2009 Dodge EV Concept - Full Electric, Lotus-Based Mini Viper

The Dodge EV electric sports car concept, based on the Lotus Europa, is exactly the car ailing Chrysler LLC needs. For a car like the EV concept to not see production would be admitting defeat for Chrysler/Dodge, which carries one of the worst MPG averages of any automaker.

Real Pure Electric Performance from Dodge

It's no secret that sports car drivers would never settle for something, for all its merits, as boring as a Toyota Prius. Automakers worldwide have hybrid or full electric sports car models in the works, trying to capture the hearts and car note payments of the future auto enthusiast on a green tip.

There's nothing particular outstanding about the Dodge EV when compared with other electric sports cars such as the Tesla Roadster, the RUF Concept A or the 2010 MINI E. The chassis comes courtesy of the Lotus Europa, that British automaker's larger sports car. Power comes from a 200 kW (268 equivalent bhp) electric motor putting power to the rear wheels.

An outstanding feature of such electric high performance ccars is the fact that all the torque is available from a standstill. The Dodge EV pushes a tire-crushing 480 lb-ft. of torque, primarily responsible for taking the 3000 pound sports car from 0-60 in what Dodge promises to be somewhere in the 4 second range.

High Performance, Zero Emissions, but is the Dodge EV Production-Bound?

Chrysler has the most uncertain future of any full-line automaker in the world right now. With GM in serious talks to buy Chrysler from Cerberus Financial and Daimler calling their current 19.9 percent stake in the American automaker a financial liability and nearly worthless, R&D budgets can't too high right now.

But GM, who has dumped its research and development budget into the dual-mode hybrid Volt powertrain and E85 Ethanol Flex Fuel green cars, could potentially have the chips to bring the Dodge EV to production, or to use the technology in anything from a Cruize to a Camaro.

Something called the General Motors EV brings to mind another electric car that has not actually given the company a good name. Still, times are changing, and full electric sports cars will be in greater demand than ever before.