Chrysler Creates Electric-Drive Vehicle Organization: ENVI
13 September 2007
Chrysler, LLC has formed a new organization—ENVI—responsible for bringing electric-drive vehicles and related advanced-propulsion technologies to market. Lou Rhodes has been appointed President of ENVI.
Rhodes will report to Frank Klegon, Executive Vice President – Product Development, Chrysler and Simon Boag, Executive Vice President – Procurement and Supply, who will serve as co-chairs of ENVI.
With a focus on creating energy-efficient vehicles, ENVI will be located within the Chrysler Technology Center (CTC) in Auburn Hills, and will consist of a team of specialists in engineering, portfolio management, modular architecture, manufacturing, and procurement and supply.
The creation of ENVI allows us to focus on the development of a new generation of environmentally responsible Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge vehicles. Under Lou’s leadership, ENVI will develop electric-propulsion vehicles that will provide customers with more fuel-efficient vehicle options.
—Robert L. Nardelli, Chrysler Chairman and CEO
Prior to being named President of ENVI, Rhodes served as Director – Advance Vehicle Concepts and Innovation, leading Chrysler’s strategic program verification process in the early stages of development, architecture and platform strategy. Rhodes’ prior background includes numerous assignments in Chrysler’s Advance Vehicle Engineering organization and Product Design Office. He joined the company in 1993.
Great news.
Posted by: marcus | 13 September 2007 at 03:25 PM
Now that Chrysler is no longer controlled by Wallstreet, i.e., no longer a public company controlled by "Bean Counting," it should be able to move more rapidly into the new areas of innovation. It will be interesting to see if the company can compete successfully in the PHEV and BEV market place. I suspect their only chance will be to technologically leap-frog GM and Ford.
Posted by: Lad | 13 September 2007 at 05:05 PM
Chrysler might want to purchase some high end battery technology (Altair?) and drive the costs down with a mass market BEV. Who knows?
Posted by: gr | 13 September 2007 at 05:40 PM
It's about time they did something like this! Chrysler, if you are reading this, start working on my future all-electric Jeep Grand Cherokee with Quadra-trac...Either Silver or Navy Blue will be fine. Thanks!
Posted by: Schmeltz | 14 September 2007 at 06:20 AM
If Chrysler would just build an ESX-3 with modern batteries, make it a PHEV with at least 20 miles range, put modern diesel aftertreatment on it and warrant it for use with biodiesel, they could have the jump on everybody. The $7200 projected price premium that they thought was absurd around the beginning of the Bush Administration is really only around the same as the price premium in proportion to the amount of gas saved as the Prius had in 2004, compensating for the fact that ESX-3 is a larger car. A plug-in hybrid version would be even better, with money saved on maintenance, and save more fuel with less aggressive structure features needed. Now that millions of people see clearly how ugly oil dependence really is, this could really put Chrysler back on the map. Showing from an auto major offering that oil dependence is not a fact of life would mean a lot for America, and the ESX-3 is already substantially designed.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysler_ESX-3
Posted by: P Schager | 16 September 2007 at 11:59 PM