Photo: Chrysler
What’s the most fuel-efficient minivan out there? The answer comes in the form of the 2017 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid. Thanks to an 84 MPGe rating in EV mode, the Pacifica Hybrid is the first minivan to score a perfect 10 in the EPA’s Green Vehicle Guide.
The Environmental Protection Agency’s numbers surpass Chrysler’s initial estimates of 530 miles total driving range and 30-mile electric-only range. Officially, the Pacifica Hybrid is capable of traveling 33 miles as an EV, on to a total driving range of 566 miles. Definitely not shabby at all for a minivan.
Incorrectly referred to as a hybrid due to its name, the 2017 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid is actually a plug-in hybrid. See the charge port door integrated into the front left fender? That’s where you plug it the 120-volt charger that comes as standard with the Pacifica Hybrid. A full recharge of the 16 kWh battery takes 14 hours. A 240-volt charger, however, can do it in two hours.
With a MSRP starting from $41,995, the Pacifica Hybrid is not cheap. Available U.S. federal tax credit, not including the local and state incentives, drops the price to $34,495. Moving on, what makes the Pacifica Hybrid tick? Other than a Pentastar V6, propulsion is given by something called e-Flite.
In a nutshell, e-Flite is a dual-motor electrically variable transmission (EVT) developed in-house by Chrysler. The one-way clutch assembly of the e-Flite system allows the electric motor to act either as a generator or as a means of propulsion, depending on driving conditions. According to the company's head of global powertrain solutions, e-Flite “is exceptionally well-suited to deliver the primary attributes we sought to infuse in the Pacifica Hybrid’s propulsion system – class-leading efficiency and superior refinement.”
If, however, a plug-in hybrid minivan is too sci-fi for the regular minivan buyer, Chrysler will gladly sell you a Pacifica powered solely by the Pentastar V6. Suggested retail price for the entry-level model starts at $28,595.
Incorrectly referred to as a hybrid due to its name, the 2017 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid is actually a plug-in hybrid. See the charge port door integrated into the front left fender? That’s where you plug it the 120-volt charger that comes as standard with the Pacifica Hybrid. A full recharge of the 16 kWh battery takes 14 hours. A 240-volt charger, however, can do it in two hours.
With a MSRP starting from $41,995, the Pacifica Hybrid is not cheap. Available U.S. federal tax credit, not including the local and state incentives, drops the price to $34,495. Moving on, what makes the Pacifica Hybrid tick? Other than a Pentastar V6, propulsion is given by something called e-Flite.
In a nutshell, e-Flite is a dual-motor electrically variable transmission (EVT) developed in-house by Chrysler. The one-way clutch assembly of the e-Flite system allows the electric motor to act either as a generator or as a means of propulsion, depending on driving conditions. According to the company's head of global powertrain solutions, e-Flite “is exceptionally well-suited to deliver the primary attributes we sought to infuse in the Pacifica Hybrid’s propulsion system – class-leading efficiency and superior refinement.”
If, however, a plug-in hybrid minivan is too sci-fi for the regular minivan buyer, Chrysler will gladly sell you a Pacifica powered solely by the Pentastar V6. Suggested retail price for the entry-level model starts at $28,595.
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