it does not want to complicate its manufacturing lines by bringing in a wide array of body styles.

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However, it seems necessary to have something larger that could help transport people to appointments when they cannot drive. For wheelchair accessibility, the Robovan, which was unveiled at the “We, Robot” event in October 2024, seems to be the most ideal solution:

Tesla unveils the Robovan at ‘We, Robot’ event

Herdman did not indicate whether she was referring to the Robovan or if Tesla is building yet another body style that is geared toward full autonomy but also caters to the handicapped.

Tesla might need to develop something specifically for the handicapped in order to align with the Americans with Disabilities Act, which prevents discrimination against people with disabilities in transportation services. Uber was hit with a lawsuit late last year for “refusing to reasonably modify its policies, practices, or procedures where necessary to avoid discriminating against riders with disabilities.”

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Tesla would obviously like to avoid this.

It will be interesting to see what Tesla will do with this project, and whether it will introduce something new to the market or just continue with the Robovan.

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Tesla weirdly confirms Cybercab employee rides, a huge milestone

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla weirdly confirmed that its steering wheel-less and pedal-less Cybercab vehicle is now in the process of giving employees rides, a huge milestone for the vehicle program.

But the entire thing was super strange. On Friday, Tesla released a video stating that there was “Cool news from Giga Texas” and that employees were now taking rides in Cybercabs that have no manual controls. The units seen on public roads are engineering vehicles that have manual controls inside, a necessity as Tesla moved through the testing phase.

However, Tesla removed the video and reposted it shortly after with a more vague title. It seems like the employee rides are still going, but the video was adjusted slightly. The initial upload showed employees doing things like watching movies and adjusting the climate, but these snippets were removed in the second upload.

Both images below were uploaded with the first video, but were removed after Tesla re-uploaded the announcement. These are not available in the second upload

tesla cybercab with no manual controls showing a movie with two employees inside

Credit: Tesla

tesla cybercab with no manual controls showing a movie with two employees inside

Credit: Tesla

Nevertheless, the announcement from Tesla is that the Cybercab is operating with employees inside who can control the vehicle’s audio, video, climate, and destination settings through their smartphone app.

Tesla has already been testing Cybercab engineering units, but last month, it was able to self-certify for SAE Level 4, which would enable unsupervised self-driving in Texas. The company is moving toward that, and the plans have always been to launch Cybercab rides this year.

The Cybercab is potentially looked at as the next generation of Tesla’s mobility leg. For the past 15 years, the company has been known as somewhat of an automaker, among many other things. However, these passenger vehicles that Tesla has manufactured are now moving into a new realm, as they will eventually drive themselves with no supervision thanks to the Full Self-Driving suite.

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Tesla flexes how it will help the blind with Cybercab

The Cybercab is just the next step of that: a true vehicle developed for the sole purpose of ride-hailing. It has no human controls, it has only two seats, and it will get passengers from Point A to Point B with no awkward driver, no need for manual inputs, and with no stress.

Tesla is moving forward with other developments related to the Cybercab project as well. However, the big announcement will come when Tesla finally announces that it is launching Cybercab rides to the general public, something that it plans to launch either late this year or early 2027.

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