Start with what the Dodge EV is: a 2-door coupé, from Dodge. What it meant takes a little longer.
The story
The Dodge EV concept car, also called Dodge Circuit EV sports car, was a two-passenger, rear-wheel-drive, all-electric sports car shown to the public at the 2009 North American International Auto Show by Dodge. The car was based on the Lotus Europa S, and combined a lithium-ion battery pack with a 200 kW (270 hp) electric motor, capable of 480 lb⋅ft (651 N⋅m) of torque. Dodge claimed that the Dodge EV had a driving range of 150–200 miles (240–320 km), approaching the range and performance of the all-electric Tesla Roadster, which is built on the same chassis.
According to Dodge, the Dodge EV could be recharged in eight hours using a standard 120 V outlet, or in only four hours using a 240 V outlet, the type commonly used for electric ovens and dryers. Dodge unveiled the working prototypes of this all-electric vehicle and announced plans to bring it to market in the United States by 2010. But in May 2009 Autocar claimed the project was cancelled and in November Fiat SpA disbanded Chrysler's ENVI electric car division and dropped its models from future product plans.
Under the skin
The record carries the shape — a 2-door coupé — and the layout: the engine sits behind the driver and ahead of the rear axle, which puts the mass in the middle of the car and is why mid-engined cars change direction the way they do. The engine, output and weight have not yet reached the open record, and MotorJury does not guess at them.
Its place in the line
Nearby in the Dodge catalogue sit the Dodge 1500 and the 1955 Dodge.