FCA hasn’t been terribly enthusiastic about electric vehicles in the past, but according to a report obtained by , the company may be planning a mild hybrid Durango to be introduced in 2020.
The hybrid power system is expected to be the same 48-volt Motor Generator Unit (MGU) used on the . The MGU is a small motor (and generator) that replaces the alternator. A suitcase-sized battery goes somewhere inside the vehicle. The system is good for two miles per gallon on the eight-cylinder Ram 1500.
This is not the Durango’s first foray into electrification; the previous generation briefly had a hybrid option at the .
Not too long ago, FCA’s former CEO Sergio Marchionne was openly critical of electric vehicles, even asking customers not to buy the company’s compliance car. . Over the last few months, however, the company has significantly expanded its electrification plans with budgeted for EV projects through 2022. This is likely a result of the company having to give Tesla hundreds of millions of dollars to lowering FCA’s average emissions outputs to avoid .