Chrysler town and country

DETROIT Chrysler says the entire automotive industry has basically the same technology pool from which to base their vehicle propulsion. That s Chrysler s way of saying they can and will have greener vehicles in their future. However, Chrysler s senior VP of Design, Trevor Creed, wants to make cars and trucks with emotional designs utilizing these innovative technologies. And the new ecoVoyager concept is just such an example.

That sleek bodywork hides a hydrogen fuel cell coupled to lithium-ion batteries and an electric motor. Power for the 200-kW (268-hp) motor is provided by a l-i pack with the ability to travel nearly 40 miles on a charge, much more than the average daily commute. However, utilizing the hydrogen fuel cell range extender, the ecoVoyager can travel more than 300 miles. Extended range is one of the major must haves that drivers say they need in their vehicles, according to Chrysler.

And the capability of accelerating from a stop to 60 miles an hour in less than eight seconds while emitting nothing more than water vapor from the tailpipe is pretty sweet, too. The exterior design is an attractive, curving trapezoidal shape that represents the advanced technology under its skin. The panoramic glass roof is said to provide the open experience of a convertible. The boat-tail treatments harken to the past, melding modernism with the classic design.

And to give it a more planted, hunkered-down stance, the wheels are moved dramatically to the corners of the ecoVoyager. The ultra-modern exterior hints at the advanced interior design, which offers the amenities one would expect from a personal jet without the complexity (and presumably, weight) of other luxury-laden automobiles. Gauges and controls are located to reduce head and eye movement from the road.