Chrysler Plans Electric Version of Minivan : Environment: It says the vehicles will meet state’s 1998 zero-emissions rule, but it warns that battery technology is lagging and buying may be lukewarm.
Despite concerns about the advancement of battery technology, Chrysler Corp. said Thursday that it is committed to building electric-powered minivans to meet California’s 1998 zero-emissions mandate.
“Chrysler will build electric cars for California,” Francois Castaing, vice president of vehicle engineering, said in a briefing with reporters. “We have no interest in fighting electric cars, per se.”
The announcement comes a week before the California Air Resources Board is to conduct a technical review of the mandate, which requires 2% of vehicles sold in 1998 to be emissions-free. Only electric-powered vehicles now qualify.
The statement from Chrysler, until now considered the most pessimistic of Detroit’s auto makers toward zero-emissions technology, is likely to bolster the case of electric vehicle backers before the ARB.
“If it’s true Chrysler is ready to build and sell electric vehicles, that’s very good news,” said Melanie Savage, spokesman for Southern California Edison Co.’s electric vehicle transportation division.
However, Chrysler continued to send out a mixed message by emphasizing that the state of battery technology is likely to make the electric minivans unattractive to most consumers because of short range and possibly high cost.
“We have doubts that people will buy this vehicle,” Castaing said. “But having said that, we are going to try. We are going to put it in the marketplace and see what happens.”
Detroit’s skepticism about the willingness of Californians to buy electric vehicles is challenged in a poll, to be released today in Sacramento, which concludes that 8% of the state’s voters--or 1 million people--would “definitely” buy such a car for between $20,000 and $30,000.
The poll--conducted by Santa Monica-based opinion research firm Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin & Associates and commissioned by environmental groups--also concludes that 60% of the voters surveyed support the 1998 emissions mandate. The poll reports only a modest decline in interest when those surveyed were told about such drawbacks as the high cost of battery replacement and the limited driving range of electric vehicles.
Chrysler and other auto makers are asking the ARB to appoint an independent group to assess the status of battery technology. The industry would be willing to help pay for such a study, Castaing said.
Chrysler’s announcement appeared designed to give it a public relations edge over Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Corp., which say they can meet the mandate but have been more vocal in their opposition to the zero-emissions regulation.
In recent testimony to California regulators, GM said it opposes the mandate because “commercially viable” electric vehicles cannot be produced by 1998. Last week, Ford said it wants the ARB to modify the mandate by allowing Ford to field demonstration fleets and sell partially built cars to conversion companies.
Chrysler’s statement also highlights a potential competitive edge, because the company plans to meet the mandate by using an existing production line. It also has to produce fewer electric vehicles, because its sales in California are much lower than those of GM and Ford.
Chrysler said the electric-powered minivan will be modeled on its popular seven-seat Dodge Caravan and Plymouth Voyager vehicles, which are being redesigned for the 1995 model year. The price tag can be held down because the electric version can be produced on the same line as gas-powered models.
The biggest unknown is what battery will be used. The company is hoping that nickel-metal-hydride batteries--a mid-term technology that can power vehicles up to 140 miles on a charge--will be available.
If not, it may have to rely on near-term batteries, such as advanced lead acid or nickel-cadmium, which have ranges under 80 miles on a single charge.
“We are going to wait and see what battery develops,” Castaing said, “and hope for the best.”
The auto makers argue that battery technology has not progressed sufficiently to allow for electric vehicles that are affordable and have adequate range. Times staff writer Donald Woutat in Sacramento contributed to this report.
