2008
Jeep® Renegade Concept
Detroit, Jan 14, 2008
- 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.
