Electric cars and off-road vehicles have very different images, but they shouldn’t. If there’s one place an EV is perfect, it’s on the trail.
Electric motors provide maximum torque at low motor speeds. They can be configured for precise control of that torque. They’re so small you can fit one on each wheel, creating a hyper-agile vehicle that can vary the speed of each wheel to get over any obstacle.
And best of all, they’re quiet. Off-roading is a wildly different experience when animals don’t run as you cross the stream they’re drinking from.
A great day spent getting your vehicle muddy has a gasoline-soaked, gear-grinding image. But it shouldn’t. As automakers work out the early problems of electric vehicle (EV) adoption, we’re confident off-roaders will shift their affection toward quiet, exceptionally capable off-road EVs.
So is Jeep.
Thank the Autoworker’s Strike for This Info
America’s automakers went on strike against Detroit’s three major automakers for much of the fall. It worked for them. They won raises, better retirement plans, protections against job loss, and other concessions from Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis (parent company of Dodge, Jeep, Ram, and others).
It also worked for us. As details of the agreements between the United Auto Workers (UAW) and the Detroit Three become public, we’re learning about manufacturers’ plans for future vehicles.
CNBC reporter Michael Wayland recently posted to X (formerly known as Twitter) a list of what products Stellantis will build at each of its assembly plants, and it breaks some news about perhaps the most iconic off-roader of them all.
Jeep will offer an electric Wrangler within five years.
The document doesn’t say whether the gas-powered Wrangler will cease production.
Related: Jeep Magneto: An EV with a Manual Transmission
Instead, it says Ohio’s Toledo Assembly Complex will build the current Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator until 2028. The Jeep Wrangler 4xe plug-in hybrid (PHEV) — a Wrangler on sale now capable of driving up to 21 miles on electricity before using any gas — will get an “upgrade” in 2025, and a PHEV version of the Gladiator truck will join the lineup that year.
Then, in 2028, a “next-generation Wrangler” will appear, including an EV version and a range-extended version.
Range-Extended Version Coming, Too
Ram, another Stellantis brand with which Jeep often shares parts, recently previewed a range-extended version of its Ram pickup, the 2025 Ramcharger. That truck uses electric motors and an EV-style battery but also includes a V6 engine. The engine is not connected to the wheels, acting solely as a generator to recharge the battery.
Jeep officials say the new Ramcharger has a “targeted” range of 690 miles in this configuration.
Since Jeep and Ram routinely share parts, we assume the 2028 Wrangler will use the same technology.
The document Wayland posted doesn’t mention a 2028 Gladiator. Jeep could easily keep the midsize truck at that point since it uses mainly Wrangler parts. But, the company might consider ending the poor-selling model before five years are out. UAW President Shawn Fain earlier revealed the company’s plans to build a midsize pickup at its Belvidere (Illinois) plant. That pickup is expected to be a hybrid and possibly all-electric.
Other Jeep, Dodge SUVs Reportedly Going Electric
Other models may be going electric as well. Wayland’s document lists electric versions of the Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer appearing in 2027. Both electric and gas-powered versions of a redesigned Dodge Durango will appear in 2026, followed by the Jeep Grand Cherokee in 2027.
