FACTBOX - Chrysler Joins the Electric Car Race
Date: 25-Sep-08
Country: US
On Tuesday, Chrysler LLC unveiled three electric car prototypes and said it would bring one to market by 2010.
Following are details on electric vehicle programs at the six major automakers in the US market.
* General Motors Corp
- GM plans to roll out its all-electric Chevrolet Volt plug-in car in late 2010, with full-year production of 10,000 units initially and eventually ramping up to 60,000 units.
The curvy hatchback is designed to go 40 miles on a single charge before a small, onboard engine kicks in to charge the battery. The Volt will be equipped with a T-shaped, 400-pound lithium-ion battery.
GM, which showed off the production version of the Volt this month, will choose a battery supplier by the end of this year. LG Chem unit Compact Power and a consortium of Germany's Continental AG and US-based A123 Systems are competing for the closely watched contract.
* Toyota Motor Corp
Toyota will roll out a plug-in version of its top-selling Prius hybrid at the end of 2009, making it available to fleet operators such as government agencies and universities. It has yet to set a target launch for a mass-market plug-in hybrid.
Toyota says the Prius prototypes have shown an initial all-electric cruising range of 13 kilometers (8 miles).
* Ford Motor Co
Ford is currently testing 20 plug-in versions of its Escape SUVs as part of an alliance with Edison International utility Southern California Edison. The test is expected to run for about three years.
Ford has said it sees a market for plug-in vehicles as still five years away. In the short term, Ford is focusing on improving the efficiency of gas engines by using turbochargers and other technology.
* Chrysler LLC
Chrysler plans to launch an electric vehicle for North American customers in 2010.
Chrysler showed off the prototypes for three electric vehicles -- one based on its Chrysler Town & Country minivan, one based on its Jeep Wrangler SUV and a Dodge-branded all-electric sports car.
Chrysler has yet to decide which vehicle it will manufacture first or where production will be based. It is working with A123 Systems and other battery suppliers.
Lotus Cars Ltd has been Chrysler's partner in designing the Dodge EV sports car, a model aimed at the market now dominated by privately held Tesla Motors and its US$109,000 Roadster.
* Honda Motor Co
Honda is concentrating on launching traditional hybrids, which twin battery power and a gasoline engine.
Honda will roll out its all-new Insight hybrid in April 2009. The automaker is aiming for annual sales of 200,000 units globally. The five-door, five-passenger car will be priced below the market-leading Prius.
Honda has repeatedly said that it believes the widespread use of plug-in hybrids will require more advances in battery technology.
* Nissan Motor Co
Nissan plans to start testing an all-new electric car being developed in Japan and aims for global sales of the still-unnamed battery-powered car by 2010.
Unlike GM's rechargeable Volt, Nissan's new electric car would have no back-up combustion engine, making it a zero-emission vehicle.
Nissan has formed a joint venture with NEC Corp to produce next-generation lithium-ion battery packs.
(Reporting by Soyoung Kim; Editing by Gary Hill)
