Electrovaya to supply battery tech for Chrysler minivans
I’ve always resisted the pull of minivans, as practical as they can be. We are now a one-car family, and the one car we do have is a Suzuki Aerio hatchback that has served us quite nicely. Good on gas. No major maintenance issues after eight years. Decent, reliable car. The second car was replaced by a combination of Zipcar, transit, walking and cycling and so far that has worked out well. But the kids are getting older — daughters are 5 and 8 now — and the idea of packing up the family to go camping, to a friend’s cottage, or visit relatives out of town has me thinking that the Suzuki, once it kicks the bucket, should be replaced with a minivan. It kills me to say it — however, I only do it on condition that the minivan I purchase is a plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV).
Problem is, there aren’t many plans out there for PHEV minivans, which is why I was intrigued to read today that Mississauga-based Electrovaya has been selected to supply its lithium-ion superpolymer battery system to Chrysler, which wants to install them in a demonstration fleet of 25 PHEV Town and Country minivans. Electrovaya has also been supplying its battery system for Chrysler’s Ram 1500 pickup trucks. If the demonstration proves successful, perhaps in a couple of years we’ll see Chrysler committing to a commercial rollout of its PHEV Town and Country, at which time I’d give it a serious look. Assuming the Suzuki holds out until then.
Tags: Chrysler, Electrovaya, minivan, Town and Country
Tyler Hamilton is associate publisher and editor-in-chief of Corporate Knights magazine and former business columnist for the Toronto Star. This blog is a personal project started in April 2005.
June 14th, 2011 at 12:20 pm
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June 14th, 2011 at 7:23 pm
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June 27th, 2011 at 12:23 am
Tyler – Why would you buy a mini-van just for those occasional trips? We actually found it easier to give up our car and go with the local car-sharing service (two years ago) as our kids got older (now 8 & 12). When we want to head off camping or a longer road trip, we simply rent. Hassle-free and remarkably cheap. Why dump all that money into a vehicle with extra capacity you won’t need 90% of the time?