Jalopnik
The General made good on the press leak indicating it'd build a hybrid with an extension cord. The electro-geek community — from the halls of Petaluma to the shores of MIT — are probably already figuring out their hacks, while the enviro-nerds of same will likely open the fists they once raised in GM's direction. The plug-in hybrid Vue Green Line will use a version of the company's two-mode hybrid-drive system (developed with DaimlerChrysler and BMW), featuring Lithium Ion battery technology, two interior permanent magnet motors and GM's 3.6L V6 gasoline engine with direct injection. No word on release date or price, but damned if GM didn't just win the PR coup of the month. (Note: 2008 Saturn Vue, pictured)
Press Release:
GM Announces Intention to Produce Plug-in Hybrid SUV
Saturn Vue Green Line Will Use Modified 2-mode Hybrid System, Lithium Ion Battery
LOS ANGELES - General Motors Corp. intends to produce a Saturn Vue Green Line plug-in hybrid that has the potential to achieve double the fuel efficiency of any current SUV, the automaker announced at the Greater Los Angeles Auto Show.
This hybrid SUV will use a modified version of GM's 2-mode hybrid system and plug-in technology, a Lithium Ion battery pack when ready, highly efficient electronics and powerful electric motors to achieve significant increases in fuel economy.
"GM has begun work on a Saturn Vue plug-in hybrid production vehicle," said Rick Wagoner, GM Chairman and CEO. "The technological hurdles are real, but we believe they are also surmountable. I can't give you a production date for our plug-in hybrid today. But I can tell you that this is a top priority program for GM, given the huge potential it offers for fuel-economy improvement."
A plug-in hybrid-electric vehicle differs from non-plug-in hybrid-electric vehicles by offering extended electric-only propulsion, additional battery capacity and the ability to be recharged from an external electrical outlet.
The Saturn Vue Green Line plug-in hybrid is expected to offer electric-only propulsion for more than 10 miles. At higher speeds or when conditions demand it, such as brisk acceleration, a combination of engine and electric power or engine power only will propel the vehicle.
In addition to plug-in capabilities and the modified 2-mode hybrid system, the Saturn Vue Green Line hybrid SUV's powertrain will feature Lithium Ion battery technology, two interior permanent magnet motors and GM's 3.6L V-6 gasoline engine with direct injection.
When ready for production, the Lithium Ion energy storage system will be replenished when the battery charge is depleted to a specified level by utilizing the 2-mode hybrid system's electric motors and regenerative braking systems. When the vehicle is parked, the battery can be recharged using a common household exterior 110-volt plug-in outlet.
The 2-mode hybrid system will be altered for use with plug-in technology. It maintains two driving modes - one for city driving, the other for highway driving - and four fixed mechanical gears to maximize efficiency while maintaining performance. In addition, special controls will be utilized to enable higher speeds during electric-only propulsion and maintain electric-only propulsion for longer periods of time.
The Saturn Vue Green Line SUV, featuring the modified 2-mode hybrid system with plug-in capabilities, is part of GM's ambitious effort to offer consumers a broad choice of hybrid systems at various levels of affordability:
* This year, the GM Hybrid system, an affordable belt-alternator starter hybrid technology, debuted in the Vue Green Line front-wheel-drive SUV.
* In 2007, the GM Hybrid system will expand to the Saturn Aura Green Line and Chevrolet Malibu front-wheel-drive midsize sedans.
* In 2007, the 2-mode hybrid system will debut in the Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon full-size SUVs. Rear-wheel and four-wheel drive will be offered.
* In 2008, the 2-mode hybrid system will expand to the Cadillac Escalade full-size SUV and the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra crew cab full-size pickups. The Escalade will offer all-wheel drive, while the Silverado and Sierra will offer rear-wheel and four-wheel drive.
* In 2008, the first front-wheel-drive application of the 2-mode hybrid system, will debut - without plug-in technology - in the Vue Green Line. The Vue Green Line will offer customers a choice of the GM Hybrid system or the 2-mode hybrid system.
* In 2009, an electric all-wheel-drive, 2-mode hybrid system will be introduced in the Vue Green Line.
"GM plans to introduce a new hybrid system annually for the next several years, each offering different levels of affordability, fuel savings and performance," said Tom Stephens, GM group vice president, GM Powertrain. "This strategy will allow more consumers to benefit from our hybrid technologies, while providing the opportunity to reduce our country's petroleum consumption."
GM is committed to a comprehensive and cost-effective, three-tiered advanced propulsion technology strategy focused on producing commercially viable and sustainable products. These include alternative fuel vehicles, ongoing improvements to conventional internal combustion engines and transmissions, the electrification of the automobile through a broad portfolio of hybrid models on high-volume car and truck platforms, and commercially viable hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.
General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), the world's largest automaker, has been the global industry sales leader for 75 years. Founded in 1908, GM today employs about 318,000 people around the world. With global headquarters in Detroit , GM manufactures its cars and trucks in 33 countries. In 2005, 9.17 million GM cars and trucks were sold globally under the following brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, HUMMER, Opel, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn and Vauxhall.
Related:
GM Planning Plug-In Hybrid? [internal]
Comments
Good for GM getting this together and all, but man is the Vue getting ugly!
Because we all know that when you plug a vehicle in, the energy magically appears out of thin air.
ummm how difficult is it to actually, you know, give us an estimate on MPG?
^ I agree. I was never a fan of plug-in hybrids or straight electric cars. Because electricity still uses fossil fuels and does produce pollution. Again, it's a start. It ain't a solution, but at least it uses a LITTLE bit less foreign oil.
uhhhh, what, no econoboxes in GM's future? not everyone wants or needs an SUV or pickup, damnit.
also i do love the characteristic GM:
" can't give you a production date for our plug-in hybrid today. But I can tell you that this is a top priority program for GM, given the huge potential it offers for fuel-economy improvement."
top priority like that fuel cell sled car you towed around for a decade with zero improvements... or actually bringing to fruition? unduly harsh yes, but when you're playing catchup you might want to outline a firm time table, especially when your most successful competitor has already beaten you to and owns the market.
So you trade in your bigass environmentally unsound SUV and it's CO2 spewing exhaust that depletes the ozone layer while consuming much needed fossil fuels. No you buy a vehicle, that still drinks gas, but also needs eletricity, which is created through the use of FOSSIL Fuels (most of the time) or god forbid, nuclear power. Great choice for such a asshat progressive
Doofusgumby,
It's very wise of GM to start where the emissions are at their worse. Why attack the econo-box hybrid, plug-in thingamajigger when the biggest polluters are these ginourmous vehicles?
my power bill is high enough without plugging in my car.
Save the planet and kill yourself.
Or around here, it will be powered by salmon and seal killing dams! And we're still paying off an Enron contract for some crazy reason.
Yay for plug-ins!
1. Windsource, PV, etc. etc. 2. Barring that, it's still a lot easier to manage emissions on a handful of coal plants than it is on 100,000,000 poorly maintained cars. And coal comes from Wyoming and West Virginia, not from places where people want to crash planes into our buildings.
Oh fuck it, let's just keep burning all the oil! Go status quo!
Or, we could buy clean nukes from Japan and stick the waste in a hole in the ground in the middle of nowhere, instead of burning fossil fuels and sticking it in the air.
Oh, and the Vue's not bad for a cute ute.
I can see it now:
Neighbors stealing electricity from other neighbors.
or conversely:
Work places install outlets in parking lot for free employee fill ups.
hmm...this could get interesting. Good points Superbad.
Hopefully this isn't a double post but since it hasn't shown up yet? Luckily I've learned to copy the text before I submit for just these occasions...
"I can see it now:
Neighbors stealing electricity from other neighbors.
or conversely:
Work places install outlets in parking lot for free employee fill ups.
hmm...this could get interesting. Good points Superbad."
I sure hope we can get an extension cord that fits to the 12th floor of my apartment building. Do you think Denny's will let me get a jump? Damn....
"contender:
....but man is the Vue getting ugly!"
I completely disagree. This is the best looking Vue yet! I've never looked their way becuase they have been so god awful ugly, but now(2008), I may have to check one out.
Then again, I don't want an SUV. Or a Saturn. Or a GM.
Nevermind.
I own a Toyota Prius hybrid, so I've been paying some attention to the Plug-in hybrid scene. The idea of a plug-in hybrid is a very good one. The car runs on battery power only for up to 30 miles, which means that most short trips burn no gas, but you'll have the ability to go on the highway with the vehicle in petro-burning mode if necessary.
Really, it's a excellent transitional technology.
The problem I see here is that it's GM making this announcement. That means that the vehicle doesn't exist, and never will. Don't forget that it was GM that killed the electric car and failed miserably to even respond to Honda's Insight or Toyota's Prius hybrids. As noted, they've also been trotting around this "fuel cell" vehicle for the past decade, with no plans to produce it. Now, they're about to lose their position as the number one automaker in the world to....Toyota.
Nice try GM. Ain't buying it, but nice try.
I'm afraid the posts from critics are really quite missing the point.
First, no matter HOW the electricity is generated, we are reducing use of foreign oil by having a plugin vehicle. How much less important would the mess in the Middle East be if we could tell all those nations we no longer needed their oil, or at least substantially less oil?
Second, you guys ARE aware, I hope, that you could put one or two solar panels on your roof, and use the juice to charge your car. Can't generate the electricity any cleaner than that, and after you pay for the solar panels, the juice is FREE. (hopefully you are also aware that new technology in solar panels is making them much cheaper and much easier to install and use).
I'm the biggest GM critic there is, after the dumb moves they have made over the years, but if they actually produce a plugin VUE - I'll be the first one in line. Hybrids? A useless stopgap measure. Plugins? That's the way to go. Forget improving mpg 20% with a hybrid. How about doubling or tripling it with a plugin.
right, like VinceDee says the plug-in Prius would get 100-150mpg for the first 60 miles
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2005/05/commercial_retr.ht...
problem is the aftermarket kits cost about $10k, most of that being used to replace the Prius's existing crappy NiMH batteries with Lithium-Ion.
http://www.energycs.com/Edrive-FAQ.html
However Gen III Prius's are suppose to come equipped with Li-Ion batteries
http://thefraserdomain.typepad.com/energy/2006/04/200_priu...
that will support ~100mpg factory equipped and the car will be faster since the Li-Ion batteries are much lighter.
So maybe the Gen III Prius's can be made plug-in for less than a grand.
Why does it need a 3.6 V6 in a hybrid?? That's the largest engine ever in a hybrid vehicle, including Toyota's SUVs like the Highlander and Lexus RX400h that both use a 3.3
http://www.toyota.com/highlander/specs.html
http://www.lexus.com/models/RXh/detailed_specifications.ht...
And what's with the 10 mile range on battery power alone? Where the hell is that suppose to get me? The gas station so I can fill up and actually get some place?
I call BS, I think this is just marketing BS so GM can scream "LOOK AT US!! WE HAVE A HYBRID PLUG-IN SUV!" when it's really just a regular gas-guzzling SUV that they shoved a few batteries and a worthless electric engine in that does practically nothing for fuel economy
Keep it up Toyota! Keep making GM engineers look like high school drop-outs!
We make our own power so bring it on!
Yeah, the heck with this 3.6 L mill. Make mine with a .8 ltr turbodiesel making about 40 hp and a couple hundred extra pounds of batteries so i only need the diesel after driving 150 miles nonstop. A four gallon fuel tank and 40 hp with dead batteries ought to get me to the next plug in and/or diesel stop, and no I won't be taking on any z06's at the stopliights.
I've got an electrical socket in my carport and I ain't afraid to use it.
Start a discussion:
Login with your username and password below. Or comment on this post via email.
Forgot your username or password? New User?