Gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles are one of the politically correct topics that everybody is into these days. Of course everybody loves hybrids, along with trees, kittens and all species of endangered newts. Hybrids are going to save the planet, usher in world peace and single-handedly castrate OPEC. Plus, Detroit's apparent disdain of hybrids gives media Gnostics on both coasts one more reason to bash the Midwest and those poor souls consigned to dwell there.
Not that we're fond of spitting in anybody's herbal tea, but the reality of hybrids in America is far from what the mainstream media would have their devout listeners believe.
First, most hybrids aren't as cute as kittens. Sorry.
Second, at the current rate they're selling, hybrids must become way, way more popular before OPEC even notices they exist. Again, sorry.
Third, Detroit is far from being asleep at the wheel regarding hybrids. Are we sure? Yeah, we're sure. We checked and double-checked, and our conclusion is simple: Much of what General Motors, Ford and DaimlerChrysler are accomplishing regarding hybrid technology is below the public's radar. But this may not be the case for much longer.
Detroit's hybrid strategy
If you were a state's attorney general, would you want to go after your worst criminals or the kids swiping candy from the corner drugstore? Of course you'd go after the big bad guys. This is Detroit's attitude toward hybrids. As far as vehicles go, the heaviest consumers of fuel should be targeted, as these guzzlers represent the biggest target for potential fuel savings.
So GM and Chrysler targeted buses. Why? Because of their intense, round-the-clock use. These vehicles rack up valuable miles that stress new powertrain technologies to the max, helping to accelerate the company's learning curve. Additionally, fuel savings realized on high-use vehicles create an economic argument for their use, an argument that goes beyond the "do-the-right-thing-at-any-cost" point of view. For hybrid technologies to become widely available, they must make economic sense to build, purchase and operate in the U.S., where gasoline is still relatively inexpensive.
Detroit's fuel savings
GM currently has nearly 400 hybrid buses in operation across North America. Compared to conventional diesel buses, these hybrids boast fuel savings of 25 to 55 percent, depending on the type of bus route. During an average year, a single hybrid bus consumes approximately 1,200 fewer gallons of fuel than a conventional bus.
DaimlerChrysler's Orion VII diesel-hybrid buses deliver similar fuel savings. New York City recently ordered another 500 to add to the 389 already in service. The aggregate fuel savings of these units is more than a million gallons per year.
Detroit hybrids hit the road
In addition to saving considerable amounts of fuel, the GM buses have been a testing ground for technology that will debut on consumer vehicles in late 2007. This new advancement is the dual-mode hybrid drive, and it works like this: Most current hybrids are powered by an integrated concoction of components, including and internal combustion engine, an electric motor, a transmission, and a battery pack used to power the electric motor and keep accessories running when the internal combustion engine is shut down to conserve fuel.
A single-mode hybrid, described above, uses one motor designed for optimum performance from 0-35 mph. While single-mode motors do supply additional power at higher speeds, they are not running in their optimized range. Dual-mode hybrid drives add a second motor to the above system. This second electric motor is tuned for optimum operation at highway speeds. The second motor does for highway driving what the first does for city driving, improving fuel economy by reducing the power needed from the internal combustion engine.
The 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon will be available with this system at the end of 2007. The Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra will get the powertrain in 2009.
In a recent announcement, BMW and DaimlerChrysler joined forces with GM regarding two-mode hybrid development. Chrysler has also announced that the 2008 Dodge Durango will feature a two-mode hybrid system closely related to the one used in the 2008 GM products. Of course, each manufacturer's vehicle will feature that maker's engine; only the actual two-mode hybrid-drive unit will be shared.
A different hybrid concept
The 2007 Saturn Vue Green Line, which will be available late this summer, takes a totally different approach to hybrid power. Hybrid vehicles such as the Prius and the Ford Escape Hybrid use a complex gasoline engine and electric motor unit connected to a specially adapted transmission. These hybrids also use large battery packs and sophisticated powertrain control modules. Generally speaking, these integrated single-mode hybrid powertrains offer 50- to 70-percent improvement in fuel economy. The fuel savings are great, but the retail costs are high as well.
The Vue Green Line takes a simpler and less costly approach that delivers a hefty 20-percent improvement in fuel economy compared to the standard Vue. The Green Line's powertrain is an Ecotec 2.4-liter, four-cylinder gasoline engine connected to a significantly modified Hydra-matic automatic transmission. The hybrid portion of the drivetrain is an electric motor mounted to the engine. GM Powertrain calls the system "elegantly simple." Consumers looking for a high-mileage crossover will find it affordable.
This powertrain will also find its way into the Chevrolet Malibu in 2007.
Ford's hybrid program
Ford's Escape Hybrid SUV is currently the only domestic hybrid SUV (along with its Mercury Mariner twin), and its fuel economy outdistances every other hybrid SUV competitor. Ford is currently working on its third generation of hybrid drive systems.
Hybrids factor significantly into Ford's future. Its all-new 3.5-liter, V6 engine is hybrid-capable. Additionally, Ford has announced that this new V6 will be used in approximately 20 percent of all Ford cars and crossovers within a matter of years. Ergo, most every new Ford car and crossover will be available with a hybrid drivetrain. Ford has not officially announced this, but it doesn't take a genius to figure it out. The company's strategy is to make the powertrain an option, as Honda had done with the Civic and Accord.
Expect to see additional hybrid models appear in Ford's lineup each and every year, as the carmaker expects to sell 250,000 hybrid vehicles by the end of the decade.
What it all means
While saving kittens, trees and newts may be PC, saving barrels of fuel makes true sense. An additional perk for hybrid owners is the new energy bill signed by President Bush at the close of 2005. It allows a $400-$3,400 tax credit, depending on the model. The credit is designed to help offset some of the retail cost for the technology, making it more attractive to the average buyer.
So after cutting their teeth on projects outside of the public's view, GM, DaimlerChrysler and Ford are now poised to enter the hybrid market in a highly visible manner. It's time to prove that they've figured out how to profitably produce hybrids that save significant amounts of fuel for a retail price that makes economic sense to consumers.
Representatives from each manufacturer were quick to point out that fuel-saving technologies do not stop with hybrids. They are only an interim step as North America moves toward hydrogen-power — it's the next threshold. Just ask the energy experts at GM, Ford and DaimlerChrysler.
Not that we're fond of spitting in anybody's herbal tea, but the reality of hybrids in America is far from what the mainstream media would have their devout listeners believe.
First, most hybrids aren't as cute as kittens. Sorry.
Second, at the current rate they're selling, hybrids must become way, way more popular before OPEC even notices they exist. Again, sorry.
Third, Detroit is far from being asleep at the wheel regarding hybrids. Are we sure? Yeah, we're sure. We checked and double-checked, and our conclusion is simple: Much of what General Motors, Ford and DaimlerChrysler are accomplishing regarding hybrid technology is below the public's radar. But this may not be the case for much longer.
Detroit's hybrid strategy
If you were a state's attorney general, would you want to go after your worst criminals or the kids swiping candy from the corner drugstore? Of course you'd go after the big bad guys. This is Detroit's attitude toward hybrids. As far as vehicles go, the heaviest consumers of fuel should be targeted, as these guzzlers represent the biggest target for potential fuel savings.
So GM and Chrysler targeted buses. Why? Because of their intense, round-the-clock use. These vehicles rack up valuable miles that stress new powertrain technologies to the max, helping to accelerate the company's learning curve. Additionally, fuel savings realized on high-use vehicles create an economic argument for their use, an argument that goes beyond the "do-the-right-thing-at-any-cost" point of view. For hybrid technologies to become widely available, they must make economic sense to build, purchase and operate in the U.S., where gasoline is still relatively inexpensive.
Detroit's fuel savings
GM currently has nearly 400 hybrid buses in operation across North America. Compared to conventional diesel buses, these hybrids boast fuel savings of 25 to 55 percent, depending on the type of bus route. During an average year, a single hybrid bus consumes approximately 1,200 fewer gallons of fuel than a conventional bus.
DaimlerChrysler's Orion VII diesel-hybrid buses deliver similar fuel savings. New York City recently ordered another 500 to add to the 389 already in service. The aggregate fuel savings of these units is more than a million gallons per year.
Detroit hybrids hit the road
In addition to saving considerable amounts of fuel, the GM buses have been a testing ground for technology that will debut on consumer vehicles in late 2007. This new advancement is the dual-mode hybrid drive, and it works like this: Most current hybrids are powered by an integrated concoction of components, including and internal combustion engine, an electric motor, a transmission, and a battery pack used to power the electric motor and keep accessories running when the internal combustion engine is shut down to conserve fuel.
A single-mode hybrid, described above, uses one motor designed for optimum performance from 0-35 mph. While single-mode motors do supply additional power at higher speeds, they are not running in their optimized range. Dual-mode hybrid drives add a second motor to the above system. This second electric motor is tuned for optimum operation at highway speeds. The second motor does for highway driving what the first does for city driving, improving fuel economy by reducing the power needed from the internal combustion engine.
The 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon will be available with this system at the end of 2007. The Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra will get the powertrain in 2009.
In a recent announcement, BMW and DaimlerChrysler joined forces with GM regarding two-mode hybrid development. Chrysler has also announced that the 2008 Dodge Durango will feature a two-mode hybrid system closely related to the one used in the 2008 GM products. Of course, each manufacturer's vehicle will feature that maker's engine; only the actual two-mode hybrid-drive unit will be shared.
A different hybrid concept
The 2007 Saturn Vue Green Line, which will be available late this summer, takes a totally different approach to hybrid power. Hybrid vehicles such as the Prius and the Ford Escape Hybrid use a complex gasoline engine and electric motor unit connected to a specially adapted transmission. These hybrids also use large battery packs and sophisticated powertrain control modules. Generally speaking, these integrated single-mode hybrid powertrains offer 50- to 70-percent improvement in fuel economy. The fuel savings are great, but the retail costs are high as well.
The Vue Green Line takes a simpler and less costly approach that delivers a hefty 20-percent improvement in fuel economy compared to the standard Vue. The Green Line's powertrain is an Ecotec 2.4-liter, four-cylinder gasoline engine connected to a significantly modified Hydra-matic automatic transmission. The hybrid portion of the drivetrain is an electric motor mounted to the engine. GM Powertrain calls the system "elegantly simple." Consumers looking for a high-mileage crossover will find it affordable.
This powertrain will also find its way into the Chevrolet Malibu in 2007.
Ford's hybrid program
Ford's Escape Hybrid SUV is currently the only domestic hybrid SUV (along with its Mercury Mariner twin), and its fuel economy outdistances every other hybrid SUV competitor. Ford is currently working on its third generation of hybrid drive systems.
Hybrids factor significantly into Ford's future. Its all-new 3.5-liter, V6 engine is hybrid-capable. Additionally, Ford has announced that this new V6 will be used in approximately 20 percent of all Ford cars and crossovers within a matter of years. Ergo, most every new Ford car and crossover will be available with a hybrid drivetrain. Ford has not officially announced this, but it doesn't take a genius to figure it out. The company's strategy is to make the powertrain an option, as Honda had done with the Civic and Accord.
Expect to see additional hybrid models appear in Ford's lineup each and every year, as the carmaker expects to sell 250,000 hybrid vehicles by the end of the decade.
What it all means
While saving kittens, trees and newts may be PC, saving barrels of fuel makes true sense. An additional perk for hybrid owners is the new energy bill signed by President Bush at the close of 2005. It allows a $400-$3,400 tax credit, depending on the model. The credit is designed to help offset some of the retail cost for the technology, making it more attractive to the average buyer.
So after cutting their teeth on projects outside of the public's view, GM, DaimlerChrysler and Ford are now poised to enter the hybrid market in a highly visible manner. It's time to prove that they've figured out how to profitably produce hybrids that save significant amounts of fuel for a retail price that makes economic sense to consumers.
Representatives from each manufacturer were quick to point out that fuel-saving technologies do not stop with hybrids. They are only an interim step as North America moves toward hydrogen-power — it's the next threshold. Just ask the energy experts at GM, Ford and DaimlerChrysler.
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