Dodge Circuit EV - Electric Car

Dodge Circuit EV



http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/13/au...ircuit-ev.html

IS IT REAL? Who knows? Chrysler calls this all-electric performance sports car a prototype — but didn’t say whether it will be first Chrysler electric vehicle to be produced out of its ENVI portfolio of “production-intent” vehicles. WHAT THEY SAID The Dodge Circuit EV displays bold exterior and interior styling with outstanding performance, zero gasoline consumption and zero tailpipe emissions. It has all new front and rear-end designs from the version that was shown in the fall. WHAT THEY DIDN’T SAY Chrysler is way behind the curve when it comes to alternative powertrains. And its flirtation with a “two-mode” hybrid, using a system developed with General Motors, Daimler and BMW in the 2009 Chrysler Aspen and Dodge Durango was short-lived — about two months in production. WHAT MAKES IT TICK? More like hum, to be precise. There’s no engine of any kind in this all-electric prototype. Three components propel it: a 200-kilowatt electric motor that drives the wheels; a lithium-ion battery system to power the electric motor; and a controller that manages energy flow. The electric motor has 268 horsepower and 480 pound-feet of torque; and goes from zero to 60 in less than 5 seconds, which is on a par with the Dodge Challenger SRT’s 6.1-liter V-8 Hemi. The components are shared across all of the ENVI prototypes. HOW MUCH, HOW SOON? Chrysler won’t talk about price at all. If it is produced, it will be as a flagship performance model much like the Challenger and the Viper, an executive said. The first of one of these vehicles is scheduled for production in 2010 with three more planned for 2013. HOW’S IT LOOK? Like a cross between a Viper and a ‘Vette, in tangerine. Good-looking, yet a mild reaction from the crowd.

Specs
0-60 mph in less than 5 seconds
1/4 mile in 13 seconds
Top speed of more than 120mph


-Thoughts?

I personally love this prototype, and would love to see it go into production, hopefully delaying the demise of chrysler :wub:

A few videos.





True, that is much closer to the same design than the lotus.

A few pictures.

Well... at least it looks different to all the samey US cars. The back looks kinda Audi to me. I like it from the back - the front view is bland, and the side view is old. If only it wasn't such a sickening colour. Saying that, the lines aren't fantastically pleasing. Oh, and the interior is disgusting.

I notice that there's no mention of how far it will go on one tank of... juice. The Tesla cars have been advertised as going about two to three hundred miles on a single charge, but they've been found to go about fifty is the driver is careful, and around five if it's thrashed.

Electric cars are, in my eyes, quite pointless. For them to be successful a country needs to update their infrastructure and build millions of charging stations (saying that, though, it wouldn't be too bad in Canada - they've already got something similar for keeping things unfrozen... haven't they? Calling all Canadians - what actually is it?), which will be pulled down in a few years when the Hydrogen problem is sorted.

What amuses me is that electric cars are considered to be much greener than petrol cars... until you factor in the small problem of where the electricity comes from, and how many charges these cars need. 200 miles on a charge? I'd be interested to know how much fossil fuel is used to generate the electricity for a single tank, and how it compares to a single tank for a car, which, these days, can take a car about twice the distance of an electric car (well, it does for the rest of the world - the American 'gas guzzlers' probably go about 50 miles on a tank).

I doubt it'll do anything to save Chrysler. In fact, I doubt it'll ever go into production.

Some figures that i've heard are that it's equal to about .35c/hr to charge a vehicle, and if it takes 4-8 hours you're spending anywhere from 1.20-2.70($3) to drive your car 150 miles, which in my eyes is great. But I do see your views; however, for average families charging the car would not be a problem. I'm sure most people could charge their car in the morning, drive to work and back without any issues, which is what the vehicles intention and purpose is.

I'm not sure either if it will ever go into production, but atleast knowing they are trying new things is somewhat refreshing. They also have a bunch more vehicles that are gas/electric hybrids that are averaging about 300 on a gasoline tank and 100-150 on the electric charge giving the vehicles about 35-40mpg. (More in some cases).