Chrysler Plug-In Hybrid Minivan To Bring Company Full Circle

We know very little about the plug-in hybrid version that Fiat Chrysler will launch sometime after the new 2017 Chrysler Town & Country minivan is unveiled next year.

But while a spate of plug-in hybrid SUVs and crossover utility vehicles is just about to enter the U.S. market, only Chrysler will offer a minivan that plugs in and can run solely on electric power at least some of the time.

DON'T MISS: Chrysler Plug-In Hybrid Minivan Will Launch Late Next Year, Company Says (Oct 2014)

As an article in the Detroit Free Press pointed out last week, though, the upcoming model will hardly be Chrysler's first-ever electrically powered minivan.

Now mostly forgotten, the 1993-1995 Chrysler TEvan was an all-electric version of the Town & Country minivan powered by nickel-iron or nickel-cadmium batteries.

Just 56 copies of the $120,000 vehicle were built, with a stated range of 120 miles.

In 1997, it was followed by the Dodge EPIC--for Electric Powered Interurban Commuter--when an entirely new generation of the minivan was introduced.

Originally fitted with advanced lead-acid batteries, the EPIC was also later offered with nickel-metal hydride cells.

Its modern-day iteration is expected to be one of two plug-in hybrid vehicles to be launched by Fiat Chrysler. One will be a Chrysler minivan, while the other will be a Dodge sport-utility vehicle.

ALSO SEE: Chrysler Confirms Plug-In Hybrid Minivan, Big SUV In 2016 And Later (May 2014)