Chrysler Group, working
in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE),
delivered the first of a demonstration fleet of Ram 1500
plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV) pickup trucks to
municipal officials in Yuma, Arizona.
The 10 PHEV Ram 1500 pickups delivered by Abdullah Bazzi,
senior manager of the Chrysler Group’s advanced hybrid
vehicle project, are part of a national demonstration
fleet of 140 vehicles that will be used during the next
three years to evaluate customer usage, drive cycles,
charging, thermal management, fuel economy, emissions
and impact on the region’s electric grid. In addition to
Yuma, 11 other partners across the United States will
receive vehicles for demonstration and testing purposes.
Strictly a demonstration program, there are no plans for
a production version of the PHEV Ram 1500 truck at this
time.
Cities and states were selected to evaluate temperature
extremes, urban traffic cycles and diverse climates and
geographies from North Dakota, Massachusetts, Hawaii and
Arizona. Cities will include San Francisco and
Sacramento, Calif.; Austin, Texas and Kansas City, Mo.
The Ram 1500 PHEV includes a liquid-cooled 12.9kWhr
lithium ion battery pack and a 6.6 kilowatt (kW)
on-board charger. Additional features include AC power
generation of up to 6.6kW; directional charging; reverse
power flow and full regenerative braking used to capture
more energy. For fuel economy improvements, the front
axle can be disconnected when not needed. The powertrain
also includes a 5.7-liter HEMI® V-8 engine and a
two-mode hybrid transmission. The 5.7-liter HEMI is
equipped with a Multiple Displacement System (MDS) that
improves fuel efficiency at highway speeds by shutting
down fuel delivery to up to four cylinders.
The battery pack is located under the second-row seat of
the pickup and is liquid cooled to help maintain a
consistent battery temperature. For on-the-job
electrical power tools, a 240 volt/30 amp four-prong
outlet and 120volt/20amp duplex outlet power strip is
located in the rear box.
“Cities have been carefully selected to help the
Chrysler Group collect a wide range of data,” explained
Abdullah Bazzi, senior manager of Chrysler’s advanced
hybrid vehicle project. “Temperature extremes found in
the cold of North Dakota or the heat of Arizona can have
a severe impact on battery life and charging
efficiency.”
The choice of a Ram 1500 pickup truck was based upon
two-speed transmission technology that was readily
available from a previous vehicle electrification
project from the Chrysler Group.
Urban and rural use also will be tracked to measure
battery performance and overall hybrid efficiency with
the demonstration fleet of pickups. Other uses include
military bases where vehicles will be able to provide
power back to the electric grid in what is termed
“reverse power flow” of up to 6.6kW.
Funding for the program in part is provided by the
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 through
the Transportation Electrification Initiative sponsored
by the DOE. The grant, totaling $48 million from DOE and
$49.4 million from Chrysler Group, was designed to
develop vehicles that will be cost efficient for
consumers, satisfy safety concerns of daily travel
without recharging and help reduce dependence on foreign
oil.
The Chrysler Group also is developing a similar fleet of
25 Town & Country minivans with plug-in hybrid
technology for demonstration and evaluation that will be
allocated to select cities later this year.
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