The all-new 2017 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid, the most efficient minivan of all time, offers consumers a brighter shade of green performance.
How much brighter? Just over 31 percent, compared with the previous-generation, gasoline-powered Chrysler minivan.
The improvement was calculated by FCA US engineers who used industry-standard software. The software determines Global Warming Potential (GWP), which considers the environmental impact of fuel production and delivery, along with the implications of the vehicle’s own fuel consumption.
Such calculations are based on 120,000 miles (200,000 km) of operation. And improvements are measured by contrasting anticipated C02-equivalent greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions, with those of comparable vehicles.
C02-equivalent, or CO2e, is a term for describing various greenhouse gases as a common unit. For any quantity and type of greenhouse gas, CO2e signifies the amount of CO2 that would have the equivalent effect on global warming.
Compared with the previous-generation Chrysler minivan, the all-new Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid – having traveled the prescribed distance – could account for a 21-metric-tonne reduction in CO2e GHG emissions.
“And that’s for a single Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid,” noted Phil Jansen, Head of Product Development. “With each one that drives off a dealer’s lot, the emissions-savings are multiplied accordingly. The introduction of the Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid represents a major milestone for the auto industry, as well as society at large.”
Expressed other ways, a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid’s potential emissions-savings are equivalent to:
- the average annual C02 output of 22 American households
- 14 commercial flights from Detroit to Los Angeles
- driving the average U.S. passenger vehicle more than 50,000 miles
The Pacifica Hybrid delivers a 24-percent reduction in GWP, when compared with its gasoline-powered stablemate. This despite a curb-weight differential that favors the 2017 gas-powered Pacifica by approximately 650 pounds.
Such disparities are inherent in hybrid-vehicle production, largely because of the need to accommodate large battery packs. And such accommodations often trigger additional carbon emissions.
However, the Pacifica Hybrid’s unique powertrain helps offset the effects of added weight. It features a specially adapted version of the award-winning 3.6-liter V-6 engine, mated to a dual-motor, eFlite electrically variable transmission.
This advanced technology helped the 2017 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivan achieve a fuel-economy rating of 84 miles-per-gallon-equivalent (MPGe) from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). No minivan has ever been rated higher.
The all-new Pacifica Hybrid begins arriving at U.S. dealerships in first-quarter 2017. With available $7,500 federal tax credit, pricing starts as low as $34,495, not including any state or local incentives.
