November 19, 2025 - Jeep Recon Goes Zero Roads, Zero Emissions

This is the Telemetry Transportation Daily for  November 19, 2025, and I'm Sam Abuelsamid, Vice President of Market Research for Telemetry.  

Ahead of the Los Angeles Auto Show, Jeep has finally launched its first fully electric off-road SUV, the 2026 Recon. The Recon, along with the Wagoneer S, was actually first shown in images back in 2022, and it got quite a bit of interest. Since then, the media have seen it in physical form at private events, and prototypes have been spotted testing, but it's never been shown at an auto show. 

The Recon was originally scheduled to go into production in the fall of 2024, but a variety of technical and business challenges caused a delay of almost 18 months. It is now expected to go into production in the first quarter of 2026, with deliveries soon after. The Recon is built on the same STLA Large platform as the Wagoneer S, the new Cherokee, and the Dodge Charger. That means it is a multi-energy platform that could potentially be offered with an internal combustion engine, hybrid, or plug-in hybrid platform as well, although Jeep has yet to indicate if we'll see anything but an EV. 

The Recon is about 5 inches longer than a four-door Wrangler and an inch wider, which gives it a bit more passenger space. Like the Wrangler, it has removable doors and rear windows as well as a folding fabric sunroof, which allows open-air off-roading. While the Wagoneer S is very much a street-oriented Jeep for now, the Recon is taller and meant to go on trails, although it's not likely to be as capable as a Wrangler. With the 33-inch wheel/tire package on the initial Moab trim, the Recon has only 9.1 inches of ground clearance, nearly four inches less than a Wrangler Rubicon, and 5 inches less than a Rivian R1S. 

Perhaps the biggest issues with the Recon so far are the price and range. At a starting price of $66,995 for the Moab launch edition, it's about $13,000 more than a Wrangler Rubicon, which is likely to be more capable off-road. Despite the same 100.5-kWh battery pack as the Wagoneer S, the Recon Moab also has a range of just 230 miles, although the dual motors that provide 650 horsepower will push it to 60 mph in about 3.6 seconds. The range reduction comes from a combination of the taller, less aerodynamic profile, off-road tires, and a lower 15:1 final drive ratio that will help with off-road controlability. Hopefully, by the time the Recon gets to customers, Jeep will have sorted out the software and 12V charging issues that are plaguing some Wagoneer S owners. 

Thanks for listening.