2009 Detroit Auto Show: Electric Jeeps?

Chrysler adds Jeep Patriot to electric possibilities, updates other rechargeable vehicles

DETROIT January 11, 2009; Tom Krisher writing for the AP reported that Chrysler's surprising leap into the electric car race will be recharged Sunday when the ailing automaker announces plans to add the Jeep Patriot small SUV to its stable of proposed electric vehicles.

In September, the company unveiled three rechargeable electric prototypes at its Auburn Hills headquarters and pledged to bring one of them to market sometime in 2010. The Dodge sports car, four-door Jeep Wrangler and Chrysler minivan pulled Chrysler LLC into the electric car race with prime competitors General Motors Corp. and Toyota Motor Corp., both of which also have promised plug-in electric cars by next year.

On Sunday at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Chrysler plans to announce that it has added the Patriot to its testing lineup. It also expects to share some technical advances in the vehicles, including an additional 50 kilowatts of power for the all-electric sports car and new battery technology that uses more-efficient thin plates instead of the previous generation's cylinder-shaped cells.

Doug Quigley, head of engineering for Chrysler's ENVI electric vehicle group, said in a telephone interview Thursday that the company is testing lithium-ion batteries from several manufacturers but has yet to pick a supplier.

"I'm confident we have systems and cells and modules and packs that will be successful," he said while driving a test vehicle near Detroit.

All of Chrysler's new prototypes have the flat-battery technology, which transfers heat better than the cylinders, with less weight and cost, and better energy storage capacity, Quigley said. The vehicles may appear similar to what's already been unveiled, but they have updated batteries and controls.

"Under the skin they're the latest and greatest technical software," he said.

The company picked the Patriot because it wants to hit the full spectrum of its customers, and a Patriot-size vehicle is appealing in markets worldwide, Quigley said. Although it's small for a sport utility vehicle, the Patriot seats five, has good cargo space and is considered a larger vehicle outside the U.S., he said.

Quigley said Chrysler doesn't know which of the four vehicles will come to market first because it is simultaneously testing them. He also said he couldn't predict pricing because that's largely dependent on how many batteries the company asks a supplier to make. GM's Chevrolet Volt rechargeable electric car is expected to cost $30,000 to $40,000 initially.

Chrysler's Dodge sports car is completely electric and based on Lotus Europa underpinnings, while the Wrangler, Town & Country minivan and the Patriot will be extended-range vehicles similar to the Volt.

Like the Volt, all three Chrysler vehicles are recharged by plugging them into a standard wall outlet. The sports car is supposed to have a range of up to 200 miles, while the minivan and Jeep will be able to go 40 miles on battery power alone, with a small internal-combustion engine kicking in to generate electricity and extend the range to about 400 miles.

Industry analysts say financially strapped Chrysler is smart for entering the electric car market and going plug-to-plug with its larger competitors. But conspicuously absent from Chrysler's display at the Detroit show will be any new models to go on sale this year, something that Chrysler has offered consistently for years.

Michael Robinet, vice president of global forecast services for CSM Worldwide, an auto consulting company based in Northville, Mich., blames the lack of new product for this year on a shortage of capital spending dollars. Before getting $4 billion in loans from the federal government, Chrysler had said it wouldn't have enough cash to pay its bills this month.

"Basically what they've got is product that I guess has the possibility of coming out in 2010," Robinet said. "The market's not looking for promises. The market's looking for product."

But Chrysler maintains that the electric vehicles show that it's spending in the right areas. The company also plans a new, more-efficient Jeep Grand Cherokee, a more elegant version of the 300 sedan, and revamped, more luxurious interiors on many of its models. But the new models won't come out for at least another year.

Chrysler's emphasis on electric vehicles, Quigley said, comes from talking with customers who ask when they can get one after seeing them.

"It's efficient. It's fun. It's clean. As people stare at the price of gas and wonder what's going to happen next, it takes that out of the equation."

Chrysler electric vehicle site: http://www.chryslergoeselectric.com