Update: All sections revised with new developments and official confirmations.
As part of Jeep’s goal to convert 100% of its European sales to pure-electric vehicles by 2030, the company will begin to offer all of its small and compact models equipped with electric powertrains over the next few years.
Having covered the A-segment with the Jeep Avenger Electric, the next right-sized, zero-emission vehicles to strike the European market will be the Jeep Compass Electric and Jeep Renegade Electric. Currently, both SUVs are available with a plug-in option (PHEV) in Europe.
Jeep Compass Electric
On October 18, 2022, Autocar Business published a report stating that the Jeep Compass will switch to the STLA Medium platform and become a larger model in the transition. The compact SUV is expected to offer a pure-electric option when it switches to the new platform.
We will have a new Compass, very awaited and very important to us.
Antonio Filosa, Brand Chief Executive Officer of Jeep, at the Stellantis Investor Day on June 13, 2024
Stellantis describes STLA platforms (STLA Small, Medium, Large, and Frame) as BEV-centric vehicle platforms. These are primarily for electric vehicles and offer backward compatibility for internal combustion engine vehicles.
While European countries, U.S., Canada, and China might be ready to adopt an electric-only Compass, many other countries where the Compass has market share aren’t. Hence, like the Avenger, it would be wise to plan two variants. Autocar India had learned in January 2024 that the next-gen Compass, codenamed J4U, will receive an all-electric option, besides turbo-petrol and diesel powertrains. At the Stellantis Investor Day on June 13, 2024, Antonio Filosa, Chief Executive Officer of Jeep, said that the company will go from selling 1 BEV in 2024, to 6 BEV models in 2027.
Specifications
The Jeep Compass Electric would belong to one of the most popular electric vehicle segments worldwide. It will see tough competition coming from dedicated EVs like the VW ID.4, Skoda Enyaq iV, and Nissan Ariya that are already on sale and could have significantly improved by the time it arrives.
The STLA Medium platform features two battery packs: the Performance pack with over 700 km (435 miles) range and the Standard pack with over 500 km (310 miles), both measured in the WLTP metric.
The platform utilizes a 400-volt electric architecture, achieving best-in-class energy efficiency with consumption as low as 14 kWh per 100 km (62 miles) as per Stellantis. 20% to 80% DC rapid charging is achievable in 27 minutes. The STLA Medium supports up to 98 kWh of usable energy, providing superior embedded energy. It caters to both front-drive and all-wheel drive configurations, with power outputs ranging from 160 kW (214 hp) to 285 kW (382 hp).
The Compass Electric could come in single-motor and dual-motor AWD variants, with the latter producing at least 250 hp. There’s no word on the release date, but we expect to see the Jeep Compass Electric’s global premiere next year.
Jeep Renegade Electric
Jeep has confirmed that the next-gen Renegade will have a pure-electric variant. Excitingly, the company has said that the budget EV will also be sold in the United States:
For the small and compact SUV segments, we have the all-new Renegade that we are analyzing and working strongly in product development, that will be shown with a variant pure-BEV, just below USD 25,000, those are coming.
Antonio Filosa, Brand Chief Executive Officer of Jeep, at the Stellantis Investor Day on June 13, 2024
Introduced in 2014, the Jeep Renegade has been long overdue for a full redesign. The Renegade will stay on and eventually switch to the STLA Small platform, as per the Autocar Business report.
Specifications
Stellantis has confirmed that the Renegade Electric will be released by 2027, and it has the choice of basing it on the current eCMP platform or the upcoming STLA Small platform. The latter will be a replacement for the second-gen eCMP that’s underpinning the Jeep Avenger, Citroen e-C3, and others Stellantis EVs in Europe, and it will be suitable for A, B, and C-segment electric vehicles.
Considering that there’s a while to go, the Jeep Renegade Electric can feature cell-to-pack (CTP) installation, eliminating the traditional module level. CTP will be upgradable as per customer needs and offer improvements in energy density and charging speed.
Jeep could use LFP batteries for cost and supply reasons in the low-end configurations, with which it may target customers who are on a tight budget and/or mainly intend to drive in the city. In the higher-end configurations, targeted at customers ready to shell out a premium for long-distance capability, the company may use nickel batteries.
The STLA Small platform allows installing battery packs with an embedded energy capacity of up to 82 kWh. Jeep may use a sufficiently large battery, targeting a maximum range (WLTP) of around 300 miles. The company could employ up to two 70-kW electric motors, providing an installed power of up to 140 kW (188 hp).
The second pillar is to increase market coverage, which is easy and pragmatic, that means to reenter in U.S., the largest segment of the planet, which is the mid-SUV segment (starting with the Cherokee S), and to re-enter the U.S. to consolidate in the already-present small SUV segment with the all-new Jeep Renegade that is coming.
Antonio Filosa, talking about Jeep’s growth plan in the U.S., at the Stellantis Investor Day on June 13, 2024.
Jeep won’t compromise on safety or quality in the pursuit to launch a mass-market electric model. “So our job is to bring the safe, clean, and affordable BEV to the U.S., $25,000. We’ll do it,” said Carlos Tavares, CEO of Stellantis, at the Bernstein investor conference, on May 29, 2024 (via CNBC).
TopElectricSUV says
The Jeep Compass Electric and Jeep Renegade Electric should rank among the most off-road capable electric SUVs in their respective segments when they go on sale within 3 years. Moreover, while other automakers experiment with bizarre designs and extreme digitalization to leverage the freedom the transition to EVs offers, these Jeeps should serve customers who prefer conventional designs and simple operations with easy-to-use physical controls.
Featured image: Rendering of the Jeep Compass Electric purely for illustration, and isn’t representative of the actual design.
I got my Master’s in Business Management & Administration and have been an International Automotive News Editor since 2014. I’ve traveled to global motor shows and automotive events, driven various types of vehicles, and focused on hybrid and electric cars in the last 4 years.
