The Detroit News reports that Chrysler is setting-up a mean, green "skunk works" team. Their mission: accelerate the automaker's [previously non-existent] efforts to produce brand spanking new hybrid vehicles. Chrysler's spokesman confirmed our suspicions that the ADD-speak name of the new unit– ENVI– reflects an ongoing lack of focus at the Crisis Corportation. "It's always been our position that we have our fingers on everything," Nick Cappa revealed, continuity-wise. "It's important to have a lot of resources in all the technologies, especially something as hot as hybrids." Just so. Chrysler will also continue its push for diesel powerplants, and roll-out two-mode hybrid versions of the decidedly Dodgy Chrysler Aspen and its Durango donor. So how soon will ENVI's cardinal sins hit the market? Cappa will only say that product development will be "fast." No joke; the clock is ticking.
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“We have our fingers on everything, and a knife against our throat …”
Crisis Corporation LLC could always dust off the “Supercar” blue prints from the Clinton years, when US Taxpayers unwittingly (and unwillingly) paid the big 3 to develop hybrids.
Oh, wait, the cars were “pushmobiles” and lies – and the reality of a Chrysler hybrid never got beyond “theoretical” despite all the money spent.
I wonder if anyone will consider a more modular route, involving an electric motor on the rear wheels and the normal FWD power train up front. Little or nothing needs to be done to the front components other than provide a larger alternator for charging the batteries and update the onboard computers to handle two propulsion supplies.
Crisis Corporation LLC could always dust off the “Supercar” blue prints from the Clinton years, when US Taxpayers unwittingly (and unwillingly) paid the big 3 to develop hybrids.
The Dodge Intrepid ESX-3 concept allegedly got 72 mpg using a diesel/Li-ion/electric motor mild hybrid setup, with a weight under 3000 lbs. The estimated cost was $7500 more than a regular Dodge Intrepid. Imagine how many 72 mpg cars Dodge would sell these days…
Unfortunately, PNGV never lead to marketable vehicles, with the Big 3 happily taking lots of public money to produce neat-o concepts cars that their SUV-crazed execs had no interest in.
You’ve really got to read this book, bfg9k, and the rest of my friends here at TTAC
You’ll be hooked – it is at once sad, and hilarioius. The book is “Common Sense Not Required – Idiots Designing Cars and Hybrid Vehicles”.
http://www.amazon.com/COMMON-SENSE-NOT-REQUIRED-Designing/dp/1414040776
It also should be noted that the writer swallowed his pride and later recanted his comments about the Prius – stating that it really was excellent engineering, and a worthy engineering effort.
He states in many places that the Chrysler “supercars” were pretty much pushmobiles. The one that really made me laugh was the “rubber band” supercar – until you get to the part where a technician in a test cell gives his life was the band snaps and destroys the tube and him.
The book may not be written by a professional wordsmith, but you rapidly get the idea when you read it that imbiciles run the 2.8, and looking at results, you’d have to agree with the writer that he is not exaggerating.
Assuming Chrysler surivives, better late then never, and if they don’t too bad Detroit ignored and dissed hybrids for so long