DETROIT, MI – DaimlerChrysler is expanding its concept plug-in hybrid program to include the all-new 2007 Dodge Sprinter. Up to 20 Dodge Sprinter Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV) will be placed with customers in the United States between now and the first quarter of 2008 as part of a test-fleet program. Four of the vehicles, built on the previous-generation Dodge Sprinter, already are in operation with customers.

DaimlerChrysler is the only auto manufacturer currently evaluating a variety of plug-in hybrid powertrain (diesel and gas) configurations in real-world, customer-operation service within the United States. A number of the Dodge Sprinter PHEVs will be equipped with lithium-ion batteries that are about half the weight and have much greater storage capacities compared with nickel-metal hydride batteries. The vehicles will yield technical information through real-world driving conditions about the lifetime, performance, and cost of batteries. Plug-in technology lends itself to commercial applications where the vehicle returns to base after each shift to be plugged into the power grid. In short stop-and-go routes, the vehicle will use very little fuel.