Chrysler to Launch ‘PeaPod’ Electric Cars Worldwide in 2010
Chrysler has announced plans to launch its PeaPod electric car worldwide in 2010. The compact city EV will be available as a one-seater, a two-seater or a utility van, at prices starting from around $20,000.
Developed by Chrysler-owned Green Eco Mobility (GEM), the PeaPod is capable of travelling 40 miles on a single charge. According to the company’s innovation chief, Peter Arnell, this is more than enough for most daily commutes.
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In an effort to cut costs, and keep life-cycle CO2 emissions to a minimum, Chrysler plans to build the PeaPod in exisiting factories located as close to its key markets as possible. Depending on the success of the launch, company boss Bob Nardelli has hinted that similar technology could be used in mainstream Chrysler models in the future.
The competition is likely to keep a close eye on the reception for the PeaPod, especially given its potential niche appeal as a quirky and (fairly) affordable EV for urban use.
Image Credit – Chrysler
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October 22nd, 2008 at 10:43 pm
Why does Chrysler hate electric cars? Do they really think that an ugly and very expensive golf cart is going to sell? This is just plain weird
October 23rd, 2008 at 1:06 am
I doubt it will be produced in large numbers.
A mass-market electric car needs to be:
- Nice
- Decently priced
- Enough space for the kids and groceries.
October 23rd, 2008 at 2:40 am
Chrysler has all this new substantially different product we never heard of before coming out in 2010. This micro car, the electric vehicles and range extended electric vehicles.
I have to wonder if the new owners of Chrysler have written checks, Chrysler can’t cash. It might explain why they are trying to get out of the car business and using the carrot and the stick to get GM to buy Chrysler.
Then it will be left to GM to explain why all these products don’t happen.
October 23rd, 2008 at 6:12 am
http://www.hytechapps.com
FU Chrysler, pathetic scab. The day will come when you’re on your knees.
Water engines running on H20 and nothing cost $7000 from Aquygen.
Nikola Tesla’s 1930 Pierce Arrow was an electric car that went 90mph.
You’re holding back on us. Does your girlfriend approve of that? She could be mine.
The first company to make a real and decent electric car could wash the others away. POP! 2009 TOYOTA ELECTRIC CAR 300 miles on a charge, goes 75 mph, seats 5, $25,000. Could they do it for the retail?
And any other.
October 23rd, 2008 at 5:07 pm
OK, Gas 2.0. It is now beyond time for you to either require links to backup wild claims such as “runs on water” or to headline these comments with
“UNDOCUMENTED”
he documentation that I should especially like to see is that for Nikola Tesla’s “Pierce Arrow” electric car. The year is good, but I have never before seen any claim that Pierce Arrows were “electric”.
October 23rd, 2008 at 5:31 pm
This is without a doubt the stupidest-looking vehicle I’ve ever seen. $20k for this grinning moron of a “smart” car?
Why not just wear a t-shirt that reads, “Hi! I’m a buffoon. Please, take my money?”
Honoestly, it looks like a hydrocephalic extra-chromosome golfcart.
October 23rd, 2008 at 5:46 pm
It looks like something from a Woody Allen movie from two decades ago. We’re supposed to evolve, not go back to the 1920’s. This car, if you can call it that, looks ridiculous. Are there holes in the floor for Fred’s feet to make it go?
October 23rd, 2008 at 6:37 pm
I like it although 20 grand is steep. The majority of my transportation is around town and a motorscooter would do if it wasn’t for nasty weather and fear of easy injury.
October 23rd, 2008 at 7:24 pm
I look like some japanese guy design it.
October 23rd, 2008 at 10:08 pm
20 Grand? For that? It better drive itself and include an orgasmatron as standard equipment.
October 24th, 2008 at 5:00 am
BS ALERT !!!!
William writes: “Water engines running on H20 and nothing cost $7000 from Aquygen.”
Looked at your site. This looks a lot like the carbide scam that my great grandfather told me about when I was a kid. You fill a car’s gas tank with water, throw in some carbide chunks. The chemical reaction between water and carbide (the energy is coming from the carbide by the way) releases hydrogen and oxygen gas, which will allow the car to run for a brief time … until the engine is destroyed.
The fact is water contains no energy. The energy was released making the water. Water is basically the ashes of a hydrogen/oxygen fire.
The fact is the only vehicle that runs on H2O and nothing is a canoe.
You and your Aquygen are a scam.
October 24th, 2008 at 2:56 pm
A forty mile range on a single charge is nothing to brag about. Not that I would buy this goofy looking thing, but my daily commute is 50 miles, and I know a very large portion of my fellow commuters, here in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area. The traffic is brutal (we have a huge population of, um…guest workers here that can’t drive worth a tinker’s damn), this little thingy would end up being a traffic hazard.
I know the auto companies tap the various colleges and technical institutes for young talent, but perhaps they should drug screen them before turning them loose on the design tables! This thing looks like a vision from a bad acid trip!
October 24th, 2008 at 4:15 pm
Waaaay toooo expensive!!!
November 3rd, 2008 at 1:50 pm
This so called peapod from chrysler.
1st is overrrrr priceeee. are they going to tell me that that car cost $20000 people would be foolish to pay that much for a car we know does not cost more than $6000 to built.
November 3rd, 2008 at 2:13 pm
this is just a wet dream. Chrysler will be non existent in 6 months. Goodbye UAW and FU.
November 4th, 2008 at 5:45 am
Ok i find this car a waste of time and money…
only 25 miles per hour?? it is useless.. it really doesn’t solve energy problems since you still need to plug it in.. Im better off riding a scooter on a 30 mile round trip..
November 5th, 2008 at 4:43 pm
although i approve of this…why do they have to make it look so stupid?
November 7th, 2008 at 8:35 pm
For all of you who hate this silly little golf cart, would you like it better if you knew that it cost $10,000 and less than the equivalent of $1 per gallon of gas, and your registration fees and insurance were less than half of what you’re paying now. That’s what this car was designed to be. Chrysler is getting greedy, and THAT is what will kill this car. How smart is it to be paying $50,000 for your BMW’s that you get to drive in the city at 18 mph on average. Fred Flintstone had the right idea.
November 9th, 2008 at 11:53 am
Might as well buy a golf cart for a few grand and add a plastic shell on it. Chrysler is obviously not serious with this and the price is ridiculous. Maybe they got a grant and they have to pretend like they are doing something. The Chinese electric cars will cost half of that, look normal and seat 4 or 5. I’m waiting for those.
btw) I was going to buy a new conventional small gasoline engine car to tide me over until the electrics are improved but the dealers are getting greedy too. I checked different brands with car “cash” prices around $12,000 but the air and automatic (mainly for the wife) added close to $5000 more. On top of that, the dealers wanted another $1300 to $1600 for “dealer prep” and freight for cars already on the lot and a couple also said they would add an administration fee of $299. Then I have to pay taxes on top of all those “not in the base price” extra hidden fees. Are they nuts? That’s why I walked out and didn’t buy.
The new car dealers are killing the industry by inflating prices and trying to make extra bucks from all kinds of add-on charges. In one dealership, the salesmen leaned over and whispered to me as he looked back over his shoulder at the so called manager “I can get that $300 admin fee waved for you”. I said “don’t bother it’s a suckers fee only your company is trying to add this on and your freight fees are more than the others” and I walked out.
November 12th, 2008 at 9:36 am
My question – why do they have to make electric cars so dang ugly? I mean come on – look at the thing – it looks like a tick to me.
November 17th, 2008 at 3:36 am
Don’t think this is a good idea, too small, to ugly, to expensive, just totally too yesterday.
Lets step up your game. Come with something that would really WOW me. This just doesn’t. Not impressed.
November 17th, 2008 at 4:46 am
This ain’t no golf cart. I have an Yamaha electric golfcart that will go 45 mph and a gas golfcart that will do 65 mph. This doesn’t fit into the golf cart caterogy at a whopping 25 mph. If you are worried about registering and insuring your vehicals and this saves you a buck more power to ya. If my car only went 25 mph I’d probly take up hitch hiking. Now thats a savings right there and I’ll pass myself on the way.
November 21st, 2008 at 12:30 am
With this kind of prototype coming down the pipe for
2010, they will need another 25,000000000000.00 to
keep up with the competition.
November 21st, 2008 at 8:23 pm
too bad chrysler’s about to go under. this will never happen. they dont have the money to mass produce these. it’s just an expensive knockoff of the Smart fourtoo. i’d rather pay 18k for one of those fully loaded.
November 22nd, 2008 at 3:30 pm
This is a great idea but cost of vehicle & range at this time I think is prohibitive.
November 23rd, 2008 at 1:54 pm
Think about it, it’s an ugly, smiling, ridiculous looking see-through skate, but small enough that when you die, they could just drop you in the ground in it!
December 31st, 2008 at 6:27 am
[...] has been working on EVs for the past 10 years and has a pretty cool car coming down the line (although we’ll see how Chrysler weathers our current economic storm). I [...]
February 10th, 2009 at 6:48 am
Love it!!! Can’t wait to take it for a spin
Price tag is a little high if you’re pricing the one seater starting at $20 grand??? Hope this happens!!!
March 3rd, 2009 at 9:56 pm
These misplaced commentators miss the point entirely! This is NOT an everyone’s car! The point being missed here is that Chrysler is already the number one producer of street worthy electric cars in the US, from their GEM division. The Peapod is a “pretty GEM, with a more comfortable interior. It seats 2 or 4, not 1 or 2, and costs about the same as a GEM with hard doors, already available. The Peapod will make it possible for Chrysler to continue to produce the larger, less fuel efficient vehicles, since the Peapod adds to the total CAGE. They also have the ENVI program of electric vehicles and an all new fuel efficient Phoenix V8 coming. The 200EV, shown at Detroit Auto Show, is coming. A host of new products will be introduced over the next 3 years. No, Chrysler will NOT become part of GM…GM cannot afford Chrysler and is in worse shape money wise and management wise. Get with it!
April 22nd, 2009 at 12:40 pm
I like the idea, but the price seems really high.
It probably will meet a certain niche audience, and I would love to see the target marketing plan for it.
What is the age range – geographic area – income range etc.
Cheers