Chrysler's Jim Press making big claims for upcoming EVs
Click the Dodge Zeo for a high-res gallery
Chrysler's co-president continued to talk up his employer's plans for electrically-driven vehicles this week at a media luncheon in California. Press told the gathering that he had driven three different producible prototypes of plug-in hybrid vehicles recently. The vehicles have been developed by the new ENVI unit that was established in late 2007 specifically to work on electric vehicles. According to Press, the vehicles can accelerate from 0-60 mph in four seconds and have a range of over 300 miles. Press hasn't said when these vehicles would be built, but earlier this summer, company officials indicated a 3-5 year timeline to produce such vehicles. If so that would put the company at least 1-2 years behind the expected launch of the Chevrolet Volt and a potential plug-in version of the Toyota Prius. For production, it's likely that the performance of the cars would be dialed back significantly in order to increase electric range although a higher-performance Dodge vehicle is not out of the question.
Gallery: Dodge Zeo Concept
Gallery: Chrysler EcoVoyager Concept
[Source: Los Angeles Times]
Photos Copyright ©2008 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Nixon 1:01PM (9/11/2008)
In other words, it will take Chrysler 3-5 years to make an ugly copy of a Tesla Roadster.
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tankd0g 8:16PM (9/11/2008)
Well that's fair I guess, it took Tesla longer to make an uglied up version of an Elise with a electric motor in it.
GoodCheer 1:10PM (9/11/2008)
"it's likely that the performance of the cars would be dialed back significantly in order to increase electric range"
How would that work again?
Electric drive Sam, electric drive: The higher spec the power electronics and the motor, the lower the impedance, so the lower the losses and the higher the electric range.
If performance is cut it's to save money, not to increase range.
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tankd0g 8:16PM (9/11/2008)
You simply limit the amount of current the driver has available to him, instant range increase at the expense of the 0-60 time and top speed.
Electric performance cars are ridiculous anyway. Who the hell wants a sports car that smells of ozone, has no gears to shift and has no exhaust note?
Chris M 2:22AM (9/12/2008)
IC engines have their peak efficiency in a rather narrow speed band, and that is well below their peak power output, so a high performance gasser isn't very efficient.
Electric motors, on the other hand, retain high efficiency over a very wide range of speed and power output, so reducing performance really doesn't help increase range (except perhaps by spending less time traveling at high speeds). The main limitation to EV performance is the power output of the batteries and the weight of the vehicle. That's why the EV1 got a respectable 0-60 mph in 8 sec., and the Tesla Roadster gets 0 to 60 in 3.9
Tankdog: For their revised powertrain ver. 1.5, Tesla Motors increased the current and reduced the voltage to the motor at low speeds, boosting low speed torque. The improvements in ver. 1.5 actually boosted the official EPA range by 20 miles to 240 miles per charge. Also, since the Tesla AC Induction motor is brushless and has no sparking or arcing, it does not produce any ozone.
Some people may not want quiet power for their car, but I do.
gorr 1:13PM (9/11/2008)
The performance numbers don't neccessarilly impede the driving range, electric vehicules don't mimic the conventionnal ice engine where performance impede economy of usage. If you drive slow then the range should be the same if you have a lot of power or not in the electrics motors. IT's the battery that is important. Ice engine on the contrary needs to be big and heavy
to give power and if you drive slow it will cost more gas then a small engine.
Big electric motors bolted to each of the 4 wheels should give better efficiency for the regenerative breaking too where all the sudden breaking energy is converted to electrical energy better with 4 powerful electric motor the just 1 or 2 small electric motors.
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Bob Seeley 2:11PM (9/11/2008)
Without a doubt the sweetest looking EV to date. Whether it will see a dealer's showroom floor anytime within the next decade is questionable.
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Jason 4:19PM (9/11/2008)
By the time it gets to a dealer showroom it will look like a warmed-over Prius, same as the Volt:-(
cazancoz 7:20PM (9/11/2008)
@Jason: Well hopefully not. One of these days the manufacturers will hopefully realize that mid-age women are not the only ones that want to drive hybrids/EVs.
(I may be incorrect, it's just that most of the time I pass by a Prius I see a woman in her 40's 50's driving it.)
I think the Volt looked much better in the beginning of its showing. It had a much bolder, sporty look. It was love at first sight for me. HOWEVER, I think in the latest pictures, it still looks acceptable. It's not as sexy as it was, but much better than the Prius, or the soon to come Honda Insight. It kind of looks like a Scion.
cazancoz 2:21PM (9/11/2008)
I actually think the Zeo looks pretty cool, and 3-5 years is not that long. And lets not compare it with the Tesla just because it looks sporty .. the Tesla costs +$100,000 and has very limited availability right now.
Hopefully Dodge doesn't plan to sell its vehicles at more than $50,000 or so. Even that is steep. I can't see many people shelling out more than that on a Dodge in 3-5 years, when more and more EVs will be available.
I'm really glad to see more companies going down this route though. Props to Dodge.. if they are serious, and not just getting some publicity for something they never intend to build.
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GoodCheer 2:51PM (9/11/2008)
Actually that's an interesting point.
Could this be introduced as a version of a Viper, with those specs intact, and be sold for ~$50-60k?
Many of us think the business model of Tesla makes sense... sell at a price that you need, sell a product that's worth that price. Why couldn't Dodge do that too?
cazancoz 7:40PM (9/11/2008)
Well, Tesla is a new company, with their only model being an electric Lotus - different brand appeal than Dodge. When I think dodge, I think minivan, trucks. Maybe I'm a bit biased, because for some reason, when I think of what car I would buy, Dodge never makes it on the list. I've never been a fan of the Viper either.
Maybe the Tesla business model makes sense... it doesn't appeal to me because I'm a 22 year old student who won't have 100k to spare anytime soon. But the average American doesn't have 100k to spare either. And I understand the car isn't aimed at the average American, but if you can manufacture an all electric family car and price it at 40,000, maybe even 50,000, then a lot more people might find it possible to buy it. And I guess they are doing that in the future.
If it comes out already, the Chevy Volt should show us how many people are willing to spend ~$40,000 for this type of vehicles. If they release it at a good time (perhaps while gas is on a quick rise) I'm betting it will sell out quick. I'm already saving up for one. Hopefully gas will continue to pick up in price, so the masses will start hating it even more.
rob 6:57PM (9/11/2008)
"and a range of over 300 miles."
Errr, I should hope so, given it still has a gas motor... Say, a 5 1/2 gallon tank should suffice?
And FWIW, putting oversized electric motors in a car does have some penalties. For one, they get bigger and heavier, meaning you have more weight to accelerate, decelerate and attempt to change direction. Your drive electronics also get bigger and heavier (and hotter). For another, an (synchronous AC) electric motor is at it's peak efficiency at rated load. Efficiency drops off at part-load. Granted, it's way, way better than a gas motor through a slushbox, but for pure electrics we are likely going to be energy storage-constrained for the foreseeable future. Why hurt range and bump the price unnecessarily?
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Chris M 2:34AM (9/12/2008)
If the efficiency of synchronous AC motors drops off at partial load, that could be another reason why many EV makers chose AC induction motors instead. With a well designed controller, AC induction motors offer precise control of torque and power at very high efficiency.