Chrysler concepts electric-powered

DETROIT–Chrysler recharged its surprising leap into the electric car race Sunday when the ailing automaker announced plans to add the Jeep Patriot small SUV to its stable of proposed electric vehicles.

The company also unveiled a concept version of an electric-powered sedan, with executives saying the vehicles represent Chrysler's commitment to investing in future products and spending taxpayer loan money well.

"We've gone through some tough times, we've made good progress on our major restructuring. ... At Chrysler, we're executing a prosperity plan. We've continued to invest in products," Chrysler LLC vice-chair Jim Press told reporters.

"We now have a special bond with the American public, and we're committed to fulfilling our side of the bargain.''

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 put Chrysler LLC in 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 announced that it has added the Patriot to its testing lineup. It also has some new 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.

The 200C EV concept that Chrysler unveiled Sunday also could be made as a hybrid or with a six-cylinder engine. The interior of the four-door, rear-wheel drive sedan is free of switches or levers, with functions managed via a panoramic touch screen and other interactive components.

"It represents an inspired and soulful look at what a Chrysler sedan should be," Press said.

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's chief executive Robert Nardelli defended the company's efforts following Sunday's news conference.

"We're on a major restructuring program, but not to short circuit the fact that we are continuing at a rapid pace of introducing new vehicles," Nardelli said. "We're a car company. That's what we're all about.

"The restructuring allows us to economically be able to produce these vehicles, but we are not cutting back on new product introduction, new technology and innovation, as evidenced here.''

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.''

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