The 4XE

[DAVECS1]

Just for the record I am a hot rod junky. I have tats of internal combustion engines on my arm. With that being said, here is my take on the situation.

Battery technology is making big leaps. Lithium ION is and was an issue for resource mining and disposal. The newer lithium composite batteries are a magnitude better for resource mining, disposal, and recycle. Lithium iron phosphate batteries, really take a huge step in power production and curing the non renewable side of power storage.

To boot, the latest round of solar panel technology is pretty impressive on it ability to turn heat and light into useable power. With conversion rates in the 60th percentile. That is more efficient than a number of chemical conversion processes. They are dead silent and they emit negligible physical noise or EMI.

At the end of the day... am I saying we wholesale our fuel burn engines......NO. Am I saying this is growing to be a viable alternative, yeah. I think so, and this is a needed step.

On a purely performance oriented slant. Electric power motors kick ass for propulsion. Infinitely tuneable, less drivetrain parts to worry about, and the potential to last way longer at higher performance. You ditch a heavy box full of gears, add some batteries in its place and replace the engine with 4 wheel powerunits and you have a decent people mover.

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[MrJeep]

Since I didn't see it mentioned...
They are going to move a ton of the 4xEs on economics alone. My dealer said you can lease a pretty loaded Rubicon 4xe for a little over $400 a month because of the $7500 credit and high residuals. That's a damn good deal for a $65k vehicle.

 

[jpjpjp]

Does anyone know if the 4xe is blackballed as a FCA employee/retiree 5% below invoice deal?

My electricity costs $0.13 kWh, but the delivery fee adds another $0.13 so my electricity really costs ~$0.26. To the point I've investigated getting panels if it makes economic sense, but most likely not.

I'm interested in a hybrid Gladiator to help with acceleration off the line and the novelty of running brief errands on electric alone. The price of a Rubicon 4xe isn't that much different (if at all) than a regular Rubicon. I would be torn between a Gladiator or Gladiator Hybrid or just sticking with a JLU 4xe and keep my 4x8 trailer. The excuse for getting the gladiator was to get rid of the trailer and reclaim my garage in the summer. I'm not running hardcore off-road as I cannot afford to trash a $50K vehicle on the trails. Many years down the road, maybe. Doors, top off, yes. Beach runs, forest fire roads, low-end off-road, probably.

 

[WILDHOBO]

Color matched factory bumper. Dealer add on to jack up the price? I don't know if anyone has ever requested that intentionally.

It’s the high altitude edition that gets painted bumpers and a nicer interior. We have the same one beside our JTR.

 

[WILDHOBO]

Since I didn't see it mentioned...
They are going to move a ton of the 4xEs on economics alone. My dealer said you can lease a pretty loaded Rubicon 4xe for a little over $400 a month because of the $7500 credit and high residuals. That's a damn good deal for a $65k vehicle.

In Colorado it’s 10k. We get 7500 from federal tax credit and 2500 from state. Quickly made it cheaper than our JTR.

 

[Mac Attack]

The 4xe is just a test of the platform... YES, is it to interest the Greenies in a purchase they normally would not make... YES
Is it an option for the techies that love new technology... ahhh, Maybe but it’s really not that techy... yet. Is it for the commuter that has a less than 50 mile drive into work can charge while at work and drive back home on a charge using no fuel... YES. (My commute is 34 miles each way, so it could work, but I need a truck and a road dog for long adventure trips).

Is the 4XE the end game for Jeep/Fiat... NO. This is a test platform and all major manufacturers have a test platform or the real deal. The tech to replace the internal combustion engine is 5-10 years away.

I was passed by 3 Tesla’s yesterday all in the HOV lane single passenger because they are allowed with low emissions vehicle. I was driving 75mph, they were easily running 80mph.

Tesla reaches the million cars sold benchmark in 2020. Tesla, Elon Musk , is heavily invested in infrastructure, grid technology, I have employees working on Tesla solar charging stations on the east coast. That is just Tesla.

There are many companies building solar fields across the USA. I have employees and customers that have completed massive solar projects, for example, one in Maryland. This field powers an entire town 2500 homes with PV Cells. That project was three years ago.

“Annapolis MD
With 55,000 solar panels, the facility is one of the largest solar projects built on a capped landfill in the country, generating enough energy to power 2,500 homes, city officials said.”

OIL COMPANIES INVESTED IN RENEWABLE ENERGY

Of the six “super-majors” – BP, Shell, Chevron, Total, Eni and Exxon.

Investors in renewable Energy can’t get enough.


Let’s Put The Argument That The JT Couldn't be a straight EV to Bed. Yes it can be a powerful mid size open top, who cares about aerodynamics, daily Driver... even on the trail!

As far as the ability for an all EV mid size truck platform to tow heavy, carry heavy, excel off road and be a daily driver with a Max 400 mile range... is in production set for delivery in a couple of months.

The Rivian pickup
-Weighs under 6000lbs
- tows up to 11,000 lbs
- Payload is 1750 lbs.
- Max range is 400 miles
- recharge to capacity 2 hours
- quick charge to 80% in 30 min

Check this out:

From Road Show

“Further, Rivian is working on its own Adventure Network and Jeep has promised solar chargers in wheeling hotspotslike Moab, Utah, and on the Rubicon Trail”

You can argue the electric grid capacity isn’t available today to carry the needs for all vehicles to be EV. We don’t have all EV vehicles in the road today so that’s not a current issue. In 5-10 years the electrical grid will be able to handle all EVs on the road.

Look Guys and Gals, in 2040 we are not going to be talking about horsepower...we will be talking about amps, watts, and battery power to get our rigs 700+ miles without plugging in (with, of course, the solar panel on the roof/hoods of our Jeeps). And, I am going to be asking this Forum how to retrofit the latest high efficiently batteries to my Gladiator. THINK, cause in 2040, my critical-thinking skills will be greatly reduced...I'm counting on YOU!

 

[99ls1tj]

As far as making financial sense this is another one you don’t buy for the mileage IMO, you buy it if you want 375HP and 470lb of instant torque. Same reason you would buy an ecodiesel, except ecodiesel doesn’t have 375 HP and isn’t eligible for a $7500 tax credit.

Spot on. My wife loves her 4XE and I love the eco. She uses hers for short trips and daily errands and I use the eco for a 90 mile round trip commute. The 4XE is a lot of fun to drive with all the torque and hp. I never dreamed I would own a 2.0 liter Jeep with more Torque and hp than my ls1 swapped tj. ?

 

[Trippin01]

I'm not popular on this topic at all, but if all you can afford is 1 car, and its a 4xe, I get it.

But I use a jeep for Jeep stuff, get an econo box for a DD.

I could never own just a jeep and be happy, due to the fact I'm always taking it apart, or tinkering with it. and in the off season, it's always in some form of disrepair or upgrade. I tried driving it as my DD when I 1st got it, mostly because it was new, and I do like it immensely, and it is very fun to show off, (after it was built up of course). But as it morphed into an "Off Road Recreational Vehicle", I hated driving it as a daily driver, I especially hated getting "Ducks", It made me feel cheap and like a "Low achiever. The last thing I want is a collection of Ducks to show off for driving around town.
With a 40 mile round trip to work everyday, my Turbo veloster was my economy car of choice for a DD. Faster, more nimble in traffic, and at $3.70 a gallon of gas, 35 mpg made more financial sense than 13-14 mpg for what is now more of an off road beast of a JT. On top of that my tires are now over $500 ea. so why some have an ego to drive a fuel hog around, or settle for the mediocrity of a hybrid jeep, with basic off road capabilities is just beyond my wants and needs. Jeeping is a hobby for me, and I'm loving it, along with the Off roading jeep community. Great people, but most of them don't use their jeeps as DD either. JMO But I'm happy to see happy jeep owners, no matter where they like to drive their jeeps.

 

[Glad_he_ate]

Wife loves hers. I rarely get to drive it but when I have it’s nice.

 

[Glad_he_ate]

Used friends and family discount on the wife’s. However I heard as of October it was being phased out. For All fca employees and retirees. I use my buddies dads codes and it has saved us thousands of dollars. However even his dad who retired years back said they will be looking at other brands if they are no longer going to issue the codes.

Does anyone know if the 4xe is blackballed as a FCA employee/retiree 5% below invoice deal?

My electricity costs $0.13 kWh, but the delivery fee adds another $0.13 so my electricity really costs ~$0.26. To the point I've investigated getting panels if it makes economic sense, but most likely not.

I'm interested in a hybrid Gladiator to help with acceleration off the line and the novelty of running brief errands on electric alone. The price of a Rubicon 4xe isn't that much different (if at all) than a regular Rubicon. I would be torn between a Gladiator or Gladiator Hybrid or just sticking with a JLU 4xe and keep my 4x8 trailer. The excuse for getting the gladiator was to get rid of the trailer and reclaim my garage in the summer. I'm not running hardcore off-road as I cannot afford to trash a $50K vehicle on the trails. Many years down the road, maybe. Doors, top off, yes. Beach runs, forest fire roads, low-end off-road, probably.

 

[dcmdon]

Look Guys and Gals, in 2040 we are not going to be talking about horsepower...we will be talking about amps, watts, and battery power to get our rigs 700+ miles without plugging in (with, of course, the solar panel on the roof/hoods of our Jeeps). And, I am going to be asking this Forum how to retrofit the latest high efficiently batteries to my Gladiator. THINK, cause in 2040, my critical-thinking skills will be greatly reduced...I'm counting on YOU!

We will always be talking about horsepower or watts (735 watts or .735 kw = 1 hp). This measures how quickly work can be done.

700 mile range is not going to happen. Big range matters now because charging takes so long. If you can charge in 10 minutes at a "gas station" just like you can with your current car, then it doesn't really matter if you can go 300 miles or 700 miles.

As charging gets faster, range becomes less important.

watt-hours is the measure of how much energy a battery can hold. Like the size of your fuel tank.
kwh/mile is a measure of how much electricity per mile your car uses. equivalent to mpg.

Spot on. My wife loves her 4XE and I love the eco. She uses hers for short trips and daily errands and I use the eco for a 90 mile round trip commute. The 4XE is a lot of fun to drive with all the torque and hp. I never dreamed I would own a 2.0 liter Jeep with more Torque and hp than my ls1 swapped tj. ?

Exactly. Big power, HUGE torque (more torque at most RPMs than the 392) and decent fuel economy.

I could not care less about the green aspects. With Uncle Sugar's subsidies it costs less than a comparable Pentastar.

And lets not forget that there is no need to plug it in unless you want to maximize the ability to run in full electric.

If you do nothing. Just drive it like a regular car, the battery will maintain enough of a charge through regenerative braking and coasting to give you full power in normal hybrid mode.

The downsides are more weight, more complexity, and unknown longevity. The last thing is a deal breaker for me. Something about a version 1.0 Fiat technology frightens me.

There are also service horror stories on the JL forum. If Toyota made Jeep, I'd grab it without a second thought, since they've been making hybrids for 15 years.

 

[Artsifrtsi]

If Toyota made Jeep, I'd grab it without a second thought, since they've been making hybrids for 15 years.

Prius is 20 years, as of 2021.

If I had the money for one, I'd trade my wife's Prius in on a 4xe... A Wrangler that gets the same/close to mileage as the Prius? no brainer... Her Prius is a V (Station wagon... the V is a pig!) gets about 40 in town, but only ~35 on highway.

 

[dcmdon]

Spot on. My wife loves her 4XE and I love the eco. She uses hers for short trips and daily errands and I use the eco for a 90 mile round trip commute. The 4XE is a lot of fun to drive with all the torque and hp. I never dreamed I would own a 2.0 liter Jeep with more Torque and hp than my ls1 swapped tj. ?

Prius is 20 years, as of 2021.

If I had the money for one, I'd trade my wife's Prius in on a 4xe... A Wrangler that gets the same/close to mileage as the Prius? no brainer... Her Prius is a V (Station wagon... the V is a pig!) gets about 40 in town, but only ~35 on highway.

And now they make an AWD version with an electrically driven rear axle. Its brilliant. As automotive appliances go.

 

[XJADDICTION]

Prius is 20 years, as of 2021.

If I had the money for one, I'd trade my wife's Prius in on a 4xe... A Wrangler that gets the same/close to mileage as the Prius? no brainer... Her Prius is a V (Station wagon... the V is a pig!) gets about 40 in town, but only ~35 on highway.

check your V’s CVT as it should be getting better fuel mileage.
My V loaded with 4sets of total joint instruments (when i was a med device rep) and implants , no rear seats maintained 44 mpg with hwy speed around 80mph.

 

[Mac Attack]

We will always be talking about horsepower or watts (735 watts or .735 kw = 1 hp). This measures how quickly work can be done.

700 mile range is not going to happen. Big range matters now because charging takes so long. If you can charge in 10 minutes at a "gas station" just like you can with your current car, then it doesn't really matter if you can go 300 miles or 700 miles.

As charging gets faster, range becomes less important.

watt-hours is the measure of how much energy a battery can hold. Like the size of your fuel tank.
kwh/mile is a measure of how much electricity per mile your car uses. equivalent to mpg.



Exactly. Big power, HUGE torque (more torque at most RPMs than the 392) and decent fuel economy.

I could not care less about the green aspects. With Uncle Sugar's subsidies it costs less than a comparable Pentastar.

And lets not forget that there is no need to plug it in unless you want to maximize the ability to run in full electric.

If you do nothing. Just drive it like a regular car, the battery will maintain enough of a charge through regenerative braking and coasting to give you full power in normal hybrid mode.

The downsides are more weight, more complexity, and unknown longevity. The last thing is a deal breaker for me. Something about a version 1.0 Fiat technology frightens me.

There are also service horror stories on the JL forum. If Toyota made Jeep, I'd grab it without a second thought, since they've been making hybrids for 15 years.

Well, I guess I have more faith in American creativity and ingenuity than you. 700 miles is possible...just not in your mind. I will put my faith in others. But, let me give you another brain-teaser; what happens to all the electric/hybrid/EFI vehicles when a natural or man-made EMP occurs? Will we be better off with the 1941 Willy's?

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