The Washington Auto Show is over and I have news of three new hybrids from GM. I asked GM's car show floor specialists which cars GM plan to turn into hybrids? I was told there would be an Acadia and Sierra hybrid by a GMC specialist and Outlook hybrid by a Saturn specialist. I don't think GMC, Saturn or GM has said officially they would turn the Acadia and Outlook vehicles into hybrids. GM has said they plan to release a hybrid every 3 months for the next 4 years. So, I guess it's possible GM told the specialists before releasing the plans.
I would have recorded the specialists saying there will be a hybrid Acadia, Sierra and Outlook. But they said they were not allowed to be recorded because they did not actually represent GM. So, take this rumor with a grain of salt. I suppose even if GM somehow leaked this information in briefings to specialists, GM could still reconsider hybridizing Acadia and Outlook. I also think it's possible I could be mistaken and they meant the older Sierra hybrid. That would not explain the Acadia and Outlook though.
Anyway, I was actually thinking a lot about what 16 brands GM would make hybrids. My theoretical list of brands included lots of GM's car brands. I asked a Pontiac (a GM brand) specialist and he said GM had no plans for a hybrid Pontiac. So even if this rumor is incorrect, there seems to be a trend at GM towards making SUV hybrids. More SUV hybrids would fit the logic of what they say about first hybridizing buses, where it can do the most good. What do you think about the possibility of 16 new SUV hybrids coming to the market?
The big automakers showed a little teeth at this year's Washington Auto Show. The video above begins with Mark LaNeve of GM telling a story about a U.S. senator. The senator suggested to Mark that GM build at least one car that got over 30 MPG. Mark said GM builds 15 cars that gets over 30 MPG and he was shocked a U.S. Senator did not know this. I'm not shocked.
The video above also includes Jim Press of Chrysler talking about state regulation. Jim says it's not just California but 13 other states that want different standards. Why should Chrysler have to make 14 different vehicles, Jim wondered. I think they all want the same standard, so you could just build one car that complied with that standard and sell it in the entire United States.
I recorded the Ford and government press conference as well. As you can see in the video below the fold, something went wrong. Sorry readers, I'm not that familiar with Mini DV video cameras. Ford's Sue Cischke did argue with a reporter on whether or not their were actually CAFE "fines" anymore. Sue said the system has changed and their really are not fines. The reporter did not believe her.
Anyway, your questions could have responses as great as these. The show has two days left. So, post your questions in comments and I will ask them when I head back to the show.
At the Washington Auto Show, Jim Press (the guy who famously left Toyota for Chrysler) said the Japanese government worked closely with corporations, like Toyota, for the betterment of society. Jim said he is excited to work with Cerberus, the private owners of Chrysler, to contribute to society as well. In the U.S., Press said, things like the Alliance of Auto Manufactures and the new CAFE standard lead to great results, e.g., the Dodge Durango HEMI Hybrid. Do you have questions about Chrysler's HEMI hybrid? The Washington Auto Show has two days left and I will ask your questions when I head back there. Post your questions in comments now.
Tom Albert of Alexandria, VA, and Nick Williams of Washington, DC. will test drive fuel cell Equinoxes for the next few months. GM North America Sales VP Mark LaNeve handed over the keys to Tom and Nick at the 2008 Washington Auto Show this week. In the video above, Tom and Nick talk about how they came to be a part of the Project Driveway program. Tom says his wife, Heather, is expecting a baby in two weeks and Nick could not top that explaining he learned about Project Driveway on the internet. If you can't make it to the show but want to know more about GM's fuel cell vehicles, post a question in comments and I will ask on your behalf. The Washington Auto Show is over in just two days, so post your question quickly.
The Washington Auto Show is underway and ends this Sunday, January 29th. Just a reminder, if you can't make it, tell me what you want to see and I will find it at the show. For example, great, green cars like plug-in Prius and Volt are on the show floor. What do you want me to ask the people manning the booth about these cars? Questions that involve pointing out something on the car would be best because the car is on the show floor and I want to include the car in the videos of responses to your questions.
The video above is a preview of the first day of the show. Media, including myself, were shuffled around a number of press conferences. The video includes: fuel cell Equinox test drivers, GM North America Sales VP Mark LaNeve explaining why they are advertising the Volt now, Ford saying they could make a plug-in hybrid right now but it would get 7 miles in electric only mode, and the Chrysler press conference. The video also includes Green Car Journal's green car award and the Green Car Summit. The Green Car Summit was actually interrupted by a fire alarm.
Anyway, don't forget to post your questions, the show only has three days left.
Co-op America has launched a campaign to encourage automakers to mass produce plug-in hybrid vehicles. This includes a demonstration outside the Washington Auto Show. Co-op America believes that the technology is ready and that customers deserve 100-mpg vehicles in 2010.
The organization also states that not developing this technology will harm the U.S. auto industry because foreign automakers are already working on it and might have it ready (er... how about the Volt?). The Co-op directly points a finger at what they call "hot air solutions" (such as ethanol) which, according to them, don't really address the country's oil addiction and how automakers advertise their cars' power instead of efficiency. Plug-in technology seems to Co-op America as the readiest solution.
Co-op America is looking for supporters to send a letter to Ford and GM from the Co-op's website, joining their campaign to ask U.S. automakers to make plug-in hybrids.
While I think demonstrating is very good, I think that the Co-op's chances are small. Yes, plug-in technology is here and is very promising, but maybe the industry and, specifically, the battery industry isn't ready for large deployment levels. What's your opinion? You can read the full press release after the jump.
The 2008 Washington Auto Show starts today and ends January 27th. I am going and I want to know what you want me to report on. Sure, I will ask the exhibitors the tough green questions and try to catch all the green events. I still want to know what you want me to ask or which booth I should not miss. So, sound off in comments and tell me what I should do.
The Washington Auto Show includes some big names and they might take questions but don't be upset if all 15 of your questions don't make it to that Senator or CEO. I am not saying aim low but if you have a question that's kinda obscure, that an engineer who might be staffing a booth can respond to, I will probably get a good response.
Anyway, ask away. You have six days until it's over.
As General Motors prepares to start handing over the keys to fuel cell powered Equinoxes to the "customer" participants in Project Driveway, they announced the first Washington, DC-area drivers. At the Washington DC Auto Show, GM North America Sales VP Mark LaNeve introduced Tom Albert of Alexandria, VA, and Nick Williams of Washington, DC. Williams and Albert will each get a fuel cell Equinox free of charge for a three-month period. Over 100 Equinoxes are being prepared for a two-to-three-year field test. Drivers won't have to pay for fuel or insurance but will have to provide regular feedback to GM on the vehicles. The Equinox uses the current fourth-generation fuel cell stack and has a range of about 160 miles.
Just in time to better compete with the upcoming Saturn Vue Two-Mode hybrid, Ford is rolling out a series of updates to the Escape and Mariner (and likely the badge engineered Mazda Tribute) hybrids. The big news is an updated 2.5L four cylinder engine that supplants the existing 2.3L unit. The revised engine includes variable cam timing on the intake camshaft, the first such application on the Ford hybrids. The updated engine still runs on an Atkinson cycle and the updates improve performance without degrading the fuel economy. When we tested the 2008 Escape hybrid last year it achieved a real world 30mpg, so that should be maintained.
One of the complaints with the existing Escape hybrid is the brake system. Many drivers don't like the pedal feel and, unlike the conventional models, the hybrids haven't had traction or stability control. That changes for 2009. Ford claims a new brake system improves the blending of friction and regenerative braking. It also adds traction, stability and roll stability control to the package for the hybrids.
The conventional Escape and Mariner also get powertrain upgrades. The 2.5L four cylinder also replaces the 2.3L in the base version and gets the variable valve timing on the intake camshaft. The four gets an increase power from 153hp to 170hp. The up-level 3.0L V-6 gets new pistons, cylinder heads and injection system for a 30hp increase to 230hp. All the Escapes and Mariners also get some minor aerodynamic tweaks as well. Both engines are paired up with a new 6-speed automatic transmission, which, when combined with the engine changes, gives a 1mpg increase to each model while improving acceleration and towing capability. The Ford press release is after the jump.
The pace of orders for GM's two-mode hybrid buses is picking steam. At the Washington DC Auto Show, General Motors has announced orders for an additional 1,732 GM-Allison diesel-electric transit buses. With the 1,000 Two-Mode bus being delivered to Las Vegas this month, the new orders will more than double the fleet since they first hit the road in 2003. The Washington Metro Transit Authority has placed the largest single order to date for 952 buses. The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority's has ordered for 480 buses and Minneapolis/St. Paul Metro Transit wants another 300. To date the buses on the road have accumulated 55 million miles with no battery failures.
For the 2009 model year, Ford is expanding flex-fuel capability on their big trucks. The humongous Expedition and Lincoln Navigator SUVs and the E-Series vans will all be capable of running E85 through the 5.4L V-8. Ford has already offered the same flex-fuel capability on the F-150 pickups for several years. The change probably won't make any real impact on to total fuel consumption but it will get Ford some mpg credits. The Ford press release is after the jump.
Co-op America has launched a campaign to encourage automakers to mass produce plug-in hybrid vehicles. This includes a demonstration outside the Washington Auto Show. Co-op America believes that the technology is ready and that customers deserve 100-mpg vehicles in 2010.
