November 10th, 2009 by Bill Cawthon
Chrysler has shut down its standalone ENVI electric vehicle program and its personnel have been assigned to other vehicle development programs as Chrysler and Fiat merge their hybrid and electric vehicle programs.
Lou Rhodes, who was in charge of ENVI, continues to oversee electrical vehicle development for both companies. A two-mode hybrid versions of the Ram pickup is still on tap for next year. Plug-in hybrids of the Ram and a minivan are due in 2011 as part of a 200-vehicle fleet developed with a $70-million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. Chrysler will not have a hybrid passenger car like the Toyota Prius or Ford Fusion until 2015.
At the moment, it looks like the first all-electric vehicle from the Fiat-Chrysler effort will probably be a Fiat Doblo commercial van.
Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne says Chrysler’s electric vehicle strategy is still under review but he expects electric vehicles to account for one to two percent of sales by 2014.
October 27th, 2009 by Bill Cawthon
Chrysler Group will produce a hybrid version of the Ram 1500 pickup, but it has not been determined whether the light truck will have a diesel engine or not. The automaker had previously said both options would be available in 2010.
The hybrid Ram will use the “two-mode” hybrid technology it developed in a partnership with BMW, Daimler and General Motors. GM has already introduced hybrid versions of several of its full-size pickups and SUVs and Chrysler produced hybrid versions of the Chrysler Aspen and Dodge Durango until those vehicles were cancelled. A two-mode hybrid system uses its battery power at low speeds and a conventional gasoline engine kicks when more power is needed for acceleration or heavier loads.
The larger Ram pickups have a diesel option and the majority of purchasers select it instead of the 5.7-liter V8. Diesels offer more torque, better fuel economy and require less maintenance than gasoline engines but are roughly twice as expensive. Buyers of large pickups tend to keep their vehicles longer and put more miles on them so the investment pays off over time. Scott Kunselman, Chrysler senior vice president of engineering, is concerned that people in the market for a light-duty pickup might not make the same value judgment.
