Chrysler readies electric vehicles for market by 2010

Chrysler upstaged General Motors and other automakers with its recent announcement that it will introduce a group of electric vehicles for the consumer market beginning in 2010, including a version of its popular Town & Country minivan and Jeep Wrangler Unlimited four-door sport utility vehicle.

The third vehicle will be a high-performance Dodge sports car based on the Lotus Europa sports car from England. The Lotus Elise, upon whose architecture the Europa is based, was used as the underpinnings for a similar new electric-powered sports car now being sold by the California-based Tesla Motors ( www.teslamotors.com).

The Tesla Roadster, which sells for $109,000, goes from zero to 60 mph in less than four seconds, and according to Tesla, can travel up to 220 miles between charges of the advanced lithium-ion battery pack. It is all-electric, however, and must be recharged from an outside power source when the batteries run down.

At least some of Chrysler’s electric vehicles, however, will be modified hybrids, which have an onboard gasoline engine whose sole purpose is to recharge the battery pack while the vehicle is moving. That way, the car doesn’t have to stop for recharging when the batteries run down, but the car also can be recharged from an external power source.

That’s similar to the drive system of the Chevrolet Volt, which General Motors showed recently in its production form. The Volt, which also is scheduled to go on sale in 2010, is built on a specially designed chassis, and does not have a gasoline-only equivalent.

Chrysler said it chose to develop electric versions of its minivan and Jeep models to give consumers vehicles that they are familiar with, and are more practical for everyday use than some of the other electric vehicles that have already been produced, such as GM’s discontinued EV1, and some that are on the horizon, such as the Volt.

GM’s initial reports indicate that the Volt, a five-passenger compact about the size of the Toyota Prius hybrid, could cost up to $40,000.

Chrysler hasn’t mentioned prices for the electric minivan or Jeep, but they could come in at about the same price as a Volt. And the theory is that they would be more acceptable to consumers because they are based on the designs of vehicles that already are popular and practical for everyday use.

The automaker said that one of the electric vehicles would be available in 2010, although which one that will be hasn’t been announced yet. The minivan might be the best choice, as it would have seating for up to eight people and give big families an electric-powered transportation alternative.

Chrysler said the under-floor storage area of the current minivans is able to accommodate the large battery pack.

The Wrangler would be a good choice for several reasons. First, it would be an SUV with an economical drive system, but it also would allow off-road aficionados to drive on electric power in sensitive environments, using zero-pollution propulsion.

Jeep introduced the four-door version of the venerable Wrangler off-road vehicle two years ago, and it has become one of the brand’s best-selling vehicles ever.

"We have a social responsibility to our consumers to deliver environmentally friendly, fuel-efficient, advanced electric vehicles, and our intention is to meet that responsibility quickly and more broadly than any other automobile manufacturer," Chrysler Chairman and CEO Bob Nardelli said during an announcement of the electric-vehicle plans.

"The introduction of the Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge electric vehicles provides a glimpse of the very near future, and demonstrates that we are serious and well along in the development of bringing electric vehicles to market," he said.

That Chrysler is this far along in its electric-vehicle program came as a surprise to the rest of the industry. The company went private just over a year ago, and the new majority owner, Cerberus Capital, had widely been expected to act merely as a holding company until the automaker could be sold to another entity, perhaps a Chinese or Indian auto manufacturer.

Instead, Cerberus seems intent on letting Chrysler charge forward as an independent automaker. Development of these practical electric vehicles is a giant leap beyond what most other automakers are doing to reduce dependence on gasoline propulsion systems, another big surprise from Chrysler.

Chrysler said that its electric vehicles will have three primary components: an electric motor to drive the wheels, an advanced lithium-ion battery system to power the motor, and a computerized controller to manage energy flow.

But the minivan and Jeep also will have a small gasoline engine that would be used to extend the range of the vehicle beyond the limits of the battery pack. They would be able to drive on battery power for up to about 40 miles, but after that, the gasoline engine would come on to run a generator that would charge the batteries and provide electricity to keep the vehicle moving for up to 400 miles or so.

The Dodge EV sports car, though, would be electric-only, so it would have to be recharged from an outside source. That’s the way the Tesla model works, as well.

"This (electric-only) technology provides customers with a vehicle that has zero tailpipe emissions and a 150- to 200-mile driving range – far exceeding most Americans’ daily commutes, as nearly 80 percent of Americans drive less than 40 miles per day, or 14,000 miles per year," said Frank Klegon, Chrysler’s executive vice president for product development.

"Electric vehicles provide the opportunity to fulfill social responsibility, reduce dependency on foreign oil and eliminate monthly gasoline bills, while delivering performance and utility that our customers desire," he said.

The extended-range vehicles with the auxiliary gasoline engine, though, will be an easier sell in the American market. Studies have shown that many Americans are wary of vehicles that can be recharged only from an outside source, a process that can take several hours.

While most people do have relatively short daily commutes, they often use their vehicles for extended family weekend and vacation trips whose distance would be farther than the range of a vehicle’s batteries.

Plug-in hybrids are designed to be recharged overnight at home using a standard 110-volt power outlet, and that charge would be sufficient for most people’s daily commuting needs.

Making electric vehicles with extended-range capabilities, and using designs such as minivans and SUVs that are popular with consumers, could go a long way toward persuading Americans to switch from today’s gasoline-only vehicles to ones that can take advantage of propulsion systems that are less-dependent on imported oil.

Chrysler has a Web site – www.Chryslergoeselectric.com – that gives details of its electric-vehicle program, as well as photos and videos of the products.

The automotive columns of G. Chambers Williams III have appeared regularly in the Star-Telegram since 1995. Contact him at 210-250-3236; chambers@star-telegram.com.