Dodge “Developing” Another New Electric Car
Automotive News is reporting that Chrysler is readying an updated version of its Dodge EV concept for the Geneva auto show later this year.
Despite a solid PR launch of Chrysler’s ENVI electric vehicle group, the current Dodge EV is little more than UK-only Lotus Europa with Dodge badges and fly-yellow paint. This new concept, however, promises to be something more.
From Automotive News:
The Dodge EV shown in September was a Lotus-derived electric sports car. Look for the show version to have more Dodge styling cues and possibly be a four-passenger coupe.
Reading between the lines a bit, then, what can we expect from Chrysler?
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Unfortunately, probably not much (see Lotus Europa, below, to get an idea of how much effort Chrysler put into the last one).
Yes, the company did just get a four billion dollar low-interest government bailout loan, but with major product issues, labor issues, and dealer franchise issues to overcome, that 4 bil will barely keep the lights on - but, who knows? Maybe Dodge will surprise us all and produce something really revolutionary.
Also: maybe it’ll be worse than we can possibly imagine - a truly half-hearted attempt by all involved to pay lip-service to the green movement while getting down to the business of selling V8 Dodge Ram pickups.
We’ll know soon enough.
Image Credits: by cmonville and vernieman’s Flickr photostreams, under a Creative Commons License.
The Europa looks much better! Why mess up those nice lines with the stripes and all.
Stripes make it go faster! (you are SO not a boy!!)
Using an existing lightweight platform saves money that can be applied to developing the drivetrain. This is for proof of concept only (& a great looking sports car makes for good P.R.)
As far as the development of electric cars goes, we could have already been decades down the road if the handout crowd had not won the tug of war with NASA over government money.
Apparently, it’s more important to study the farting tree bat and give money to people who don’t want to earn it than it is to develop advanced battery technology.
NASA had plans to experiment with aluminum-lead alloys in zero gravity (because the two non-ferritic metals have different specific gravities that keep them from alloying on Earth). If successful, it would have been a major leap forward in battery technology, allowing for lighter, more powerful batteries. But we’ll never know, will we?
And the Politically Correct Love Machine lumbers on, plowing down anything that gets in it’s self-righteous path and forcing society to accept it’s short sighted agenda so they can feel good about themselves and go to sleep at night congratulating themselves on what amazing people they are.
Meanwhile, innovation and research that could benefit mankind and the planet suffers.
Yeah, that’s really progressive!
Half-hearted? pffft. I’ve ridden in the Dodge EV prototype. It’s not just green (or yellow), it’s fast as hell.
http://www.mpgomatic.com/2008/12/05/chevy-volt-dodge-ev-friends-on-capitol-hill/
I agree with the Nissan company that the EV will be a mainstream ultimately as electricity is the most common, available resource. All the media have reported ‘pain at the pump’ almost every day over the past years and ask “how did we get here ?” Given the overpopulation which is still growing globally, the centry-old fossil-fueled vehicles can not stand the pressure of fuel price any longer, even the hybrid failed to solve the problem. This CENTURY 21 calls for a new energy system, comprehensive investments, delayed for the 8 yrs.
THANK YOU !
My question is wether or not chrysler should be putting money into something that might never happen. At this point I don’t see a point of Chrysler existing and focusing money on the envi project instead of replacing the awful seabring is a waste of money.
@ mpgomatic - the Dodge EV is LESS than a half-hearted attempt. It was Chrysler’s gamble that the American press and eco-enthusiasts would overlook the project’s (and company’s) shortcomings simply because the car was electric - and it paid off! They got their 4 billion.
As for the Dodge EV being fast - it should be fast, it’s an electric car! All electric motors have 100% of their torque available off the line for instant throttle response and brutal off-the-line acceleration. FAST is to be expected, especially with such a light (non-Chrysler-developed) chassis and powerful (non-Chrysler-developed) motor.
(now, as for the Dodge EV being “fast as hell” … it did 0-60 in what, 5.3? Come see me at 1369 N Killian and I’ll show you fast)
@ Dodge Gordon: I would absolutely agree with you, except that Chrysler is grossly overstating the dollar-amounts spent on the ENVI program. Really, for all the positive press and attention they are getting out of the thing, it is worth the pennies they throw at it.
[...] Chrysler promised would be a real step forward from the concept Dodge EV they showed last summer (a UK-only Lotus Europa powered by a 200 kW electric motor that Dodge painted yellow and decorated wi…). I won’t keep you in suspense: it [...]