After reading news this morning that Chrysler and Lotus are teaming up to produce an electric vehicle, I’ve been checking the Chrysler LLC Media Site waiting for the official press release which was slated for 1pm Eastern.  Sure enough, Chrysler was on time with this exciting announcement.  Chrysler plans to have a Town & Country Range-extended electric vehicle, a Jeep Wrangler Range-extended electric vehicle and an all-electric performance sports car under the Dodge brand. This is all in addition to the exciting Chrysler ecoVoyager concept.

Dodge Electric Vehicle

The planned Dodge EV will be a rear-wheel-drive sports car that seats two and has zero tailpipe emissions.  The prototype has 268 horsepower and a whopping 480 lb-ft of torque sending this Dodge EV from zero to 60 in under five seconds and a 13 second quarter mile time.  All of this comes with a driving range of 150-200 miles on an eight hour charge at 110 volts (four hours at 220 volts).  Pricing isn’t set on this vehicle but I’m guessing it will be in competition with the Tesla Roadster.

Jeep Electric Vehicle

“The Jeep EV combines Wrangler’s unmatched off-road capability with the ultimate “Tread Lightly” mindset by providing nature ambassadors with the ability to roam the planet and take care of it at the same time.”  (Source:  Chrysler LLC)  The Jeep Wrangler EV will have an engine capable of producing 268 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque.  

Chrysler Town & Country EV

“The Chrysler EV combines the electric-drive components of an Electric Vehicle with an integrated small-displacement engine and generator to produce additional electricity to power the electric-drive system when needed. This provides all of the positive attributes of an Electric Vehicle and extends the driving range to be equivalent to today’s gasoline-powered vehicles – without compromises.” (Source:  Chrysler)  Finally, a non-SUV green motoring options for families or those that need more space than the five-seater Prius can provide.