Despite the fact that the in question powertrain is containing numerous benefits it's still having a weak point which is its relatively small battery pack - compared to an entry level EV - which it's out of electrons in no time while if you're wishing to recharge it via regeneration instead of a wall socket than you'll need a lot of start stop traffic otherwise this process will take forever. The mentioned phenomena isn't as dramatic if we're calculating with everyday usage in bumper to bumper traffic however some car companies made a questionable decision when they applied the plug in hybrid recipe in real off roaders and pickup trucks or to be more precise the Jeep Compass and upcoming Ford Ranger where the in question setup makes very little sense. Okay, their emissions will be slightly reduced and their fuel economy will be more preferable just like in every other case when it's coming to a hybrid setup but if these two type of plug in hybrids are going to be used for what they're designed for than it'll be just an unusable mess: lets talk first of the Jeep Compass which despite the fact that it's a compact crossover SUV is a true off road capable vehicle which is a rarity in its class. The presence of a differential lock and a terrain select knob is a feature seen in much more serious, dedicated off road vehicles but even in this smaller package Jeep decided to remain true to its heritage and offer their biggest selling point in their entry level products. The story isn't the same when it's coming to the Compass 4xe which is the in question Jeep's plug in hybrid version due to the fact that here is no connection between the front and rear axle, a "lack" which is hugely compromising the off road capability of this vehicle. The internal combustion engine is powering the front wheels while the electric motor is driving the rear ones, a configuration which can't be called even a half ready solution just because first of all there is no way to synchronize the front and rear wheels in case of slippery conditions just like in case of a locked center differential than second of all if the 11.4 kw/h battery pack is drained than you remain with a front wheel drive vehicle, a scenario which won't be fun especially if you're somewhere where the terrain would demand all wheel drive when this happens. So, the Jeep Compass 4xe is a plug in hybrid off roader only as long as you're having juice in the battery, otherwise this 45000 euro vehicle turns out to be totally unsuitable for the purpose which it was designed for and I'm accentuating this because Jeep emphasized that the Compass 4xe is not a softer, grocery getter version of its off road dedicated relative which can be observed by the presence of a low range gearbox, a 4WD lock and hill descent control. I would be much easier on this model if FCA would have admitted that the Compass 4xe is a last minute though just because the European emission regulations are so strict nowadays that a plug in hybrid version had to be introduced just to emit the Co2 penalty, which is more eco friendly but less capable off road but they didn't and instead made things worse but claiming the exact opposite, offering a rather expensive "periodical" off roader. The situation with the upcoming Ford Ranger plug in hybrid isn't any better just because a nearly identical scenario is applying: you got a relatively heavy battery pack which is only providing a combined 678 NM (500 lb-ft) of torque as long as the batteries are charged but as long they are out of juice the plug in hybrid pickup truck's 2.3 L 4 cylinder turbo - which lets be honest is not a V8 which will be fine as a workhorse even without an electric push - "EcoBoost" engine will have to work harder compared to a non hybrid pickup truck's one due to the fact that it'll need to carry the in question system's additional weight lowering the towing capacity and the maximum weight which can be carried in the bed while ruining fuel economy meaning that currently when the capacity of the plug in hybrid system attached batteries are low this is just a half ready solution, working for a very limited time.
The final verdict is that the plug in hybrid off road capable SUV and pickup truck is not a concept which by 2021 standards would be a fully functional or lets say usable one due to the fact that the short battery life of these type of vehicles is highly compromising the usability of the in question applications. Another downside is that the range of the batteries are affected by cold weather so if the outside temperature is close to freezing point than nearly 1/4 of the in question range will disappear, making this already not optimized and easy to live with petrol electric setup even worse, meaning that as long as there won't be a quantum leap in battery technology which will ensure an at least 100 km (62 mile) purely electric range in real life conditions than it's not worth using the plug in hybrid powertrain for anything else than for what it was designed for or to be more precise to offer the most efficient way of travelling with a partly fossil fuel powered vehicle, nothing more nothing less.
A lot of features stuffed in a vehicle with a just 11.4 kw/h battery pack so if you're off roading with one of these don't take your eyes of the charge indicator
The Ford Ranger plug in hybrid is not ready yet while it's estimated to debut in 2022. The only picture which I found is this spyshot
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