Get Behind The Wheel Of This All-Electric Willys Jeep

With its heroic service record during the Second World War, the Willys Jeep fast became an automotive icon. Enter custom-car outfit AI Design who was commissioned to revise the legendary off-roader in a truly “electrifying” manner. The company built a battery-powered version of the off-roader, and Matt Farah got behind the wheel of the EV for YouTube channel Hagerty‘s Modified web series.

Other than the rear axle and the steering, every component on the car has been replaced. This includes the car’s powertrain, which now features a 25 kWh battery pack that is made up of 5 batteries. The lithium-ion cells were sourced from a salvaged Tesla Model S.

The EV converted Willys Jeep is outfitted with a historic stainless steel body.

The EV converted Willys Jeep is outfitted with a historic stainless steel body.

The EV’s mechanicals are completely weatherproof and do not stop the driver from exploring tough trails. The car gets a stainless steel body and sports a polished look as AI Design decided against painting the bodywork.

The company also disclosed that it has not benchmarked the Willys EV, and therefore the car’s exact power and range figures are unknown, but AI Design estimates that this lithium-ion-powered off-roader can deliver up to 100 miles of range. AI Design also equipped the off-roader with a governor that limits the top speed to just 30 MPH.

The car continues to ride on period-accurate steel rims, which sport a black finish and runs on a leaf spring suspension setup. Well, the battery-powered Willys could not charm Matt Farah, but the YouTuber did admit that it is better than any Bronco he has ever driven.

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Manish Kharinta

Manish Kharinta is a SoCal-based automotive & lifestyle journalist who currently writes for FutureCar, HotCars, TheRichest, TheTalko, CorvetteForum, Rennlist, TeamSpeed, and Speednik amongst several other websites.
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