Autoblog

REPORT: Chrysler disbands ENVI group, EV development will continue

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 09:59:00 EST

Dodge Circuit - Click above for high-res image gallery

According to a report from Reuters, Chrysler has disbanded its ENVI program and integrated the group back into its normal product development organization. Former ENVI head Lou Rhodes will now take the title of group line executive in charge of electric vehicle development and will manage that group for both Chrysler and Fiat. Though we weren't exactly expecting this change, the move isn't entirely surprising.

At this point, we don't yet know what this reorganization means for the electric vehicles that Chrysler had previously promised to put into production, the first of which was to be the Lotus-based Dodge Circuit that was hopefully supposed to be on the market by late 2010.

Fiat CEO and newly-appointed head of Chrysler Sergio Marchionne said earlier this week during Chrysler's painfully long new product plan presentation that electric vehicles are still a very tough proposition with current battery technology. In fact, the automaker expects that less than two percent of its lineup will be electric by 2014, which would amount to fewer than 60,000 vehicles per year.

Gallery: Dodge Circuit EV

[Source: Reuters]

REPORT: Chrysler disbands ENVI group, EV development will continue originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 09:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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REPORT: Chrysler, Fiat partnering on electric car

Jonathon Ramsey — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 17:58:00 EST

Filed under: Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Electric

Dodge Circuit EV - Click above for high-res image gallery

In a little more than three weeks, Sergio Marchionne will reveal his 5-year plan for Chrysler. According to information revealed by a Fiat exec and Chrysler board member Alfredo Altavilla last week, at least one electric car will be part of it. While visiting a gearbox factory in Italy, Altavilla confirmed that the presumed-dead electric car program is in progress and being worked on by Chrysler and Fiat. He gave no further comment on the matter.

Chrysler, through its ENVI in-house electric propulsion division, currently has four electric vehicles: the Dodge Circuit EV (shown), Jeep Patriot EV, Jeep Wrangler Unlimited EV, and Chrysler Town & Country EV. The ENVI site claims that you'll be able to own at least one electric model by 2010, and there will be "at least three more models available by 2013." Those claims could be outdated, however; we'll have to wait until November 4 to get clarity on the future. But if there's an electric Fiat 500 in there, well, let's just say we won't be disappointed...

Gallery: Dodge Circuit EV

[Source: Wall Street Journal]

REPORT: Chrysler, Fiat partnering on electric car originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 17:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chrysler unveils new electric minivan for U.S. Postal Service duty

Sam Abuelsamid — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 12:59:00 EST

Filed under: Hybrid, Minivan/Van, Government/Legal, Green, Technology, Work, Chrysler

Chrysler U.S. Postal Service Minivan - Click above for a high-res gallery

Chrysler is celebrating Earth Day today by unveiling the first four of what will be a fleet of 250 battery powered minivans for the US Postal Service. The U.S.P.S. will be using the vans for variety of duties at locations around the country - including daily home delivery.

The vans themselves are based on the concept Town and Country EV that was unveiled last Fall by Chrysler. However, because of the duty cycle used by the Postal Service - which generally amounts to only about 18-20 miles per day on a fixed route - these vehicles are being built without the range extender seen on the concept. However, the electric drive portion of the vehicles, including the motor, electronics and A123 System lithium ion battery pack is identical. The head of Chrysler's ENVI division Lou Rhodes told Autoblog Green this morning that Chrysler is marketing this battery-only version of the van to commercial fleet customers who typically have a shorter range requirements. The extended-range version will be focused on retail customers.

The initial batch of vehicles include a pair of right- and left-hand drive versions, and the total fleet will include a mix. The Postal Service will be using the vehicles for whatever applications they have in different regions of the country. The intent is to evaluate the usability of electric vans, as well as the interaction between the vehicles and the infrastructure. In addition to the post office, Consolidated Edison (Con Ed), Duke Energy, DTE Energy and Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) will participate in the test program.

Gallery: Chrysler EV USPS mini-van

[Source: Chrysler]

Chrysler unveils new electric minivan for U.S. Postal Service duty originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 22 Apr 2009 12:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nardelli confirms Chrysler hard at work on new Durango, 300 and Charger

Jonathon Ramsey — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 10:02:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Chrysler

Chrysler chieftan Bob Nardelli sent a letter to "all employees, dealers, suppliers and other stakeholders" to explain what's happening at the smallest of the Detroit trio. Everything done now falls under one of three umbrellas: enhancing the core, which is improving products, quality, and dealer and customer relations; extending the business with new products or by growing existing products into new areas; and expanding the market with global alliances to fill gaps in the product portfolio.

At the bottom line, Chrysler has lowered its fixed costs by more than $3.4 billion, and has also saved money by achieving the lowest warranty claim rate in the company's history over the past 12 months. Some of that savings - and the bridge loan - are being poured into product renewals: Chrysler plans 24 new vehicle launches from now to 2011, including the Jeep Grand Cherokee, Dodge Charger and Durango, and the Chrysler 300.

The push into technologies and segments will commence in part with Chrysler's ENVI electric vehicle program, the new Phoenix V6 engine, and the potential tie-up with Fiat. The Pentastar aims to have one electric car in production by 2010, four in production by 2013.

The Fiat tie-up would give the Italian company a 35% stake in Chrysler in return for Chrysler getting access to Fiat's small car platforms. The deal is still pending some serious due diligence, but no money would change hands, and Nardelli reassures his readers that none of the taxpayer money would go to Fiat. Nardelli also mentions that the union would also give Chrysler a jedi tutor in the area of restructuring, since Fiat only recently turned itself around. Follow the link for the rest of Nardelli's words.

[Source: The Scoop]

Nardelli confirms Chrysler hard at work on new Durango, 300 and Charger originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 24 Jan 2009 10:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Breaking: Dodge EV sports car, range-extended Town & Country, Wrangler previewed

Alex Nunez — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 09:08:00 EST

Filed under: Hybrid, Minivan/Van, Performance, SUV, Green, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep

CNBC's Phil Lebeau got a sneak peek at the new EVs Chrysler is developing, and it looks like Auburn Hills is pulling a Tesla, among other things. The yellow Dodge EV you see here is basically an electrified Lotus Europa. Presumably equipped with lithium ion battery power, the Dodge EV has a reported operating range of 150 - 200 miles and can be plugged in to household 110 or 220 outlets. Figure a four-hour charge on the latter, and 8 or so on the former. Zero-to-sixty is said to be under 5 seconds. Like we said, this is basically Chrysler's Tesla, right down to the Lotus-sourced donor vehicle.

We'll see the Dodge EV introduced formally later this afternoon, along with range-extended EV versions of the Chrysler Town & Country (can you say, "killer app"?) and Jeep Wrangler. With regard to timing, Chrysler says it would like to have "at least one" of these vehicles on the market by the end of 2010, the unofficial official year of the electric/plug-in car.

Look for all three prototypes to head to D.C., where they'll be showcased for Congressional leaders who have a say in whether or not Washington will show Detroit the money they've been asking for.

For now, you can watch the preview unveiling of the cars on CNBC by watching this video. Chrysler's got something planned for 1PM today, so we expect to have a lot more info and photos then. Stay tuned.

UPDATED: Full details now posted here.

Gallery: Dodge EV, Jeep EV and Chrysler EV

[Source: CNBC]

Breaking: Dodge EV sports car, range-extended Town & Country, Wrangler previewed originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 23 Sep 2008 09:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Detroit 2008: Chrysler concepts show us the green future. Or not.

Alex Nunez — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 17:25:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Detroit Auto Show, Budget, Sedan, Performance, SUV, Green, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep

Click image for a hi-res gallery of Chrysler's concepts

We're back from the Chrysler press conference that saw the Detroit Auto Show debuts of the Jeep Renegade, Dodge ZEO, and Chrysler ecoVoyager. As we have mentioned already, each is born out of the automaker's ENVI program, the focus of which is on new, environmentally-friendly electric propulsion. As such, all the concepts share the same 200 kw (268 hp equivalent) electric motor powered by a currently nonexistent lithium-ion battery pack and augmented by a secondary "range-extender" in the Renegade and ecoVoyager. That includes a vaporware fuel-cell in the latter. It's all okay, though, because as Chrysler's Frank Klegon pointed out, these are "pure concepts." He then went on to say that these "pure concepts" would be seen "in future production vehicles," which left us confused. Follow the jump for some extremely in-depth analysis of Chrysler's electric vehicle concepts.

Gallery: 2008 Detroit: Chrysler Concepts

Continue reading Detroit 2008: Chrysler concepts show us the green future. Or not.

Detroit 2008: Chrysler concepts show us the green future. Or not. originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 14 Jan 2008 17:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Detroit 2008: Jeep Renegade Concept

Alex Nunez — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 00:00:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Detroit Auto Show, Hybrid, SUV, Green, Chrysler, Jeep

Click image for high-res gallery

Chrysler is showing three concepts that leverage the automaker's ENVI electric vehicle tech tech today in Detroit. The Chrysler ccoVoyager and Dodge ZEO concepts will be covered in separate posts, but they share their main electric drivetrains with Jeep's open-air concept. At the center of ENVI is a 200 kW (268 hp) electric motor with a 40 mile range that's powered by lithium ion batteries. The Renegade concept uses a pair of these -- one on each axle to create a proper 4X4 -- and adds a low gear mode, locking differentials, and a Bluetec diesel "range-extender" engine that gives it the equivalent of 110 mpg when combined with the electric motors. We see a little of the 1998 Jeepster Concept in the Renegade's front end, but beyond that, the little two-seater goes its own way, putting a modern spin on the Wrangler ethos that incorporates environmental sustainability into the overall equation without sacrificing the brand's off-road roots and identity. You can read Chrysler's full press release on the Renegade after the jump.

Gallery: Detroit 2008: Jeep Renegade Concept

Continue reading Detroit 2008: Jeep Renegade Concept

Detroit 2008: Jeep Renegade Concept originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 14 Jan 2008 00:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chrysler turns green with ENVI

Sam Abuelsamid — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 09:02:00 EST

Filed under: Green, Chrysler

Chrysler's efforts to develop more environmentally-friendly vehicles have been distinctly overshadowed by the drama of their divorce from Chrysler and that 800lb green gorilla called Volt. New CEO Bob Nardelli is continuing to shake things up, though. Just a week after hiring Jim Press away from Toyota, Chrysler has set up a new group called ENVI.

ENVI is a skunk works project that will focus on the development of electrically-driven vehicles for Chrysler. It'll operate semi-independently within Chrysler to bring together all the technologies that are being worked on in various corners of the Auburn Hills tech center. Lou Rhodes has been appointed President of ENVI and he will report directly to Product Development VP Frank Klegon and Purchasing chief Simon Boag. The Chrysler press release is after the jump.

[Source: Chrysler]

Continue reading Chrysler turns green with ENVI

Chrysler turns green with ENVI originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 14 Sep 2007 09:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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