The Dodge Boys are getting frustrated. While GM basks in all the accolades (and brickbats) for its Chevy Volt, Chrysler races to catch up, and now rolls out three prototypes of its own electric vehicles (EV) — a conventional-looking Jeep and minivan, and then its own Tesla copy, the Dodge EV. They're different from the Volt, though. While the Jeep and minivan use a gas generator similar to the Volt's, the Dodge EV doesn't burn a drop of gasoline at all.
The company says one of these three EVs will be on sale to the public in 2010. Please, let it be the Dodge EV All-electric performance Sports Car. Add to that the Peapod neighborhood electric vehicle we showed you yesterday, and Chrysler will be firmly entrenched in the electro-car derby.
The Dodge EV sports car looks curiously similar to the Tesla, for good reason because both bodies are built by Lotus. The Dodge EV will have similar specs, too, accelerating from 0-60 in under 5 seconds with a top speed of 120mph and a range of 150-200 miles. Let's just hope Chrysler can get that price down way lower than the Tesla's too-steep $109K.
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Via Autoblog Green and on video here.
editor@dvice.com
By Josef at 12:06 PM ON 09/25/08
I'm pleasantly surprised to see that CHRYSLER is getting into this NEEDED market. I was ALL set to buy FOREIGN for the first time but now think I'LL wait to see CHRYSLER'S offerings!
By Bkfldviking at 12:30 PM ON 09/25/08
I love the concepts, especially the sports car. Not too sure about the raised letter advertising on the minivan. The Jeep will offer some new challenges, in the outback where do you plug it in? Will it survive the things people think up to challenge their "invincible Jeeps"? We still have an infrastructure problem, I can just see someone pulling into a Shell station and asking to plugin their car for a half an hour or so.
By jheylin at 2:46 PM ON 09/25/08
Too little, too late for me. Screw them.
By murc at 7:04 PM ON 09/25/08
not bad. the dodge EV is definitely an eye catcher.
the others are pretty standard...not that thats bad though...
well, GM & Chrysler have showed off their Electric cars....Ford...its your turn. (and I want to see something new...not your Flex Fuel hybrid (escape) you have been flaunting everywhere for the past year.
By lythandr at 3:00 AM ON 09/26/08
sorry to burst your bubble about this article but according to the video produced by Chrysler, the only car of the three that runs on Electricity alone is the EV sports car. The other two, the wrangler and minivan, run almost exactly like the Volt. Electric for 40 or so miles and then a gas generator to produce electricity to power the vehicle.
By rje42 at 12:05 PM ON 09/26/08
Guys get your facts straight. The Mini-van and Jeep are like the Volt. They are Extended EV systems the first 40 miles are electric and Gas generator to supply power for an extended rage of about 400 miles
By Charlie White at 1:34 PM ON 09/26/08
@Lythandr and @RJE42: Thanks for your heads-up. Sorry, I got that wrong and have corrected the article. Much appreciated!
By Obama is dangerous at 4:04 PM ON 09/26/08
This is great! We need electric cars if we are going to really break our dependence on foreign oil. Now we need the nuke, coal, solar, and wind plants to charge the batteries. We can do this.
(High speed rail too!)
By Electric Car at 3:16 AM ON 09/27/08
It is marvelous that the big guys are waking up to what the smaller auto manufacturers have been saying for so long: EV are good they are the future, and finally people's demand for them is being recognized.
By Hydrohead at 7:22 AM ON 10/02/08
I remember seeing some science/discovery channel show about trains long ago. I remember they spent a good bit of time talking about how although the train burned diesel fuel, it was actually an electric train. The diesel was used to generate the electricity. They also went in to how efficient a system this was and that the train got hundreds of miles to the gallon. I have always wondered why we did not make our cars that way too. I can' wait to try one of these vehicles out.
By godofsound at 10:19 AM ON 10/02/08
I really want an electric, and would love the EV if the price is lower than the Tesla.
Future stuff I know, but with nano tech going into solar panels, at some point, couldn't we have EVs with solar panels built into the body design that would help recharge batteries and extend distance?
By SSRacer at 10:28 AM ON 10/02/08
Don't get too excited about "chrysler's" design of the sports car. It's based on a lotus, just like the tesla.
By elizntwins at 12:00 PM ON 10/02/08
Will there ever be a vehicle that can TOW A TRAVEL TRAILER! Mine is 29 foot!
By darkfeary474 at 6:00 PM ON 10/02/08
Please Please Pleaseeeeee Let The Hybrid Vehicle Be a JEEP!!!!! I Would BE ALLLL OVer that!!!! I Love My Jeep!!!
By Theshadow at 11:25 PM ON 10/02/08
The dodge EV looks GREAT, i hope that is the one they put out. Why not all of them?
By Lambertini at 4:39 PM ON 10/03/08
Well I have always respected the Crysler designs and think they are really cool. Now that they are hopping on the electric bandwagon (Hey,car pooling..!) I say Bravo! I'm not covinced about the coal and nuke for electric power(Don't think we are responsible enough to be 100% safe...)but I am down for solar, wind and hydro.
By mikednhm at 5:01 PM ON 10/06/08
The EV looks EXACTLY like a Lotus Europa. Thats actually good cos its way better than anything DOdge has ever designed