Even Dodge is getting in on the industry charge to electric vehicles.
Last week, a day before President Biden issued an Executive Order targeting 50% of all new car sales to be zero-emission vehicles by 2030, parent company Stellantis announced sweeping plans to overhaul its Jeep, Dodge, and Alfa Romeo lineup with electrified vehicles. The news comes less than a month after Stellantis revealed plans for four dedicated EV platforms to be used across its 14 brands.
Dodge EV muscle car and platform – 2021 Stellantis EV Day
Dodge, known for fire-breathing V-8 Hellcat engines in its aging sedan, SUV, and muscle car lineup, appears to be the last legacy American brand to join the global trend to electrification. The brand announced last month that it would make the leap to all-electric with an electric Dodge muscle car by 2024. Last week it announced it would also launch a plug-in hybrid in 2022.
Rumors suggest the vehicle will be a compact crossover shared with Alfa Romeo on a platform that underpins the Jeep Renegade and Jeep Compass. Those models have an available plug-in hybrid powertrain with a 1.3-liter inline-4 up front and an electric motor at the rear; an 11.4-kwh battery provides enough juice for 30 miles of estimated range. Rumor also has it from Motor Authority that the Hornet model name will be applied to the new plug-in Dodge, instead of resurrecting the Journey or morphing a Challenger, Charger, or Durango.
Jeep Wrangler Magneto concept
Stellantis also confirmed its first fully electric Jeep due for launch in 2023—though not necessarily the U.S. market then. Jeep currently sells the road-friendly 2021 Wrangler 4xe plug-in hybrid (PHEV) with 22 miles of range, but the full battery electric vehicle (BEV) planned for 2023 is rumored to be a small crossover along the lines of the Jeep Renegade. With its small-vehicle EV platform, Stellantis is targeting a range between 300 and 500 miles. Jeep plans a BEV option in every segment by 2025, and has begun installing charging stations at trailheads in America.
2021 Alfa Romeo Stelvio
By 2027, Alfa Romeo will go fully electric, according to Stellantis’ best laid plans. Currently, the Italian brand only sells the Giulia sedan and Stelvio compact crossover in the U.S.
Stellantis joins more than a dozen other automakers who have pledged a future of electric cars to meet changing consumer demand and increasing global environmental regulations to curb the greenhouse gases attributable to climate change.
Keyword: Stellantis plans plug-in Dodge, electric Jeep, all-electric Alfa Romeo models