Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has newly partnered with Amazon to create a microsite with charging hardware for its plug-in Pacifica Hybrid minivan. The microsite, Amazon.com/PacificaHybrid, includes various purchase and installation options for a Level 2 (240-volt) home charger.
Related: 2017 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid: Real-World Fuel Economy
Chrysler announced today that it will link to Amazon’s microsite, as well as a Mopar-branded Level 2 charger, from Chryser.com. Pacifica Hybrid shoppers originally had to purchase Mopar chargers through dealers.
FCA noted in a statement that one of the biggest question from customers looking to make the switch to electric vehicles is where and how to set up a charger in their home. The new arrangement with Amazon aims to make answering shoppers’ questions clearer and easier.
“This approach helps take the guesswork out of the equation,” the automaker said in a statement, adding that though the microsite, “customers can purchase a charger, answer a few questions about their home, see an installation quote, then schedule online a quality and licensed electrician to complete the installation of their EV charger.”
From Amazon to Home Depot, online retailers have become hubs to purchase EV charging stations and collect installation quotes. We maintain that at-home charging remains the most viable way to own a plug-in car, but not all such vehicles require Level 2 infrastructure; conventional, 120-volt household outlets can also charge a car, albeit at a much slower pace.
It’s undoubtedly too slow if you own a full battery-electric car, but the Pacifica Hybrid’s battery packs a comparatively low 16-kilowatt-hour capacity — a fraction of the capacity for most full EVs — to enable an EPA-rated 32-mile maximum range. After that, the minivan’s hybrid powertrain kicks in for an EPA-estimated 30 mpg combined, considerably better than the non-hybrid Pacifica’s 22 mpg. FCA says a 120-volt charger can recharge the van in roughly 14 hours, a manageable overnight time. A Level 2 charger, by contrast, can achieve maximum range in as little as two hours.
FCA plans to introduce further plug-in models, primarily from its Jeep brand.
More From Cars.com:
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- 2017 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid Rated 84 MPG-E
- Here’s What’s New on the 2020 Chrysler Pacifica
- 2020 Chrysler Pacifica: What’s Changed
- Find a 2020 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid for Sale Near You
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