Chrysler aims to have electric cars in three to five years

[AMERICA 123]

http://uk.reuters.com/article/govern...46121020080714

Chrysler aims to have electric cars in three to five years
Mon Jul 14, 2008 9:27pm BST

By Poornima Gupta

DETROIT (Reuters) - Chrysler LLC is planning to launch all-electric vehicles in the next three to five years, the latest automaker to join the race to produce cars with fuel-saving technologies.

Chrysler's new Envi unit, which was created last September, is developing vehicles that are intended to run on battery power alone for about 40 miles, Chrysler spokesman Nick Cappa said on Monday.

"The group is looking to have a product available in the marketplace in the next three to five years," Cappa said.

Chrysler, which has lagged rivals in its hybrid strategy, is working on a new generation of hybrid vehicles with lithium-ion batteries that are lighter and store more energy than the nickel-metal hydride batteries now in wide use.

Chrysler has not yet announced any partnership for the project or for the development of the batteries.

Much more at the link.

[stormwatcher]

Probably just going to rebadge Nissan's plug-in vehicles if and when they come out.

[jkennedy293]

I wonder if Chrysler can survive long enough to see these vehicles hit the market.

[jeep2c]

Cerebus will probably just buy Telsa and mix it with Chrysler.

[91 s-10baja]

Wow that is a significant window!

[bigdav160]

Originally Posted by jeep2c

Cerebus will probably just buy Telsa and mix it with Chrysler.

I don't think they'd want Tesla.

While they do have a little experience with electric vehicles with the GEM .

They should team up with AC Propulsion . I'm pretty sure they supply Tesla with the technology.

[wildgoosechase]

It will likely be a rebadge and by the time frame the merger between Chrysler and Nissan should be complete.

[bigdav160]

Originally Posted by wildgoosechase

It will likely be a rebadge and by the time frame the merger between Chrysler and Nissan should be complete.

Make that Chrysler and Renault.

Although they haven't sold in the states in 20+ years, Renault has control of Nissan.

[rig.jockey]

You know, I always find it sad that automakers and the media make it seem like some incredibly difficult challenge to make an electric car.

People have been converting their gasoline cars to electric vehicles for over a decade. You can even find the instructions and parts list right on the internet lol.

http://www.jerryrig.com/convert/

http://www.evalbum.com/build

Here's one project that's been going on for some time now getting highschool students to convert cars into electric vehicles. It has a decent video on the site.

http://www.evchallenge.org/

And if you're lazy like me, you can even buy conversion kits where almost everything you need gets delivered to your door, like this one for a Chevy S10

http://canev.com/KitsComp/index.html

This is a link to a highschool that is on their 3rd EV conversion. The page has all the specs on the parts they've used and the range / speed the cars are putting out. ie '96 Ford Ranger - Top speed 75mph. Range 75miles @ 35mph.

http://www.evchallenge.org/05-06/200...escription.htm

From what I've read on these vehicles, it takes people anywhere from a year to as little as a weekend depending on one's knowledge, skill and time available. Now this is what gets me... if someone who isn't mechanically inclined can find all the information and instructions they need off the internet and pull off a safe working conversion in one year... and if an experienced mechanic can do the swap in a weekend... well why in the hell would it take a massive automotive company 3 to 5 years to put these things on the road ?

I don't see why they can't send a converted car to the dealerships as the first generation, then produce a vehicle that is only designed to be an electric vehicle down the road. With all their computers and specialized manufacturing equipment, an automotive company should be able to make a much better conversion to an EV than a bunch of highschool kids. If not they should close the doors now and hang their heads in shame.

[cs1992]

rig

I absolutely agree with you. If a bunch of high school kids can do it, why can't an automotive company build an electric car? Electric cars are less complex, have fewer moving parts and require less maintenance.

Car makers need to realize that there is a market for these vehicles. A car with a range of 75 miles is more than adequate for the vast majority of drivers. Car makers will argue that the battery technology is not ready...tell that to RAV-4 EV owners who are driving 10 year old SUVs with over 100k on the odometer (using NiMH batteries).

Someone please help us!

[rig.jockey]

The part that really makes me shake my head is the fact that the automotive companies all point their fingers at the batteries. Every EV conversion that I know of uses good old fashioned lead acid batteries because that's the cheapest, most widely available type to the average joe and highschools building these cars.

When plugged into 120v outlets they take 10 - 12 hours to charge, which I think is too long. But, when plugged into 240v plugs, which our stoves and dryers run off of, it only takes 5 - 6 hours. If I were buying an electric car I wouldn't mind the small cost of a 60amp 480volt outlet being installed in my house if it'll fully charge my car in 1 - 2 hours.

A smart way to do it would be to standardize the outlet, include the cost of a smart charger with the car and have the dealerships install the chargers in your home via subcontractors. It's how Home Depot gets all their installations done.