How Long Does It Take to Charge a 2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe?
SUVs are often knocked for their sometimes paltry fuel efficiency, and off-road-capable models are some of the biggest offenders. Plug-in hybrid SUVs like our long-term Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe Trailhawk, however, turn that notion on its head. It can travel up to 26 miles on electric power alone, according to EPA estimates, meaning that for some owners’ driving routines, it may not use any gasoline at all for long stretches — if it’s regularly charged.
Related: Ownership Update: What Do We Think of Our 2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe Trailhawk So Far?
But how long it takes to charge can vary considerably based on your home charging setup, and it could mean the difference between regularly having a full charge when you go to drive and just a partial charge that’s not enough to get you where you’re going without the SUV switching from Electric to Hybrid mode and using its gas engine.
The Grand Cherokee 4xe supports Level 1 and Level 2 charging for adding energy to its 17.3-kilowatt-hour battery pack, and its maximum charging rate on a Level 2 setup is 7.2 kilowatts. For this test, we used the Jeep’s Level 1 mobile charger plugged into a regular garage outlet and a Wallbox Pulsar Plus Level 2 charger to see how long each one takes to charge the Grand Cherokee 4xe’s battery from 0% to 100%. Ambient temperatures for each test were comparable.
Level 1 Charging Test
At the start of the Level 1 test, the Grand Cherokee 4xe showed an estimated charging time of 15 hours, 7 minutes, but the actual charging time ended up being a bit less: 13 hours, 43 minutes. With the battery at 100%, the Grand Cherokee 4xe’s instrument panel displayed 25 miles of all-electric range, which works out to a charging rate of 1.8 miles of range per hour.
Level 2 Charging Test
When we charged the Grand Cherokee 4xe again using our Level 2 setup, our charging time dropped significantly: It took 2 hours, 39 minutes to fully charge the battery with the Wallbox unit operating at 30 amps for 7.2 kW of power. The Wallbox app, however, showed a charging rate of around 6.5 kW.
I had previously charged the Jeep with the Wallbox unit when it was operating at its full 48 amps — the Pulsar Plus’ output is adjustable — and in this instance, the Grand Cherokee’s 7.2-kW maximum charging rate was the limiting factor because the charger was able to deliver up to 11.5 kW of power. This charging session was quicker still: 2 hours, 18 minutes.
Both times, the Grand Cherokee 4xe’s battery took 15.3 kWh of energy and the instrument panel displayed 29 miles of all-electric range. Even if you use the slightly slower charging time, that’s a charging rate of 10.9 miles of range per hour — six times quicker than Level 1 charging.
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Is a Level 2 Charger Worth It for a PHEV?
There’s no question you can get by with a Level 1 mobile charger with a plug-in hybrid, but after charging our Grand Cherokee 4xe on a Level 2 setup, I’m not sure I’d want to.
Now, a higher-output hardwired Level 2 unit like the one we used for this test is overkill for the Grand Cherokee 4xe and other PHEVs that can’t take advantage of the power it’s able to offer. But one that can plug into a 240-volt outlet — which you may already have in your garage — and operate at around 30 amps could mean the difference between your Grand Cherokee 4xe being fully charged (or nearly so) when you go to drive it and having just a few miles of all-electric range.
Level 2 chargers can cost anywhere from roughly $300 to $600, and the final price can be significantly higher if you must first update your home’s electrical system before using one. That said, once you’ve charged with a Level 2 setup, it’s hard to go back to Level 1.
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