The perfect hybrid platform?
Chrysler has revealed ambitious electric car plans, ranging from a Fiat-based city car to a V8 plug-in hybrid pick-up truck (seriously).
The Fiat 500 BEV electric concept car from the Detroit motor show looks set to become a production reality (sort of) after Chrysler yesterday announced its intention to make its own electric car using the 500 BEV as a basis.
“The alliance with Fiat presented new opportunities to merge Chrysler Group engineering knowledge with new platforms and the Fiat 500EV is an outstanding example of our efforts,” said Scott Kunselman, Chrysler’s senior vice president of engineering. “The Fiat 500 is a small, lightweight platform perfect for integrating electric-vehicle technology.”
Electric 500 concept will spawn Chrysler
Chrysler says it will begin manufacturing of its new electric city car for the US market in 2012. Chrysler and fiat engineers will have a fair bit of work to do between now an then, however - the 500 BEV show didn’t even have anywhere to store the planned lithium ion battery pack.
At the other end of the Eco-car scale, Chrysler also announced plans to build 140 plug-in hybrid (PHEV) Ram pick-up tracks (yes, you did read that right) for what it calls a ‘three-year demonstration project’.
The project is being part-funded by a $48m (£32m) ‘vehicle electrification programme’ grant from the US Department of Energy.
The car itself will be a full-size Ram pick-up, complete with 5.7-litre Hemi V8, but with a two-mode hybrid transmission and a 12KwHr lithium ion battery that should give the truck a range of 20 miles on pure electric power. Overall, Chrysler is claiming that the PHEV Ram will better its conventionally engined cousin’s fuel consumption by up to 65 per cent.
An eco-friendly truck does sound like a bit of an oxymoron, but at least this born-again truck will be a fair bit more exciting than a Prius or a Vauxhall Ampera. A congestion charge-exempt Hemi V8 truck? There's plenty to be said for that…