Chrysler plans to sell electric car in 2010

Chrysler LLC said today it will put an electric car on sale in North America in 2010, revealing that despite missing out on the buzz surrounding the Chevrolet Volt, it is neck and neck with General Motors Corp. in the race to put a mass-produced electric vehicle on America's roads.

The company showed reporters three electric prototypes: a Dodge sports car, a Jeep and a Chrysler minivan. But Chrysler's product development chief, Frank Klegon, said the automaker hasn't decided which one it will roll out first.

The Dodge sports car is completely electric, but the Jeep Wrangler and Chrysler minivan models will have a recharging system similar to the Volt, which GM has said will go on sale in November 2010. The Volt plugs into a standard wall outlet and can go 40 miles on battery power alone, but then a small gasoline engine kicks in to recharge the batteries, allowing the car to travel hundreds more miles.

Chrysler is still working with several partners on the battery technology for its vehicles, Klegon said.

Rising gas prices and the decline in U.S. auto sales has put GM, Chrysler and Ford Motor Co. under pressure to break away from their dependence on trucks and SUVs for profits and focus on more fuel-efficient vehicles. [Editor's Note: Recall our article predicting that the future is electric cars running on batteries recharged by electricity generated from Nuclear Power plants – i.e. zero use of fossil fuels and zero pollution of our air. The Arab nations that are today holding us hostage by the price of crude oil can drown in their black gold.]