FCA Attempts to Alter Its Image as a Technological Laggard With a Minivan It Won't Make
It turns out that the all-electric car Fiat Chrysler Automobiles was rumored to unveil at the Consumer Electronics Show isn’t going to be a EV Pacifica, but an new concept EV called the Chrysler Portal.
However, FCA’s new concept electric doesn’t show that the company is abandoning its internal combustion predisposition. If anything, it is weighing its options.
After all, FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne has expressed an uneasiness about EVs from the word go. He’s mentioned Fiat’s 500e exists solely to comply with California’s zero-emission vehicle mandate and is fearful that EV production places too much power into the hands of parts suppliers, potentially crippling FCA’s ability to produce its own powertrain components.
That doesn’t mean the Chrysler Portal isn’t well-thought-out though. Concept vehicles are aspirational and signal where your brand is going, not where it has been. Considering that FCA has sort of been on the tail end of technology, talking about the future is much more positive than discussing the company’s present inability to meet toughening fuel economy standards. However, there are some marginally realistic engineering goals behind the Portal. It may not be the minivan of today but could be the minivan of tomorrow — assuming Marchionne follows through on his retirement plans.
“It’s an attempt to change the subject from the fundamental problem of not being in a position to meet the standards,” Dan Luria, an analyst at the Michigan Manufacturing Technology Institute, told Bloomberg after the initial rumors of FCA’s plans to show an electric vehicle at CES. “This is not a seriously competitive vehicle.”
Although, if Chrysler had the wherewithal to produce the Portal now, it could be. FCA says that the futuristic six-seater would possess a competitive 250 mile all-electric range as it “explores the possibility of what a family transportation vehicle could look like,” with connectivity to personal devices and the cloud.
Floor-mounted battery packs are intended to keep the cabin open and airy while a fast charger is designed to restore 150 miles worth of range in under 20 minutes. Chrysler said the hypothetical Portal would be marketed toward cost-concerned younger buyers without estimating the price range. However, implementing self-driving and EV technology isn’t exactly cheap in today’s market, and no car has demonstrated the ability to effectively drive itself. Of course, FCA didn’t explain how it would implement the autonomous technology anyway.
Unlikely as it may be, this is all technically feasible in the not-so-distant FCA future. Fiat Chrysler could, theoretically, invest heavily into battery technology and already has an in with Google’s Waymo on the self-driving frontier. It’s speculative to say the Portal will ever reach development in any form, but the company needs to place some serious faith into new tech before it gets swallowed up by economy regulations.
For 2016, U.S. regulators predict FCA’s trucks will only average 25.7 miles per gallon. The average will need to rise to 31.8 mpg in 2020 in order to keep pace with the elevated standard, according to Gopal Duleep, president of H-D Systems, a Washington-based research company. However, Fiat Chrysler’s cars will need to reach 41.8 mpg, up from the 31.2 mpg average of today. “FCA may be able to get pretty close to meeting the standard at least through 2021,’’ Duleep said. “After that, the truck standard really starts to shoot up, and it gets rough for them.’’
The Chrysler Portal will be unveiled later this afternoon at the 2017 CES kickoff.
[Images: FCA]
A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.
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Technological Laggard? Have you seen the new Pacifica Hybrid? 20+ mile pure EV range in a battery/hybrid minivan (with industry-leading gas mpg thereafter) and with more options that you can shake a stick at. There isn't a similar competing vehicle on the market. FCA might be late to the EV party with it, but they're first in the minivan segment. Sure, it's a boring market, but a large and important one. Thus "technological laggard" seems a bit harsh.
Always with the ridiculous huge wheels. I know it's a concept but what is it with the giant rims nowadays? Does the auto buying public like spending 4 figures for rubber? Sell me a van with 215/70 R15s.