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Tuesday, December 05, 2006 GM's Plug-In HybridHow super-hybrids could slash gas consumption and usher in a new era of transportation. By Kevin Bullis
Last week General Motors (GM) gave a boost to plug-in hybrid vehicles. It announced a new gas-saving technology that could transform transportation and make renewable sources of electricity, such as wind and sun, more feasible. At the Greater Los Angeles Auto Show, the automaker committed to manufacturing versions of its hybrid Saturn Vue SUV with a much larger battery pack that can be charged via an ordinary household socket. The increased size of the battery pack makes it possible to rely more on electric drive than current hybrid vehicles do, thereby saving much more gasoline. The actual rollout date will depend on the development of suitable battery technology, according to GM chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner. With the announcement, GM joined other major automakers that are developing plug-in hybrid technology, including Ford, Daimler Chrysler, and Toyota. "We hope to have some products in the near future, but we're not prepared to say yet when that will be," says Bruce Brownlee, the senior executive administrator at Toyota Technical Center, in Gardena, CA. "The potential [of plug-in hybrids] is terrific." (None of these car companies have yet committed to widespread production of such a vehicle.) The announcement marks a change in strategy for GM, which has previously focused on addressing environmental issues and high fuel prices by modifying existing vehicles to run on ethanol and by developing hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles. Although GM still plans to continue its fuel-cell program, the decision to produce plug-in hybrids represents a move toward a more evolutionary transition from internal combustion vehicles. "It's nice to see General Motors not just putting all their bets on hydrogen," says Jason Mark, vehicles director for the Union of Concerned Scientists, based in Cambridge, MA. Plug-in hybrids, which use both an electric motor and a gasoline-powered internal combustion engine, have been hailed as a bridge technology that could make it possible to cut gasoline consumption in the short term; meanwhile, researchers will continue to work out the problems with all-electric vehicles, such as the high costs that make long-range battery-powered vehicles unaffordable. The most commonly described version of this technology would allow drivers to commute about 20 miles without using gasoline at all. But in reality, plug-in hybrids will likely use a blended strategy, relying on the gasoline engine to boost power for acceleration or for climbing hills even during the first 20 miles. This blended strategy would still mean that a typical commute would use almost no gasoline. "Having an internal combustion engine for passing or hill climbing is probably a prudent thing to do," says Thomas Keim, a principal research engineer at MIT. "But if you're traveling around town or just cruising on the highway, you can do both of those things from the battery." Plug-in hybrids have an advantage over all-electric vehicles in that the battery would be the primary source of power only for relatively short distances, allowing for a much smaller and less expensive battery pack. Since short trips represent the majority of driving in the Unites States, the result would be a dramatic decrease in gasoline use. Electricity use would go up, but the price of powering a vehicle with electricity from the grid during off-peak hours would be the equivalent of gas for about 90 cents per gallon, says Terry Penney, a technology manager for advanced vehicle technologies at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, in Golden, CO.
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Plug-in Hybrids Get Green Grades
07/24/2007
Comments
rdvandell on 12/05/2006 at 11:14 AM
11
"HURRY FOLKS."
"Get your new Wiz Bang Widget while they last..!!"
(Batteries not included..)
;=}
kbraber on 01/13/2007 at 1:08 PM
1
Kevtyo on 01/17/2007 at 7:52 PM
4
Plug-Ins rule!!!^^
garyl on 11/06/2007 at 10:51 AM
1
We must overcome the disadvantages of using the power grid 1st:
1) too much transmission loss - under-the-sink nukes in large homes (which are becoming more abundant)
2) using 50% very dirty coal for generation - or any carbon emitter for that matter
3) nukes have the disposal problem - still tons of the used rods stored all around the country
4) wind - HA!
5) solar - needs a breakthrough in efficiency
6) water - we're taking down dams - much like the windmill proposal in that sense
7) conservation - SUVs are:
a) death threats to everyone on the road in a smaller car
b) a social status symbol - let's make them a negative symbol!
c) oh yeah, miserably inefficient.
So, for the near term, I see only pain and suffering since I don't see any appetitie for realistic conservation.
candice on 03/25/2007 at 9:24 PM
1
dragonflyman on 04/17/2007 at 8:56 AM
1
I am excited about the idea of powering a plug in from solar too, but am just getting started in my research. I was wondering if you were looking at BP home solar panels systems which are being offered through Home Depot, or going some other route.
Learning accelerates when people share info. Shall we share what we find?
Charlie
Solar John on 06/29/2007 at 5:19 PM
12
I wouldn't turn to a hardware store for solar electric advice. Information found on the sites below will get you off to a better start.
http://solarjohn.blogspot.com
http://www.affordable-solar.com
http://www.wind-sun.com
John
chet on 04/11/2007 at 7:30 PM
1
It doesn't seem to me so difficult to take a four seat design, eliminate the back seat, and move the front seat back to accommodate many of us that currently don't fit. There is also a bit about headroom. Why can't this be a factory option? Why should I have to do the engineering to create a vehicle that can safely support someone over 6' tall?
BTW, I have come to the same grief over small sports cars since the day I learned to drive. I love those things, but can't drive them. This little detail is true of all compacts. Can anyone over 5'8" drive a Porsche 911 or Boxter?
I am upset about the fact that I must continue to drive an SUV or full size vehicle just to fit in the drivers seat!
pauldr44 on 05/02/2007 at 10:58 AM
1
julie78787 on 05/09/2007 at 9:04 AM
1
Unless GM comes out with a hybrid in the next few years (I currently drive a Pontiac and a Chevy), my next car will be a Camry hybrid.
ctuna on 11/28/2007 at 2:50 AM
1
Also what ever happened to fusion as a power source.
There are a few company's that have not silicon solar cells and are working on cheaper ways of producing solar such as First Solar and Nano-solar. If we had a distributed power system with everybody having some generation capacity in there home could we solve the whole problem. Like going from mainframes to the PC.
hines1957 on 03/02/2008 at 8:40 AM
1
If GM were smart they would offer one or more hybrids with a clear and guaranteed path to plug-in conversion at no (or low) cost within the next 2-3 years.
I won't touch a hybrid today because of the missing plug-in feature. To me this feature is absolutely required to make the car worth the expense. By my calculations it takes a Prius 8 years to pay back it's purchase price vs. my Ford Explorer, and that's with me driving 100 miles every weekday (which I do unfortunately) with gas at 3.50/gal. The warrenty on the Prius batteries only lasts 8 years!
And this is with Prius being by far the best hybrid on the road today, and the Ford Explorer being a real gas guzler. Totally not worth the cost to go hybrid until plug-in comes out.
Regarding fusion, there are still smart people working on this technology and it is still a very promising technology. I expect they will keep quiet until they can put a small demonstration power plant on the grid. They got burned by not being able to live up the hype many years ago, so they're going to be certain that they are ready for prime time before making noise.