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Dodge EV Spy Shot.

The AP reports, “Chrysler LLC said Tuesday it will put an electric car on auction in North America in 2010, absolute that admitting missing out on the fizz surrounding the Chevrolet Volt, it is close and close with General Motors Corp. in the chase to put a banal electric car on America’s roads.”

The aggregation showed four prototypes of electric cars to the media yesterday. One, accepted as “the peapod,” was a golf-cart like alcove car with a top acceleration of abandoned 25 afar per hour meant primarily for use in retirement communities. Three, however, could see assembly as circadian drivers.

They cover the Dodge EV, a absolutely electric sports car based on the Lotus Europa, and a brace of Extended-Range Electric Cars — a Jeep EV based on the Wrangler SUV and a Chrysler EV based on the Town and Country minivan.

According to Autoblog, the Dodge EV “uses a 200kW or 268 agnate application electric motor akin to an ‘advanced lithium-ion array backpack and an chip ability ascendancy module.’ Peak torque is 480 lb-ft,” which gives the car a zero-to-sixty time of “less than 5 abnormal and a 120 mph top speed. Its ambit is called at amid 150 to 200 afar with recharge times of 8 hours for 110-volt outlets and four hours application a 220-volt.”

Jeep EV Preview Pics

The others are not pure-electric cars. The AP addendum that, abundant like the Volt, “the Wrangler and minivan bung into a accepted bank aperture and can go 40 afar (65 kilometers) on array ability alone, but again a baby gasoline engine bliss in to recharge the batteries. Chrysler said its cars will be able to biking up to 400 afar (640 kilometers) on 8 gallons (30 liters) of gas.”

From an engineering perspective, both are hasty choices for about-face to electric power.

Chevrolet engineers accept again fatigued the accent of aerodynamics in authoritative the Volt efficient. The Jeep Wrangler, however, has the aerodynamic contour of a assemblage of bricks. Jalopnik letters that the Jeep EV “holds a massive 27 kWh” of electricity, compared to 16 for the Volt, to advice affected this problem. Its electric motor produces the agnate of 268 application with 295 lb-ft of torque. Theoretically, it could accomplish a actual advantageous off-road vehicle. “The knee-jerk acknowledgment to an electrically motivated Jeep ability be to backfire in abhorrence at the thought, but ahead about it for a additional – best torque at aught RPM, a ability antecedent artless by orientation, and no engine babble to get in the way of your spotter’s directions.”

The Chrysler EV minivan is an abnormal best for weight reasons. The Volt may be baby abundant to be classified as a bunched car, and Chevy engineers accept formed harder to ensure that it is light, in adjustment to aerate its efficiency. Chrysler hasn’t appear the weight of the electric minivan, but we ahead it to be even added than a gasoline-powered minivan, acclimatized the weight of its batteries.

Jalopnik explains, “It’s mainly the batteries that accomplish the difference” amid the Volt and Chrysler’s minivan. “In the abstracts Chrysler appear to go forth with the Chrysler EV, the alloyed minivan is able with a 22 kWh lithium-ion array which operates at 200 kW and up to 410 volts — appreciably beyond than the electric ammunition catchbasin in the Volt. The big array gets it to the 40-mile range, but the agitative allotment is the electric motor. Clocking in at 268 HP with a whopping 480 lb-ft of torque, the minivan will hustle to sixty in a asinine 8.7 seconds.”

Chrysler EV Pictures

Despite the sex address of the Dodge and the rock-crawling abeyant of the Jeep, it’s the minivan we’re action will see assembly first. Families are acclimatized to paying a exceptional for minivans these canicule — their prices commonly battling those of affluence cars. And a ancestors hauler that could biking through a lot of canicule after application any gas, achievement aught emissions, and advance like a abundant abate auto sounds like something abounding would be accommodating to buy.

Kicking Tires notes, “Families who own minivans a lot of acceptable accept a barn and could bung a car’s ability bond into an aperture at night, and they’re acceptable to drive beneath than 40 afar a day.”

Before yesterday, Chrysler appeared to be abaft GM in the blooming car race. Today, it appears they may accept artlessly out-thought their cross-town rival.

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