Chrysler Has Green Strategy

By Viknesh Vijayenthiran

Viknesh Vijayenthiran

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Vik is an Editor at High Gear Media and contributor for a number of sites within the High Gear Media network. He was a co-founder of... More

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2010 Fiat 500 BEV

A few years back Chrysler was working on all manner of electric vehicle and plug-in hybrid technologies, even going so far as to release a number of concepts as well as establish a separate division called ENVI to develop them into production models.

Ever since Chrysler’s bankruptcy and eventual sale to Fiat, those original concepts had fallen largely off the radar. However, with the backing of Italian giant Fiat, Chrysler now has the resources behind it to bring some of those electric vehicle technologies to production.

Speaking with Automotive News, Chrysler's senior vice president for powertrain technologies, Paolo Ferrero, reiterated his company’s plans to bring an all-electric Fiat 500 onto the market by 2012. He also revealed details for a test fleet of Dodge Ram plug-in hybrids and hinted that there will be a full line of electric vehicles in Chrysler’s lineup.

"These are the two extremes [the Fiat 500 BEV and Dodge Ram plug-in hybrid], let's say," Ferrero said in an interview. "We have an electrification strategy, but we cannot yet disclose it."

The story doesn’t end there. Chrysler’s green strategy also encompasses alternate fuels such as compressed natural gas (CNG). Chrysler’s parent Fiat has extensive experience in building and selling CNG-powered vehicles, something that could be transferred over to Chrysler’s future lineup.

[Automotive News, sub req’d]