Chrysler talks about it’s electric vehicles some more. They estimate that by 2020 at least half of the market will be made up of vehicles that utilize batteries to get better mileage in one way or another. It could be simply shutting the engine off at stops all the way up to fully battery powered vehicles.
“You’re going to see the electrification of all vehicles” in the years ahead, said Frank Klegon, Chrysler’s executive vice president - product development.
The current Dodge EV is Chrysler’s first attempt to build an all electric vehicle (and is likely going to be their first EV in production). It’s built on a Lotus Europa platform, and would outperform the Lotus on the track. It goes 0-60 in less than 5 seconds with a top speed of 120 mph.
Though he’s tight lipped about which one will come first, CEO Bob Nardelli promises that by mid decade Chrysler will have a fleet of electric vehicles.
Lou Rhodes, the Chrysler VP in charge of the ENVI division plans to attend the Automotive News Green Car Conference. At the conference Rhodes will address many questions about the ENVI program and give an update on Chrysler’s progress on it’s electric cars. Chrysler only plans on releasing one of the EVs in 2010 with others to follow so I’d expect one of the three EVs announced to be pretty far with the other two lagging behind somewhat.
Last week we got a good look at three electric vehicles that Chrysler intends to produce, with one of them coming into production as early as 2010. If that happens Chrysler would be right there with GM as the only two makers of mass produced electric vehicles (the Tesla Roadster isn’t mass produced). That’s just the beginning according to Chrysler.
Frank Klegon, Chrysler’s executive vice president of product development, has said that half the cars sold here in 2020 will feature electric power drivetrains. That’s a pretty amazing leap in just one decade. Lets hope they can do it.
When does it make sense to outsource key elements of product design and how far do you take it?
Chrysler this week announced that it was much closer than most who follow the auto industry realized with the development of its new prototype of electric cars. It’s clear that cars that can achieve 200 miles on a single battery charge and quickly accelerate to highway speeds on battery power, can resuscitate Chrysler’s market position and possibly be among the factors that change the current oil usage equation.
“We are well ahead where the industry observers thought we were,” Chrysler President Tom LaSorda said.
Whether it was that financial aspect, time-to-market issues, or a combination of both, Chrysler chose to rely on suppliers for help in design of many key elements of the new electric prototype to a much greater degree than usual.
“Chrysler was able to make quick progress on electric cars by relying on outside suppliers for many of the key components,” The Wall Street Journal noted. “That is a big change from the auto industry’s traditional approach in which car makers develop most of a car’s components themselves.”
Right now that bet looks smart. It is clearly part of the trend called “Supply Chain Virtualization,” as companies in most industries are adding less and less value to the products they sell. The supply chain adds 80% or more of the value in many cases, from a production perspective. The final seller is increasingly just the “final assembler” in the process.
Chrysler recently announced that it is seriously considering producing the Dodge EV as it’s first production ENVI vehicle. The Dodge EV is based on the Lotis Europa was unveiled on Tuesday. Chrysler is also no stranger to platform sharing, it currently produces the Routan minivan for Volkswagen based on the Chrysler Town & Country and will produce the Titan for Nissan based on the Dodge Ram.
On the other side of things, Lotus is already supplying California-based Tesla with its Elise two-door, which serves as the basis for the Tesla Roadster. Chrysler took notice of the Roadster’s Lotus roots and discovered just how ideal Lotus platforms were for sporty, yet efficient, vehicles.
“Lotus has a lot of experience with lightweight vehicles and aluminum structures,” Frank Klegon, Chrysler executive vice president of product development, told Automotive News. That light curb weight is a major factor in the Dodge EV’s ability to sprint from 0-60 in under five seconds and reach a top speed of 120 mph.
If Chrysler does give the Dodge EV the green light the Michigan automaker will source the EV’s platform directly from Lotus. But, Chrylser will supply it’s own drivetrain like Tesla.
The production Dodge EV will likely undercut the Roadster’s $109,000 price tag. Klegon noted the Dodge EV would list for less than $109,000, but failed to give an exact figure. Whatever the price, the Dodge EV could be roaming the streets in production guise as early as 2010.
It’s no coincidence that both Chrysler extended range vehicles (Town and Country and Wrangler) announced boast the same 40 mile electric only range that the Chevy Volt does. According to studies 80% of americans drive 40 miles or less per day. That means that the 40 miles of battery power allows most people that buy an extended range electric vehicle to not use gas on a daily basis. However, GM has worked hard and made some compromises with the aerodynamics of the Volt to achieve the 40 mile range of the vehicle. Both of Chrysler’s vehicles are not nearly as aerodynamic.
The answer is all in the batteries. Battery storage capacity is measured in watt-hours, more or less the total amount of energy used over time. A kilowatt-hour (kWh) is simply a thousand watt-hours and this is what’s used to measure big batteries, the kind used in modern hybrids. The Chevy Volt uses a 16 kWh battery and only really functions within a range of 50-80% charge in order to extend battery life.
The Chrysler EV uses a 22 kWh lithium-ion battery which operates at 200 kW and up to 410 volts, it’s paired with an electric motor that produces 268 HP with a whopping 480 lb-ft of torque. Together you get 40 miles of battery powered driving.
The Jeep EV uses a 27 kWh battery pack. It has to be big since the Wrangler isn’t aerodynamic at all (brick) and it has to power all 4 wheels. Interestingly it’s paired with the same motor as the Chrysler EV, which maintains the 268 HP but drops the torque down to 295. The lower torque number is probably there to extend the range, though I’d like to see the crazy 480 lb-ft of torque that’s found in the Chrysler EV.
In both cases it comes down to larger battery packs. Since the Volt is small it doesn’t have much space to store the batteries. The Chrysler EV and the Jeep EV are considerably larger allowing for bigger batteries. Allowing all three vehicles to achieve 40 miles on battery power.
Today Chrysler is announcing four new models in their electric drive vehicle line up from their ENVI division. Chrysler claims that these vehicles will go on sale starting in 2010. The models include a sportscar for the Dodge brand, a Wrangler for the Jeep brand, a minivan for the Chrysler brand, and a neighborhood vehicle cherry picked from the G.E.M. (Global Electric Motors) subsidiary that Chrysler owns.
Development of all three models will continue furiously and Chrysler will select one model to mass produce that they think is best suited for the market at the time. The company is many years into research on electric drive technology and will be applying it to vehicles in all areas, front wheel, rear wheel, and body on frame four wheel drive platforms.
“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,” said Bob Nardelli, Chairman and CEO – Chrysler LLC. “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.”
Electric Vehicle Technology
Chrysler’s Electric Vehicles utilize just three primary components. These include an electric motor to drive the wheels, an advanced lithium-ion battery system to power the electric-drive motor and a controller that manages energy flow. The electric-drive system is being developed for front-wheel-drive, rear-wheel-drive, and body-on-frame four-wheel-drive vehicle applications.
“This 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, Executive Vice President – Product Development, Chrysler LLC. “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.”
Range-extended Electric Vehicle Technology
Jeep EV Wrangler
The Range-extended Electric Vehicle combines the electric-drive components of the Electric Vehicle with a small gasoline engine and integrated electric generator to produce additional energy to power the electric-drive system when needed. This provides the positive attributes of an Electric Vehicle with the driving range equivalent to today’s gasoline-powered vehicles – with no compromises in performance.
Range-extended Electric Vehicles offer environmental responsibility without giving up driving range, comfort or utility.
Dodge EV
Rear view of the Dodge EV
The Dodge EV is an all electric two seater rear wheel drive sports car.
“The Dodge EV sets a new standard for what can be expected in electric-drive vehicles,” said Lou Rhodes, Vice President – Advance Vehicle Engineering, and President – ENVI. “The electric-vehicle technology enables a fun-to-drive performance sports car and helps redefine the vision of an environmentally responsible vehicle for the Dodge brand.”
The Dodge EV has a 200 kW electric motor, giving it the equivalent of 268 horsepower and 480 lb-ft of torque. It will go 0-60 in less than 5 seconds and has a 1/4 mile time of 13 seconds with a top speed of 120 mph.
The EV has a driving range of 150-200 miles. It can be recharged using the regular 110 volt outlet in 8 hours, or cut the time in half if you can use a 220 outlet.
Jeep EV
The Jeep EV is an extended range electric vehicle. The technology in the Jeep EV Wrangler is similar to that found in the Chevy Volt. It uses an electric motor to drive the wheels and a battery pack to drive the motor. The battery pack provides for 40 miles of zero emission driving. When the battery pack is depleted a small gas engine starts up and recharges the battery pack. Using eight gallons of gas the Jeep EV can go 400 miles.
The electric motor in the Jeep EV is a 200 kW motor that provides 200 horsepower and 295 lb-ft torque.
“We are also exploring four-wheel-drive, in-wheel electric motors to demonstrate the full reach of ENVI’s advanced electric-drive technologies,” said Rhodes.
The instant torque provided from the electric motor and the ability to drive each wheel independently makes the Jeep EV a great offroading vehicle and right at home in the Jeep line up.
Chrysler EV
ENVI used the same technology that is found in the Jeep EV and put it in a Chrysler Town and Country minivan to make the Chrysler EV.
“With the Chrysler EV, we are able to blend seven-passenger capability and the luxury of the Chrysler Town & Country minivan with electric-drive technology, demonstrating family practicality with zero compromise,” said Rhodes. “ENVI’s electric-drive development vehicles showcase our accelerated application of electric-drive systems into a wide range of vehicles in Chrysler’s future product portfolio.”
The Chrysler EV uses a 190 kW motor to drive the front wheels. The motor provides 255 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque. The 0-60 is an acceptable 9 seconds. Using battery power alone the Chrysler EV can go 40 miles, after that a small gas engine generator kicks in to recharge the batteries. Using about 8 gallons of gas the Chrysler EV can go 400 miles.
This morning on CNBC Chrysler CEO Bob Nardelli revealed the Dodge EV, a high performance sports car similar to the Tesla Roadster. Along with the EV he announced three other vehicles operating on an electric powertrain.
The four vehicles are made by ENVI, the electric drive division of Chrysler. In addition to the EV they include an extended range Chrysler minivan, a new “gated community” electric called “the peapod” and a Jeep Wrangler four-door.
The EV not only operates entirely on plug-in power like the Tesla Roadster it but it appears to have similar performance numbers. The design has some striking visual similarities with the Tesla. And why shouldn’t it? While the Tesla’s built on the Lotus Elise, the Dodge ev appears to be based on the Lotus Europa.
Here are some numbers:
• Recharge on standard home 110/220 current — full charge in four hours on 220 or eight hours on 110.
• Eschews the Hemi engine for a lithium-ion battery pack.
• 0-to-60 time in under five seconds.
• Range of 150-200 miles.
• Unlike the Tesla, based on the Lotus Elise, the Dodge ev looks to be based on the Lotus Europa.
