All-Electric Jeep Wrangler SUV Revealed, But There’s A Catch For 4x4 Fans

Jeep is looking to expand its lineup of Wrangler 4x4s with an all-electric configuration, but fans of the rugged SUV won’t be able to get their hands on one, at least for a little while.

According to CNBC, the automaker said that Jeep will not make the all-electric Jeep Magneto available to consumers for at least a few years as it debuted a concept model of the vehicle on Monday leading up to this weekend's Jeep Easter Safari media event in Moab, Utah.

Jim Morrison, vice president of the Jeep brand in North America, said that the Jeep Magneto was a “sustainable, stealthy, rock-climbing force” EV that is "a zero-emissions concept vehicle with Jeep 4x4 capability taken to the next level.”

The Magneto 4x4 SUV concept vehicle is based on Jeep’s two-door 2020 Wrangler Rubicon, which was fitted for four li-ion batteries and a motor that produces up to 273 foot-pounds of torque and 285 horsepower to hit 60 mph in 6.8 seconds, the news outlet said.

The fully-waterproof battery packs deliver 70 kWh of power, operating an 800 V system with the batteries distributed around the vehicle’s chassis for equal weight on each wheel and continues to maintain a 30-inch water fording capability, according to the Detroit Free Press.

Jeep did not release the electric range of the Magneto at the time of writing.

The EV has also been equipped with a six-speed manual transmission, which Mark Allen, head of Jeep design, said during the event gives the Magneto “the best characteristics” of an automatic transmission but the “direct-drive feel” of a manual transmission to keep that off-road feel, CNBC reported.

Rounding out the 4x4 is 17-inch wheels, 35-inch tires, and a 2-inch lift kit, the Detroit Free Press said.

The Magneto is not the only electrified vehicle being tested by Jeep as the company is also offering partially electric models with the Wrangler 4ex, and plug-in hybrid variations of the Grand Cherokee, Wagoneer, and Grand Wagoneer later this year.