Electric Jeeps, the Return of HUMMER and What about TFL Swag? [Ask Nathan]

Ford Focus ST vs VW Golf R vs Nissan Juke Nismo 0-60 MPH Mashup Review
    • Will FCA build an Electric Jeep?
    • Any word on HUMMER’S return?
    • What about TFL swag?

The first question comes from a fan who wants to know if there will be an electric Jeep in the near future.

Q:Hi Mr. Adlen! I’m a big fan and I was wondering if you heard anything about the FCA group building a electric or hybrid Jeep.

Despite the bigger sales of big trucks and SUvs, I think that the electric market is starting to grow. I liked the Chevy Bolt story you wrote and I agree that every family should have a electric car for commuting and gas cars for fun or hard work.

So, do you think they will build a electric Jeep?

Thanks. This is Frank from Baltimore and I’m 14.

A: Howdy Frank!

Thanks for the great email!

Jeep played with the idea of an EV Wrangler before. Back in 2010, they built a Jeep Wrangler EV that used a gas engine to either charge the batteries or directly run the electric motors. Others have built their own EV Jeeps and some are very effective off-road.

Other than being somewhat “Green” the benefits of EV power is instant torque. It’s especially useful for climbing. Some of the folks who have home-built their own EV Jeeps have demonstrated many of the benefits, and a few shortcomings of electric power.

Range and weight are major issues. Even though many people pile tons of toys on top of a Jeep Wrangler to make it more off-road capable, lighter Wranglers are the best way to go. Slapping batteries in any vehicle makes for a heavier machine.

Charging up in the middle of a remote trail is an issue too. For now, equipping a Jeep with enough batteries to extend its range (to match a gas version) means a lot of weight and a lot of expense. Jeeps are already expensive, electrifying a Wrangler and keeping its off-road abilities intact would be tough to pull off.

One final thought: FCA’s CEO Sergio Marchionne doesn’t see the viability of all-electric vehicles. It’s doubtful he’ll give the green light for Jeep to develop and sell a modern EV.

This is just my point of view, but I have a feeling other readers may agree.

Thanks again for the email!

N

This next question comes from a longtime fan who wants to know if there was a chance that the HUMMER would return to our market.

Q:I bought my wife’s 06 ford freestyle specifically because of how good the awd was and how affordable it was and family friendly but I was in love the the smaller hummer h3. ?

Is their any news on if their will be a return soon, and if not has gm given up on the affordable durable family friendly suvs that can actually go off road?

Brandon

A: Hi Brandon!

This is a good-news-bad-news response.

Good news, despite being vanquished from our shores a while back, VLF Automotive is building a knock-off H1 HUMVEE that’s extremely capable, just like the original. Bad-news, it’s only meant for the Chinese market.

There is no word regarding the revival of the HUMMER brand. Nothing at all.

Still, there is something in your question that I would like to address: you stated, “has gm given up on the affordable durable family friendly suvs that can actually go off road?

My answer is, take a look at the 2018 Chevrolet Colorado ZR2. It is one of the most capable off-road vehicles in its class. Seriously, I was astonished by its capability and its ease of daily driving. My kids loved driving in it and I thought the highway ride was fantastic.

I would imagine that, “”IF“” General Motors sees a possible good return on their investment, the possibility of putting a SUV body on to a Colorado ZR2 platform is out there. They have a Chevrolet Trailblazer overseas, which sits atop a Colorado/Canyon frame, it is feasible that they could adapt it for U.S. sales.

There is a popular rumor out there saying that it will happen – soon.

Considering the Ford Bronco is coming soon, I suspect the rumors that there will be a Chevrolet Blazer hitting our market at the same time could be true. Could you imagine a Chevrolet Blazer ZR2 battling against a modern Ford Bronco?!

I’m already thinking of places to test it!

N

The last question comes from a fan who is curious about TFL swag.

Q:Do you guys happen to sell the TFL Truck hats and stickers?

My wife gets on me for wearing my Ike Gauntlet shirt more than twice a week, so I figured that maybe I should look into other ways to show some TFL pride and support.

Also, if any of y’all find yourself in central Illinois and want some killer BBQ or to do a long term owner review of a 2006 F150 with 170k of heavy hauling, I’m up for it. 😉 (Eh, it was worth a shot. Haha)

Thanks and keep up the great work,

Terry

 

A: Howdy Terry!

We have some SWAG and we hope to add more fun stuff in the near future. We have lots of items from our “Ike Gauntlet” collection including: hoodies, shirts, stickers and mugs.

Click (here) to check out our merchandise!

https://teespring.com/shop/TFLtruck17?aid=marketplace&tsmac=marketplace&tsmic=search#pid=402&cid=6706&sid=front

All of us at team TFL appreciate your patronage and support!

N

Check out this fun video!

Nathan and The Fast Lane Car team are here to answer your (reasonable) questions. Interesting and/or entertaining emails will be posted to this column. If it’s relevant in the automotive universe, there’s a chance we may know something about it. The author’s email address and name will be omitted – leaving your initials or nickname, your preference.

From day one, The Fast Lane Car has made it our policy to answer as many questions and comments as we can. We get thousands of emails and comments and feel that, as part of a tight-knit automotive community, having an open dialogue with you keeps things fresh and exciting.

Got a question for Nathan? Drop him a line at: asknathan@tflcar.com.