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2018 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid Long-term Review | Introducing something green

BIRMINGHAM, Mich. — I'm stoked to drive this minivan. Legitimately. The 2018 Chrysler Pacifica hybrid is an impressive evolution of the minivan and a smart execution of electric technology. Why hasn't someone made a hybrid minivan until now? I ponder this as I unplug the charger and take my first spin in the Pacifica, the newest addition to the Autoblog long-term fleet. Sinking into the leather seats, I'm immediately relaxed. That's why you buy a minivan: comfort and convenience. Hybrid tech? Well that makes this thing sustainable and even cool. Whether your friends are swanky or wonky, play the plug-in hybrid card and your people hauler is cooler than theirs. What we got We went with the Pacifica Hybrid Limited. It starts at $44,995 and wears a beautiful shade of Ocean Blue. The interior features black and alloy pieces and leather. Power comes from the sturdy 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 dubbed the eHybrid for this application, and it works with an eFlite electrically variable transmission home to two motors making 84 and 114 hp. The hybrid battery pack has 96 lithium-ion cells that generate 16 kWh of energy. The net system power is 260 horsepower. In real-world driving, it's quick, torquey and more fun to drive than the average minivan. It can charge in two hours using a Level 2 charger and offers 33 miles of range on pure electricity. Collectively, it puts out 84 MPGe, and using just the Pentastar it's still rated at a robust 32 mpg in combined city and highway driving conditions. The Limited is the top-of-the line Pacifica trim, offering heated and vented front seats, an 8.4-inch Uconnect touchscreen and 13 Alpine speakers as standard equipment. We added a safety and tech package ($995) that includes parking assist, a 360-degree surround view camera, lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control, seatback video screens and a Blu-ray DVD player. We also ticked the box for the hybrid appearance package ($395) to add 18-inch polished aluminum wheels, body color treatments for the mirrors and door handles, and a "Black Spear Applique" for the rear fascia. It's not worth your money. We topped it off with the $1,595 tri-pane sunroof, which is totally worth your money. Final cost including destination: $49,325. It's reasonable, considering the level of luxury the Limited offers, and as we all know, hybrid tech isn't cheap. If you can get the $7,500 federal tax credit the government offers on electrics, it's a great value.

Auto startups chasing Tesla race past red flags to go public

Missed out on the Tesla rally but still want to surf the electric vehicle wave? A stream of EV-related startups backed by blank-check firms is lining up to go public so there are plenty of choices. But like Tesla in the early days, few have products ready to sell or any likelihood of generating significant revenue anytime soon. Instead, investors will be relying on rosy production, sales and revenue forecasts for new cars, trucks and batteries, all set to be jostling for a slice of markets that will be far more crowded than when Tesla's cars first hit the road. Take Fisker Inc, for example. It was launched in 2016, just three years after the bankruptcy of its predecessor and early Tesla rival Fisker Automobile. In July, Fisker Inc announced a $2.9 billion reverse merger deal with Spartan Energy Acquisition Corp, a Special Purpose Acquisition Company (SPAC), and is planning to go public later this year. It has no revenue and its Fisker Ocean electric sports-utility vehicle (SUV) is at least two years away from production in a project heavily dependent on nailing down deals with partners who will build the car and provide key components. That's not particularly unique for young companies in the sector looking to use SPACs to go public and bypass the scrutiny of a traditional IPO process, according to company presentations and interviews with executives and investors. That also didn't seem to be an issue earlier this year when U.S. electric truck maker Nikola Motors used a SPAC to go public. Shares in the company that hopes to generate revenue next year almost trebled after listing on the Nasdaq exchange. But they slumped when a short-seller questioned whether founder Trevor Milton had made false claims about Nikola's technology, forcing the 38-year-old entrepreneur to step down as executive chairman — and making some investors more cautious. Nikola and Milton have publicly rejected the accusations and have threatened to take legal action against the short-seller, Hindenberg Research. "Good storytelling is an important component of being a good founder and entrepreneur — but it better not be the only component," says Evangelos Simoudis, managing partner and founder of startup investor Synapse Partners. 'IT'S A FORECAST' Fisker Inc's founder Henrik Fisker is well known in the industry for designing sports cars such as Aston Martin's Vantage, and for his failed EV firm Fisker Automobile that went bust in 2013 after burning through more than $1 billion.

Henrik Fisker says he's developing EVs in 'stealth mode'

VLF Automotive added a second model to their small lineup earlier this year. While the Force 1 sports car continued the company's tradition of cars with big displacement gas engines, a story by The Detroit News reveals that corporate partner Henrik Fisker isn't done with electric cars. The story is basically an inside look at how the company operates along with some insight on the company from Bob Lutz, one of the founders, and Henrik Fisker. However, among general comments about the company, Fisker told Detroit News that he's "definitely working in stealth mode on electric cars of the future." The news outlet also reported that Fisker said he's nearing a battery breakthrough and there might be a future electric VLF bearing his name. His interest in continuing with EVs is consistent with past statements, but this is the first we've heard of him actively working on electric car technology. Fisker wanting to stay under the radar in regards to electric car development is also understandable. His previous self-titled car company showed promise with the beautiful Karma plug-in hybrid, but it went bankrupt and was sold off to a Chinese car company. The Chinese company renamed itself Karma and is planning on selling cars again soon. Fisker's other interim automotive ventures have been met with mixed success. He teamed up with Galpin Auto Sport to create a custom Aston Martin Vanquish and Ford Mustang. The former resulted in a lawsuit from Aston, and the latter had polarizing styling. Setbacks clearly don't discourage Fisker though, and he even has plenty of things outside of VLF to keep him busy. He's currently working on a yacht for boat-builder Benetti, and he told The Detroit News he even has an idea for a TV show about building cars. For more on Fisker and VLF, check out the whole Detroit News story here. Related Video: Featured Gallery VLF Force 1 V10: Detroit 2016 View 17 Photos News Source: The Detroit NewsImage Credit: Drew Phillips Green Fisker Automakers Electric Future Vehicles Henrik Fisker karma karma automotive vlf automotive vlf