Auburn Hills’ Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has installed a link on its Chrysler brand website that allows customers to purchase Mopar’s 240-volt home electric vehicle wall charger and arrange for its installation on Amazon.com.
Buyers of the Chrysler Pacifica PHEV will be the first to benefit. Additional FCA consumer websites will offer the same solution as the company launches more than 30 electrified nameplates by 2022. Drivers of the upcoming Jeep Wrangler 4xe are the next who will be able to take advantage of the offering.
“Our industry is approaching an inflection point in demand for affordable long-range electric vehicles,” says Micky Bly, head of global propulsion system engineering at FCA. “This action is just one of FCA’s efforts to improve awareness and convenience in the EV purchase experience. We see opportunities to make owning an EV easier, and creating a simple solution for at-home charging is among them.”
Among the questions for customers looking to make the switch to electric vehicles is where and how to set up a charger in their home. This approach helps take the guesswork out of the equation, according to Bly. Through Amazon.com/pacificahybrid customers can purchase a charger, answer a few questions about their home, see an installation quote, then schedule online a licensed electrician to complete the installation of their EV charger.
The 2020 calendar year will bring seven new high-voltage EVs to the FCA global lineup, including a number of electrified Jeep vehicles, a second-generation Fiat 500 BEV, Fiat Ducato BEV, and Maserati’s first hybrid.
In addition to the Amazon deal in the U.S., FCA has signed two agreements in Europe with energy sector leaders Enel X and ENGIE to support corporate production and distribution of PHEV and BEV vehicles. These agreements allow dealers to offer charging solutions and services to retail and business customers.
In Italy, through a partnership with electricity provider Terna, FCA will study how EVs interact with the distribution network. An experimental two-way charging infrastructure built within the Mirafiori district will provide energy from cars to the grid when electrical demand is high and return to vehicle charging when the demand is low.
