Stellantis has patented a new three-speed transmission designed to bring its Jeep brand’s legendary off-road capability to electric vehicles (EV) without the need for additional motors or equipment.
Jeep released its first EV in Australia in 2024 – the urban-friendly Avenger – with the larger Wagoneer S crossover SUV and rugged Recon set for Australia in 2026.
It’s the latter that appears most likely to receive the new transmission, should it enter production.
As reported by Mopar Insiders, Stellantis has been granted a patent for a three-speed transmission bringing low-range, high-range and direct drive gearing to electric powertrains.
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It’s designed to replace the single-speed reduction gearboxes found in most EVs in new car showrooms which, in its filing, Stellantis says are “unable to provide sustained high torque for trail and desert driving or various other speeds”.
With Jeep’s ‘trail-rated’ credentials crucial to its brand image, the new transmission has been designed to offer smarter gearing choices for EVs while hitting the rough stuff, mimicking the low- and high-range gearing found in conventional combustion-powered four-wheel drive off-roaders.
The three different gear-sets each look to expand the capability of EVs, most notably tapping into the instant torque characteristic provided by an electric motor – and minimising energy use at other times.
The lowest gearing – created to deploy maximum torque – acts like a traditional ‘4LO’ gear and is designed for trail driving, rock crawling and towing.
The second gearset is more suited to ‘normal’ conditions, while the third provides the typical one-to-one ratio and is intended to maximise energy efficiency, battery life and driving range while highway driving.
The transmission connects directly to the output shaft of the electric motor and can be used on the front or rear axle, while it can also lock or open a differential for true off-road flexibility.
Jeep hasn’t made any announcements on which vehicles will use the new transmission, or when we can expect to see it in a production model.
The relatively simple, compact design means it could bring benefits beyond Jeep’s off-roaders, extending to other Stellantis brands such as Ram trucks.
It could also have high performance all-wheel drive applications at Dodge, Chrysler and potentially Alfa Romeo and Maserati – all brands belonging to Stellantis.
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