PRESS
RELEASE:
Jeep®
Renegade Concept
BLUETEC
diesel Range Extended Electric Vehicle in fun, open-air, sustainable design
package
A B-segment Jeep® concept vehicle, the Renegade is a
sporty, "minimized" two-seater ideally suited for the all-weather fun
of dune-surfing or rock-crawling.
"With an electric motor powering each axle, the Jeep
Renegade concept is designed for a 'hang on and have fun experience,'"
said Tony Shamenkov, Jeep Renegade concept principal
exterior designer.
Constructed of environmentally responsible materials,
sustainability is a key theme of the Jeep Renegade concept.
Renegade is targeted at customers in the "Stylish
Green" segment of the marketplace – those who are extremely
environmentally oriented, appreciate high-tech and innovation, and enjoy
performance combined with style in keeping with their "green"
attitude.
Jeep Renegade Concept Technology
The advanced propulsion system in the Jeep Renegade
concept starts with a 40-mile lithium-ion battery pack. A range extender
– in Renegade's case, a small-displacement (1.5-liter, 3-cylinder)
BLUETEC diesel engine – allows for journeys beyond 40 miles. In fact, the
Jeep Renegade concept boasts a 400-mile range.
Renegade's BLUETEC diesel engine generates an additional
115 horsepower when needed, while greatly reducing exhaust emissions when
compared to standard gasoline engines. Renegade is capable of achieving an
equivalent petroleum fuel economy of 110 miles per gallon, which is four-to-five times greater than an equivalent
gasoline-only vehicle.
The all-new Jeep Renegade concept's lightweight aluminum
architecture and regen-braking system help to improve
overall efficiency, while dual electric 200 kilowatt (268 horsepower) motors
propel a very capable 4x4 system – complete with low range and locking
differentials -- worthy of carrying the Jeep name.
Jeep Renegade Concept Exterior
The Jeep Renegade concept's "one-with-nature"
personality is emphasized by its large, flaring wheel openings, oversized
wheels and tires, and cut-down speedster windshield -- all of which combine to
deliver on the Renegade's promise of cross-country fun and agility.
Among the unique exterior details are
"deconstructed" rubber-clad headlamps and taillamps,
as well as just-for-fun elongated triangular openings in each of the two
sculpted doors.
While the Renegade features a roll bar, it has no top.
Instead, the cargo deck just behind the cockpit can be fitted with a variety of
"lids." Options include a plain lid, or lids configured to
accommodate the gear of a particular outdoor day-trip activity, such as
mountain biking or kayaking. Or it can come "as built" -- with
formations designed to accommodate two matching water scooters with open storage
underneath. Fluid-fill caps, a plug-in port and a first-aid kit are also
included.
Jeep Renegade Concept Interior
Sustainability – a ratio between the energy needed
to build and ship the vehicle as compared with the impact these processes have
on the environment – is a key focus of the Jeep Renegade concept's
interior design.
Materials used in constructing the Jeep Renegade concept
were deliberately selected to be environmentally responsible, both in
manufacture and end-of-vehicle-life recyclability.
Innovative construction includes one-piece molded
soy-based foam seats and doors, a one-piece co-molded instrument panel with a
urethane skin, a co-molded aluminum/silicone steering wheel, a one-piece molded
chassis created without using environmentally-harmful resins, and a one-piece
molded interior compartment "tub." This environmental care in
designing the Renegade's interior is aligned with Jeep's "harmony with
nature" philosophy.
"The Jeep Renegade concept's interior - actually the
entire vehicle - is designed to minimize the number of parts necessary for
assembly and function," said Scott Anderson, principal interior designer
of the Renegade concept. "We designed the Renegade with an eye toward simplification
of systems, both in parts and processes."
The HVAC system, for example, is not coolant-based, while
the color, grain and gloss of the interior parts are molded in one piece. Even
the no-gloss exterior color of the Renegade's lightweight composite body is
molded in to avoid the use of solvents present in automotive paints.
The dual-cockpit instrument panel is symmetrically
balanced for easy "plug and play" left-hand drive and right-hand
drive applications. There is no conventional wiring. Instead, the instrument
panel features wireless electronics in sealed, self-contained units, removable
by the customer. The panel is built about an exposed cross-car beam containing
an integrated power strip, and on the passenger side, yaw, pitch and roll indicators
(also built into the fluid-fill gauges). The instrument panel itself is hollow,
allowing ample open storage below the beam. Separately-configured
impact-absorbing vinyl-wrapped knee-blockers "float" beneath the
cross-car beam.
The thin multi-plane acrylic instrument cluster mounts to
the steering column, while the similar but separate center control screen
mounts on a swivel base -- providing easy access to both occupants.
Located at the intersection of the steering wheel's
T-shaped spokes, the circular LED screen rotates, allowing the driver to select
the drive mode, while a flattened rim provides roomier thigh clearance. A
driver air bag is concealed beneath the screen. Red or green translucent shift
buttons allow Park, Reverse or Drive selections.
The Jeep Renegade concept's sporty doors incorporate
unique canvas-pull remote "handles," while the rush of the moving
landscape visible through the door's elongated openings enhance the feeling of
carefree, open-air mobility.
The Renegade's contoured, figure-form seats -- covered in
scuba-like waterproof materials that are both soft-touch
and flexible -- feature in-seat belts and unusual, hollow, lightweight
upside-down "U-shaped" headrests. The seats feature a urethane skin
with soy-based foam co-molded with a composite substructure. The integral
seatbelts, along with slender accent strips on the seats and instrument panel,
repeat the Palm Metallic exterior color.
A "thermal unit" in the center console plugs
into the electrical battery pack, permitting food to be either heated or
cooled.
"Inspired by the simplicity and functionality of
scuba diving gear, we wanted the interior of the Jeep Renegade concept to be
weather-tight and durable," Anderson said.
The Renegade's wireless interior is
designed to be hosed down. It features a drain in the floor, while the
formations built into the floor mat are designed to channel water to the
opening. Hollow-section billet-formed pedals float above the tub floor.
Fun, functional and fabricated from recyclable materials,
the Jeep Renegade concept offers agile, capable performance without sacrificing
the environment its drivers seek to explore. Keeping with Jeep owners' desire
to use their vehicles as an extension of their active lives, the Jeep Renegade
concept promotes enjoyment of the good things of the earth while taking care of
its future.
Jeep Renegade Concept Vehicle Specifications
Vehicle Type Range-extended Electric Vehicle (40-mile
all-electric range with diesel range extender)
Two-passenger, open-air
Weight and Dimensions
Weight/GVWR 3150 lbs./3600 lbs.
Length 153.0 inches/3885mm
Width at H-point 62.9 inches/1598mm
Height 56.3 inches/1431mm
Wheelbase 101.6 inches/2580mm
Front overhang 25.0 inches/634mm
Rear overhang 26.4 inhces/671mm
Track front/rear 62.2 inches/1580mm
Approach angle 44.0 degrees
Departure angle 52.0 degrees
Breakover angle 32.0
degrees
Turn circle 35 feet/10.7m
Maximum width 71.4 inches/1814mm
Powertrain and
Suspension
Layout Four wheel drive with low
range and locking differentials
Motor Dual electric
Power: 200 kW (268 hp) x 2
Regenerative braking
Battery 16 kWh Li-ion battery pack
Range extender 1.5-liter, 3-cylinder diesel
Fuel volume 10 gallons
Suspension Front – SLA
Rear – Multi-link
Wheels and Tires
Tire size front/rear 235/65R20x7.5 inches 32.1
inches/814mm
Tire manufacturer BF Goodrich
Color Scheme
Exterior Palm Metallic
Interior Black
Key Performance Attributes
0-60 mph 8.5 seconds
Standing ¼ mile 13.6 seconds
Top speed 90 mph
All-electric range 40 miles
Total range 400 miles
Fuel economy 110 mpg (combined,
est.)