Saw one last night. Had the hemi (5.7) engine in it besides the Hybrid engine. So it will run on 4 cylinders (MDS), 8 cylinders, or electric. Out side looked like a normal Durango with Hemi markings. Under the hood it's a different story. Not much empty space. To change the 2 right rear plugs, you have to remove a large electrical box. You have to be certified to work on 300 volt units to replace the plugs. Supposed to be out next June.

 

Wow I didnt even know you could pair up a 5.7 w/ MDS and an electric motor...kinda cool. I wonder what kind of fuel economy it gets...and of course, how much it costs.

Edit: Did some googling, and it looks like the Durango Hybrid with the 5.7 will recieve a 20%-30% increase in fuel economy over the standard 5.7 model. It also has an optional 4.7 V8 that can run on E85 with the hybrid system (according to AllPar).

 

The guy that had it is a manager in the hibrid group. He also is a member of my Plymouth Owners Club and he brought it to our meeting last night. It's a joint venture with GM, BMW, and Mercedes.

 

As I understand it, the "hybrid" portion of the drivetrain is all internal tothe transmission, so they can actually hook up pretty much any engine to it that they want to.

The writeup that I read about it makes it seem like a combination of a standard gear trans, electric motor drive, and CVT trans all rolled into one package.

 

Wonder what the mileage is on it.

 

Well...a normal 5.7 Durango gets 15 city/20highway accoding to MSN Autos...so take a 25% increase in fuel economy with the hybrid system and that comes out to almost 19mpg in city, and 25mpg on the highway.

 

hybrids are band aids, 20 years from now they won't even make them. hydrogen will be the next fuel

 

hybridsmainly gives you mpg advantages for in city driving. Not much on highway driving.

 

Hybrids are a farce. Unless you own a taxicab company or courier service in a HUGE metropolitan area its a total waste of money, since who else does such a high percentage of their driving under 30mpg?

And good luck trying to find someone qualified to service, repair, or troubleshoot them either. Then when the batteries crap out after a few years, have fun paying $7000 to replace them!

Biofuels as a supplement to oil is one answer. Building more refineries (which are running at like 98% capacity now, btw) and drilling for the oil thats out there is the other.