Back in September Chrysler showed its commitment to designing and marketing a range of electric and hybrid vehicles with the unveiling of a trio of concept vehicles, one for each of the Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge brands. Despite its current financial situation, Chrysler is keen to show its willingness to keep up with rivals, such as General Motors and its Chevrolet Volt plug-in, by unveiling updated designs of its electric vehicles at this month’s Detroit Auto Show.

The first of these is the new Jeep Patriot EV, an plug-in hybrid SUV with a 400-mile total driving range and a 40-mile all-electric range with zero fuel consumption and zero tailpipe emissions.

As a range-extended electric vehicle, the Jeep Patriot EV combines the electric-drive components of an electric vehicle with a small gasoline engine and integrated electric generator to produce additional energy to power the electric-drive system when needed.

Power for the five-passenger SUV comes from a V6 petrol engine and a 200hp (150kW) electric motor running on lithium-ion batteries. Performance numbers are impressive for a vehicle of this size, with the 0-60mph taking approximately eight seconds, and the standing quarter mile passing in 16 seconds. Top speed is in excess of 100mph.

Chrysler is also expected to reveal a new all-electric four-seat Dodge sports car, which you can read about in our previous story by clicking here.

2009 Jeep Patriot EV range-extended vehicle