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by The Jeep Wrangler is obviously not known for its fuel efficiency – although if one were to actually compare it to some of the competition, it’s not bad for a vehicle with a 0.52 coefficient of drag. Many owners have long been looking forward to the day when Chrysler offers a diesel crate engine swap for their Wranglers, not only for the increased torque but for the expected boost to fuel economy. Despite the massive slowdown within the American automotive industry, it can’t be said that America’s iconic vehicle is being left behind. Behind the scenes, Chrysler has made a prototype of the JK Wrangler that runs entirely on electric motors. The test version is capable of going around 40 miles entirely on it’s Lithium-Ion batteries and then engaging a small gasoline generator to keep those motors turning for a net 400 mile range. This represents an interesting step forward for the classic 4×4 as electric motors in each wheel present an amazing amount of power and control for off-roading tasks plus 400 miles is a greater range than the V6 version can presently attain.
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Is Generated Electric More Efficient? by gnifyus :: NR6 :: Show
I’m interested in the concept of using a small gasoline generator to charge the batteries enough to extend the range to 400 miles on 8 to 10 gallons of gas. 10 gallons in our Jeep Liberty will probably only go about 200 miles on the highway. This means that the Jeep EV is more or less doubling its gas-powered range. I imagine some of the EV’s range numbers are bolstered by the regenerative braking system, but the question is; can it be possible to get better mileage by generating the electricity with a very small gas motor as opposed to powering a whole car with a much larger gas motor? It seems like there would be losses in transfer from gas to electric, but maybe a large gas motor is so “lossy” it outweighs the transfer losses?