The automotive world will be getting a new Chevy Equinox bestowed upon it for the 2009 model year, and news from General Motors now places a 2.3L direct-injected four-cylinder engine underhood. Currently, the Equinox comes equipped with a boat-anchor of a base engine in the form of a 185-horsepower 3.4L V6 engine. Of course, there is nothing wrong with a pushrod engine, as long as its been suitably updated along the way -- which this one hasn't. The only way to get a more modern powerplant is to step up to the Sport version with its 3.6L V6 with 263 HP, mated to a nice six-speed automatic tranny. A nice combo to be sure, but a little heavy on the 'go' side for fans of fuel savings.

The Equinox will be joined in 2009 by the GMC Terrain, which replaces the Pontiac Torrent as the non-bowtie branded small CUV from GM. It likely goes without saying that the Terrain will also get the new four-cylinder engine. So far, we don't have specific details on the new engine from the General, but considering how good its 2.0 turbocharged DI engine is, we have high hopes that the 2.3 will be a worthy powerplant as well.

[Source: GM]

General Motor's Project Driveway campaign began late last year and is expected to continue on for a total of three years. A few of the participants have spoken about their experiences with the hydrogen fuel cell powered vehicles, and now one of them will be blogging on Popular Mechanics regarding his ongoing experience. Fortunately for Daniel Krach, he lives close enough to a hydrogen fueling station that the hydrogen-powered vehicle's 160 mile range should not pose a problem. He says that he was selected after a rigorous few months of questioning due to his penchant for being an early-adopter when it comes to new technology. Indeed, his family considers him a nerd. We can truly feel his pain. Considering that it has gotten him the keys to a brand new high-tech vehicle, which he didn't even need to pay for, we'd imagine that nobody's laughing at him now.

So far, his journey is just beginning, and of course, we wish Daniel the best with his new ride and we look forward to reading more about the experiences he gains as he drives the new-fangled vehicle all around.

[Source: Popular Mechanics]

I took a ride this morning through downtown Detroit in a 30+ mpg Equinox. Originally, the 2005 Equinox got 25 mpg on the highway and 19 in the city. Two Michigan Technological University seniors represented their school at a ride and drive event at GM's headquarters for the Challenge X while the SAE Congress was going on down the street at Cobo Hall. Todd Cimermancic, team leader, and Doug Sarsen, who is in charge of the powertrain, have both been working on the MTU vehicle since this Challenge X began three years ago and were great guides to explain how a group of just over a dozen student (it's fluctuated through the years) has gotten a 30 percent fuel economy increase out of a 2005 Chevy Equinox for the low price of $250,000. Actually, that's how much money has been put into the SUV all together through the years and includes the $300 roof art.

The MTU team decided that reducing weight was the best way to increase mpg, and added lightweight rear seats and polycarbonate windows to shave off a few pounds. The vehicle also has a gas engine that powers the front wheels and a 55 kW electric motor on the rear wheels. With regenerative braking, the Equinox achieves a 30 percent mpg bump, one of GM's original goals for Challenge X. The MTU team has been having trouble with the emissions part of the Challenge, but Cimermancic said he was confident that they'd hit the 30 percent reduction goal with the latest iteration of the system. We'll know the final results when Challenge X ends next month in Washington, D.C. For now, check out our video of this morning's ride after the jump. These kids are pros on camera.

As we wrote on April Fool's Day (but wasn't a joke), GM's vice president for research & development and planning, Larry Burns, delivered a speech at the National Hydrogen Association conference highlighting his GM's bullish stance on hydrogen cars. Reuters spoke to Burns about his speech and learned of the General's plans to have 1,000 hydrogen fuel cell vehicles driving in California between 2012 and 2014. Through Project Driveway, GM already has around 60 fuel cell Equinoxes in SoCal, and Burns told Reuters that "The next logical play for us is to take that up to a car scale of about 1,000," with mainstream acceptance and financial viability of hydrogen cars following in 2017 or 2018. We'll see.

[Source: Reuters]

Like Toyota, General Motors has offered some additional information into their viewpoint regarding hydrogen and fuel cells. As we recently reported, Toyota's Irv Miller called out The Wall Street Journal for bad reporting practices when they quoted Toyota President Katsuaki Watanabe as suggesting that fuel cells were falling off the alternative fuel roadmap. GM's Bob Lutz was also quoted in that WSJ article, and it seems that he may have been misunderstood as well. According to Robert Babik, director of emissions, environment, energy and safety policy at General Motors, the General still sees hydrogen as a possible solution to our energy woes. Maybe it'll take 50 years, but it seems that both Toyota and GM are committed to the technology.

[Source: CNN Money]

"Reports of my death" the fuel cell might say "have been greatly exaggerated." Market Watch spoke with Larry Burns (see video below the fold), VP Research & Development & Strategic Planning for GM, at the launch of Virgin's fuel cell fleet and he is very bullish on fuel cells. Burns said that while today there are hundreds of fuel cell vehicles on the roads today, there will be thousands by 2012 and then hundreds of thousands or even millions "within our grasp" in the "next decade." A lot of progress was made in the last decade, Burns said, and GM is even talking with energy companies like Shell (remember when they used to be called oil companies?) about the future of fuel cells. Insanely optimistic fuel cell hype is back, baby!

[Source: MarketWatch]

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 video above is a tour of the GM booth at AltWheels Boston 2007. Sir Mix-A-Lot would be proud to know that GM described its new Tahoe hybrid, the company's first full hybrid, as a "big ass hybrid" in the video. That colorful wording proves GM definitely wants the public to think hybrids are big, powerful machines. The Tahoe is the heaviest car GM makes and in the video, you can hear how I was told the hybrid version even has a larger engine than normal. But hey, GM reduced weight in the Tahoe hybrid by making the doors and hood out of aluminum.

The video also includes a tour of GM's fuel cell Equinox. The Equinox has two connections for refueling, as you can see in the video: a data connection below the back license plate that tells the pump the status of the tank as well as a hydrogen connection. Finally, the video includes a quick look at the Malibu hybrid. The Malibu is a mild hybrid and will only get 34 mpg on the highway and 22 in the city. The Malibu mild hybrid starts production in October. The Tahoe full hybrid starts production in November. Oh, and don't forget about Sir Mix-A-Lot's Baby Got Back video below the fold.

Related:

• VIDEO: Driving the GMC Yukon Two-Mode Hybrid
• ABG First Impressions: Two-Mode hybrid Chevy Tahoe and GMC Yukon
• GM will provide the fuel cell Equinoxes to customers for free
• Technical Analysis: 2008 Chevrolet Equinox Fuel Cell/HydroGen4
• Detroit Auto Show: Hybrid option for 2008 Chevy Malibu
• 2008 Chevy Malibu Hybrid to debut at Baseball All-Star Game

[Source: YouTube]

Click on the Equinox Fuel Cell for a high res gallery

In the fall of 2006, General Motors announced plans to launch the largest ever field test of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles with Project Driveway. The intent was to build over 100 fuel cell-powered Chevrolet Equinoxes and provide them to regular drivers to use for a period of time in real world conditions so that the company could gather data about the vehicles perform. Everything in the article below applies equally to the Equinox fuel cell and the HydroGen4 which is the re-badged version for Europe. Only the name is different.

Having significant numbers of regular customers drive your vehicles is very different from having engineers drive them. Most importantly, they will tend to see a much wider variation of both road and driver input conditions than you will ever see on a proving ground. When a vehicle is being developed usually at most only a few dozen people responsible for each of the systems, like power-train, brakes, chassis, body, etc., will ever spend any significant amount of time driving them. Those engineers tend to focus on what they know to be the likely problem areas and get those fixed.

Continue reading after the jump

General Motors is planning to start handing over keys to fuel cell powered Equinoxes to customers of their Project Driveway program in just a few weeks' time and, unlike Honda, they don't plan on charging drivers for the privilege. GM is building up to 150 of the hydrogen-fueled crossovers for what is probably the biggest fuel cell vehicle fleet test to date.

Project Driveway is expected to last for up to three years with the initial batches of vehicles going to customers in California, New York and the Washington, DC areas. Some of the Equinoxes will also be shipped over to Europe where they will be badged as the HydroGen 4. While Honda has leased their FCXs for $500 a month, GM will provide the vehicles and fuel for no charge.

[Source: Popular Science and General Motors]

Back in January we told you about Team Fate, the UC Davis entry in the Challenge X: Crossover to Sustainable Mobility competition. Team Fate are outfitting a GM Equinox with a plug-in electric hybrid flex-fuel powertrain which will increase the fuel economy of the vehicle from its original 19 mpg to 36.2 mpg in city traffic. The head of the UC Davis team, Prof. Andrew Frank, was kind enough to answer some of our questions about the competition, their entry and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) in general.

ABG: For 14 years UC Davis has been creating and demonstrating PHEVs. What would you say have been the most significant technological and cultural changes in relation to PHEVs in that time?

AF: The technology of computer controls, power electronics, and batteries have moved from being a good concept to being a much better concept that is now ready for "Prime Time."

ABG: What area of PHEV research and development do you feel is needed the most to get these vehicles onto our roads?

AF: High power electronic devices and batteries need to come down in price a little more. But everyone says if a firm order for 100,000 vehicles per year was placed the total cost of the car may be only 15 percent more than a conventional car. But you would get all the other benefits which would pay back your investment in less than a year and provide you with savings for the life of the car since the batteries will last 15 years and 150,000 miles.

ABG: You are planning to use 96 lithium-ion cells from LTC to become the battery pack for your Challenge X entry. What types of applications are these particular li-ion cells usually used in?

AF: The company GIAI makes batteries for the aerospace industry and have made these large batteries for hybrid bus applications in Germany.

The interview continues after the jump.

We've mentioned fuel cell manufacturer Quantum a few times recently in conjunction with their hydrogen storage systems being selected by General Motors for the fleet of fuel cell powered Equinoxes GM are building, plus via their supply of hydrogen fuel systems and storage to Ford for its Escape Hydrogen Hybrid.

Working with the major auto makers to test cutting edge fuel cell technology in the real world isn't the extent of Quantum's operations however. Another important aspect of their business is in military vehicles where they have just been awarded a contract by the U.S. Army to expand its hydrogen vehicle and infrastructure programmes. The army's Tank Automotive Research Development and Engineering Centre (Tardec), issued the contract to expand Quantum's existing Mobile Hydrogen Infrastructure programme. Key to this new contract will be development of Quantum's own transportable HyHauler Plus hydrogen refueling stations to military specifications which will allow the military to further integrate hydrogen fuel cell technology into its array of vehicles and operations.

Analysis: Again, the U.S. military is proving itself to have both the budget and the will to pursue next-generation transportation technologies which will eventually filter down to commercial and consumer vehicles. It's great to see military money put towards hydrogen fuel cells.

Related:

• Ford E450 Shuttle buses powered by Quantum hydrogen injectors
• Team Fate beefing up a GM Equinox with li-ions for Challenge X
• GM selects Quantum Fuel Systems to produce H2 storage for Equinox Fuel-Cell Fleet

[Source: Fuel Cell Today]

The Challenge X: Crossover to Sustainable Mobility engineering competition is on. And the University of California, Davis Hybrid Electric Vehicle Group (Team Fate) is calling on Lithium Technology Corporation (LTC) to help them out in re-engineering the Chevy Equinox to use lithium-ion cells. The contest, sponsored by General Motors (GM) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), is running over three years with the challenge to re-engineer a GM Equinox crossover sport utility vehicle to minimize energy consumption, emissions, and greenhouse gases while maintaining or exceeding the vehicle's utility and performance.

To achieve this, Team Fate has taken delivery of 95 lithium-ion (li-ion) cells from LTC which they will use to build the battery for their plug-in hybrid electric vehicle GM Equinox entry. The battery can be charged by either a generator driven by the internal combustion engine (ICE) or a standard AC household electrical socket and gives the PHEV over 40 miles range on the overnight electrical charge. City fuel economy has been improved by Team Fate over the original 19 mpg to 36.2 mpg, and highway fuel economy has risen from 25 mpg originally to 38.7 mpg.

Fuel economy isn't the only improvement though, performance has also increased seeing the competition vehicle accelerate from 0-60 mph in 7.4 seconds instead of 9.1 seconds in standard form. Team Fate bill their entry as the first tri-fueled plug-in hybrid which features hydrogen fuel cells and hydrogen injection. The li-ion cells are much smaller and half the weight of the old metal hydride batteries the group had been using.

The 2006 competition was taken out by Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

Analysis: Take something good and make it better. Great work Team Fate!

Related:

• GM selects Quantum Fuel Systems to produce H2 storage for Equinox Fuel-Cell Fleet
• Wired NextFest Report: Virginia Tech's ethanol-electric Equinox
• Rose-Hulman students show off Challenge X Equinox at Colts playoff game
  

[Source: Lithium Technology Corporation]

(Editor's note: to read the rest of Derrick's NextFest coverage, click here)



Overall, Wired's NextFest certainly wasn't the Paris Motor Show, nor was it meant to be. Instead, it was a gathering of new technologies in many different fields. On the positive side, I'd say that if there was any underlying theme other than new technologies, it would had to have been environmental reponsibility or sustainable green culture. Not every exhibit was focused on eco-friendliness, but a large portion of them were. I'd say close to one-third of the exhibits had something environmentally friendly to show which involved nearly half of the floor space (primarily due to the sheer size of GM's and GE's exhibits). What was great to see was that automotive and energy exhibits seemed to lead the way in environmental research and development.

Earlier, I gave focus to GM's portfolio of green machines, the fastest electric car in the world (which was built by Ohio State), Virginia Tech's Challenge X-leading E85-electric hybrid Equinox, Xof1's solar car aimed at breaking the world distance record, Carl Vogel's electric Harley, and Wheelsurf's mono-wheel, cycle-like recreational contraption. However, in this wrap-up, I'd like to at least mention a handful of other advanced vehicles that were present at NextFest: Noland's Bionic Dolphin, Newtsub's Deepworker 2000, General Electric's clean diesel train, AdRide bicycles and last but not least Paul Allen's SpaceShipOne.

Make the jump to keep reading. There are more pictures back there, too.

Ohio State wasn't the only school exhibiting an impressive alternative-powered car at NextFest. The Hybrid Electric Vehicle Team (HEVT) from Virginia Tech brought along their Challenge X-winning Equinox.

Challenge X is a 3-phase competition in which 17 teams were chosen to re-engineer an Equinox with the goal of minimizing energy consumption, emissions and greenhouse gases while maintaining performance and utilization.

Virginia Tech's 30 mechanical engineering students took an E85-electric hybrid approach. The car mates a 67 kW Ballard AC induction motor to a Saab 2.0 liter turbo. Kurt Johnson, Virginia Tech graduate student and HEVT's team leader, said they achieved 19.6 mpg during the competition which involved many rigorous stops and starts.

The competition is currently in the 3rd phase in which involves vehicle refinement aiming to deliver a "showroom model" with consumers in mind. Having won phase 2 and owning the overall lead in Challenge X, Kurt expressed a quiet confidence in HEVT's performance over the final stage which will be judged at the end of the academic year in 2007.

To find out more about the Hybrid Electric Vehicle Team (HEVT) at Virginia Tech, visit www.hevt.me.vt.edu.

To read more about Challenge X, go to www.challengex.org.

More pics after the jump.