Chrysler To Go Electric Across the Line
September 24, 2008
By Michelle Krebs
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Chrysler unveiled a trio of all-electric and extended-range electric cars Tuesday and announced it would eventually offer some type of electric version of every model in its line.
Chrysler said the trio of electrified vehicles displayed Tuesday at its corporate headquarters and provided them for media test drives. Chrysler executives said one of the models shown would go into production and on sale to consumers in 2010 in the U.S. followed by sale in Europe. The automaker would not identify which one would be first. Chrysler further said it would offer an all-electric or range-extended electric version of every model in its product portfolio in the next several years, though they gave no specific timeframe.
Chrysler executives said about 100 electric vehicles will be on the road in government, business, utility and Chrysler development fleets in 2009.
The company said that it is well into the development of advanced, production-intent electric vehicles and that it will apply electric-drive technology to its front-wheel-drive, rear-wheel-drive and body-on-frame four-wheel-drive platforms in the next several years.
Lotus-Based Dodge
The sexiest of the trio is the Dodge EV, an all-electric, two-seater, rear-drive sports car based on the Lotus Europa, a stretched version of the Elise sold only in Europe. Frank Klegon, Chrysler's executive vice president of product development, confirmed Tuesday that it has partnered with Lotus as has California electric car maker, Tesla. Klegon said details of the Chrysler-Lotus deal were to be provided later by Lotus. However, Lotus officials had no more information when called on Tuesday.
The Dodge EV's is equipped with a 200-kilowatt motor that produces an estimated 268 horsepower and 480 lbs.-ft. of torque, propelling the lightweight sports car, featuring aluminum and a space-frame chassis, from zero to 60 mile per hour time in less than five seconds and to a quarter mile in about 13 seconds. Chrysler claims its top speed is 120 mph plus. Equipped with an advanced lithium-ion battery, its range is 150 to 200 miles.
Range-Extended a la Chevy Volt
The other two models unveiled by Chrysler on Tuesday were the Chrysler EV and the Jeep EV, both existing models retrofitted with a range-extending powerplant, similar in theory to that of General Motor's much ballyhooed Chevrolet Volt Jeep EV.
The Jeep EV "provides a glimpse into the future," Chrysler said. Based on the production Wrangler, the Jeep EV, though being electrified, still has Jeep's renowned off-road capbility. Its normal engine is replaced by an electric motor, an advanced lithium-ion battery and a small gasoline engine with an integrated electric generator to produce additional energy to power the electric-drive system when needed. The 200 kW electric motor generates 268 horsepower and 295 lbs.-ft. of torque. With approximately eight gallons of gasoline, the Jeep EV has a range of 400 miles, including 40 miles of zero fuel-consumption, zero-emissions, all-electric operation, Chrysler engineers said. The automaker is exploring four-wheel drive that uses in-wheel electric motors.
The Chrysler EV, based on a production Town & Country minivan, combines the electric-drive
components of an electric vehicle with an integrated small-displacement engine and generator to produce additional electricity to power the electric-drive system when needed. Its 190 kW motor, produces 255 horsepower and 258 lbs.-ft. of torque, providing 0 to 60 mph acceleration in approximately nine seconds. It can travel 40 miles on all-electric power, and its gas engine boosts its range to 400 miles on approximately eight gallons of gasoline.
Chrysler said the knowledge and experience gained from the Chrysler EV will be applied to other front-wheel-drive applications in Chrysler's portfolio.
All of the vehicles are being developed by a relatively new group at Chrysler known as ENVI (for environmental), an in-house organization charged with advancing electric drive and related advanced propulsion technologies. Chrysler has launched a new Web site for the latest information on its electric vehicle plans.
Posted by Michelle Krebs at 1:04 PM under Chrysler , Featured , News , Technology | Comments (1) | digg this | Seed Newsvine
Okay, it's been a year and no one seems to have anything new to offer up on the 4WD Wrangler EV! Also I've seen the 2010 Wrangler data and it's same-oh, same-oh. Can you guys press ENVI to cough up something about when they'll intro the Jeep EV's and especially the 4WD Wrangler EV? I have 6 months left on my 2007 Rubicon lease and I want to know if I should buy it or go new, but I'm only going new if it's a 4WD Wrangler EV.
Posted by: ematus | October 21, 2009 at 9:14 AM