Chrysler ecoVoyager

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What is it?
Chrysler ecoVoyager

What's special about it?
It's no longer possible to describe a concept car with a lithium-ion battery pack and a fuel-cell stack as something radical and futuristic, but the Chrysler ecoVoyager has significance beyond its name-droppable bits of technology. For the first time in years, Chrysler has taken a hard look at vehicle packaging.

Instead of cramming the ecoVoyager with cute minivan features like the Chill Zone, MyGIG and Swivel 'n Go, Chrysler has designed it around your family's typical driving habits. Or, rather, its perception of what your habits might be 10-20 years from now.

A 268-horsepower electric motor drives the ecoVoyager's front wheels, and Chrysler says 60 mph comes up in "less than 9 seconds." Since the company has determined that most people commute less than 40 miles a day, this is exactly the amount of range that the 16-kilowatt-hour battery pack provides on a single charge. Regenerative brakes are capable of recapturing small amounts of energy to prolong battery life.

For the occasional road trip, the ecoVoyager draws upon a small fuel-cell stack to recharge its batteries and extend total range to "greater than 300 miles." Because the fuel cells are meant to be only a secondary power source, they provide just 45 kW of electricity — less than half the juice of the stack in the Honda FCX Clarity. Hydrogen is stored at 10,000 psi in a pair of onboard tanks mounted under the ecoVoyager's cargo bay.

We doubt the "Voyager" in Chrysler ecoVoyager is a chance cameo. Although it only seats four, this one-box concept car with quad captain's chairs and reverse-opening rear doors is undoubtedly a minivan. And by packing the drivetrain bits into the floor, Chrysler has maximized interior volume — something you can never get enough of in a family vehicle.

Given its interior with leather upholstery and cherrywood accents, this particular minivan is aimed at well-to-do families. Curiously, Chrysler envisions these hypothetical buyers as iconoclasts, noting that the ecoVoyager concept has been "developed for customers wanting a travel experience on par with a private jet, but without a lot of fancy gadgetry."

To that end, ergonomic correctness rather than retro styling cues has driven the interior design. Chrysler says the reconfigurable instrumentation and controls are carefully located to reduce head and eye movement. A console running the length of the cabin puts no fewer than six 20-ounce beverages within comfortable reach.

Large skylights ensure everyone in the Chrysler ecoVoyager gets enough Vitamin D, while a "Direct Sound" audio system evidently eliminates the hassle of wireless headphones and bickering siblings alike. According to Chrysler, "the musical entertainment choice of each individual occupant can be directed to him or her without the use of headphones, and without disturbing others in the car."

What's Edmunds' take?
If the basic design of the Chrysler ecoVoyager sounds familiar, that's because Ford did it last year with the Airstream concept. It's a significant step in packaging nevertheless. — Erin Riches, Senior Editor