Chrysler 2012 Annual Report Download - page 87

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Alternative Fuels and Propulsion Systems
A key element in the Group’s strategy to reduce emissions is to increase the use of
alternative fuels.
Fiat believes natural gas is the most effective and affordable solution currently available
for reducing CO2 emissions and vehicle-related air pollution in urban areas. A car running
on natural gas produces 23% less CO2 emissions than with gasoline.
In addition, natural gas has the potential to become a renewable fuel source in the form
of biomethane.
With 10 natural gas/gasoline models now available, Fiat Group is the first and only
automaker to offer a complete range of bi-fuel passenger cars and commercial vehicles.
During 2012, versions of the Fiat Panda and Lancia Ypsilon were launched with the new
80 hp TwinAir Turbo Natural Power engine, which has CO2 emissions of just 86 g/km.
In 2012, Fiat reconfirmed its undisputed leadership in this market sector in Europe with
over 54,000 natural gas vehicles sold (+30% versus 2011).
Building on Fiat’s considerable experience in natural gas technology, in 2012 Chrysler
Group launched the Ram 2500 Heavy Duty CNG, making it the first automaker in North
America to produce a natural gas pickup.
The Group also continued development of innovative solutions to transfer gasoline engine
technologies to natural gas engines. This will yield further reductions in CO2 emissions.
Other areas of activity will include development of new architectures and technologies
for on-board storage of natural gas, as well as promoting development of a biomethane
distribution network so that it can become a widely available fuel alternative.
Fiat maintained its long-standing leadership in biofuel vehicles in Brazil with more than
798,000 Flexfuel and TetraFuel vehicles sold in 2012, accounting for approximately 96%
of total vehicles sold. Flexfuel technology enables use of varying blends of gasoline and
bioethanol, while the TetraFuel engine is the first in the world capable of running on
four different fuels: bioethanol, Brazilian gasoline (refined crude oil and 22% anhydrous
ethanol), standard gasoline and natural gas.
The Group is also working on development of alternative propulsion systems,
particularly for vehicles that are primarily driven in urban areas. During 2012, the Group
began production of the Fiat 500e in the U.S., its first zero-emission electric vehicle for
the mass market. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has given the vehicle
a “miles-per-gallon-equivalent” rating of 108 MPGe8 highway – the best highway rating
ever recorded by the agency. The EPA testing also determined that, fully charged, the
car has a range of around 87 miles (about 140 km). That range is higher than any other
electric vehicle produced by a major automaker for the U.S. market.
As the center of expertise for hybrid and electric propulsion technologies within the
Group, Chrysler’s research is focused on overcoming the technological and cost
barriers that still limit the mass-market potential of electric vehicles. CRF supports
Chrysler Group in specific areas related to the principal systems and components
for electrification (e.g., electric motors and accumulator systems), as well as safety
applications for those systems.
(8) MPGe is the EPA-devised measure for determining how many miles an electric vehicle can travel on a quantity of battery-generated electricity that has the same
energy content as a gallon of gasoline.
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