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Chrysler Group LLC today
announced its plans to engineer
and produce a pure electric
vehicle using the Fiat 500
platform. Shown earlier this
year at the 2010 North American
International Auto Show, the
Fiat 500EV demonstrates the
immediate benefits of the
alliance between Chrysler Group
and the Fiat Group as well as
the speed at which the two
companies can work together on
advanced vehicle programs.
“The alliance with Fiat
presented new opportunities to
merge Chrysler Group engineering
knowledge with new platforms and
the Fiat 500EV is an outstanding
example of our efforts,” said
Scott Kunselman, Senior Vice
President Engineering—Chrysler
Group LLC. “The Fiat 500 is a
small, lightweight platform
perfect for integrating
electric-vehicle technology.”
The Fiat 500EV powertrain is
comprised of three main systems;
high power electric powertrain
module, advance lithium ion
battery, and an EV control unit
to manage power flows. Beginning
in 2012, Chrysler Group will
manufacture the Fiat 500EV for
the United States market. All
powertrain engineering and
vehicle development will take
place at Chrysler Group
headquarters in Auburn Hills,
Mich. Pricing will be announced
closer to launch, but will be
competitive with similar
electric vehicles in the market.
Chrysler Group is the vehicle
electrification center of
competence for both Chrysler
Group and Fiat Group. The
company is exploring ways to
promote zero-emission
transportation and the
development of an
electric-vehicle charging
infrastructure through
partnerships to be announced in
the future.
Last year Chrysler Group
announced the company’s
intention to build the Fiat 500
with a combustion engine for
North America. The vehicle will
debut in late 2010.
Ram Plug-in
Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV)
Chrysler Group has been selected
for a U.S. Department of Energy
(DOE) grant of up to $48 million
as part of a $2.4 billion
American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act DOE Vehicle
Electrification program.
Chrysler Group is planning to
build a total of 140 Ram PHEVs
for a three-year demonstration
project that includes various
geographic and climatic
locations across the United
States.
“This initiative represents how
government, automotive industry,
suppliers and key partners are
reaching common goals and
demonstrates how rapidly this
type of advanced technology can
be brought to market,” said
Paolo Ferrero, Senior Vice
President—Powertrain, Chrysler
Group LLC. “DOE-support for
domestic advanced technology is
an important enabler for
Chrysler Group and its key
suppliers in order to understand
and test customer acceptance and
the capability of PHEV systems
in a variety of real-world
conditions.”
The Ram PHEV features Chrysler
Group’s 5.7-liter HEMI V-8 with
a two mode hybrid transmission
and a 12KwHr lithium ion
battery. The vehicle is capable
of up to 20 miles of
zero-emission, pure-electric
range without the need for
gasoline. An overall fuel
economy improvement more than 65
percent is expected for average
drive cycles. Chrysler Group has
partnered with Electrovaya Inc.
to supply the advanced lithium
Ion batteries for the Ram PHEV
test fleet.
The DOE grant will expedite the
development of
vehicle-electrification
technology. More than 21
Chrysler Group partners across
the U.S., including utility
companies, government agencies
and Universities will
independently test the Ram PHEV
and provide valuable data for
the advancement of the
technology.
In
2008, Chrysler Group announced
the company’s intention to bring
a Ram Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV)
to market. After closely
evaluating the response to
hybrid pickups in the
marketplace, the company could
not formulate an appropriate
business case and has decided to
cancel development work on the
2011 Ram HEV.
Chrysler Group’s alliance with
Fiat Group brings new platforms
and technologies that allow the
company to create an improved
long-term product strategy with
greater fuel efficiency and
reduced emissions. Chrysler
Group’s five-year plan has an
uncompromising product schedule,
including a progressive vehicle
electrification strategy. |
