With 2017 being such a huge breakthrough year in the transition to electric vehicles, it raises the question: “What major news, milestones, and developments related to electric vehicles will occur in 2018?”
At the Los Angeles Auto Show this week, Fiat Chrysler confirmed that a plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV) version of the iconic Jeep Wrangler will go on sale in 2020. The plug-in will take advantage of some of the technology developed for the Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid, especially the eFlite transaxle with its planetary gearset and one-way clutch.
Six of the ten companies that appear committed to electrification of their vehicle lines are Chinese. Most of them have international partners, but the international partners are mostly the four that have equivalent commitments.
Sergio Marchionne told the press last week that too many electric cars will endanger the world because the emissions from generating plants will increase. They must have access to some really good marijuana in Italy these days.
Moms and dads across the US have been eagerly waiting for an efficient plug-in hybrid that could haul big families and gear. Aside from the $80,000+ Tesla Model X, there weren’t any plug-in vehicles that could haul around larger families with room for 7 and all the trimmings. Because of that, the Chrysler Pacifica Plug-In Hybrid minivan has been a highly anticipated vehicle since it was first announced in January 2016. It has been watched very closely by eco moms and sustaina-dads alike.
More or less, this story could be about Daimler, BMW, Ford, GM, Toyota, Honda, or any other major automaker. In fact, while this article was in the works, a couple of Daimler execs came out and admitted a couple of the core challenges in a rather direct way. Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne did the same a year and a half ago in his own dramatic style. But the complexity of the story means that it’s not a black and white issue and it also goes far beyond the statements referenced above.
Not that long ago, only a few electric cars were on the market. Nowadays, there are a few dozen. We certainly have a few favorites here on CleanTechnica, but every plug-in car really has its own selling points. I’m sure I don’t have a comprehensive list of these in my head, and many of the points are definitely as subjective as opinions about music or movies, but below are many of my thoughts on why I’d recommend various plug-in models.
Prepare for claims of “Tesla killers” from Maserati in the mainstream media, as FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne awkwardly proclaimed that the brand would produce an electric vehicle around 2020 in an earnings call on Thursday.
Editor’s Note: Below is a repost from TeslaMondo that is followed by excerpts from an EV Annex post that further builds on the topic, with the topic being crazy anti-Tesla quotes from non-Tesla auto company execs.
Officials with the US Environmental Protection Agency have suspected Fiat-Chrysler of using illegal auxiliary emissions control devices (aka “defeat devices”) since as far back as November 2015, going by the contents of newly released emails.
