fIAT 500 CHRYSLER'S dEBUT eLECTRIC vEHICLE
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fIAT 500 CHRYSLER'S dEBUT eLECTRIC vEHICLE
Fiat 500 to be Chrysler's electric debut
Alisa Priddle / The Detroit News
The Fiat 500 will be the first electric vehicle that Chrysler Group LLC will offer for sale, the automaker announced today.
An electric version of the tiny car will go on sale in 2012. That is the timeframe Chrysler originally planned to introduce an electric vehicle, but previous plans called for the first offerings to be commercial vehicles.
A Chrysler spokesman said plans for electric commercial vehicles such as the Doblo van have not been cancelled, but they will not be Chrysler's first electric vehicles.
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The Fiat 500EV was deemed to have a better business case, the company decided.
"The Fiat 500 is a small, lightweight platform perfect for integrating electric-vehicle technology," said Scott Kunselman, senior vice president of engineering.
Chrysler showed a concept electric version of the 500 at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January that had a range of more than 100 miles. Officials would not say what the range of the production vehicle will be.
There are three main systems to power the 500EV: an electric powertrain module, a lithium ion battery and a control unit to manage power flows.
All powertrain engineering and vehicle development is being done by Chrysler in Auburn Hills, and the automaker is the lead when it comes to electric vehicles for Fiat SpA, as well.
"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," Kunselman said.
Chrysler also is working on the development of an electric-vehicle charging infrastructure through partnerships to be announced in the future.
Pricing and volumes for the 500EV have not been released, but Chrysler said in a release the vehicle will be priced competitively with other small electric vehicles in the market. The Nissan Leaf small electric car could sell in the $30,000 range.
North American versions of the 500EV, like the gasoline-powered 500 that goes on sale at the end of this year, will be assembled at Chrysler's Toluca, Mexico, plant.
Chrysler also confirmed it has cancelled plans to offer a hybrid version of the Dodge Ram that was due this year.
"After closely evaluating the response to hybrid pickups in the marketplace, the company could not formulate an appropriate business case and has decided to cancel development work on the 2011 Ram HEV," the company said in a statement.
But a three-year program for a test fleet of 140 plug-in hybrid Rams will continue as planned, under conditions of a Department of Energy grant for $48 million for the project.
The Ram plug-in combines a V-8 Hemi with a two-mode hybrid transmission and lithium ion battery from supplier Electrovaya Inc., allowing it to go 20 miles on electricity alone.
A separate DOE grant will be used to test a fleet of electric minivans.
"DOE support for domestic advanced technology is an important enabler for Chrysler Group and its key suppliers in order to understand and test customer acceptance and the capability of PHEV systems in a variety of real-world conditions," said Paolo Ferrero, senior vice president for powertrain.
apriddle@detnews.com (313) 222-2504 (313) 222-2504
From The Detroit News: http://www.detnews.com/article/20100...#ixzz0ivIUJfcW
Alisa Priddle / The Detroit News
The Fiat 500 will be the first electric vehicle that Chrysler Group LLC will offer for sale, the automaker announced today.
An electric version of the tiny car will go on sale in 2012. That is the timeframe Chrysler originally planned to introduce an electric vehicle, but previous plans called for the first offerings to be commercial vehicles.
A Chrysler spokesman said plans for electric commercial vehicles such as the Doblo van have not been cancelled, but they will not be Chrysler's first electric vehicles.
Advertisement
The Fiat 500EV was deemed to have a better business case, the company decided.
"The Fiat 500 is a small, lightweight platform perfect for integrating electric-vehicle technology," said Scott Kunselman, senior vice president of engineering.
Chrysler showed a concept electric version of the 500 at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January that had a range of more than 100 miles. Officials would not say what the range of the production vehicle will be.
There are three main systems to power the 500EV: an electric powertrain module, a lithium ion battery and a control unit to manage power flows.
All powertrain engineering and vehicle development is being done by Chrysler in Auburn Hills, and the automaker is the lead when it comes to electric vehicles for Fiat SpA, as well.
"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," Kunselman said.
Chrysler also is working on the development of an electric-vehicle charging infrastructure through partnerships to be announced in the future.
Pricing and volumes for the 500EV have not been released, but Chrysler said in a release the vehicle will be priced competitively with other small electric vehicles in the market. The Nissan Leaf small electric car could sell in the $30,000 range.
North American versions of the 500EV, like the gasoline-powered 500 that goes on sale at the end of this year, will be assembled at Chrysler's Toluca, Mexico, plant.
Chrysler also confirmed it has cancelled plans to offer a hybrid version of the Dodge Ram that was due this year.
"After closely evaluating the response to hybrid pickups in the marketplace, the company could not formulate an appropriate business case and has decided to cancel development work on the 2011 Ram HEV," the company said in a statement.
But a three-year program for a test fleet of 140 plug-in hybrid Rams will continue as planned, under conditions of a Department of Energy grant for $48 million for the project.
The Ram plug-in combines a V-8 Hemi with a two-mode hybrid transmission and lithium ion battery from supplier Electrovaya Inc., allowing it to go 20 miles on electricity alone.
A separate DOE grant will be used to test a fleet of electric minivans.
"DOE support for domestic advanced technology is an important enabler for Chrysler Group and its key suppliers in order to understand and test customer acceptance and the capability of PHEV systems in a variety of real-world conditions," said Paolo Ferrero, senior vice president for powertrain.
apriddle@detnews.com (313) 222-2504 (313) 222-2504
From The Detroit News: http://www.detnews.com/article/20100...#ixzz0ivIUJfcW