Chrysler's plug-in hybrid minivan project steps in the second phase in which data-collection will be gathered. This will be accomplished through the completion of the demonstration fleet's deployment.

Three plug-in hybrid-electric vehicles will be used in this project: Chrysler Town & Country minivans. All in all 25 examples of these will run around the American roads, making the project further possible.

The goal of Chrysler is to develop this unique technology and to bring it to real-world testing and evaluation.

The collection of the date will help in shedding the light on the opinion on customers. In addition, in this experiment, the hybrids will be subjected temperature extremes and variations of drive cycles.

Furthermore, Chrysler's engineers are expected to retain two additional plug-in hybrid minivans. One of which will be tested in a short-duration test by Argonne National Laboratory.

Ram and TC PHEV Vehicles

In details, each plug-in hybrid Town & Country will include the E85-compatible 3.6L Pentastar engine. It n turn is mated to a front-wheel-drive with two-mode hybrid transmission.

Moreover, this engine is also propelled with the liquid-cooled 12.1 KWhr lithium-ion battery. Both engines produce a total output of 290 hp (213 kW) and a range of 700-miles.

The time for charging varies from two to four hours, and this happens at 220 volts with a "Level 2" charge cord unit. It takes the car eight to fifteen hours to charge at 110 volts with a "Level 1" charge unit.

Furthermore, there is a possible inclusion in the project of a fleet of plug-in hybrid Ram pickups. But this will happen probably at a later stage in terms of widening the project.

Source: Chrysler