GM stepping up hybrid efforts, Lutz says

[notacarguy]

By Brett Clanton / The Detroit News



MILFORD -- Although late getting started, General Motors Corp. is bolstering efforts to develop fuel-saving hybrid vehicles to improve its public image and to share in the goodwill Asian automakers are enjoying by having hybrids on the market, a top GM executive on Thursday.

"Right now, we're not where we ought to be (on hybrids)," said Bob Lutz, GM's vice chairman and product development chief, acknowledging that it's hurting consumer perceptions of the company.

GM expects to be a bigger player in hybrids in coming years, but it can't speed up the launch of its first true hybrid, a full-size SUV coming in 2007, Lutz said.

"For us to go out with a half-baked system just to get a few months out, I don't think would be prudent," Lutz said.

Detroit automakers are ramping up output of hybrid vehicles, which combine gas and electric motors to achieve better fuel economy than traditional combustion engines. Spurring the move is growing consumer demand for more fuel-efficient vehicles as gas prices remain high.

While hybrids now represent less than 1 percent of U.S. auto sales, they are expected to grow in popularity in coming years as Nissan, Chrysler, Honda and BMW introduce models.

Last week, Ford Motor Co. said it will offer hybrid versions of more than half of the vehicles in its lineup by 2010.

But GM didn't see the importance of having hybrids on the market until two years ago when Toyota began having success with its Prius hybrid, Lutz said.


Source: http://www.detnews.com/2005/autosins...C01-332804.htm

[DmitryKo]

What about all electric transmission as seen on the Sequel but in a hybrid configuration with a battery and traditional gasoline/diesel engine as generator?

[plane]

Originally Posted by DmitryKo

What about all electric transmission as seen on the Sequel but in a hybrid configuration with a battery and traditional gasoline/diesel engine as generator?

Yet again Dmitry - You're on top of it.
A generator running at a single speed can be fine-tuned to improve economy and reduce unwanted emissions.
Weight aside, you could even use a Stirling engine to recharge that battery and get uber-fantastic economy.
Heck, if it works for locomotives, why not automobiles?

[motorman]

they had better be priced the same as regular cars because very few will pay big extra bucks to save gas unless they can see the savings. you can buy a lot of gas for $5K extra. the same with diesels because of the extra cost it takes years if even you if can to break even at 12,000 miles a year that most people drive

[GMFreak8]

"For us to go out with a half-baked system just to get a few months out, I don't think would be prudent," Lutz said.

So how does that explain the Silverado "hybrid" and the Belt Alternator Starter?

[GM_Fanatic]

I would hardly call the BAS a half-baked system. SIMPLE does not equal halfbaked. It will improve gas mileage for a fraction of the cost of current hybrids. I really don't see whats not to like about it.

[[Corporal Dan]]

Originally Posted by GM_Fanatic

I would hardly call the BAS a half-baked system. SIMPLE does not equal halfbaked. It will improve gas mileage for a fraction of the cost of current hybrids. I really don't see whats not to like about it.

BAS was originally much more that it is now.

It had a 300ft-lb turbodiesel with all the current features of BAS.

However, there was also a secondary engine, an electric one which normally drive all accessories.... but which was linked to the driveshaft and was capable of providing en extra 90 ft-lb of torque when the engine could use the power

[Mr. Burns]

Originally Posted by notacarguy

By Brett Clanton / The Detroit News


But GM didn't see the importance of having hybrids on the market until two years ago when Toyota began having success with its Prius hybrid, Lutz said.

if they realised their importance two years ago how come it will take them so long to bring a hybrid out? Its too late, and even if it is just in time, GM is making a BIG mistake by releasing hybrid SUVs first. why? two reasons:

1. hybrid SUVs cannot get on paper the stellar milage that makes priuses so popular. consumers buy priuses because 60mpg on the sticker shocks them into signing the check. when they look at an SUV hybrid 25mpg so what?

2. cost: how much do you think it would cost the average joe to buy one of GMs big SUV hybrids? GM should have made smaller cheaper hybrids (like the prius and civic) to get as much people as possible into them (GM hybrids) so the next time around GM would be first on their list, and seeing so much GM hybrids (like priuses) on the roads would make for excellent publicity (hybrids get ALOT of attention on the roads, one reason why taxi drivers use them), but with huge expensive tahoes only the wealthy few can afford these things and people will STILL turn to priuses for their hybrid needs.
in short cheaper hybrid passanger cars with stellar milage= more GM hybrids on the road (more people can afford them) = improved GM image = cheaper for GM to make = more people will start to trust GM hybrids and ultimately GM vehicles as a whole and thus the next time around GM will be first on their list.

this is such a simple mistake GM made and it would ultimately come back to haunt it.

by 2007 it will already be too late for GM to get into the hybrid thing, by then toyota and honda would have a strong foothold. now even if GM had a chance to get in by 2007 it blew it, because how long do you think they'd start making prius like hybrids after 2007? a majority cant afford GM hybrids so whats the point? if it took them this long.

[GMFreak8]

Originally Posted by GM_Fanatic

I would hardly call the BAS a half-baked system. SIMPLE does not equal halfbaked. It will improve gas mileage for a fraction of the cost of current hybrids. I really don't see whats not to like about it.

Simple, the media will tear it apart, we all know that's going to happen. They'll look at it as a half baked attempt from GM to produce hybrids on the cheap.

[asim]

This was GM can say we are putting hybrids on the more gas guzzling stuff to actually save gas, not on just dorky little cars.

[SSrevolution]

Originally Posted by notacarguy

"For us to go out with a half-baked system just to get a few months out, I don't think would be prudent," Lutz said.

Then why did they come out with the Silverado hybrid?

[LI CADILLAC]

This Sux Because They Will Have To Spend A Fortune And They Dont Really Save That Much Gas. Better Technology For Existing Engines Is What We Really Need.

[ibechip]

GM missed the boat again on hybrids. This is why they always seem so low-tech. When everybody else was making FWD econocars, GM still had RWD gas guzzlers. Now that GM figured out that they had to make some FWD econocars as well, everybody else is moving on to hybrids. They're entering the game too late.

[strider]

Why did GM give up on the EV1? Can you imagine what the EV2 or even the EV3 could have been.

[VivienM]

Originally Posted by strider

Why did GM give up on the EV1? Can you imagine what the EV2 or even the EV3 could have been.

Because the EV1 was a response to a (California) government mandate...

Once the government mandate went away, then the bean counters decided it was better to go back to building Tahoes and Hummer H2s...