GM Announces New Hybrid System

[Cacti]

GM Says It Will Put Lithium-Ion Batteries in Hybrid Vehicles in 2010

DETROIT (AP) -- General Motors Corp. says it expects to bring its first lithium-ion battery powered hybrid engine system to market in North America in 2010.

GM Announces New Hybrid System: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance

[Rockville1]

Yes, but the lithium ion batterys will only be used to run the dashboard clock!!








Just kidding!

[john1701a]

What's new about this?

They've been saying the same thing for over a year now. Of course, some of us remember 5 years back when GM boasted it would be the first automaker to sell 1,000,000 hybrids. In other words, don't award merit until it is actually earned.

.

[Jonnycat26]

Originally Posted by john1701a

What's new about this?

Try reading it before asking questions, it's always helpful.

But to summarize it for you, it's a new version of BAS which, as one commenter put it, blurs the lines between mild and full hybrids. It's capable of driving the car on it's own, yet retains the simplicity and cost effectiveness of the original BAS system.

It is interesting that the lines between a 'mild' and 'full' hybrid are starting to blur... Honda did it with the last version of IMA, and GM is taking it a step further with the next version of BAS.

And to preempt John's next comment... the type of hybrid system used has nothing to do with emissions.

[finman]

"The company said the hybrid system would debut in North America before the Chevrolet Volt, which is an electric car with a small conventional motor used to recharge the batteries. " -from the article

won't "anything and everything" debut before the Volt! I'm just sayin'

anyone else notice the "GM plant closures" link to the right of the article? hmmm...

[Jack66]

"GM said in a statement that the new hybrid system would save fuel by turning the engine off at idle and cutting off fuel during deceleration. It would offer brief electric-only power, the company said in a statement."

I wonder about cutting off fuel during deceleration. Wouldn't that be the same thing as shifting to "B" gear in a Prius? I am assuming that that the hybrid vehicles GM is talking about do not have the ability to do regenerative breaking.

[finman]

B mode is engine braking, and actually lessens the regen charging in the Prius.

In most hybrids the engine can be off during coasting to a stop.

As far as I know, regen in all hybrids charges the battery during decelerartion, saving fuel, and recovering the "wasted" energy and storing it for later boost, furthering the fuel savings. some systems do this better than others. And i think most on this fourm agree which that is.

[Jack66]

Originally Posted by finman

B mode is engine braking, and actually lessens the regen charging in the Prius.

In most hybrids the engine can be off during coasting to a stop.

As far as I know, regen in all hybrids charges the battery during decelerartion, saving fuel, and recovering the "wasted" energy and storing it for later boost, furthering the fuel savings. some systems do this better than others. And i think most on this fourm agree which that is.

I agree with everything you wrote -- I was just pointing out that the intended vehicles didn't seem to use the deceleration phase to recharge batteries and that an ICE without fuel becomes a momentum brake (or engine brake). A Prius owner would have specific, albeit limited, conditions for using the "B" gear but the intended GM vehicles would never reach the "I have a full battery charge and just want to use the engine as a brake" stage.

[statultra]

this system outlined in the report, seems to be garbage.

honestly GM make an effort at least to create a great hybrid system, it seems they are more concerned with mass production than the quality of the system.

if the volt comes out and provides electric only power for however long they say, that would be a great car. So far i think the volt is just a waste of a news story, whenever it comes out ill congratulate GM for creating a great car ( if it lives up to those specs outlined in the prototype)

[Godiva]

There are two blaring laughable moments in this article.

"GM said the new hybrid system eventually will spread worldwide, and it expects sales volumes to exceed 100,000 vehicles per year. The system would build on GM's current hybrids, reducing engineering costs and the cost to consumers, the company said."

AND

"The new system will produce a 15 percent to 20 percent increase in fuel economy over what a nonhybrid vehicle would get in 2010, GM spokesman Brian Corbett said."

15-20% fuel increase.

And a little chuckle: they're still calling the Volt an "electric car" and claiming it will be out in 2010.

Gee, those GM guys....they should run for public office.

The Prius DOUBLED my mileage. That's a, uh....wait a minute...oh yes....100% increase.

Who are they trying to kid with this?