Jeep Patriot EV Concept

The Jeep Patriot EV is an electric utility vehicle recently announced from Chrysler. With just front-wheel-drive, the five-passenger Patriot EV is intended more for the urban scene; however, Chrysler has announced that the electric-drive technology can be applied to all four wheels.

The 200C EV concept is a strong indicator for the future of Chrysler.

The Patriot EV is powered by a 150 kW (200 hp) electric motor that sources its energy from advanced lithium-ion batteries. This combination delivers a 0-100 km/h time of about eight seconds and a top speed of 161 km/h. More significantly however, the Patriot EV can run 64 km solely on electric power before continuing on for an estimated 580 km on a relatively small tank of gas.

The extended range is delivered by a 60-hp gasoline generator (smaller than that used in the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited EV) that recharges the batteries along with regenerative brakes. There is even the possibility of plugging in the Patriot EV to standard electrical outlets.

Outside of the high-tech drivetrain, the Patriot EV has a fairly ordinary chassis: McPherson strut front suspension and independent rear suspension. Although no specs for the Patriot EV's weight have been released, Chrysler's goal is to deliver a driving experience similar to that of a standard Patriot.

Seemingly in response to hype about the Chevy Volt, Chrysler announced the Patriot EV alongside four other 'green' vehicles: Jeep Wrangler Unlimited EV, Chrysler 200EV Concept, Chrysler Town & Country EV, and Dodge Circuit EV. These are the products of Chrysler's ENVI (short for "environment") division, which was created after the 2007 separation with Daimler to carry on with green technology research and development. Chrysler is using these products to convince buyers, and, more importantly, government bail-out leaders, that the company can survive in the revolutionizing automotive market.

Chrysler is in a partnership with General Electric to develop efficient batteries; meanwhile, other companies are also involved in the production of equipment used by Chrysler (among other manufacturers). Though the technology is existent, the largest obstruction to delivering these lithium-ion electric vehicles to market appears to be the high cost of production. Just like early plasma screen televisions however, costs will drop over time.

The Patriot EV can run 64 km solely on electric power before continuing on for an estimated 580 km.