For decades, the Department of Energy (DOE) has used the same calculations for the “gas mileage” of electric vehicles. New rules will be coming out in the next year, though, that would slash the CAFE benefits automakers now get from making electric cars and trucks.
At issue is the question of how much electricity is needed to make up for a gallon of gasoline. The DOE proposes to drop the current 82,049 watt-hours per gallon to a more research-tested 23,160 watt-hours per gallon. The original figure makes each BEV sold quite valuable in average fuel economy numbers, but it also means that a company which sells a reasonable number of BEVs doesn’t have to worry much about the mileage of its actual gasoline cars.
The change would take affect with the 2027 model year, by which time Stellantis would have a number of electric vehicles on the road; however, Dodge, Jeep, and Chrysler, and possibly Ram, would most likely already have increased their fleet fuel economy regardless. At Jeep, the Wrangler is being helped by the popular 4xe engine option, and after 2024, the 392 is unlikely to be dragging the average down; and the Grand Cherokee, likewise, has many 4xe models subbing in for Hemi V8s. At Dodge, a new lineup is likely to swap Hurricanes for Hemis, and batteries for Hellcats. Then Chrysler is planning to go all-electric, and in the meantime will likely be all-PHEV.
I think the “4Xe” powertrain is going to spread beyond the Jeep brand. Minus the full size pickup truck market, the 2.0L “4Xe” would make for an excellent replacement for the Pentastar 3.6L across the board. So many vehicles across the Stellantis, N.A. spread use the 3.6L engine, including the Charger, Challenger, 300, Durango, Pacifica, Grand Cherokee, and the Wrangler/Gladiator platform. Moving the Pacifica to the STLA: Large platform and having the 2.0L “4Xe” powertrain as standard issue would truly make the Pacifica the most powerful Minivan on the market, sporting 5.7L Hemi horsepower and 6.4L Hemi torque wrapped up in a well appointed versatile package. Have a Pacifica-S and Pacifica Red-S package with some sportier features along with the limited packages and all of the rest of the trim levels and now you have an impressive lineup. Same thing with the Chrysler 300. The 300 has moved along silently into the background with just the 3.6L and the 5.7L so the genuine performance of the 300 sedan has been removed for more of the entry level luxury type car. While I would love to see the next-gen Chrysler 300 take a page from Dodge and deliver a 1970-like 4-door coupe version (Like how Dodge is doing with the next gen Charger taking major cues from the ’69 Charger but still offering 4-doors) and dropping in the 2.0L “4Xe” powertrain as a base model, having the two Hurricane-6 motors as options and then having the 340KW, 440KW and Banshee 800V EV variants and having it along the same proportions as a BMW 750Li X-drive sedan or an Audi A8L with Hurst packages (instead of Daytona packages). I would love to see the brand expand the lineup with a few more crossovers and SUV, bringing back names like Lebaron, New Yorker, Fifth Avenue, Newport and Imperial. Names like that, to me, really make me think of upscale cars that could really shine in the Premium and luxury EV world, taking the fight to Tesla along with companies like LUCID, Mercedes, Genesis and other premium vehicles. Honestly the Chrysler brand is in an amazing position to compete with these companies as the brand reimagines itself for the future. Another thing that needs to make a return, and quickly is the Chrysler 200 sedan. I just saw the new Acura Integra Type S and it’s begging for a Chrysler 200 return for some American competition. It makes about 320hp with the Civic Type R powertrain and the 2.0L “4Xe” in a small AWD car about that size with a bit of premium luxury would really shine in that market. Not to mention it would compete with other performance vehicles in that class. Jeep is more positioned as the absolute bread winner of the American Stellantis umbrella as they are truly the volume sellers of Mopar. To me, the 268hp 2.0L Turbo should be the base engine for all FWD jeeps, stepping up to the 1.3L Hybrid setup making 288hp/383tq. If those numbers sound familiar, it’s because they the specs and drivetrains of the new Dodge Hornet GT and R/T. While those numbers aren’t as impressive as the numbers the of the “4Xe”, keep in mind, the Pentastar V6 makes anywhere from 287hp in the Chrysler Pacifica Minivan, to 305hp in the Challenger GT and that 383lb-ft of torque isn’t too far off of the 395lb-ft of torque found in the 5.7L Hemi Charger R/T. If that’s not enough, the power shot system adds on another 30hp for a few seconds, which at that point means that you’re making roughly 318hp with that same 395lb-ft of torque. That’s roughly only 22hp short of what the 5.7L Hemi made in the 05-era Charger R/T or Chrysler 300C Hemi (340hp/390lb-ft) with better gearing, AWD and a bit of instant torque thanks to the electric motor. That’s enough to make a Compass or a Cherokee a genuinely sporty small SUV and since the Mopar brand is all about power, it makes sense. Having the Grand Cherokee above that with the 4Xe and the Hurricane powertrains would make alot of sense, especially if the do a new SRT (or JXP= Jeep Xtreme Performance) version or versions with the 3.0L HO. The Wagoneer/Grand Wagoneer need to drop the Hemis altogether and the Wrangler 392 needs to get removed for the Hurricane powertrain. As far as the Wrangler is concerned, I’ve said before I’m shocked and a bit disappointed the Hurricane-6 powertrain is not already in the Wrangler chassis. The Inline-6 is the Wrangler is just as iconic as the vehicle itself. It makes perfect sense to have a Rubicon 4Xe, Rubicon X 3.0L Hurricane S.O and Rubicon JXP 3.0L Hurricane H.O along with the High Altitude with 4Xe/3.0L Hurricane S.O powertrains. To me, the Ram Brand is truly the only part of the brand that I feel a bit uneasy about when it comes to powertrains. Not saying the Hurricanes dont off more power than the Hemi’s they replace, but it’s a bit different for a truck vs having a high powered performance car or an SUV. A smaller Dakota would be cool to bring out on the STLA platform with a 4Xe powertrain, maybe a 3.0L SO powertrain and a full EV powertrain, but the Ram 1500 is where my concern is. Beyond it’s luxury and tech, the 5.7L Hemi has been a stable powertrain in that truck for a long time. I know Ford did an Amazing job with the F150 and the ecoboost engines as the 2.7L and 3.5L Ecoboost powertrains are definitely more than capable workhorses (albeit with their inherent issues). Both of the Stellantis 3-liter Hurricane engines out power the Ecoboost engines in all trim levels (including the 450hp/510lb-ft torque) Raptor variant as the 3.0L HO provides 500hp and 510lbft of torque. Hopefully for the Ram variants there will be hybrid versions providing a bit of added torque and maybe even an E-Torque setup as well for even more torque. Although my previous reaction to the Ram 1500 REV pickup was a bit premature when it came to my response on the power, I went back to realize what they were talking about was Standard available power, which is above the Ford Lightning and the standard options for the Silverado. That being said, an optional high output package or packages may eclipse the numbers of the Chevy Silverado-E and the electric GMC Sierra pickup. With the HD models, a Cummins B6.7H hydrogen engine that may possibly be replacing the diesel burning 6.7L could be mated to the new ZF-Traxon hybrid transmission for zero emissions along with power and range would add to the carbon-reducing efforts the Stellantis brand is making. All of that should do alot to reduce the Carbon footprint and keep the Stellantis brand relevant.
Of course, I can’t talk about any of this stuff without talking about my beloved Dodge brand. We talk about the Hurricane engines and EVs for the Charger, but honestly the 2.0L “4Xe” powertrain needs to make its way to the Dodge brand as well. As a base model, it would outperform not only the 3.6L Pentastar, but it would also outperform the 5.7L Hemi as well and fit in alot better with the 420hp/468tq 3.0L S.O and 510hp/500hp 3.0L HO (which I’m really hoping they’ll just use the 530hp/510tq 3.0L Hurricrate Cat-3 engine instead of the regular HO). Those three, along with the 340KW, 440KW and Banshee powertrains in not only the Charger but also in the Stealth crossover, the next gen full size Durango SUV and a potential Dodge Challenger coupe and right there you have a very impressive lineup, especially if Direct Connection can get their hands on those vehicles and make them even more fun! While the new Hornet is making its way in, I can’t help but feel that the brand needs to return back to the SRT4 roots. I mentioned above about the Integra Type S and the market it plays in, but there is still a sport compact market complete with the Civic Type R, the Veloster-N, the Corolla GR and the Golf-R. While I’m partial to the Dart name, a genuine Dodge hot hatch could carry the Omni GLH name or Gremlin-X name since Dodge is using the AMC names with the Hornet and I could see the brand having a new Gremlin emblem on the side of car with a bit of the Hellcat emblem’s signature DNA. The STLA: Medium platform could see a few cars like that, with the Hornet crossover, a Gremlin-X hot hatch, a Dart sport sedan (with a Demon 340KW (455hp) EV performance variant) that would compete with FWD based cars such as the Acura Integra Type S, Subaru WRX, Telsa Model 3 and vehicles of that size. To have cars like these with engines like the hybrid 1.3L or 4Xe hybrid 2.0L genuinely make it where vehicles can genuinely make power and be emissions compliant without a whole lot of compromise. This kind of technology that the brand is implementing along with other hybrid ideas such as the E-torque systems can really help the Stellantis Mopar brands continue to be appealing to the customers they attract and not get stomped out by EPA regulations and all of that kind of stuff. Like most everything else in this day and age, the two most important things (the things that are lacking the most) are balance and choice. By adding more hybrids to the equation and using alternative fuels like Hydrogen instead of diesel, we can drastically reduce the carbon footprint and still have an auto industry.
I can’t up vote this enough… I’ve long felt that the dodge name plate was missing the mark of the 60s,70s,and even the 80s. Dodge used to be about letting the backyard underdogs take over the streets. Then came the charger and challenger and it’s like welp you need money to play. I currently own a pt cruiser convertible gt making 432 HP to the front wheels on stock internals. The looks I get when walking on 5.7 RT challengers or mustangs is awesome but as the car gets older I have to be careful what I do with her because parts aren’t as easy to come across and there’s no newer 4 cylinder compact car from Mopar to mod to that type of power the dart was a failure and the tuning and mod options are a joke without canning the whole motor. My first car was a 71 dart with a 318 and a two barrel holly I put hooker headers and 4 barrel holly on and was destroying mustangs and Camaros like it was a Sunday drive… Mopar needs to get back to the basics for everyone not just guys that can afford a scatpack or better. Here in the Buffalo NY area you see a few srt4s a bunch of bigger hemi chargers challengers and jeeps and my PT cruiser. What you see a ton of is WRXs GTis Hondas and like all modded and able to keep up with hemis… This guys modding those cars would switch Mopar real fast if we had something affordable and able win a race. For the price of scatpack I can buy and mod a wrx or audi a4 have money left over and still give srt8s a hard time. We need to get back to things like the Omni glh and the dodge stealth we need to get back to a place where a dart if owned by the right person won’t get spanked by a Honda… There’s an opening coming let’s hope the executives listen to what the people want and build it while making it affordable for anyone buying a car to consider.. till then I’ll keep scavenging the junkyards and craigslist for pt cruisers to build and race… Remember win on Sunday sell on Monday…