Farago dumps on GM fuel cell program
Over at the Truth About Cars site today Robert Farago dumps all over Bob Lutz and General Motors over their emphasis on fuel cells. Farago takes issue with Lutz's efforts to direct even more development resources toward fuel cells. The article goes on to discuss how GM has lost much of its technological development prowess. Where he makes his best points is discussing the fact that while GM is putting all it's eggs into the baskets of hydrogen and developing their own unique hybrid drive-train at the expense of developing more fuel efficient smaller engines, particularly diesels for smaller cars. Although, he is largely correct on the lack of small diesels - which GM and all the other makers really need as the best near-term hope for serious mileage improvement - he does miss that GM is actually developing their hybrid system jointly with DaimlerChrysler and BMW. The system they are developing also has some very interesting elements that may take it a step beyond current hybrids. Also in-spite of the hurdles, hydrogen at least potentially provide the best long-term way of reducing or eliminating carbon emissions.
Perhaps the biggest mistake GM is making is focusing their hybrid efforts on the SUVs which are really a dead end anyway. Since they have already announced that the Zeta rear wheel drive platform will be built from the 2009 model year, they should refocus on developing a hybrid version of the Camaro and whatever else they build on that platform. This would give them a tech and potential economy advantage over the Mustang and Challenger. How about a diesel Camaro? Pony cars have always been about torque and this is where diesels shine. Since most Camaros have traditionally been sold with automatic transmissions and GM has 6 speed auto-boxes now with more gears to come, mate one with something like a refined 4.0L turbo-diesel V-6 as an efficient alternative to the V-8. If a diesel can win LeMans, why not a drag race?
[Source: The Truth About Cars]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
amca 10:46PM (9/26/2006)
Oh, yeah. A hybrid Camaro! Brilliant!
It's going to totally dominate the green muscle car market.
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Keith 4:09PM (9/27/2006)
Have you driven the 260 hp Honda Accord hybrid? A hybrid Camaro would make a lot of sense actually. A diesel Camaro, though, makes a lot more sense and would be a true world beater. You'd see that car in every European city, as well as every American city.
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Lithous 6:45PM (9/27/2006)
What a scared POS. Farrago (the correct spelling) chimes in about yanking any posts that call him or his site "anti-GM". He should be the head of a home owners association not hosting a forum about cars.
The fact is that he is anti-GM.
It is discusting that he has a site with the word "truth" in the name. What truth is he defending? Nothing if it is good and that of GM.
He likes to comment against anyone on there who gives a view that GM is doing the right thing yet he will not comment on people posting that this is just another EV-1 that GM just won't comment 100%. If he is into the truth and facts he would reply to that post writing that Toyota had a better factory electric than the EV-1 (RAV4 could actually haul a family) and Toyota killed that. What? He doesn't realize Toyota had the RAV4 electric? Or that it could haul more? Or that Toyota cancelled it. Or that GM let people keep the S-10 factory electrics and so nothing Toyota did was unique. Of course that is one post on his site but he will 100% let a bash about GM not keeping the EV-1 going without presenting facts and probably 50% plus of the time if someone states something good about GM he chimes in. Where is the "truth"?
I love Farrago's answer that the quickest way to make Hydrogen is from foreign oil so therefore basically GM is horrible and stupid and should stop what it is doing. So he is stating that he believes in the long term that Hydrogen could possibly be made without foreign oil. So GM is screwed if they do or don't look long term. Where is the "truth"?
So what he is doing is the old NY Times trick where they made a great man like Goddard not be the best he could be by trying to make him look bad publicly while all along he was so much more brilliant and so much more right than the NY Times and it's people could ever imagine.
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Sam Abuelsamid 6:57PM (9/27/2006)
Actually Farago spells his name with one "R" on his own site so I'll go with that. He has typically been very critical of GM and I think in a lot cases he has been right, although not always. Although he is not shy about pointing out the things GM (and just about every other car maker) does wrong, he is usually kind of short on useful suggestions about what they should do. He is more of a bomb thrower than anything and some do hit the target.
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MikeW 11:25PM (9/27/2006)
or good enough to place in the 2004 Gumball 3000.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3670746534228765989&q=gumball+2004&hl=en
The 253hp accord hybrid went no where in the market, too expensive $30K, drove like a $20K car. Skinny tires, micro brakes, underdamped, overweight 3600 lbs (after honda recontented it-spare wheel, sunroof, etc.)
Why not just upgrade all the V6s? variable resonance $20, Front spring tower brace (from the manual V6 coupes) ~$100, V6 coupes bigger brakes ~$0 ammortization, VCM as used in the odyssey minivan EX-L and touring trim levels, borrow the aluminum rear hub carriers from the hybrid development program-reduces rear unsprung weight, improves pitch balance, fix the crappy automatic transmission shifter; D5, D3, 2, 1 sucks.
Honda must like social engineering more than actual engineering.
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