Improved performance gets top billing in the description of a hybrid propulsion system that DaimlerChrysler AG and General Motors have now definitely agreed to build.
Hybrid sellers usually make out like they're doing it for the good of the environment and then stand back to accept the thanks of a grateful world. But the first (GM) and fifth (DCX) biggest car companies in the world took a different tack when announcing on August 22 that they have signed "binding, definitive agreements."
They said their two-mode full hybrid system is "expected to improve acceleration performance while also improving vehicle fuel economy and range significantly." This promise is likely being made to help with their companies' marketing efforts, since there is widespread understanding in the industry that consumers will gladly pay for more power but aren't so interested in spending more (a lot more in most cases) for improved fuel economy.
This agreement is an upgrade to the "non-binding memorandum of understanding" that the two firms signed in December, 2004, though it does follow the general points outlined at that time.
It's worth noting that no other companies have apparently signed on to this system so far, since both firms made it plain back in December that they'd welcome new partners. This could change with time, of course, or they might end up selling the system to interested companies. It takes a lot of money to develop technology like this, so it's likely that at least some other firms will end up using it in the near future. "By launching this cooperation," the agreement notes, "the stage is set for expanded participation by other auto manufacturers."
The agreement also pointed out that, "Focusing on a single hybrid architecture is the key to cost-effective and timely production launches."
The two-mode hybrid system will be used in GM, Chrysler Group and Mercedes Car Group vehicles. GM will launch a two-mode full hybrid drive system in late 2007 in the Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon, with the Chrysler introducing a version in the Dodge Durango that will follow. Mercedes will then focus on a two-mode full hybrid propulsion system in rear-wheel drive passenger cars in the luxury segment.
The GM-DCX two-mode system is different from the hybrids that are currently on the market, and many people believe it will be superior to the kind now found in the Ford Escape, Honda Accord and Toyota Prius.
Tom Stephens, GM's group vice-president of powertrains, says ''the performance, fuel economy and more efficient packaging of the two-mode full hybrid allow applications to a broad spectrum of vehicles and driving cycles. We believe it is the most efficient full hybrid design for any vehicle configuration.''
The two-mode system is flexible enough that both companies can tinker with it to help deliver the kind of ride customers of each specific vehicle would expect, be they serious all-wheel-drive freaks or people looking for the traditional right of a large German luxury sedan.
All drivers will probably like it since it will be canted more significantly to delivering extra performance.
In the first mode, at low speeds and light load, the vehicle can operate in three ways -- electric power only, engine power only, or in any combination of the two. When operating with electric power only, the system provides all the fuel savings benefits of a full hybrid system.
The second mode is used primarily at highway speeds to optimize fuel economy while providing full engine power when conditions demand it, such as passing, pulling a trailer, or climbing steep grades.
Hybrid sellers usually make out like they're doing it for the good of the environment and then stand back to accept the thanks of a grateful world. But the first (GM) and fifth (DCX) biggest car companies in the world took a different tack when announcing on August 22 that they have signed "binding, definitive agreements."
They said their two-mode full hybrid system is "expected to improve acceleration performance while also improving vehicle fuel economy and range significantly." This promise is likely being made to help with their companies' marketing efforts, since there is widespread understanding in the industry that consumers will gladly pay for more power but aren't so interested in spending more (a lot more in most cases) for improved fuel economy.
This agreement is an upgrade to the "non-binding memorandum of understanding" that the two firms signed in December, 2004, though it does follow the general points outlined at that time.
It's worth noting that no other companies have apparently signed on to this system so far, since both firms made it plain back in December that they'd welcome new partners. This could change with time, of course, or they might end up selling the system to interested companies. It takes a lot of money to develop technology like this, so it's likely that at least some other firms will end up using it in the near future. "By launching this cooperation," the agreement notes, "the stage is set for expanded participation by other auto manufacturers."
The agreement also pointed out that, "Focusing on a single hybrid architecture is the key to cost-effective and timely production launches."
The two-mode hybrid system will be used in GM, Chrysler Group and Mercedes Car Group vehicles. GM will launch a two-mode full hybrid drive system in late 2007 in the Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon, with the Chrysler introducing a version in the Dodge Durango that will follow. Mercedes will then focus on a two-mode full hybrid propulsion system in rear-wheel drive passenger cars in the luxury segment.
The GM-DCX two-mode system is different from the hybrids that are currently on the market, and many people believe it will be superior to the kind now found in the Ford Escape, Honda Accord and Toyota Prius.
Tom Stephens, GM's group vice-president of powertrains, says ''the performance, fuel economy and more efficient packaging of the two-mode full hybrid allow applications to a broad spectrum of vehicles and driving cycles. We believe it is the most efficient full hybrid design for any vehicle configuration.''
The two-mode system is flexible enough that both companies can tinker with it to help deliver the kind of ride customers of each specific vehicle would expect, be they serious all-wheel-drive freaks or people looking for the traditional right of a large German luxury sedan.
All drivers will probably like it since it will be canted more significantly to delivering extra performance.
In the first mode, at low speeds and light load, the vehicle can operate in three ways -- electric power only, engine power only, or in any combination of the two. When operating with electric power only, the system provides all the fuel savings benefits of a full hybrid system.
The second mode is used primarily at highway speeds to optimize fuel economy while providing full engine power when conditions demand it, such as passing, pulling a trailer, or climbing steep grades.