Overall for 2007, the company plans to sell more than 250,000 Flexible
Fuel Vehicles (FFVs) capable of running on E85 (85 percent ethanol) fuel,
said Tom LaSorda, Chrysler Group President and CEO. That number will
increase to nearly 500,000 units beginning in the 2008 model year -- about
one-quarter of the company's U.S. fleet.
About 1.5 million FFV-capable Chrysler Group vehicles are already on the
road, representing about 10 percent of all vehicles sold by the company
since 1998 -- a greater percentage than any other company.
In addition, Chrysler Group is an industry leader in promoting use of
biodiesel, a clean, renewable fuel made from plant oils that can be mixed
with conventional diesel fuel. Each Jeep Liberty CRD diesel SUV built at
the company's Toledo, Ohio, assembly plant is fueled with B5 (5 percent
biodiesel), made from soybeans grown and refined in Ohio.
Beginning this fall, the company will test use of B20 (20 percent
biodiesel) in its industry-leading Dodge Ram heavy-duty diesel pickup
trucks, working initially with commercial, government and military fleet
customers.
For vehicles to operate on ethanol-based fuels, engine computer controls
must be adjusted and the fuel system (fuel tank, fuel pump and fuel lines)
must be altered to resist the effects of the alcohol (ethanol). Chrysler
Group FFVs use a patented sensor system to determine the exact content of
the fuel (E85, gasoline or any mixture of the two). The seamless
transition of one fuel to another is accomplished by an advanced
calibration system that determines the concentration of ethanol in the
gasoline and adjusts for greatest operational efficiency.
The Chrysler Sebring sedan and convertible with the 2.7-liter engine and
the Dodge Dakota and Dodge Ram pickups and Dodge Durango SUV with
4.7-liter engine will also have the FFV capability in 2007. Dodge Caravan
and Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town & Country minivans equipped with
3.3-liter engines will be available with FFV capability for fleet
customers.