Chrysler diesel-electric hybrid

[Piwoslaw]

I remember reading 5-10 years ago about a hybrid that Chrysler was supposed to make. I only remember two things about it:
- It had a rear-mounted diesel engine,
- It had prisms instead of side mirrors.

Does anyone remember this car?

[DonR]

No, I don't remember that car.

Chrysler has announced that is it going to make gas-electric vehicles (similar to the Volt drivetrain), a caravan & a 4 door Wrangler. I would assume that in europe it would be a diesel-electric. The Jeep would make mounting PV cells easy.

I know F1 has been monkeying around with prismatic mirrors for a while now. Their purpose was to make the field of vision larger without larger mirrors.

Don

[mcmahon.craig]

Chrysler's entry to the US Government's PNGV program in the early nineties was called the ESX-3. It was heavily based on the Dodge Intrepid of the day, but with an aluminum spaceframe and thermoplastic body panels to save weight.

The first ESX was rear engined, but the ESX-3's diesel was under the hood. I have no information about the prismatic mirrors.

Additional concepts for the PNGV program included the GM Precept and Ford Prodigy hybrids.

Sources:
The Dodge Intrepid ESX series of hybrid electric cars - allpar
Dodge Intrepid ESX HEV - redux - Electrifying Times

Ford Prodigy
GM Precept

[Christ]

Yeah, there has been an electric Caravan for just about every generation too... At least one, as I hear it. I wonder what subsidy they're getting for that?

[Piwoslaw]

Aerohead found a picture of this beast in another thread. Here's the pic



So, it's a GM and not a Chrysler. Makes more sense, when I think about it. Maybe anyone knows where I can find more info on it?

EDIT: It's called the GM Precept. I found this on Wikipedia:

GM ended the project in 2000, claiming no one would be interested in buying a high fuel economy vehicle. The near-term PNGV program, introduced during the Clinton Administration, was terminated by the Bush administration and replaced with the distant goals of the FreedomCAR vehicle program.

Now compare "GM ended the project in 2000, claiming no one would be interested in buying a high fuel economy vehicle" with GM exec admits they ignored consumers' demands for efficiency.

[jamesqf]

GM ended the project in 2000, claiming no one would be interested in buying a high fuel economy vehicle.

Humm... 2000? Wasn't that when Toyota started importing the Prius? IIRC they've sold something over a million to date. Plus Yaris, Honda Insight & Fit, and all the rest. Sounds like "famous last words" to me :-)

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

GM lost some good opportunities by ditching out this project. Could have even enjoyed some of the effort put into its development to make some sort of "new Corvair" during that retro trend which pushed the New Beetle, Chrysler PT Cruiser and Chevy's own HHR...

[mikeyjd]

I wish they would have produced that Diesel Intrepid. Would be just about the best thing on the market today for us misers...

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by mikeyjd

I wish they would have produced that Diesel Intrepid. Would be just about the best thing on the market today for us misers...

Even if they had made a Diesel Intrepid with a conventional driveline it would be good.

[mikeyjd]

Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr

Even if they had made a Diesel Intrepid with a conventional driveline it would be good.

I was just imagining the exIII Diesel Intrepid Hybrid would have been like a better version of the gen 1 Insight. I'm sure when the batteries went bad people would have found a way to overide them and just have a .2cd 2,200lb 5seat Diesel sedan that could be hypermiled to 100mpg... These would be available now for about 5 thousand dollars and probably save the average person the cost of the vehicle in 2-3 years of use.