2010 Jeep Patriot EV Preview

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At long last Jeep unveiled the Patriot EV at 2009's Detroit Auto Show. Much like the Wrangler EV seen in July, the Patriot is an extended-range electric vehicle. Based on the front-wheel-drive Patriot, power comes primarily from a lithium-ion battery pack, which drives a 150 kW (200 hp) electric motor.

The Jeep EV development vehicle is a Range-extended Electric Vehicle that provides a glimpse into the future of a 'Go Anywhere, Do Anything' vehicle with renowned Jeep Wrangler capability. 

The Jeep EV uses an electric motor, an advanced lithium-ion battery system, and a small gasoline engine with an integrated electric generator to produce additional energy to power the electric-drive system when needed.  "We are also exploring four-wheel-drive, in-wheel electric motors to demonstrate the full reach of ENVI's advanced electric-drive technologies," said Rhodes.

The instant high torque of the electric-drive motor and the ability to precisely control each wheel independently results in off-road capability ideally suited for the Jeep brand, without compromising on-road driving capability.

ENVI Organization


Chrysler's in house organization to evolve electric-drive production is Called ENVI. ENVI (for ENVIronmental) is developing electric-drive systems for future Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge vehicles and is maturing quickly. "ENVI was created just over one year ago with the strategic intent to develop electric-drive vehicles quickly for Chrysler, and it is surpassing expectations," said Tom LaSorda, Vice Chairman and President Chrysler LLC. "With ENVI, Chrysler is developing technology to bring Electric Vehicles and extremely fuel-efficient Range-extended Electric Vehicles to market."

Electric Vehicle Technology 


Three primary components make up Chrysler's Electric Vehicles. These include an electric motor to drive the wheels, an advanced lithium-ion battery system to power the electric-drive motor and a controller that manages energy flow. The electric-drive system is being developed for front-wheel-drive, rear-wheel-drive, and body-on-frame four-wheel-drive vehicle applications. "This technology provides customers with a vehicle that has zero tailpipe emissions and a 150- to 200-mile driving range far exceeding most Americans daily commutes, as nearly 80 percent of Americans drive less than 40 miles per day, or 14,000 miles per year," said Frank Klegon, Executive Vice President Product Development, Chrysler LLC. "Electric Vehicles provide the opportunity to fulfill social responsibility, reduce dependency on foreign oil, and eliminate monthly gasoline bills, while delivering performance and utility that our customers desire."

Range-extended Electric Vehicle Technology 


The Range-extended Electric Vehicle combines the electric-drive components of the Electric Vehicle with a small gasoline engine and integrated electric generator to produce additional energy to power the electric-drive system when needed. This provides the positive attributes of an Electric Vehicle with the driving range equivalent to today's gasoline-powered vehicles with no compromises in performance. Range-extended Electric Vehicles offer environmental responsibility without giving up driving range, comfort or utility. 

Chrysler LLC announced today that the Company and its ENVI organization have new production-intent, advanced electric-drive technology packaged in three different vehicles, Chrysler, Jeep® and Dodge.

One electric-drive model, to be selected by Chrysler at a later date, will be produced in 2010 for consumers in North American markets, and European markets after 2010. Additionally, approximately 100 Chrysler electric vehicles will be on the road in government, business, utility and Chrysler development fleets in 2009.

Chrysler says that it is well into the development of advanced, production-intent electric vehicles. It will apply electric-drive technology to its front-wheel-drive, rear-wheel-drive and body-on-frame four-wheel-drive platforms in the next several years.

'This technology provides customers with a vehicle that has zero tailpipe emissions and a 150- to 200-mile driving range far exceeding most Americans' daily commutes, as nearly 80 percent of Americans drive less than 40 miles per day, or 14,000 miles per year," said Frank Klegon, Executive Vice President Product Development, Chrysler LLC. Range-extended Electric Vehicle Technology

The Range-extended Electric Vehicle combines the electric-drive components of the Electric Vehicle with a small gasoline engine and integrated electric generator to produce additional energy to power the electric-drive system when needed. This provides the positive attributes of an Electric Vehicle with the driving range equivalent to today's gasoline-powered vehicles with no compromises in performance.

Range-extended Electric Vehicles offer environmental responsibility without giving up driving range, comfort or utility.

Department of Energy Cooperative Agreement
Chrysler and GE are pursuing a project with the United States Department of Energy to explore advanced energy-storage technology.

"Chrysler's partnership with General Electric combines the electric-drive technology demonstrated in the Chrysler Electric Vehicles, with GE's research and development of advanced energy storage systems," said Klegon. "Our collective goal working with the DOE is to develop a new, integrated energy-storage system to make electric vehicle battery packs smaller and significantly less expensive than current designs."

Chrysler and GE will develop and evaluate dual-battery solutions based on GE's unique technology.

"One of the challenges with electric vehicles is finding a battery with the correct balance between power for example, during vehicle acceleration and energy for long driving range," said Klegon. "We believe that combining two unique battery chemistries one biased toward power and the other toward energy into a single battery pack is very promising for a future Chrysler Electric Vehicle." Read an overview of the ENVI vehicles by Popular Mechanics for more information.

Chrysler has embraced the future of car development by working jointly with GE in the research and development of these dual-battery solutions. It just might be the boost that they need to get ahead in the competitive automotive field of the future. Looking for more? Read about the History of the Jeep Patriot here.