2008 Dodge ZEO Concept

• The ZEO was a four passenger electric 2+2 sport wagon with four doors, scissor door operation and 23 inch wheels.
  

• A 64 kWh lithium ion battery supplied a 200 kW electric motor driving the rear wheels, with at least 250 miles of claimed range.
  

• Dodge quoted 268 hp and a 0 to 60 mph time of less than six seconds.

The 2008 Dodge ZEO Concept was Dodge's take on an electric performance car at a time when battery powered vehicles were still far from mainstream. Revealed in Detroit on January 13, 2008, ZEO stood for Zero Emissions Operation and took the form of an unusually proportioned four passenger 2+2 sport wagon.

Rather than disguising the electric hardware inside a conventional shape, Dodge used the project to explore a different design direction. The body was heavily sculpted, with the fenders visibly offset from the main surfaces.

23 Inch Wheels Anchor The ZEO Shape

Large 23 inch wheels were pushed toward the corners of the body. Between the circular wheel arches ran a long, taut beltline that kicked upward toward the rear, meeting a reverse angle C pillar positioned over the rear wheel arch.

The roof treatment was more unusual. Rakish A pillars flowed into extended roof rails inspired partly by a Möbius strip, twisting together toward the back. The windshield glass continued rearward in an almost uninterrupted curved plane, opening up the view through the four seat cabin.

Scissor doors, individually sculpted front and rear lamps and a ZEO Orange and dark silver exterior completed the concept. Dodge also illuminated the crossbar grille to visually communicate its electric power source.

Sculpted Cabin Replaced A Conventional Dashboard

Inside, Dodge treated the cabin as one continuous sculptural form. A fabric wrapped surface swept from the driver's side through the doors and rear quarters before continuing toward the passenger side. Blue LED accent lighting followed this shape against predominantly Super White interior surfaces.

A slim center console extended from the windshield through the cabin, separating the interior into two cockpit areas. Controls and the viewing screen sat flush with the surrounding surfaces to reduce visual clutter.

The steering wheel was particularly unconventional. Its two spokes were mounted closely together, leaving 80 percent of the rim open. Instruments appeared on a thin blue acrylic display, while the stationary center hub housed the airbag and auxiliary controls.

Four heavily contoured leather bucket seats featured Copperhead stitching, milled aluminum shells and video screens integrated into the front seatbacks.

268 HP Motor Drove The Rear Wheels

The ZEO used a 64 kWh lithium ion battery feeding a single 200 kW, or 268 hp, electric motor. Drive went exclusively to the rear wheels. Dodge claimed at least 250 miles of range and a 0 to 60 mph time below six seconds.

Charging speed, torque and top speed were not specified in the supplied material. As a concept, the ZEO primarily demonstrated how Dodge envisioned combining battery electric propulsion with the proportions and visual drama of a four passenger sports car.

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