Chrysler Group LLC has suspended the testing of advanced plugin hybrid-electric vehicles to conduct a battery-pack upgrade after fires broke out in three of the experimental pickup trucks.
“This action is being taken to build upon the lessons from the initial deployment and to concentrate resources and technical development on a superior battery,” said Michael Duhaime, global director-electrified powertrain propulsion systems. Several other electric vehicles have been hit with fires in the lithium-ion batteries, including those of General Motors and Fisker.
Three of the fleet’s 109 Chrysler pickups equipped with plugin hybrid powertrains sustained damage when their prototype 12.9-kWh lithium-ion propulsion batteries overheated, Chrysler official said.
There were no injuries and the incidents occurred when the vehicles were unoccupied.
No similar issues have occurred with 23 plug-in hybrid minivans deployed as part of a parallel project. However, they are also being withdrawn from service for a battery upgrade. Both projects are jointly funded by Chrysler Group and the U.S. Department of Energy.
A different battery chemistry will be used in the projects’ next phase, which will focus on grid interaction and improved safety. The complexity of the engineering solution will determine how many vehicles return to service, Chrysler said in statement. The test of the pickup trucks began last year when Chrysler distributed the vehicles to various utility companies around the U.S.
So far, the fleet accumulated more than 1.3 million miles of service in various conditions, from high-altitude Colorado to Arizona’s searing desert. The PHEVs were being evaluated for durability and other attributes by 16 partner organizations — municipalities and utility companies across 20 states. A primary goal of the final phase of the program is to determine how reverse power-flow might reduce the operating costs of commercial fleets.
Some of the fleet’s plug-in pickups are capable of reversing the power flow and transferring power from their batteries to the grid, which could generate revenue for fleet operators. The trucks also are able to link with each other to form independent mini-grids. They are the first factory-built vehicles ever to feature this technology.
During testing, the pickups recorded peak average fuel-economy of 37.4 mpg, while the minivans delivered 55.0 mpg.
The batteries themselves are unique, marked by a high-energy density that enabled weight- and size-reduction for convenient packaging.
The batteries also were produced without environmentally harmful NMP solvent used in most battery-manufacturing processes. Begun last year, the program is scheduled to end in 2014, Chrysler said.
2 responses to “Chrysler Suspends Plugin EV Program”