SRT Has Achieved Hellcat-Level Performance With Electric Turbos

No Hellcat V8, but this might be the key to Hellcat-level oomph

Jeep Grand Cherokee with eBoost Air Turbocharger

written by Kirk Bell
edited by Nick Yekikian
8/6/2026
Share:

What's new: SRT says it has achieved Hellcat performance thanks to an additional electric turbocharger that it has installed in a prototype Jeep Grand Cherokee.
Why it matters: The electric turbo provides low and midrange boost and could be teamed with larger turbos for even more power out of the Hurricane 3.0-liter six-cylinder and the smaller four-cylinder version.
Edmunds says: With Porsche moving full steam ahead on electric turbos with the 911, it was only a matter of time before this innovation spread elsewhere.

SRT, Stellantis' performance division, says it has achieved Hellcat levels of acceleration from its High Output Hurricane twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six thanks in part to an electric turbocharger/compressor it is developing. Interestingly, our first look at its new eBoost Air turbocharger was of one installed in a prototype Jeep Grand Cherokee, a vehicle that currently doesn't offer the Hurricane inline-six.

The system works by using an electrically controlled bypass valve to direct intake air to the eBoost compressor rather than the larger twin turbos of the Hurricane inline-six. When the driver gets hard on the throttle pedal, the compressor spins at up to 90,000 rpm to build boost pressure. Joel Baker, vice president of Propulsion at SRT, said the electric turbo builds up to 10 psi of boost pressure and provides about 90% of the available torque.

See 293 2027 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles for sale near you

See All for Sale

The Hurricane inline-six currently makes 550 horsepower and 531 lb-ft of torque in the Sixpack H.O. (High Output) Dodge Charger Scat Pack. SRT engineers say they have upped the output by 90 hp and about 70 lb-ft of torque with the new eBoost Air e-compressor. However, the compressor isn't responsible for the increase. That comes by way of a lower compression ratio, a different engine calibration, and driveline changes.

Instead, the quicker acceleration comes from added boost pressure in the low-to-mid rpm range because the eBoost turbo provides torque fill at lower rpm. SRT says this type of system could be used with larger turbos to create even better acceleration. SRT engineers developed the system in seven weeks, creating much of it using 3D-printed parts.

The e-compressor runs for about 3 seconds and shuts off when the engine is spinning at 2,500-2,700 rpm. At that point, the bypass valve opens again, airflow returns to the normal induction path, and the exhaust gas-powered turbos take over. Effectively, the eBoost compressor virtually eliminates turbo lag, provides more power at low rpm, and spools up the exhaust gas turbos sooner.

The eBoost turbo runs on a 48-volt electrical system that is powered by a small 1-amp-hour battery. Baker said the system can currently be used only a few times before it has to be recharged for about 30 seconds. However, he also said SRT is studying other energy storage solutions that would allow eBoost to be used more often. These likely include larger batteries.

Save as much as $4,322 with Edmunds

2027 Jeep Grand Cherokee pricing in Ashburn, VA

Edmunds suggests you pay

SRT won't say if eBoost Air turbo will make it to production, but Baker did suggest it could be part of a kit. We read that to be an aftermarket offering. However, given the extra power this type of system could unlock — and SRT's focus on performance — it certainly makes sense to bring it to production in vehicles like the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Wagoneer, Dodge Charger, and even some Ram 1500 pickups.

Baker also suggested the system could be used with Stellantis' Hurricane turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder, which currently makes 324 hp and 332 lb-ft of torque in the Grand Cherokee. He didn't rule out a V8 application, but SRT doesn't offer a turbocharged V8, opting for a supercharger instead for the Hellcat 6.2-liter V8.

Installing the Hurricane inline-six in the Grand Cherokee also shows it can fit in that engine bay and hints at the possibility of something powered by this system in the future — once they get all the tuning sorted out. The Hellcat-powered Grand Cherokee Trackhawk went away after 2021, but the eBoost Air system shows we could get equivalent power in a Hurricane-powered Grand Cherokee in the future.

Consider These Recommendations

by Kirk Bell

Cars have been an important part of his life since Kirk learned to identify them by their headlights as a toddler. He grew up helping pit crew for his dad’s highly unsuccessful drag racing escapades, and he turned his knowledge of the car culture into a career when he became an editor at Scale Auto Enthusiast magazine starting in college. Kirk has been writing about full-scale cars for more than 20 years and was named to the North American Car and Truck of the Year jury in 2014. He was most recently senior editor at Motor Authority, where he specialized in luxury and performance cars. Kirk also authored and edited several car books, including the award-winning Hot Rod & Custom Chronicle and NASCAR Chronicle when was managing editor at Consumer Guide Automotive. Kirk enjoys nothing more than a track day, but he’s also a Wisconsin sport fan and he enjoys spirited drives in his 2006 Porsche 911 Carrera S.

edited by Nick Yekikian

Nick Yekikian has worked in the automotive industry since 2019. He has written close to a thousand car-related articles and tested and reviewed more than 200 vehicles over the course of his career. Nick is the Senior News Editor at Edmunds and has also contributed to MotorTrend, Automobile Magazine and Super Street. When Nick isn't zipping around town in his latest used-car find, he's probably making digital art in Photoshop or playing disc golf with friends.

Get More Edmunds Car News in Your Inbox