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Jeep Will Build Solar Powered EV Charging Stations at Select Locations: News
By Nathan Adlen - February 18, 2021
Future Jeep Wrangler 4xe (among other) owners will have solar powered EV charging locations – provided by Jeep.
Despite shoving a Hemi or diesel in some of their vehicles, Jeep is also electrifying their rides, which is why they will begin to provide solar powered EV charging locations. U.S. showrooms will get the Jeep Wrangler 4xe shortly, which will be followed by a slew of other plug in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs). In time, we should see some all-electric, or “battery electric vehicle” (BEV) from Jeep in the near future as well.
Jeep just revealed that there will be a Jeep Gladiator 4xe headed our way soon.
Considering how many Jeep owners venture off-road, the idea of limited EV range has been an issue. Fear not, Jeep is on the case and is addressing this with a unique solution. According to Jeep, “Solar-powered charging stations that will be located at Jeep Badge of Honor trails to support Wrangler 4xe owners.”
What is the Jeep Badge of Honor trail?
Simply put: Jeep is rewarding adventurous owners with an icon they can slap on the side of their rig – saying “I tackled that trail!” There are maps, and an app download that you can use to earn points on each trail. The trails are marked, and they all have varying degrees of difficulty.
Check in with your mobile device when you’re on location and about to start the trail. Once you’ve completed the trail, you’ll earn points to level up to higher achievement ranks. You can also earn points by uploading photos and engaging with the Badge of Honor community.
Jeep Badge of Honor Trails are located in several states, some (like Utah) have a ton of them. In fact, as of right now, there’s about 50 nationwide.
The Jeep Badge of Honor states:
Alabama
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Florida
Georgia
Indiana
Michigan
Missouri
Montana
New Hampshire
North Carolina
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Virginia
West Virginia
Wyoming
Future forecasting the need of EV charging locations near trails
As I stated earlier, one of the biggest disadvantages to EV/BEVs is their limited range. Sure, they (currently) take time to charge, but its improving all the time. Still, the idea of setting up a gas/diesel generator at an ORV trailhead to power EVs is somewhat counterproductive. The solar-power option could be a game changer. Not only for Jeep, but for a lot of other automakers that are bringing out off-road-capable EVs in the very near future.
Jeep did not indicate if they will add these solar powered EV charging locations to every Jeep Badge of Honor trail locations yet. We assume, that they will – eventually. Hopefully, we’ll get more news directly from the automaker soon!
