Chrysler to Tell Electric Van Battery Choice : Pollution: Choice shows gap between technology and zero-emission rule. Auto makers remain doubtful that cars will sell.
Chrysler Corp. is expected to announce today its choice of an advanced type of lead-acid battery to power minivans that will comply with California’s zero-emission rule in 1998. But the company still believes electric vehicles will be hard to sell because of their limited range.
The announcement, to be made at the Eco-Expo environmental conference in Los Angeles, signals that advanced-design batteries capable of meeting industry range and cost goals for electric vehicles are unlikely to be widely available by 1998.
“The good news is we found the best advanced lead-acid battery available,” said Eric Ridenour, Chrysler’s director of environmental and energy planning. “The bad news is we think we need better technology than that.”
The auto maker’s mixed message typified Detroit’s continued ambivalence toward electric vehicles. The industry is intensifying efforts to win delay of California’s zero-emission mandate.
The rule requires that, beginning in 1998, 2% of vehicles produced by major auto makers for sale in California must run pollution free. Only electric vehicles now qualify as emission free.
Chrysler is the first of the Big Three to indicate what battery it will use in its electric vehicles. General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. are testing lead-acid and other, more advanced batteries.
Chrysler said that it has signed a contract with Electrosource, a small Austin, Tex., company, that could be worth $75 million. Electrosource uses technology developed for aerospace applications to enhance the performance of conventional lead-acid batteries now used in gasoline-powered cars.
The company operates a pilot plant for advanced lead-acid batteries in San Marcos, Tex. It is being expanded so it will be able to produce 240,000 batteries a year, executives said.
The United States Advanced Battery Consortium, a partnership of auto makers, electric utilities, federal government and national laboratories, is backing development of advanced batteries as power sources for electric vehicles.
The consortium has sponsored research into nickel-metal hydride, sodium-sulfur and lithium batteries, all of which have the potential to supply more power than lead-acid batteries. The group wants developed by 1998 a battery that can drive a vehicle 125 miles without recharging. It would cost about $5,000 and last five years.
Nickel-metal hydride batteries have shown the most immediate promise, but Chrysler officials said those batteries will be too expensive even if they can be produced in substantial quantities by 1998.
Using the Electrosource battery, Chrysler said, its minivan can travel only 60 to 70 miles before recharging is needed. The range is shorter on hilly terrain or with car’s the heating or cooling system engaged. The battery takes eight hours to be fully recharged on conventional household current.
The minivan will be equipped with an 1,800-pound battery pack consisting of 27 connected units. A battery pack will cost between $4,500 and $6,000 and last about three years, Chrysler said.
The limited range and the high replacement cost is likely to make the electric minivan unattractive to most customers, Ridenour said. He added that “60 miles is just not going to cut it.”
Chrysler must produce about 1,500 electric vehicles in California by 1998. By 2003, it must build about 7,500 electric vehicles. The company may also have to produce electric-powered autos for sale in New York and Massachusetts.
Chrysler said such vehicles will be best for fleet use, where a predictable route can be laid out and charging stations more easily set up.
