Chrysler to release EV vehicles for 2010
This Popular Mechanics article describes the Chrysler company’s plans to have at least three models of EV (electric vehicle) in production and for sale by 2010.
In a surprise move here this morning amid struggling sales numbers from its dealers and fuel-efficient buzz from competitors, Chrysler announced that it’s charging into the electric vehicle market a lot
sooner than expected. The automaker just unveiled a trio of
battery-powered vehicles—including an all-electric, 200-mile-range
Dodge sports car that we revved up near its 120-mph top speed on the
test track and think could give the Tesla Roadster a run for its money—and plans to bring one of them to market by 2010, aligning Chrysler with the timetable for General Motors’ Chevy Volt.Chrysler officials, who reinforced their case for an entirely hybrid fleet
at least partially powered by batteries, said at a news conference on
Tuesday that they’re aiming to sell all three cars—extended-range
plug-in versions of a Jeep Wrangler and Chrysler Town & Country
were unveiled in addition to the Dodge EV—within a decade. But how fast
they reach dealerships, CEO Bob Nardelli cautioned, may well depend on
whether the federal government comes through with a package of loan
guarantees for Detroit’s Big Three."You’re going to see the
electrification of all vehicles" in the years ahead, said Frank Klegon,
Chrysler’s executive vice president for product development. That will
range from full battery power to simpler systems, like Stop/Start,
which temporarily shuts off an engine at a stoplight. Indeed, Klegon
forecasts that "at least 50 percent of the market" will consists of
pure EVs or extended-range electric vehicles (EREVs) by around 2020.
On this theme, we recently reviewed Sherry Boschart’s book, Plug-In Hybrid Vehicles, a book that discusses the moves to bring EV and Plug-In Hybrid (PHEV) to the market.