A hot button topic (to say the least) these days are EVs (electric vehicles) and the various aspects of owning and driving them. For those who love having a manual transmission in their vehicle, the perception is owning an EV means losing the driving enjoyment of shifting your own gears. But the Jeep Magneto 2.0 EV Wrangler concept vehicle solidly proves that you can still enjoy the fun of a manual transmission, featuring a TREMEC Magnum 6-speed.
If you’re not familiar with the Jeep Magneto 2.0 concept vehicle, it’s built on a stretched wheelbase two-door Jeep Wrangler JL chassis but features a fully electric propulsion system. It first debuted in 2021 and was updated for 2022 with an even more powerful electric setup that cranks out 850 lb-ft of torque and 600 horsepower. Four lithium-ion battery packs send power to a custom axial-flux (if you want the full details on what that is click here) that spins a TREMEC Magnum 6-speed transmission prepped as a Tranzilla model by TREMEC Elite Distributor Rockland Standard Gear that can handle the massive amount of torque the electric motor produces.
In addition to the torque-handling capability, the TREMEC Magnum 6-speed is also able to work with the very high RPM capability of the electric motor. Driving Magneto 2.0 is pretty much the same as any regular manual transmission-equipped vehicle. For quick shifts, the Magneto Jeep is programmed to engage regen mode to prevent a rev-hang. The only real difference is once you come to a stop, you don’t have to hold the clutch in because the electric motor stops. since the electric motor isn’t spinning when the Jeep is stopped, you can shift into first without having to use the clutch. The 850 lb-ft of torque also makes it possible to start from a dead stop in any gear.
Going down the driveline, for serious off-road capability along with handling the torque output from the EV drive the Magneto Wrangler is outfitted with heavy-duty Dynatrac axles.
