The Fiat 500EV was shown in January at the Detroit motor show. Last year Chrysler announced plans to assemble the Fiat 500 with a 1.4-litre petrol engine for North America. That vehicle, which will be built in Mexico, will appear late this year.

“The alliance with Fiat presented new opportunities to merge Chrysler Group engineering knowledge with new platforms,” said Scott Kunselman, Chrysler’s senior vice-president of engineering.

“The Fiat 500 is a small, lightweight platform perfect for integrating electric-vehicle technology.”

Chrysler said pricing would be announced closer to launch. But Fiat and Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne said at the Detroit show that the 500EV concept would sell for about US$32,000 ($45,500) if it went on the market.

Chrysler did not announce a production target for the 500EV, although Marchionne again said earlier that Chrysler expects to produce about 56,000 electric vehicles annually by 2014.

Chrysler will handle Fiat Group’s vehicle electrification programme, the carmaker said. Powertrain engineering and vehicle development will take place at Chrysler headquarters in Auburn Hills, Michigan.

Chrysler said it is exploring ways to promote zero-emission transportation and the development of an electric vehicle charging infrastructure through partnerships to be announced.

Chrysler Group will build 140 Ram plug-in hybrid electric pick-up trucks for use in a three-year demonstration fleet. Additionally, it has cancelled plans to produce a Two Mode hybrid Ram pickup, citing its inability to create a profitable business case.

Chrysler worked with GM, BMW and Daimler AG to develop the Two Mode transmission.

Funding for the plug-in hybrid Ram will come from a US Department of Energy grant of up to US$48 million, the carmaker said. Chrysler’s grant comes from the department’s vehicle electrification programme, part of the US$2.4 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

The Ram plug-in hybrid will use a 5.7-litre Hemi V8 that is mated to a Two Mode hybrid transmission and a 12-kilowatt-per-hour lithium ion battery. The vehicle is capable of travelling up to 35km on electricity, the carmaker said.

“This initiative represents how government, automotive industry, suppliers and key partners are reaching common goals and demonstrates how rapidly this type of advanced technology can be brought to market,” said Paolo Ferrero, Chrysler’s powertrain senior vice- president.

Said Ferrero: “DOE support for domestic advanced technology is an important enabler for Chrysler Group and its key suppliers in order to understand and test customer acceptance and the capability of plug-in hybrid electric systems in a variety of real-world conditions.”

- AP

Source: New Zealand Herald