Introduction
Somewhere between the electric car and the hybrid exists the range-extended electric car. This type of vehicle always runs on electric power, though it has a gasoline engine to recharge the battery. Chevrolet announced the first range-extended electric vehicle, the Volt, at the 2007 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Now, Chrysler LLC has announced plans to build two range-extended electric vehicles as early as 2010.
The Chrysler will be a version of the Town & Country minivan, but it will be called the Chrysler EV. Chrysler says the EV will be able to drive on an electric charge for 40 miles. After that, a small gasoline engine will charge the battery and extend the driving range to 400 miles.
The Chrysler EV is being developed by Chrysler LLC’s in-house organization, ENVI. ENVI, which takes its name from the first four letters in “environmental,” has been tasked with looking at the future of the automobile without the internal combustion engine. Through ENVI, Chrysler and General Electric are working with the Department of Energy to explore advanced energy storage (battery) technologies. Advances here would make the EV’s battery smaller and less expensive.
Chrysler LLC has also announced another range-extended electric vehicle based on the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, as well as an all-electric Dodge 2-seat sports car. Chrysler LLC says one of the three will be available by the end of 2010. While the Chrysler EV probably won’t be available to the public until the 2011 model year, the company says that some vehicles will show up in government, business, utility and development fleets as early as 2009.
