01.12
Chrysler’s movement towards sustainable vehicles is well underway with the debut of several new electric vehicles including the nimble Circuit and the new 200C at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Chrysler has promised to release at least one of their several EV concepts in the US by 2010 with more to come by 2013. Hit the jump for more info about two of these new cars.
We have seen pictures of this concept car before, however never as many as now. The Circuit takes sustainability and blends it with performance in this aggressively styled coupe. Engineers made sure that future owners of the Circuit would have all the comforts allowed to a gasoline burning car including power windows/locks, air conditioning and a solid sound system (because face it, nobody wants to listen to an electric motor whizzing down the highway). The Circuit sprints from zero to sixty in under 5 seconds (something that has my impressed), can run the 1/4 in 13 seconds and tops out at 120 miles per hour. This power is achieved by a 268 horsepower electric drive motor connected to a state-of-the-art lithium ion battery, all of which is regulated by a controller that manages energy flow. That battery is good for trips of 150 to 200 miles (depending on driving habits) and can be recharged by plugging into a standard household outlet.
I could use my own words to sum up this brand new car from Chrysler, but I instead chose the words of Frank Klegon, Executive VP of Product Development to sum up the essence of the 200C : ” Chrysler’s latest concept vehicle combines the benefits of progressive, ENVI Range-extended Electric Vehicle technology – which offers nearly zero emissions during daily commutes – with a design that boasts a combination of modern shapes, a planted athletic stance with classic overtones and an undeniably luxurious interior.” Well, now that that’s out of the way, how about a little more information on this new hybrid. In an attempt to freshen their image, the 200C was designed with subtle touches from the 300 that has earned Chrysler so much fame as well as new and elegant styling embedded with ‘Chrysler DNA’. As with the exterior, the interior was completely redesigned with comfort and quality in mind and offers a large touch screen display that carries out most driver needs. As for power, the 200C can go 40 miles on battery power alone until the small gasoline engines kicks on to power the generator. Look for a vehicles like this from Chrysler in the coming years.
Be sure to check out the other blogs about new releases at the 2009 NAIAS, as well as new ones as they are released. For some more pictures of Chrysler EV’s, check out this gallery. Big_Blocker out.
[...] pretty interesting stuff if you as me. If you want more auto show premier coverage check out past blogs to read more. Big_Blocker out. Read More Post [...]
[...] Set to be brought to dealer showrooms by late 2011, the Ampera represents GM’s hopes of keeping themselves sustainable in the global automobile market and away from bankruptcy. Powered by the newly designed Voltec drive system, the Ampera is able travel 60 km (just over 37 miles) on battery power alone. On longer trips, the small gasoline engine kicks in and recharges the battery, boosting range up to 5 fold. The sexy styling of the Ampera is derived from a couple of previous Opel concepts, most notably the GTC Concept. With such a sweet design and great practicality (it can be plugged in to any 230V household outlet for recharge), I don’t see how this could be a bad move for GM. Especially, with GM struggling so much worldwide, the Ampera looks to be a breath of fresh air in an already expanding electric vehicle market. Other companies such as Chrysler are releasing their own EV’s that can be read about in the original post. [...]