The system consists of a 16KW...
The system consists of a 16KW onboard charger, four 48 VDC batteries, and this “electric engine” which bolts in place of your rear driveshaft. While the kit gives a good fuel economy bump, the big deal is the added torque. Like all electric motors, this one has a big, flat torque curve that can add up to or over 300 ft-lb of torque to your Jeep. That’s the kind of torque that makes even diesel engines worry.
Finally! I got to go to something cool where there were hot chicks, great Jeeps, and people wearing shiny shoes. I even got invited to a couple of parties that I don’t remember all that well (the details are a little fuzzy), got to shoot a Tommy gun on full-auto, and basically just had a good time out in Las Vegas, Nevada, without waking up in the middle of the desert with my pants missing.
I wasn’t really there to party it up. I went to see if there were any cool new electrical things at the 2011 SEMA show. That’s an industry-insider show that takes place towards the end of every year in this season they call fall. Oodles of companies come to a big building to show off their latest and greatest contraptions. I don’t know much about that oodles word, and I don’t know why I just used it. It seems I heard it at the show, but I still really don’t understand it. Kind of like I don’t understand how “Bill” is short for “William.” I would think that “Bill” should be short for “Billiam.”
This gas tank for a four-door...
This gas tank for a four-door Wrangler has a capacity of 22.5 gallons. While 100 mpg is possible from this kit under ideal conditions and good fuel-saving driving techniques, most people doing normal mixed driving are more likely to see mileage numbers in the mid-30s. That would give you about 787 miles from of one tank of gas. Just a little bit better than the 200 miles I hear you guys complaining of now.
Anyway, what I’m here today to talk about is a Jeep Wrangler that gets 100 mpg and has about 300 more torques without swapping the engine (Editor’s note: that is a 4-door JK that makes 300 ft-lb more than stock). You smarter readers might have figured it out already, but for those of you who haven’t, I’m talking about a hybrid-electric Wrangler conversion.
The company that makes the coercion…or is it conversion…brought both a Ford F-150 and a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited to the SEMA show. It’s called Xtreme Power and is based in Texas. That’s a country down by Mexico. Xtreme Power has been in business building integrated energy and storage solutions since 2004, which gives them a lot of experience to bring to an add-on electric motor for a Jeep.
In place of the factory muffler,...
In place of the factory muffler, the four XP PowerCells reside under a steel skidplate. These cells are long and skinny like Earl, and can provide a peak of 72KW (that is kilowatts) or a continuous 40KW. The electric motor also features braking or regenerative charging and the whole thing is operated by a micro-processor-controlled inverter with a cool graphical interface.
No one likes to see this in...
No one likes to see this in the middle of nowhere. If you do run out of gas, for whatever reason, the company states that with a full charge you could run up to 30 miles with no gas in the tank at all. Kind of cool to have a safety net like that should it become needed in the back of beyond.