Fallout on Ford's switch from hybrids to ethanol
Reaction to Ford Motor Company's lessened focus on hybrid technology and switch to ethanol has been strong. Treehugger, the websource for the environmentally-conscious buyer, points to the Alternative Fueled Vehicles Rule of 1998 and 2004 as one reason for Ford's change of heart. The federal rule, which simultaneously encourages automakers to develop alternative-fuel vehicles while avoiding penalties, would be easier to comply with with more flex-fuel vehicles than hybrids. Ut would be a simple matter for Ford or any other automaker to update its vehicles to accept the ethanol and retool its factories to build them. Hybrid systems, with their complex gasoline-electric systems, are considerably more expensive to produce.
Toyota, the premium manufacturer of hybrid vehicles, has stated it will also pursue ethanol-powered engines as well as research into plug-in hybrids.
[Source: New York Times via treehugger]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
1985 Gripen 11:08PM (7/04/2006)
SAAB, GM's Swedish subsidiary, unveiled the world's first turbocharged ethanol-powered plug-in hybrid at the Stockholm Auto Show in late March. For unexplained reasons GM swept-in at the last minute and ordered the press releases (which had already been released) edited to exclude mention of the plug-in feature. The charging port (behind the rear SAAB badge) was ordered glued-shut. This is not conspiracy theory, it's been proven.
http://www.trollhattansaab.net/archives/saab_hybrid/
Besides the green factor, it's a sweet-looking convertible, not an aesthetically-challenged box on wheels like the Japanese hybrids.
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Private Citizen # 1 6:54AM (7/05/2006)
# 1- GM wants to show this technology at the Jan 2007 Auto show on their Impala and smaller cars. I don't think they wanted this to leak until introduction time early 2007(glued outlet). This tech will run on electric or gasoline, recharge while driving, or recharge by outlet, the best of all worlds. This technology is the result of the joint work with BMW/Daimler/Chrysler. I noticed that Toyota has announced they will begin development of a plugin.
Plugin's will allow for short trips around town up to seventy miles without using gasoline, GM is ahead with the technology because of the electric auto they introduced several years ago.
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1985 Gripen 11:10AM (7/05/2006)
Actually Private Citizen, though GM is jointly working with BMW and DaimlerChrysler the resulting fruits of those efforts are only slated to go into GM's large SUVs (such as the Tahoe) and pickups.
The SAAB is unique in that it is to go in a passenger car, be a TURBOCHARGED hybrid, and be powered by ETHANOL. That's what makes the SAAB different from most hybrids and even what is being worked on by the BMW/GM/DaimlerChrysler partnership.
Also, I heard the rumor you did as well that GM wants to introduce the plug-in technology on a car other than SAAB (how fair is that when SAAB developed it!?!?) in Detroit in January '07. So while they sat on this technology Toyota has come out and announced their intention to make a plug-in Prius. GM could have beaten Toyota to the punch at their own game!
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Greg A. 2:22PM (7/05/2006)
I've read elsewhere (sorry, I don't recall the source) that the battery packs of present (non-plug-in) hybrids are expected to last the life of the vehicle because their state of charge can be more narrowly managed. This article stated that when a battery is repeatedly charged to 90% (or whatever) or more of its capacity (or repeatedly discharged to less than 25%, or whatever, of its capacity), its lifetime plummets, thus making plug-ins greatly uneconomical once the costs of replacing their battery packs is taken into account. I guess the easy way out would be to halt the charging of the battery pack when the car is plugged in before it reaches 90% (or whatever). But the hyprid would still have to carry around the added weight of the plug-in charger.
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Greg A. 2:46PM (7/05/2006)
I just remembered, and found again, where I read the above. I'ts in Dennis Simanaitis's "Tech Tidbits" column in the August issue of Road & Track (p 164). Quote:
The greatest chemical stress on any battery occurs at its operational extremes, the last 20 percent before full discharge and the top 20 percent of full charge.
I don't know if this column can be found on Road & Track's Web site.
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Charles S 3:02PM (7/05/2006)
I believe Plug-Ins will rely on a different type of battery, with different characteristics compare to the NiMH batteries on a hybrid today.
It is even possible that there may need to be a few different types of batteries on a future Plug-In Hybrids. Maybe a mix of new lithium batteries and Flux Capacitors (not really a battery, I know)? All speculation, of course. Plug-ins have issues, no doubt, but that is why the elegance in design (hardware and software) that is so important. Any company can come up with a Hybrid design with enough investments. It's really the research and experience that will make a hybrid work well.
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