Chrysler Releases “New” Dodge Circuit Electric Car - Still No Tesla
This has been a Lotus/Chrysler-heavy blog in the past few days, but let’s face it: if you’re talking advanced automotive technology and lightweight engineering, you’re talking about Lotus Cars - and if you’re talking highly-anticipated new electric vehicles at Detroit’s 2009 NAIAS auto show, you’re talking about Chrysler’s ENVI electric-vehicle program.
The car shown above is the Dodge Circuit, which 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 with cheap vinyl stickers). I won’t keep you in suspense: it ain’t.
More - including Chrysler’s official press release and some official photography - after the jump.
- » See also: Factory Five Electric ‘33 Ford Roadster Debuts at SEMA
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The technical/engineering changes made to Chrysler’s sporty EV since last summer (previously shown here) can be summed up in four words: they moved the plug.
That’s right: six months and billions of tax-payer dollars later, Chrysler’s ENVI division seriously expects the public at large to accept the same A123 battery pack and 200 kW electric-motored Lotus with snazzy-paint as an eco-holy flagship for the Dodge brand. Granted, this car does have a new “crosshair” grille in the front bumper to make it look more like a Dodge product … but the whole point of having a grille opening in the front of a conventional car is to direct cooling air to the car’s radiator.
The Dodge Circuit EV doesn’t have a radiator.
More than anything else, the bizarre inclusion of a crosshair grille sheds light on what this car really means to Chrysler management: it is a marketing exercise (at best) and a con (at worst).
How do I really feel? I commented last week that I feared this concept car would be “a truly half-hearted attempt by all involved to pay lip-service to the green movement while getting down to the business of selling (more profitable gas-guzzlers).” I only wish I had been less right.
Don’t get me wrong - I know, just KNOW that Chrysler can build a winning hybrid/electric vehicle … but this isn’t it. (hint: it’s a minivan!)
Chrysler’s official propaganda press release below. Photos courtesy of Chrysler.
Dodge Circuit EV
Dodge Circuit EV: Brand new version of all-electric sports car boasts unique, fearless Dodge design
All-electric vehicle delivers sports car performance with zero gasoline consumption, zero tailpipe emissions and 150-200 mile driving range
The Dodge Circuit EV displays bold exterior and interior styling with outstanding performance, zero gasoline consumption and zero tailpipe emissions.
The Dodge Circuit EV design screams pure sports car from every angle. The Dodge Circuit EV’s profile demonstrates perfect proportions for balanced handling, placing the driver and passenger midway along the wheelbase. At the front of the vehicle, the distinctive Dodge crosshair grille splits the wind, sending it over the long, low hood and cleanly over the windshield and cockpit. The body sides feature a deep scallop, providing visual depth and also a functional rear-brake air duct. At the rear, the functional elements blend with design to create a uniform finish.
“The exterior styling of the Dodge Circuit EV mates bold Dodge styling to the no-compromise performance attributes of an all-electric performance sports car,” said Ralph Gilles, Vice President – Design, Chrysler LLC. “The Dodge Circuit EV offers an extremely fun-to-drive, expressive sports car without fuel consumption and with virtually no impact on the environment.”
The Dodge Circuit EV is adorned in all-new “Tangoreen” exterior color, wearing large “EV” graphics on both sides of the sports car.
The uncomplicated interior of the Dodge Circuit EV delivers a combination of pure function and athletic refinement. The cockpit design puts complete control of the car at the driver’s fingertips. Nestled within a leather-covered instrument cluster are two primary analog-face gauges. A digital display conveys information regarding the electric-drive system.
The seats feature deep bolsters and are covered in premium leather. The same premium leather covers the center console and the width of the instrument panel.
The Dodge Circuit EV delivers all of the convenience features of a performance sports car, including premium sound system, power windows and door locks, air conditioning, speed control.
Propelled by a completely electric ENVI drivetrain, the Dodge Circuit EV posts impressive performance numbers:
0-60 mph in less than 5 seconds
¼-mile in 13 seconds
Top speed of more than 120 mph
Perhaps the most impressive Dodge Circuit EV number, however, is zero. That’s how much gasoline the vehicle consumes while providing exhilarating sports car performance. It’s also how much tailpipe emissions are produced.
The Dodge Circuit EV utilizes just three powertrain components. These include a 200 kW (268 horsepower) electric motor to drive the wheels, an advanced lithium-ion battery system to power the electric-drive motor, and a controller that manages energy flow.
Working with the latest advanced lithium-ion battery technology, the Dodge Circuit EV has a driving range of 150 to 200 miles between charges – more than triple the average daily commute of most consumers. Recharging the vehicle is a simple one-step process: plugging into a standard 110-volt household outlet. The recharge time can be cut in half by using a typical 220-volt household appliance power outlet.
The Dodge Circuit EV offers driving enthusiasts a performance sports car that can be driven to work every day – without consuming gasoline or producing tailpipe emissions.
Dodge Circuit EV – Vehicle Specifications
Vehicle Type Battery Electric Vehicle,
2-passenger performance coupe
Weight and Dimensions
Length 153.5 inches / 3900 mm
Width 67.5 inches / 1714 mm
Height 45.3 inches / 1150 mm
Wheelbase 91.7 inches / 2330 mm
Track front / rear 57.4 inches / 1457 mm 58.7 inches / 1490 mm
Turn circle 38.0 feet / 11.6 m
Powertrain and Suspension
Layout Rear-wheel drive
Motor Power: 200 kW (268 hp)
Regenerative braking
Battery Lithium-ion battery
Suspension Front - Independent
Rear - Independent
Wheels and Tires
Tire size front P195 / 45ZR17 23.9 inches / 607 mm
Tire size rear P235 / 40ZR18 25.4 inches / 645 mm
Color Scheme
Exterior Tangoreen
Interior Black Leather with Satin Silver accents
Key Performance Attributes
0-60 mph (0-100 kph) less than 5 seconds
Standing ¼-mile low-13 seconds
Top speed greater than 120 mph (approximately 193 kph)
All-electric range 150-200 miles (approximately 241-322 km)
I think a major development is the 0-60mph in less than 5 seconds now, before it was 6 seconds.
I don’t have a fetish for 0-60 times, but the rich, Porsche and Ferrari driving people do. If these car companies can consistently beat Ferrari times with their much cheaper electrics, there will be a huge long-tern consumer psychological shift towards believing in and buying electrics.
I agree that the grill is a stupid addition as well - I’m sure that unnecessarily hurts the aerodynamics some too…
My next new car will most likely be a fully electric vehicle - I’m getting tired of radiator problems here in Vegas, fuel pump issues, etc.
The car companies should get together and standardize their electric designs to work with generic, interchangeable, tow-able or bolt-on range extending motors. This would initially cut about $5K off of the cost of “serial hybrids”. Imagine the Chevy Volt initially only costing $25-35K, with the option to add the range extender to the back of the car (store it in your garage and temporarily add it on like those bolted-on electric wheelchair carriers are - when you need it).
Antonio that interchangeable range-extender is a great idea, as long as it’s not a towable. I would never fully welcome a towable solution behind a sporty car like this, or even on a sedan if I wanted to take a road trip. If it was part of the car (like, it went in the trunk, for example - or even on the roof, maybe) I would be all for it.
You wouldn’t even have to buy these - they could be rentals! (U-Haul could sell them as “U-go”s!!)
Also: sorry to ignore this before: the newly quoted 0-60 times do not represent technical developments. The car was initially rushed out to press, and it is very likely that no tests were conducted.
I would like to see automakers invest in practical, pure electric vehicles. Why not take a Toyota Yaris, Chevy Aveo, or any manufacture’s smallest vehicles and make them into pure electric vehicles? Maybe improve the coefficient of drag a little in the process to increase range. For example, if an Electric Toyota Yaris Sedan or Hatchback were available with a range of 200 mi, at a cruising speed of 80 mph, people would be all over it. A fairly well-equipped Yaris (yes, we own one and love the 40 mpg hwy we get) is only about $15,000. If they made the electric I describe and sold it for $25,000 or even $30,000, people would buy it. The US government might have to help a little initially with a $10,000 tax credit or similar, but that would be a small price to pay to get this industry off the ground.
Unfortunately, the Chevy Volt (which I was very excited about initially) is too heavy, and still ties you to the gas pump. If they cut 1,000+ pounds out of it and eliminated the gasoline engine, it might have hope yet. I do admire the battery selection process they went through. Maybe they could re-sell the battery packs to people who are willing to make a practical pure electric vehicle?
Jo, you need to get out of the garage where you push overpriced gas-guzzlers for a living and go talk to the folks that built this car.
I have.
It sure seems like you’re blowing smoke when you say that “the newly quoted 0-60 times do not represent technical developments. The car was initially rushed out to press, and it is very likely that no tests were conducted.”
I know for a fact that they’ve swapped out the original motor.
TIME WILL TELL WHO LEADS IN THE ALL ELECTRIC MARKET…HOPEFULLY ALL THE SPECS ON THIS VEHICLE ARE CLOSE TO REAL.
IT IS A COOL LOOKING RIDE AND I WILL GET ONE IF IT CHECKS OUT.
@mpgomatic
If the ENVI team swapped out the motor, they didn’t reveal it in the specs when they should have been shouting it from the rooftops. Speaking as a skeptic (of Chrysler and Cerberus), that omission raises too many questions. I’ll say again: if they swapped the motor, they did it quietly. In politics (which is ALL this car is and represents) when you do something quietly, it’s because you don’t want anyone to notice.
ENVI is a smokescreen. Behind ENVI and the PR it generates is a simple truth: Chrysler cannot continue on its own.
Well I wonder how the merger with Fiat will affect the whole ENVI project?
THIS LOOKS A LOT LIKE THE LOTUS EUROPA… CHECK IT OUT! THERE EXACTELY THE SAME!!!
AAHHHHH Why does it have a grill???? New powertrain architecture demands an exterior that takes advantage of new aerodynamic flexibility instead of paying lip service to its ICE inhibited ancestors!!!!
I’m not a hippie and I love guns but seriously, can we be mature enough to stop worshipping the ICE when something better is available.
By the way do you have a better suggestion than A123 for Chrysler’s batteries? Higher energy densities are certainly out there but it’s the cycle life that will make or break the long term reputation (and usefulness) of EV’s.