Dodge Circuit EV Prototype

Dodge Circuit EV Prototype
by Robert Obara / Auto123.com

Two seats. Rear-wheel-drive. Zero to 100 km/h in under five seconds. 268 horsepower with no fuel consumption and zero emissions. Like the car it describes, the last entry seems out-of-place. The Dodge Circuit EV is an electric-powered coupe designed to shock and jolt its way into commonplace.

Two seats. Rear-wheel-drive. Zero to 100 km/h in under five seconds.

The Circuit EV is sources all its energy from advanced lithium-ion batteries. Yes, Tesla is already producing a slightly faster roadster with similar technology, and yes, the Circuit does share its form with the Lotus Europa; however, the Circuit EV's distinctiveness ironically comes from how its electric drive components are shared with other vehicles, including a minivan!

However, unlike those automotive relatives, the Circuit EV lacks a gasoline motor to recharge the batteries when they lose their juice. Instead, the Circuit EV's batteries must be charged from an electrical outlet with only some relief from regenerative brakes. The major drawback to this is that it can take up to eight hours to recharge the batteries.

The Circuit EV can go 240-320 km between charges, but if put into production, it would still likely be rendered a weekend driver. It should be noted, however, that charging times can be almost cut in half by using an appliance (220V) outlet as opposed to a standard North American (110V) outlet.

Like its electric siblings, the Circuit EV uses an energy flow controller to moderate the electric motors. Unlike its electric siblings, the Circuit EV is tuned to exceed 200 km/h.

Seemingly in response to hype about the Chevy Volt, Chrysler announced the Circuit EV alongside four other 'green' vehicles: Chrysler 200EV Concept, Chrysler Town & Country EV, Jeep Patriot EV, and Jeep Wrangler Unlimited EV. These are the products of Chrysler's ENVI (short for "environment") division, which was created after the 2007 separation with Daimler to carry on with green technology research and development. Chrysler is using these products to convince buyers, and, more importantly, government bail-out leaders, that the company can survive in the revolutionizing automotive market.

The Circuit EV can go 240-320 km between charges.

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