DETROIT — Chrysler's Town & Country minivan, long a staple of soccer moms, gets an electric jolt on Sunday when the automaker rolls out its ambitious EV lineup at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show. The Town & Country EV is described by the company as a reinvention of "American's favorite minivan."
The electric version of the seven-passenger Chrysler minivan uses a 268-horsepower motor, a lithium-ion battery, a small gasoline engine and an electric generator. Chrysler said it zips from zero to 60 mph in about 8 seconds and has a top speed of more than 100 mph. Its all-electric range is 40 miles, and it has a total driving range of up to 400 miles.
Chrysler explained the electric version of its minivan as "another possible application of ENVI electric-drive technology."
The production 2009 Chrysler Town & Country equipped with a 3.8-liter V6 and a six-speed automatic transmission returns 16 mpg in city driving and 23 mpg on the highway.
The Town & Country EV prototype gets a new Liquid Graphite Pearl exterior paint job and large "EV" graphics on the sides.
Inside Line says: The humble minivan is not forgotten in Chrysler's all-encompassing EV initiative. — Anita Lienert, Correspondent
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