What is it?
Dodge PowerBox Concept Vehicle
What's special about it?
Dodge says that environmentally friendly vehicles make sense only if they are just as usable as regular cars and trucks. Otherwise, people won't buy them. To that end, Dodge has designed the PowerBox concept vehicle. Styled to reflect the classic Dodge Power Wagon, the taut and aggressive PowerBox certainly doesn't look like today's green vehicles like the Honda Insight and Toyota Prius. Under the lightweight thermoplastic plastic body panels (a technology also used for the previous Dodge ESX3 and Jeep Commander 2 concept vehicles) is a supercharged 2.7-liter V6. The V6 is fueled by compressed natural gas and drives the rear wheels via an automatic transmission. An electric motor developed by Siemens Automotive provides additional power to the front wheels. Dodge says the V6 makes 250 horsepower while the electric motor adds another 70. The electric motor assists the CNG engine during acceleration and recaptures partial energy during deceleration. Fuel economy is said to be 25 mpg for combined city/highway driving, and the PowerBox's range should be about 350 miles between fuel ups. Inside, the upscale interior seats eight people and has 24 percent more interior space than the current Durango (despite an overall length just 1 inch longer than the Durango). The straightforward instrument panel, rustic red and tan leather seating materials, and brushed stainless steel accents aren't what you would expect for an eco-vehicle. We were also impressed by the rear doors that swing/slide backward to ease entry to the rear seats and the rear "lift-tail-combo-gate," a tailgate than can either be lifted up or dropped down to extend cargo length.
Why should you care?
The PowerBox demonstrates Dodge's intent of building a hybrid SUV that is just as useable as a regular gasoline-powered vehicle. The hybrid powertrain is the most important aspect of the PowerBox, and you can expect to see a gasoline version of it in the 2003 Durango hybrid SUV. Also important are the PowerBox's plastic body and styling. We're guessing that the new Dodge Ram pickup will feature some PowerBox styling cues, and the plastic body panels might become production feasible if Dodge continues to work and improve on them.
Dodge PowerBox Concept Vehicle
What's special about it?
Dodge says that environmentally friendly vehicles make sense only if they are just as usable as regular cars and trucks. Otherwise, people won't buy them. To that end, Dodge has designed the PowerBox concept vehicle. Styled to reflect the classic Dodge Power Wagon, the taut and aggressive PowerBox certainly doesn't look like today's green vehicles like the Honda Insight and Toyota Prius. Under the lightweight thermoplastic plastic body panels (a technology also used for the previous Dodge ESX3 and Jeep Commander 2 concept vehicles) is a supercharged 2.7-liter V6. The V6 is fueled by compressed natural gas and drives the rear wheels via an automatic transmission. An electric motor developed by Siemens Automotive provides additional power to the front wheels. Dodge says the V6 makes 250 horsepower while the electric motor adds another 70. The electric motor assists the CNG engine during acceleration and recaptures partial energy during deceleration. Fuel economy is said to be 25 mpg for combined city/highway driving, and the PowerBox's range should be about 350 miles between fuel ups. Inside, the upscale interior seats eight people and has 24 percent more interior space than the current Durango (despite an overall length just 1 inch longer than the Durango). The straightforward instrument panel, rustic red and tan leather seating materials, and brushed stainless steel accents aren't what you would expect for an eco-vehicle. We were also impressed by the rear doors that swing/slide backward to ease entry to the rear seats and the rear "lift-tail-combo-gate," a tailgate than can either be lifted up or dropped down to extend cargo length.
Why should you care?
The PowerBox demonstrates Dodge's intent of building a hybrid SUV that is just as useable as a regular gasoline-powered vehicle. The hybrid powertrain is the most important aspect of the PowerBox, and you can expect to see a gasoline version of it in the 2003 Durango hybrid SUV. Also important are the PowerBox's plastic body and styling. We're guessing that the new Dodge Ram pickup will feature some PowerBox styling cues, and the plastic body panels might become production feasible if Dodge continues to work and improve on them.
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