Daily Auto News Chrysler to Sell Electric Minivans…but Only to Postal Service
Daily Auto News
The sporty Dodge Circuit may be the first of Chrysler’s five prototype electric vehicles to hit dealerships, but the electric Town & Country Minivan may have been the most intriguing. If the price could be kept reasonable, millions of Americans might be interested in a family hauler that doesn’t require much gas. Chrysler now hopes to build and sell the vehicle – but only to the U.S. Postal Service.
Autoblog reports, “Chrysler is celebrating Earth Day today by unveiling the first four of what will be a fleet of 250 battery-powered minivans for the U.S. Postal Service. The USPS will be using the vans for a variety of duties at locations around the country – including daily home delivery.”
Kicking Tires cautions, “The U.S. Postal Service hasn’t signed on to buy any” of the vans. They concede that the move makes sense, noting “Any vehicle used in stop-and-go traffic that’s often left idling should be the first kind replaced by an electric version.”
The Postal vans won’t be identical to the Town & Country EV Concept. They are battery-powered only, lacking the range-extending gasoline engine carried by the concept van. Autoblog notes, however, that “the electric drive portion of the vehicles, including the motor, electronics and A123 System lithium ion battery pack is identical.”
The USPS fleet proposal would allow Chrysler to study and refine the vans further before releasing them to dealerships for sale. The Detroit News reports, “Chrysler will build 24 more vehicles for the USPS to use and Chrysler to evaluate, while applying for a government grant to expand the demonstration fleet to 250 vehicles.” Chrysler says the minivans have a range of 40 miles on a single charge.
Jalopnik isn’t fond of the idea. “Taxpayer money to pay for the marketing of a product Chrysler is unable to bring to market?” they write. “That’s almost as good an idea as trusting the post office with a fragile package.”
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