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November 4, 2009
Video explains Fiat Multiair system that will be used in many of Chrysler's new models to improve fuel efficiency, reduce emissions and boost power.
By John O'Dell, Senior Editor
Chrysler's new powertrain chief, Paolo Ferrero, says the company will begin widespread adoption of gas and diesel engine technologies from its new owner, Fiat Group, with the first of a family of more fuel-efficient engines due next summer.
The company believes that hybrids and electric vehicles are a longer-term strategy and will concentrate in the "short-to-medium" term on internal combustion engine improvements and downsizing, and introduction of fuel-efficient clean diesels and engines using alternative low carbon fuels such as compressed natural gas.
Chrysler also will be adopting the start-stop system, also called a micro-hybrid system, that is used in some Fiat models to shut down the engine at stop signs and when idling. It can reduce emissions and improve fuel economy by as much as 5 percent, Ferrero said.
The first model in the Chrysler lineup to use it will be the the 2011 Jeep Wrangler.
By 2014, Ferrero said during a morning presentation at the day-long Chrysler product plan meeting, 38 percent of Chrysler vehicles will use small, four-cylinder engines, up from 19 percent today, and 14 percent will use diesel engines, up from 9 percent now.
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- John O'Dell November 4, 2009, 10:30 AM
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- Chrysler, Diesel, Dodge, Hybrid, Jeep, Natural Gas, Plug-ins and Electric
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- Chrysler Product Plans
, Diesel, Fuel Efficient Engines, Multiair
November 3, 2009
Dodge Zeo8 concept shown at Detroit Auto Show last year could be basis for a new EV in revised Chrysler product lineup under post-bankruptcy recovery plan.
If there's anything certain about Chrysler's new 5-year product plan, to be unveiled in a lengthy conference tomorrow, it is that small cars, advanced technology gas engines and at least one electric vehicle all are likely to figure into the automaker's future.
The company, fresh out of bankruptcy, is now controlled by Italy's Fiat and Fiat, according to the leaks from Chrysler' suburban HQ in Auburn Hills, Mich., wants to use its new American unit as a portal to being its popular Fiat 500 subcompact over form Europe and to reintroduce the Alfa Romeo brand to the states.
Fiat, we've heard, also intends to use its "multiair" fuel-efficient engine technology in Chrysler vehicles going forward and, insiders say, wants to use the Dodge brand for introduction of an electric car - likely one of the models that have been under development - quietly - by Chrysler's ENVI group.
Yes, Virginia, the ENVI group, tasked with developing EVs and extended-range, plug-in hybrids for Chrysler when it was formed in 2007, has survived the financial mayhem and is still plugging away, so to speak.
Whether Chrysler's new masters will pick the sexy Dodge Zeo electric sports car, one of the Jeep plug-ins or the Chrysler 300-based EV concept shown at the Detroit auto show in January - all ENVI productions -or select an all-new Chrysler- or Fiat-based model for the EV is up in the air.
But as we've said all along - and as Fiat's Sergio Marchionne well knows - Chrysler can't survive in the new automotive age without EVs and PHEVs in its portfolio.
John O'Dell, Senior Editor
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- John O'Dell November 3, 2009, 1:54 PM
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, Chrysler Product Plan, Electric Car, EVs, Fiat, PHEVS, Plug In Hybrid
July 23, 2009
Chrysler Group LLC said Wednesday that it is offering $4,500 in cash toward the purchase of one of its new vehicles as it seeks to match a government incentive for people to trade in their old gas guzzlers.
The automaker said it will offer cash or zero percent financing for six years on most of its 2009 Chrysler, Dodge or Jeep models. The incentive begins today and lasts through Aug. 31.
Chrysler emerged from bankruptcy protection last month under new ownership and is now working to lure back car shoppers in a depressed market.
Chrysler sales were down 46 percent for the first six months of the year, while industrywide sales for the same period were down 35 percent.
The automaker is clearly using the financial incentive to lure prospective buyers into its showrooms, but unfortunately once there the prospects won't have the opportunity to buy any of the electric vehicles Chrysler has been showing in recent years.
However, Chrysler has promised that it will introduce a plug-in electric vehicle next year. It's shown several concepts, including a battery-electric Dodge two-seater based on a Lotus platform and a trio of "extended range" hybrid-electrics - two Jeeps and a Chrysler Town and Country minivan - that use electric motors, lithium-ion battery packs and small gasoline engine/generators in a set-up similar to that being pioneered by General Motors Corp. in the Chevrolet Volt due out late next year.
Most industry watchers, including us, are betting on the recently named Dodge Circuit sports car (right
) - a potential rival to the Tesla Roadster
- to be first out of the chute.
Chrysler said in a statement Wednesday that buyers are eligible for the new incentive even if they are not trading in a vehicle under the government's cash-for-clunkers legislation.
That program's final rules will be announced Friday. It offers tax credits to car shoppers who trade in their old, fuel-inefficient vehicles for a cleaner new vehicle.
Not all vehicles qualify under the legislation, however. Car shoppers get a voucher worth $3,500 if they trade in a vehicle getting 18 miles per gallon or less for one getting at least 22 mpg. The voucher grows to $4,500 if the new car's mileage is 10 mpg higher than the old vehicle.
Owners of sport utility vehicles, pickup trucks or minivans getting 18 mpg or less could receive a voucher for $3,500 if their new truck or SUV got at least 2 mpg higher than their old vehicle. The voucher would increase to $4,500 if the mileage of the new truck or SUV was at least 5 mpg higher than the older vehicle.
That means some consumers could, in theory, get up to $9,000 off a new Chrysler vehicle if they trade in and buy the right combination of vehicles. According to our parent company, Edmunds.com, 16 Chrysler vehicles are fuel efficient enough to qualify a shopper for a tax rebate under cash for clunkers, so long as the trade-in vehicle qualifies as well.
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- Scott Doggett July 23, 2009, 2:01 AM
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, Chrysler Bankruptcy, Emissions, Ford Motor Co., Fuel Economy, Fuel Efficient, Tax Incentive
May 20, 2009
Chrysler's green prototypes include plug-in hybrid Jeeps and Town & Country van and a Dodge Circuit EV
.
In a press release distributed Monday, Chrysler confirmed a report we posted last month in which the bankrupt automaker said it will rely heavily on Fiat to develop a nationwide fleet of low-emission, fuel-efficient vehicles.
"Chrysler's alliance with Fiat will initially deliver consumers a world-class small engine and overall powertrain technology that will rapidly bring to market even more fuel-efficient, environmentally friendly small cars," the company said.
These small cars would supplement a Chrysler-created line of electric and plug-in hybrid-electric prototype vehicles, some of which are shown here, that may or may not enter production.
The small engines developed with help from Fiat will compliment an all-new, high-volume V-6 engine made by Chrysler that the automaker says will deliver up to 8 percent improved fuel economy across the company's current vehicle lineup.
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- Scott Doggett May 20, 2009, 9:02 AM
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, Chrysler Bankruptcy, Chrysler EV, Fiat Group, Fuel Efficient Cars, Low Emission
April 6, 2009
In what company executives are describing as an all-American venture, Chrysler LLC today announced that Massachusetts-based A123 Systems will provide battery packs for its first-generation ENVI extended-range hybrids and battery-only vehicles that are scheduled to start appearing in dealer showrooms in 2010.
A123 Systems is developing proprietary next-generation lithium-ion technology at its Watertown, Mass. headquarters. The company plans to open a production facility in Michigan to serve Chrysler.
A123 Systems earlier had been in the running to supply battery packs for the competing Chevrolet Volt. It also has applied for $1.84 billion in federal loans to help build out its proposed lithium-ion battery plants.
Chrysler has been talking about its extended-range and battery-only vehicles for some time. During recent automobile shows it unveiled plans for five green vehicles: the Dodge Circuit EV, Jeep Wrangler EV, Jeep Patriot EV, Chrysler Town & Country EV and a Chrysler 200C EV concept.
"The most significant challenge to electric vehicles is battery technology," Frank Klegon, Chrysler's executive vice president for product development said. "The diligent selection of strategic partners like A123 Systems helps Chrysler achieve its leadership in electric-drive systems and vehicles."
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- Greg Johnson April 6, 2009, 11:53 AM
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, Chrysler, Hybrids, Lithium Ion Batteries
January 10, 2009
By
John O'Dell, Senior Editor
Chrysler, which so far has shown us an electric sports car, an extended-range hybrid minivan and an extended-range hybrid Jeep Wrangler to prove that its green division is hard at work and that the company knows that the future isn't in hemi-V8s, has added a fourth vehicle to its electric lineup.
Just in time for the North American International Auto Show (ta dah!), Chrysler's ENVI unit has retrofitted a Jeep Patriot crossover utility vehicle with an electric drive hybrid system that uses a small gasoline engine to generate juice when the battery pack's initial charge is depleted.
ENVI, for those who don't know, is Chrysler's greenworks. Its name comes from the first four letters of "environmental" and not from Chrysler's feelings about Toyota and others that jumped on the alternative fuels and powerplants bandwagon long before Chrysler figured out which way the circus was heading.
Anyhow, the Jeep Patriot EV, pictured above, is just a concept. Chrysler says that one of the EVs its engineers at ENVI are working on will be put into production in 2010, but hasn't let slip yet which it will be (we're leaning toward the Dodge EV sports car, which has just been renamed the Dodge Circuit).
The Patriot uses a 150-kilowatt electric motor rated at 200 horsepower and boasts a top speed slightly in excess of 100 mpg, Chrysler says.
When it is officially introduced at the auto show in Detroit today, it will wear a green paint job that Chrysler calls "ENVI Green Pearl." And, of course, the gi-normous "EV" logo that's splashed across the sides of all four of Chrysler's EV concepts.
The marketing guys in Auburn Hills must have figured that if it's a green car it really ought to be a green car and have repainted the other Jeep extended-range EV, a Wrangler, the same shade. It was white with giant chromed EV logos when it was in LA - land of bling.
But then, Chrysler has done up the Town and Country extended-range minivan in a deep gray - Liquid Graphite Pearl, to be precise - and the Dodge Circuit is tangerine, or "Tangoreen," so maybe it is only Jeeps that gotta be green to show that they are.
Anyhow, like the other extended range EVs Chrysler unveiled back in September and first publicly showed in November at the LA auto show, the Patriot EV uses a lithium-ion battery pack - Chrysler still hasn't said who the supplier is - and can travel up to 40 miles on all-electric power from a fully charged battery.
After that, the small gas engine kicks on to continue generating electricity to feed the electric motor, which is what drives the wheels.
By the time the fuel in the tank runs dry, Chrysler says its extended-range EVs can tick off 400 miles on their odometers.
And then you just fill 'er up at the first convenient gas station and you can keep driving until you have time to stop and plug-in the batteries for a recharge that will take several hours.
That's if Chrysler makes it out of the deep financial morass it's slogging around in these days, and, once out, actually pushes forward with its apparent commitment to electricity as the gasoline of the future.
The whole ENVI family: Jeep Wrangler and Patriot, Town and Country and Dodge Circuit EVs.
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- John O'Dell January 10, 2009, 9:10 PM
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, Detroit Auto Show, ENVI, Jeep Patroit EV, North American International Auto Show
January 9, 2009
(Note: Article updated after initial posting to include Lexus hybrid)
The upcoming North American International Auto Show in snowy Detroit - media preview days begin Sunday and the show opens to the public on Jan. 17 - is likely to be a pretty glum affair, what with the auto industry imploding and the prospect of many people really being interested in buying a new car right now ranking right up there with being interested in having wisdom teeth pulled sans anesthesia.
But carmakers are trying, and what most are trying hardest with is fuel efficiency and alternatives to the thirsty, greenhouse-gas spewing cars and trucks of the past.
Oh, there will be speedsters and factory-built hot rods on display at the show - Ford Motor Co., for example, will unveil the 540-horsepower 2010 Shelby GT500 Mustang and Audi will be showing a 525-horsepower, V10-version of its exotic R8 sports car.
But most attention will be focused on advanced technology cars such as the 2010 Prius hybrid (right)
and the battery-electric city car concept that Toyota will show, Honda's Prius-fighting 2009 Insight hybrid and concepts such as the all-electric, plug-in hybrid and fuel -cell electric trio, collectively called Concept Zero, that Mercedes-Benz will unveil.
Beyond the cars, the show's media preview will spotlight industry executives who will be delivering news about their companies' green futures.
Most notably, Toyota is expected to outline its hybrid and electric-vehicle strategies for the next few years and Ford is expected to discuss its plans for a stable of future EVs, starting with a commercial truck it plans to launch in 2010.
Green Car Advsior, along with Edmunds Auto Observer, Edmunds Inside Line and Edmunds.com, will be covering the show 's media days and bringing you timely reports, but we thought we'd also offer a preview today of the major green vehicles that will be displayed and discussed.
Green Preview
So, by manufacturer, here they are:
Audi
Volkswagen's upscale stablemate is expected to announce plans for its upcoming U.S. diesel lineup. So far, the company has said it will launch a 3-liter diesel version of its Q7 SUV (right)
later this year and has broached the possibility of a diesel A4. We'll know more after Audi's Sunday afternoon press conference.
BMW
The pride of Bavaria will discuss the X5 and 3-Series diesels it plans to bring to the U.S., perhaps supplying us with some performance and fuel economy numbers as well as a marketing time-line.
Chevrolet
Nothing big here, unless the General decides to announce the upcoming Volt plug-in hybrid's pricing and/or the battery suppliers.
The Chevy vehicle that gets officially introduced at the show is the redesigned 2010 Equinox crossover (right), which will come with a new six-speed automatic and a fuel-efficient, direct-injection four-banger expected to deliver 182 horsepower (almost as much as the '08 model's base V6) and highway fuel economy of 30 miles per gallon.
Chrysler
The company has three brands that it has tied together for car show purposes with a trio of concept electric vehicles.
Those to be displayed in Detroit are further refined versions of the Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep EVs originally unveiled last September and first shown publicly at the Los Angeles International Auto Show in November.
By brand, they are the Chrysler EV, an extended-range electric version of the town and Country minivan; the Jeep EV, a gas-electric Wrangler; and the Dodge EV, a Lotus-based, bumblebee-striped battery-electric sports car that would look great in the garage next to an electric Tesla Roadster.
Chrysler has said that it will bring one of the cars to market in 2010, but hasn't said which or in what kind of numbers. Maybe that's what we'll hear at the show.
Fisker
The nascent plug-in-hybrid company headed by, and named for, noted auto designer Henrik Fisker (BMW, Aston Martin, Fisker Coachbuild), will show the production version of it first proposed vehicle, the Fisker Karma sports sedan (right)
that it unveiled to great interest at last year's Detroit show. Fisker also will unveil a new version - a convertible, we suspect - caled the Karma S.
Like the Chevy Volt, the Karma uses an on-board internal combustion engine to generate power to keep its electric motors turning the wheels.
Ford
We expect a discussion of the company's electric vehicle strategy, perhaps with a teaser glimpse or two of potential future offerings and a look at the commercial truck the company has said it will launch in 2010.
Honda
The news here will be the unveiling of the production version 2009 Insight hybrid (right)
, a sub $20,000, five-seater Honda hopes will finally, finally, pump its hybrid sales up into Prius territory.
We're expected to hear a lot of technical detail and, perhaps, even a firmer price for the car, which looks in pictures a bit like the Prius it's designed to battle.
Lexus
Toyota's luxury unit will reveal its first stand-alone hybrid model, a small car that is based off the upcoming 2010 Prius.
Although it is not unusual - its pretty common, even - for photos of new models to leak out before their official unveiling, the best we've been able to come up with for the new Lexus hybrid is this rendering (left) published in a Japanese auto magazine a few months ago.
Mercedes-Benz
The covers will come off a trio of EV concepts from Daimler's luxe brand. All use the same swoopy, sport wagon-ish body (below right) - a design that also shows where Mercedes is heading with the compact B-Class replacement due in 2010 and, perhaps, headed for the U.S.
The so-called Concept Zero family consists of the E-Cell, a battery-electric with a range of about 60 miles; the E-Cell Plus, a plug-in hybrid that uses a 3-cylinder gas engine-generator to extend the range of its batteries when the initial charge is depleted (think Chevy Volt), and the F-Cell, which uses a hydrogen fuel-cell to produce electricity on-board by combining hydrogen and oxygen in the fuel-cell stack. Range is about 125 miles. Mercedes says the E-Cell Plus can go almost 400 miles on an overnight battery charge and a tank of gas.
Toyota
The company whose name has become synonymous with 'hybrid" is introducing the redesigned 2010 Prius at the show, but photos of the car leaked out weeks ago and you've got to believe that anyone who's interested has already seen it. What will be news, of course, are the specifications and performance numbers.
The other biggie on the product front from Toyota will be the unveiling of a concept electric vehicle, probably called the FT-EV if the company's previous auto show naming practices prevail (that would stand for "future technology-electric vehicle").
The car, believed to be built on a current Toyota subcompact chassis, is the company's effort to give us a look at what a Toyota-built battery-electric EV for short-range urban driving might look like if the company does, as it has said it would, put an EV into its retail fleet in 2012.
Not The End
And, of course - Detroit being Detroit - there likely will be a surprise or two. So consider this list a starter, not a definitive catalog.
China's BYD, for instance, will be there with the plug-in-hybrid (left)
it launched in its home market a few weeks ago, beating the big boys like GM and Toyota to the punch by a matter of, oh, a year or two. Who knows what the company - whose name is an acronym for Build Your Dreams and whose future is being backed by investment whiz Warren Buffett - will do next? We might find out as the Detroit show rolls along.
We'll be back when media days begin on Sunday to keep you up-to-date.
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- John O'Dell January 9, 2009, 3:00 AM
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, Green Cars
November 17, 2008
Chrysler Town and Country EV (left) Dodge EV (center) and Jeep EV concepts represent Chrysler's shot at a future.
By
John O'Dell, Senior Editor
In hopes of creating some buzz about the company that doesn't have to do with who might be buying it or how soon it might collapse from lack of funds, Chrysler LLC is bringing its three recently unveiled electric vehicle concepts to the Los Angeles Auto show this week.
There won't be a press conference or any big announcements from the company during the media preview days Wednesday and Thursday, but the three Chrysler EVs will be on the stand for oohing and aaahing and, the company, hopes, photos and stories.
We wrote a bit about the cars when they were first introduced in Michigan in late September, and we happily would have taken the bait and written about them again when the LA show's media days commence.
But we got an early peek last week at a special program Chrysler's ENVI program for advanced technology vehicles (it stands for ENVIronmental) hosted for a few media types at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, so we're going to write about them a few days before they go on display for the rest of the crowd.
The cars are a battery-electric "Dodge" EV built from a Lotus Europa and "extended-range EV" versions of a Town and Country minivan and a Jeep Wrangler 4-door, both with 40 miles of all-electric range on an electric drive system whose batteries are "replaced" by juice from an on-board internal combustion generator once the battery charge is depleted.
All three are first-phase demonstration vehicles, said Lou Rhodes, ENVI's president and ranking engineer. That means that they started life as regular production models with gas engines and conventional drivetrains and were converted - a process that requires some compromises be made.
The compromises were hard to find, though, as all three are nicely finished vehicle with no dangling wires or exposed components (there were some test modules installed in the trunk of the Dodge EV that wouldn't be there in a production model, but there were nicely hidden, covered in the same material as lined the rest of the trunk.)
The Town and Country wasn't working, though, and the Jeep didn't have the ICE generator installed so was running only on battery power. Rhodes said the ENVI team has built "multiple models" of each in recent months and had simply run out of time to finish the LA Auto Show cars before it was time to ship them.
The reason there are multiple models is that Chrysler already has started on a plan to to have 100 of the cars on the road for real-world testing over the next two years-Rhodes said the plan is for 50 next year and 50 the year after, with one model ready for limited volume retail production sometime in 2010.
Nobody will say which model is the leading candidate for production, but we'd guess that the Town and Country would be a safe bet.
It is large enough to handle the extra weight and size of an EV's battery pack, and a range-extended EV model (or RE-EV) would give Chrysler - already king of the minivan segment -a unique entry in the growing electric car segment.
Just A Ploy?
Rhodes is an engineer and while he's got a lot of retirement money (and, we expect, bonus and incentive bucks and other potential future income) tied up in Chrysler's future, his job isn't to worry about finances but to build vehicles that people will want to buy - something Chrysler's a bit short of these days.
Still, we asked him how, with the economy collapsing, the auto industry collapsing faster and Chrysler's very existence being questioned daily in the mainstream and financial media, he can remain serious about his job.
Isn't ENVI just a smoke screen to make the politicians who control potential auto industry bailout funds more likely to end send some cash Chrysler's way?
How, we asked, can Chrysler afford to finance development of a whole line of electric vehicles when it can't afford to keep plants open and workers employed?
The financial struggle, he replied, is for others to worry about. He insisted that there's been no cut-back of funding for ENVI and no indication that Chrysler's bosses are anything but serious about moving forward with the project.
The question shouldn't be whether the company can afford to pursue green initiatives, but whether it can afford not to.
"There's always been product that has turned Chrysler around," he told us. "This is some of the product that will do it for the company in the future."
We hope so.
Now let's take a look at the cars.
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- John O'Dell November 17, 2008, 3:00 AM
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- Auto Shows, Batteries, Chrysler, Dodge, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Fuels & Technologies, Jeep, Plug-ins and Electric
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, Electric Cars, ENVI Program, Los Angeles Auto Show
September 25, 2008
Green Car Advisor was a bit early with our report Tuesday of Chrysler's unexpected but oh-so-welcome electric vehicle announcement, posting the bare bones of the story hours before the company held a press conference to lay out more detail.
We were in Portland covering a Toyota seminar on sustainable mobility when that happened and weren't able to make it to Chrysler HQ in Michigan for the show.
But colleague Michelle Krebs, senior editor of Edmunds Auto Observer, did attend and agreed to file an update to keep you all up to date.
Without further ado, heeeeere's Michelle's take on Chrysler's electric vehicles:
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Chrysler unveiled a trio of battery-electric and extended-range series hybrid electric cars Tuesday and said it would eventually offer some type of electric version of every model in its line.
The first will hit showrooms in the U.S. sometime in 2010. European consumers will get one shortly thereafter.
Chrysler would not say which of the three models unveiled this week - one for each of its marques -- would go into production, and executives said that work continues on all of them.
The Dodge EV is two-seat, rear-drive sports car based on the Lotus Europa, a stretched version of the Elise sold only in Europe.
Chrysler revealed that it now has a partnership with the British sports car maker, though details remain under wraps.
The Dodge EV coupe is equipped with a 200-kilowatt motor that produces an estimated 268 horsepower and 480 pound-feet of torque, for a zero to 60 mile per hour time of less than five seconds and quarter mile of about 13 seconds.
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- John O'Dell September 25, 2008, 6:00 AM
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- Batteries, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Emissions, General Motors, Hybrid, Jeep, Plug-ins and Electric
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- Chrysler Electric Vehicles
, Lithium-Ion Batteries
September 23, 2008
Aiming to show that it is not irrelevant in today's fast-changing auto market, Chrysler is announcing today that it will have at least one electric vehicle in production by 2010, a timetable that would put its zero-emissions, gasoline-free car into competition with EVs and plug-in hybrids being launched by General Motors and Toyota in the same timeframe.
To prove it is up to the challenge, Chrysler Chairman Bob Nardelli is giving journalists a peek this morning at four EV prototypes it has developed in its year-old green car R&D program- one of them a close relative of Tesla Motors' already-in-production electric roadster, another -- more likely for production, based on the Town & Country van.
Chrysler raised the curtain with a preview this morning on CNBC, and promised more details later today after a press conference at its Auburn Hills, Mich., headquarters
The cars, descendants of concept vehicles Chrysler introduced at this year's Detroit Auto Show, are being unveiuled just as Congress begins considering funding $25 billion loan program to help Detroit finance a new generation of fuel-efficient vehilces that could helkp it compete agan with cars from Asian and European manufacturers..
What we know now is that the operating prototype roadster (left)
, called simply the Dodge EV, is based on an extended Lotus Europa chassis, uses a lithium-ion battery pack and has a claimed range of 150-200 miles per charge and a 0-60 acceleration time of under 5 seconds.
The specs closely mimic those of the Tesla Roadster, which uses a much-modified Lotus Elise chassis.
Other cars being shown are the Chrysler EV based on the T&C van (top), a Jeep four-wheel drive EV (bottom right) based on the Wrangler, and a bubble-shaped low-speed neighborhood EV (bottom left) that sprung from the imagination of a designer who apparently was once traumatized by a jelly bean.
The Chrysler and Jeep prototypes would use series hybrid electric drivetrains similar to that scheduled to be introduced in late 2010 in General Motors Corp.'s Chevrolet Volt.
A grid-charged lithium-ion battery pack would provide up to 40 miles of range, after which an internal combustion engine/generator would kick on to produce enough juice to continue powering the electric drive motors while recharging the battery packs.
Click here to jump to the CNBC page where you can watch a (very slow to load) video of a test drive session.
John O'Dell, Senior Editor
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- John O'Dell September 23, 2008, 7:30 AM
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, Chrysler EVs
September 2, 2008
By John O'Dell, Senior Editor
Chrysler co-president Jim Press, the carmaker's self-described "demand" man charged with developing a product line people actually want to buy, says that despite its image, the company isn't stuck in the performance-car track and is well on the way to launching a full slate of "green" vehicles.
In addition to gas-electric hybrid models of the Chrysler Aspen (left)
and Dodge Durango SUVs just hitting dealer showrooms and a hybrid Dodge Ram pickup due next year, Chrysler engineers are testing a trio of hybrid and all-electric models with componments that are "near" market-ready, Press said.
Speaking to a group of automotive journalists and industry insiders in Los Angeles today, Press -- former head of Toyota's ultra-successful U.S. sales and marketing operation -- said that while a slimmed-down Chrysler will not abandon the Hemi V8s, hulking trucks and off-road vehicles it is known for, it is also looking at ways to boost fuel economy and, eventually, offer plug-in hybrid and battery-electric versions of many of its models.
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- John O'Dell September 2, 2008, 2:35 PM
- Categories:
- Batteries, Chrysler, Daimler, Dodge, Fuel Cell, Fuels & Technologies, Hydrogen, Jeep, Plug-ins and Electric
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- Chrysler Green Vehicles
, Chrysler Plug-In Hybrids, Jim Press
August 20, 2008
By Scott Doggett, Contributor
Many people if not most who buy a small or midsize sport utility vehicle do so because they believe it offers greater personal protection than a car. And for that extra measure of protection, they are willing to sacrifice fuel economy.
Today, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety announced that the 2009 Ford Escape Hybrid earned top ratings in recent crash-test evaluations, bringing to three the number of hybrid SUVs getting superior mileage without compromising safety.
The other hybrid SUVs earning top-safety-pick honors from the respected institute are the midsize 2008 Saturn Vue Hybrid and the 2008 Toyota Highlander Hybrid, which the institute had previously evaluated.
But the big winner announced today by the institute was the 2009 Volkswagen Tiguan, which outperformed the competition in recent front, side and rear crash test evaluations of eight small SUV models.
The 2009 Escape, including the hybrid version, 2008 Mitsubishi Outlander and 2008 Nissan Rogue joined the Tiguan in earning top ratings in all three of the institute's evaluations. All four models come equipped with electronic stability control and side airbags, which the institute considered very important.
The institute ratings of good, acceptable, marginal or poor are based on results of front and side crash tests, plus evaluations of seat/head restraints for protection against whiplash injury in rear crashes.
The 2008 Chevrolet Equinox, 2008 Jeep Patriot, 2008 Suzuki Grand Vitara and 2-door 2008 Jeep Wrangler all earned the second-lowest rating of marginal.
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- Scott Doggett August 20, 2008, 8:02 AM
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- Chevrolet, Chrysler, Emissions, Ford, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Hybrid, Jeep, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Saturn, Suzuki, Toyota, Volkswagen
August 14, 2008
By Scott Doggett, Contributor
Chrysler will spend $1.8 billion to convert a Detroit automotive plant tooled to produce the full-size Jeep Grand Cherokee into a factory rolling out more fuel-efficient, car-based crossovers.
Chrysler Vice Chairman and President Tom LaSorda, speaking Wednesday at a conference in Traverse City, Michigan, said the Auburn Hills-based automaker intends to make a "new generation of world-class vehicles" at the factory.
While skimping on specifics, LaSorda said the new vehicles would be "of various sizes and dimensions" and represent an "evolution" of the older, gas-guzzling Jeeps.
The 2.7 million-square-foot Jefferson North assembly plant was built in 1991 and expanded in 1999. Its main product has been the Jeep Grand Cherokee. The current Grand Cherokee (above) began production in August 2004 and the Jeep Commander was added in July 2005.
No vehicle illustrates Chrysler's financial woes more than the Grand Cherokee. Unlike its competition, the SUV had a so-called unibody construction rather than a body mounted on a truck frame.
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- Scott Doggett August 14, 2008, 5:03 PM
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- Chrysler, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Jeep, Nissan
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July 22, 2008
Soy foam in the seats the Ford F-150 pickups and Lincoln Navigator SUVs. Locally farmed hemp
, "ethically produced" woolen fabric and floor mats made of sisal in the Lotus Eco Elise.
Some automakers are increasingly going to great lengths to make the interiors of some of their models if not environmentally friendly, at least a bit wholesome.
But others, well...
Early today the Ecology Center of Ann Arbor, Michigan, posted its second-annual consumer guide to toxic chemicals in cars and children's car seats at www.HealthyCar.org.
More than two hundred 2008- and 2009-model-year vehicles and more than 60 children's car seats were tested for unhealthy chemicals that seep in gaseous form from the steering wheel, dashboard, armrests, seats and carpet.
The "new-car smell," as the gases are commonly called, mingle with the air occupants breathe and have been linked to allergies, birth defects, impaired learning, liver toxicity and cancer.
The Ecology Center reported that Mazda, General Motors and Nissan improved since last year's findings, with GM showing the greatest gains of the domestic automakers, with an average vehicle ranking improvement of 27 percent.
The list of the 10 best and 10 worst vehicles as picked by the Center appears in the chart above.
Average child-car-seat scores improved 28 percent overall. The list of 10 best and worst car seats for 2008 as picked by the Center appears at left. Click on the chart for a better look.
For more information, go to www.HealthyCar.org.
Below are the three worst 2008-model-year vehicles by interior pollution, according to the Center (click on each to enlarge). From left to right: Mitsubishi Eclipse, Suzuki Reno and Volkswagen New Beetle.
Below are are the three best vehicles by interior pollution, according to the Center (click on each to enlarge). From left to right: Acura RXD, Chevrolet Cobalt and Smart Passion Cabriolet.
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- Scott Doggett July 22, 2008, 12:21 AM
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- Acura, Audi, BMW, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Daimler, Dodge, Emissions, Fiat, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hummer, Hyundai, Jeep, Kia, Lexus, MINI, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Opel, Pontiac, Porsche, Renault, Saab, Smart, Subaru, Suzuki, Think, Toyota, Volkswagen, Volvo
July 17, 2008
By Scott Doggett, Contributor
That's our sensational headline for 2008, but there's more than a smidgen of truth in it.
Last year Ann Arbor, Michigan-based Ecology Center released the first-ever consumer guide to toxic chemicals in cars and child car seats -- and what they reported was sickening.
The odor you inhale when you slide into a new car? It might very well be bromine, chlorine, lead, other harmful chemicals or a witches' brew of them. They've been linked to birth defects, impaired learning, liver toxicity, premature births and, no doubt, cancer.
If you think the government protects you against such things, think again. Some of the vehicles on the road today are veritable toxic dumps on wheels. And many drivers are exposed to these chemicals through inhalation and contact with dust every day.
In case you missed last year's report, Ecology Center found the most toxic vehicles were the Nissan Versa, Chevy Aveo, Scion xB 5dr and the Kia Rio. The least toxic vehicles were the Chevy Cobalt, Chrysler PT Cruiser, Honda Odyssey and the Volvo V50.
Next Tuesday -- July 22 -- Ecology Center will release its second annual consumer guide to toxic chemicals in cars and child car seats, and if you're thinking of buying a new car anytime soon, you'll want to check it out. The guide will be posted at www.healthycar.org a little after midnight on the 22nd.
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- Scott Doggett July 17, 2008, 1:39 PM
- Categories:
- Acura, Audi, BMW, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Daimler, Dodge, Emissions, Fiat, Ford, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Jeep, Kia, Legislation, Lexus, MINI, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Opinion, Pontiac, Porsche, Renault, Saab, Smart, Subaru, Toyota, Volkswagen, Volvo
July 14, 2008
By Scott Doggett, Contributor
Chrysler is working on three extended-range electric vehicles that will be ready for market within three to five years, a company spokesman told Green Car Advisor today.
The EVs will be based on the Jeep Renegade, Dodge Zeo (at right) and Chrysler ecoVoyager (in Moon rock silver-beigel, below) concept vehicles that stole much of the limelight for their über-cool designs at their debut in Detroit this past January.
All three production models will be powered by electric motors connected to advanced lithium-ion battery packs, and each will be capable of extended drive ranges, Chrysler's Nick Cappa said in an interview.
The Dodge Zeo will be a pure plug-in electric sports car packing enough lithium-ion battery modules to travel 250 miles between charges, Cappa said. The sleek, four-door coupe will certainly be one of the most exciting concept cars to debut all year, and the reason should be apparent (it's breathtakingly beautiful!).
What's not apparent is the fact that the Zeo's doors -- front and
back -- open upward instead of outward. Also not apparent is the Zeo's single 200-kilowatt/hour, 286-horsepower electric motor capable of propeling the EV to 60 miles per hour in under six seconds.
To keep costs and prices in check, the same motor, electrical architecture, power electronics and next-generation lithium-ion battery technology in the Zeo will be used in Chrysler's two other initial EVs.
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- Scott Doggett July 14, 2008, 6:38 PM
- Categories:
- Chrysler, Dodge, Fuel Cell, Hybrid, Hydrogen, Jeep, Plug-ins and Electric
