Chrysler: Half of all cars electric by 2020
Click above for a high-res gallery of the Dodge EV
We've taken a good look at each of the three electric vehicle concepts that Chrysler took the wraps off of last week, plus one extra for good measure. For various reasons, none of these vehicles really seems quite ready for prime time - one is based on a Lotus sportscar chassis, two require huge battery packs and the last is limited to 25 miles per hour. Tough bring those to market. Still, Chrysler says it plans to launch one of them by 2010 in the U.S. with European delivery scheduled a bit later. We'll see. If that does happen, Chrysler's EV would join the Chevy Volt as the first mainstream(-ish) cars in the States not powered by gasoline in a very, very long time.
If Chrysler's predictions are accurate, though, don't expect the market to stay petroleum-dependent for long. In fact, Chrysler's executive vice president of product development, Frank Klegon, has said that half the cars sold here in 2020 will feature electric power. That's a long way to go in just a decade. In any case, the future promises lots of interesting things for the domestic auto market.
Gallery: 2011 Chrysler EVs
[Source: Automotive News Europe - sub. req'd]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
tankd0g 11:40AM (9/29/2008)
Maybe after Tata picks them up for $25 million in 2013.
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kert 11:55AM (9/29/2008)
Half of all Chrysler cars by 2020 .. like all ten units produced ? ;)
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Jim Mbongo 1:27PM (9/29/2008)
They should start building one first!
Frank Klegon knows better than anyone else that by 2020, there is a huge probability that he won't be there anymore. Also, as said in the article, for various reasons, none of these vehicles really seems quite ready for prime time - one is based on a Lotus sportscar chassis, two require huge battery packs and the last is limited to 25 miles per hour.
So, what is this propaganda for?
Does Mr. Frank Klegon think that with this kind of announcement (propaganda), he serves better Chrysler?
I'm not sure and I don't think that the answer is YES! Sorry Frank!
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Sasparilla 1:32PM (9/29/2008)
It seems like all the electric car fluff coming from Chrysler is just that, fluff. They don't have the money to develop much of anything or the time (you don't develop a production electric car in a year and a half. Maybe they're wanting to make sure possible future investors think they have a future and don't write them off.
Out of the big 3, Chrysler made the biggest bet as a company on big engine / power being their trademark and are in the worst financial position of the big three as a result. Now developing new vehicles, particularly new platform/new technology vehicles is expensive. I don't see where that money would be coming from.
They might be able to swing the rebadged electrified Lotus ala Tesla - that would seem to be the cheapest of the alternatives - but they would be expensive, you won't sell 50,000 of those a year.
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Galley 7:36AM (9/30/2008)
I would hope that all vehicles would be electric by then.
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WJ 1:40PM (9/30/2008)
My question is where is all the electric power going to come from necessary to charge these cars? It sure ain't going to be from the wind.
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paulwesterberg 2:26PM (12/17/2008)
Why not wind power? The plains states, great lakes and coastal areas offer vast areas with great wind power potential. Wind turbines pay for themselves in 5 years. It costs me .01 extra for wind power per kwh.
The wind blows at night, but most people are sleeping and not using much power, seems like a good time to have your car plugged into wind power.