Chrysler Shows its Electric Future

Posted 9/24/2008 11:21 AM

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A week after GM unveiled the production version of the Chevy Volt, Chrysler took the wraps off a handful of electrically motivated products of its own, at least one of which the automaker intends to have in showrooms by the end of 2010. The sexiest vehicle shown was the Dodge EV (pictured), a two-passenger pure-electric coupe that appears to be based on the current Lotus Europa architecture -- itself a larger spin-off of the bonded-aluminum Elise platform that underpins the all-electric Tesla roadster. According to the automaker, the Dodge EV can hit 60 mph in under five seconds, travel 150-200 miles on a single charge and have its Lithium-ion battery pack replenished in eight hours using standard 110V house current or four when plugged into a 240V line. Also shown were extended-range plug-in versions of a Jeep Wrangler and Chrysler Town and Country minivan. Both of these "Volt-fighter" designs are capable of running 40 miles on electricity alone and then using a small gasoline engine/generator to replenish their Lithium-ion battery packs and travel up to 400 total miles on about nine gallons of gasoline.