Automaker Chrysler announced Tuesday that it too is jumping into the electric-car fray, aiming to roll out its own electric vehicle in the United States by 2010, followed soon after by a full line of electric and/or plug-in hybrid vehicles. If the company meets its intended deadline, 2010 will be a busy year for electric car enthusiasts in the U.S.; GM’s Chevy Volt and Tesla’s Model S are also slated for 2010 rollouts. At an event marking Chrysler’s announcement, the company showcased four potential electric vehicle models: a plug-in hybrid model of a Town and Country minivan, a plug-in hybrid Jeep Wrangler, a fully electric Dodge sports car, and a tiny all-electric GEM Peapod that the company described as the next-generation neighborhood electric vehicle. The Dodge EV sports car is expected to have a range of up to 200 miles on a full charge while the two plug-in hybrids — like GM’s Volt — will be able to go 40 miles on a fully charged battery, plus another 360 miles on a small gasoline engine that charges the battery.
