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Chrysler Unveiling Three Electric Vehicles This Afternoon
Posted September 23 2008 06:24 AM by Evan McCausland 
Filed under: Green, Chrysler, Electric

If you weren't glued to the TV this morning, you may have missed an interesting piece of news.  CNBC's Phil LeBeau gave audiences a sneak peek at three upcoming Chrysler electric vehicles.

The first, the Dodge EV, is perhaps the most surprising: it's a Lotus.  Using Tesla's recipe, Chrysler seems to have adapted the company's Europa coupe (presently not sold in the U.S.) to use an electric powertrain.  Thus far, we know it's using lithium-ion batteries, can be recharged in four hours on a 220-volt grid, and can reach 60 mph in a mere five seconds.

We were also given a brief look at a Chrysler Town & Country extended-range electric vehicle.  Like the Chevrolet Volt, the minivan is a new form of a plug-in hybrid.  CNBC says the Town & Country EV can operate on electricity alone for forty miles.  When the battery pack is depleted, a small gasoline engine kicks in to recharge the battery cells and extend the range of the vehicle.

CNBC also quickly showed a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited and what was deemed a "next-generation" GEM vehicle (which, interestingly, looked much like the Mitsubishi i), but spared us from their particulars.  We'll have that for you around 1 pm today, when Chrysler is scheduled to unveil their electric plans to all.

Source: CNBC



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