GM's 'revolutionary' HCCI engine

Embracing efficient and cost-effective change

A new study claims that by 2035 US light duty fleet fuel economy could be tripled to 74 mpg without plug-in or hydrogen technology, at a much cheaper cost than achieving the same goal through plug-in or or hydrogen technologies.

So, have plug-ins become an excuse – dare I say a greenwashing effort – by automakers to delay change as long as possible? Are plug-ins just like yesterday’s flex-fuel CAFE credits?

The study A Fuel Efficiency Horizon for US Automobiles doesn’t suggest that plug-ins are about greenwashing, that’s my suggestion based upon the history of the US auto industry. It’s just that in my opinion, selling 50,000 plug-in vehicles per year doesn’t justify selling 1 million 17 mpg pickup trucks, just as adding never-used flex fuel technology to gas guzzlers didn’t justify CAFE credits that enabled automakers to blatantly violate CAFE requirements , resulting in increased foreign oil dependence.

Unfortunately, good intentions resulted in bad results.

Fortunately, that’s not to say that plug-ins or hydrogen won’t offer the world a fantastic future. It’s just that both technologies are simply not cost-effectively mature, and betting the farm on them as THE solution is very inefficient and cost-ineffective. Sadly, the evidence supporting the fact that plug-ins simply are not cost-effective, and will almost certainly not be cost-effective for decades, is nothing short of overwhelming.

Of course, some Eureka moment in the basement of some college laboratory could instantly change that, but until that happens, shouldn’t we be doing everything else that we can as quickly as we can, especially when “projected fuel savings greatly exceed upfront costs”?

Plug-in vehicles are a technology that MUST be pursued; however, if its going to take decades for plug-ins to mature into the dominant mainstream solution, shouldn’t we be putting greater focus on what else can be done in the interim? How is achieving today, what automakers want to put off until tomorrow, so bad for America if “savings greatly exceed upfront costs”?

Minimally, isn’t it time for an honest, transparent national discussion on energy policy?

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Adding a new hybrid system to hybrids

A Toyota Prius with auto-drive

Already a number of cars offer safety features that not only warn drivers of dangers, they actually take control of the vehicle to help prevent potential crashes.

Today, we call cars with two power sources hybrid cars, but in the very near future most cars will also have two drivers:  a computer and the actual driver.

That’s not just a hybrid hybrid, it’s a game-changer.

In fact, even full auto-pilot might be available sooner than expected. Already the technology has been proven in artificial environments and track courses, and viability in the real world cannot be far off.

Continental Automotive Group’s ‘Vision Zero’ suggests that quite soon all cars, regardless of weight and size, will be equally safe as new technologies enable cars – similar to some super chess program -  to analyze and to foresee potential dangers well before drivers and react independently of the driver.

Additionally, automakers are also quickly getting in the hybrid driver game. Just this week GM announced future Cadillac technologies could include “in-vehicle Doppler radar to spot obstructions or traffic jams ahead,” and eventually result in “autonomous vehicles that can communicate with each other, traffic signals and buildings, pointing to a world where cars may actually drive themselves.”

But this is about more than just safety as one can easily imagine entirely new business models for personal transportation. Nonetheless, being able to make smaller and lighter cars, thanks to auto-drive safety features, could significantly increase fuel economy and extend EV range while increasing safety. Obviously, that alone offers game-changing potential, but auto-drive also changes everything about car expectations and ownership.

Cars could become simple time-shared transportation pods, for instance. Why care about horsepower or size when your transporation pod picks you up at your desired time, drives you to work along the safest and fastest route as you begin your work day, check Facebook, play games, or just take a nap – all for a fraction of the cost ownership.

Parking? Insurance? Maintenance? All included in the subscription. Suddenly, cars aren’t some ridiculously expensive ego-extension, instead, they are reduced to their basic purpose: transportation.

Besides, cars just don’t express today’s ego the way they did in the past. Today it’s all about social networks, and auto-drive transportation pods will offer a far better social networking experience than will self-driving everywhere – that’s soooo last century.

Hybridcarblog

The on-again, off-again plans to bring the Suzuki Swift to the U.S. have been thwarted yet again as the automaker fleshes out its global product plans with its new partners at Volkswagen.

According to Autoweek, the recently redesigned Swift – due to go on sale in Europe and Japan later this year – was nearly federalized for the U.S. and set to arrive Stateside this fall. But after VW gobbled up a 20% stake in Suzuki, the two automakers delayed the launch to analyze product strategy, align resources and, according to Steve Younan, Suzuk American’s head of product development and business development, “get some indication of where they may have found some efficiencies in platform development and powertrain development.”

However, the Swift’s passport to the U.S. may not have been stamped because of something as simple as pricing. Suzuki was determining the Swift’s MSRP when the VW deal went through, stalling the launch in the process, and the combination of a rising yen and recent reduction in Suzuki’s U.S. marketing budget are also to blame for the delay.

If the Swift does get the greenlight for the U.S., expect it to arrive in the summer of 2011… maybe.

[Source: Autoweek]

Report: Suzuki Swift delayed in the U.S., again originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 30 Aug 2010 14:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Unlikely Baby Crossover Confounds and Delights

Remember the Nissan NX of the mid-’90s? The tiny, econobox-based sportster was as cute as a bug and spent its brief lifespan mixing it up with other long-gone, sporty front-wheel drive affordables like the Mazda MX-3, Honda Civic CRX, Toyota Paseo and even the Hyundai Scoupe. While there were a lot of inexpensive, racy looking coupes back then, most automakers just don’t see any money in that segment anymore. Instead, when they look to spin something off of their entry-level B-class chassis, most veer toward the white-hot crossover segment.

Consider the latest example, Nissan’s 2011 Juke. Come to think of it, this in-your-face city slicker has some startling similarities to the NX. For one, at 162.8 inches long, it’s deceptively small – just 0.4 inches longer than the ’90s coupe. Further, both the Juke and the NX1600 rely on 1.6-liter four-cylinder power. And like the Sentra-based NX, the more emotional Juke is based on the same humble underpinnings that give structure to Nissan’s more workaday offerings, in this case, the Versa and Cube. And while the Juke may not be cute as a bug, there’s something downright insectian about its Predator-like mug.

Despite not being a traditional sporty car, Nissan has been talking up its controversially styled mini-ute with many of the same descriptors, so we hopped a plane to Vancouver to see if the Juke could bob and weave its way into our hearts. Follow the jump to find out how it fared.

Photos copyright (C)2010 Chris Paukert / AOL

Continue reading First Drive: 2011 Nissan Juke

First Drive: 2011 Nissan Juke originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 26 Aug 2010 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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DOA: Chevy Malibu hybrid

Can US automakers compete?

So, Toyota is going to sell 1 million hybrid cars per year within the next few years, but by 2015 at the latest. Obviously, 1 million units of any vehicle per year is a pretty big sale’s number – a number that has to catch the attention of any major automaker.

Will the Big 3 respond to that big hybrid number?

While GM has supposedly leapfrogged Toyota with the Chevy Volt, almost every single forecast available claims that hybrid sales will far outpace plug-in sales through at least 2030. Can any automaker afford to avoid this space?

In the last year or so, Ford has sounded game to challenge Toyota. Of course, we’ve heard such hybrid bullishness from Ford in the past. Fortunately, today’s Ford is a much different company.

Can US automakers watch Toyota sell 1 million hybrids per year, with plans to scale much higher, without a serious hybrid challenge? Or, are the experts wrong and hybrids are already a dead technology?

Hybridcarblog

Would a diesel hybrid resonate in America?

2011 Peugeot 3008 hybrid 4 diesel crossover

Despite better fuel economy, especially in highway driving, diesel vehicles will probably never achieve the kind of penetration achieved in Europe in the US according to most experts. However, could diesel hybrids change that prediction?

Moreover, might the ability to fuel with biodiesel, for instance, make the upcoming Peugeot 3008 hybrid 4 more intriguing to American consumers?

In the Spring of 2011, Peugeot will start selling the 3008 hybrid 4 crossover vehicle in Europe. The all wheel drive, 163-horsepower, 2.0-liter I-4 turbodiesel will be mated to a 37-horsepower electric motor and utilize a NiMH battery pack, resulting in a full hybrid powertrain capable of pure electric propulsion – the key to outstanding urban fuel economy. According to European measurements, the 3008 hybrid 4 will achieve a combined 74.4 mpg, although US EPA numbers would probably be lower.

Certainly, that kind of fuel economy, as well as the sportier driving experience provided by diesel technology, would definitely catch the attention of some US hybrid drivers.

Anyway, while diesel hybrid concepts have been around for many years, most automakers – even in diesel loving Europe – have avoided mass production of these hybrid cars due to production costs. So, it’s still a little hard to measure the potential of such a hybrid until pricing has been released. However, the new 3008 hybrid should prove intriguing for Europe’s urban commuters.

But resonating in the US, particularly since it will cost more than a comparable gasoline hybrid, seems unlikely barring some sort of breakthrough in biodiesel technology. Nevertheless, I’d love to see Peugeot try to sell this new hybrid in the US.

Hybridcarblog

Killing the world one car at a time.

A killer business model

A new study finds that private motorized transportation – think America – is exacerbating the problems of “traffic growth, including congestion, health-harming air pollution, accidents, energy insecurity, and climate change.”

For many decades it has been said that ‘what was good for GM was good for America’. In reality, however, hasn’t GM become one of the most dangerous companies in the world?

“These unsustainable patterns of transport are expected to worsen under the continuous and rapid trend of motorisation,” further notes the study.

Ironically, the best thing for GM today is more auto sales, and that isn’t just GM’s hope for America, but in terribly important emerging markets such as China. Quite soon, if not already, the Chinese auto market will be far more important to GM’s long term survival than will be the American market. Sadly, in many respects, mature automakers, such as GM, are training the world to be just like America and almost as “unsustainable.”

A new GM

Without any question, the government bailout of GM was a good move, at least in terms of jobs and short term economic interests.

Long term, however, is not GM – and a good part of the American economy – still fundamentally built upon an “unsustainable” business model? Sure GM is leaner and more competitive today, but has it’s business model really changed very much? Has it really become more sustainable?

Regardless, the key for the world moving forward is for emerging countries to “leapfrog” current models of personal transportation. Yet, is such leapfrogging possible without major contributions from developed countries, such as America? Would this mean that America funds our competition as America becomes less sustainable and competitive?

Today, the keys to sustainability are usually defined by either carbon and/or electrification. Unfortunately, a plethora of research suggests such keys will be very costly to implement, especially in developed countries, particularly in the US. So, it’s hard to imagine the political support for such pathways will last long enough to achieve competitive effectiveness any time soon.

Consequently, it seems much responsibility could ultimately fall into the hands of supranational corporations like GM to become much better corporate citizens of the world. Can that really be a good thing?

Hybridcarblog

Lear Corporation is a company best known for supplying vehicle interior systems, particularly seats. However, like many other major automotive suppliers, Lear has seen an opportunity in vehicle electrification and is branching out into new product areas.

For Lear, that means charging systems and its first customer is General Motors and the Chevrolet Volt. Lear is providing the on-board charger for the Volt as well as the 240-volt, wall-mounted chargers that GM recommends for Volt buyers. In addition to the chargers, Lear is also supplying some of the low-voltage wiring and the main battery disconnect.

Like the design of the car itself, GM tried some new things when it sourced suppliers for the Volt. Traditionally, where the main systems of a vehicle are known quantities, automakers go to suppliers with specifications and a request for quote. Because so much of the Volt was new, GM opted to work with its suppliers earlier on in the process to determine what was needed and develop specifications together.

[Source: Detroit Free Press]

Lear to produce chargers, parts for Chevy Volt originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Wed, 18 Aug 2010 08:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Californacation?

Ohh soooo LA

So far this summer, I’ve driven through about 10 states, happily noticing many hybrid cars along the way, even in so-called ‘red states’. Whether it’s a green statement, or a statement against foreign oil, hybrid fans are everywhere.

Of course, in LA there are moments when, judging by all the hybrids, one might believe that real automotive change has already happened, but the facts simply don’t support such a perception.

Perceptual reality

Last night my niece was watching Legally Blond, and as I watched a few minutes of the movie, I thought about how much such shows shape the perceptions many people have of Angelenos. ‘Like, hey dude. Let’s have some sushi and buy some Versace for Freddy the chihuahua.’

But that’s oh so West LA.

On the other hand, I was at party Saturday night in Glassel Park, an East LA neighborhood, (although it’s not really East LA), where one of my friends was showing off his new truck, a giant Ford F250.

“Why such a big truck,” someone asked?

“I just like big trucks.”

“What about gas prices,” another asked?

“I don’t care,” he responded. “I’ll worry about that when it becomes a problem.”

Certainly, there are times, especially in some LA neighborhoods, when it seems like everyone in LA drives a hybrid, but if you really stop and look around, hybrids are everywhere, but still only in small percentages overall. BMWs, for instance, are still much more common. Similarly, in the parking lot of the party I attended Saturday, where a few hundred guests showed up, I only noticed one hybrid. Mine.

Yet, in the next decade, hybrid adoption has been predicted to increase from less than 3 percent today, to over 20 percent in 2020. How? Why?

It seems most automakers can easily achieve upcoming CAFE regulations without adding much new hybrid technology, especially when methodologies for determining fuel economy are so skewed towards highway fuel economy. Porsche, the most impacted automaker in terms of CAFE for example, believes that just 15 percent hybrid is enough to make their gas-guzzling fleet achieve CAFE requirements.

So, what forces 20 or even 25 percent? New regulations? Much higher gas prices? Lithium? All of the above?

Many automakers, for instance, don’t seem to agree with such bullish hybrid forecasts. Instead of a real effort into hybrids, Nissan for instance, seems more content with trying to achieve 10 percent EV penetration, while Chrysler seems focused on conventional, although Euro-styled, compact and micro-cars. Similarly, GM’s continued focus on mild hybrids seems just as hybrid-doubtful, and even after a decade of hybrid sales, Honda seems uncertain if not totally confused.

Of course, hot kid on the block, Hyundai is more in line with hybrid-bullish Toyota and Ford.

Yet, if automakers, powertrain forecasters, battery analysts, energy hawks and policy-makers are studying the same data, why are the forecasts and favored technologies still so diverse?

It seems numerous breakthroughs across many different technologies could force automakers to almost instantly make major changes to their lineups and to their long term plans. Calling Heisenberg!

Inevitably, great change is coming, possibly even sooner than expected. That change, however, probably won’t end up looking anything like being predicted today. Consequently, if there is a skill that seems essential for automakers heading into the future, it seems to be nimbleness. Unfortunately, that skill is lacking throughout the entire auto industry.

Until such breakthroughs, marketing – perception – seems to be automakers’ favored technology.

As for me, I’m heading out for some sushi and then to Rodeo Drive. My dog needs a new collar.

Hybridcarblog

As Coda Automotive readies for the U.S. launch of its electric sedan, the company has already struck up a deal with a “major global automotive manufacturer” to sell the ZEV credits Coda anticipates receiving from the distribution of more than 14,000 battery-powered sedans in 2011. According to Coda, the company will be entitled to more than 50,000 ZEV credits if it can successfully sell 14,000 of its five-passenger electric sedans. Coda will then offer these credits to the undisclosed automaker in return for a similarly undisclosed amount of monetary compensation.

The ZEV credit system is complicated stuff, but Green Car Congress sums it up well by stating:

Under the current ZEV regulations, in the 2009 through 2011 model years, a manufacturer must meet at least 22.5% of its ZEV requirement with ZEVs or ZEV credits generated by such vehicles, and at least another 22.5% with ZEVs, AT PZEVs, or credits generated by such vehicles. The remainder of the manufacturer’s ZEV requirement may be met using PZEVs or credits generated by such vehicles.

Since Coda Automotive only intends to sell electric vehicles here in the U.S., the surplus credits generated by sales of its battery-powered sedan can be sold to automakers that would otherwise fail to meet the guidelines laid out above. Look for an update to this story as soon as Coda reveals the name behind the “major global automotive manufacturer” and follow the jump for more on Coda’s ZEV credit deal.

[Source: Coda Automotive]

Continue reading Coda Automotive strikes up ZEV credit deal with undisclosed automaker

Coda Automotive strikes up ZEV credit deal with undisclosed automaker originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Mon, 16 Aug 2010 08:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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