two-mode

Daimler is now building its own version of the two-mode hybrid transmissions that were co-developed with General Motors and BMW. The Daimler-built transmissions are used in the Mercedes-Benz ML450 and BMW X6 hybrids. Inside of each of those transmissions are two electric motor/generators which ...

A day after announcing that it would invest $246 million to start building electric motors in-house, General Motors made a second announcement about the issue: Baltimore would be home to that production. The Baltimore transmission plant, which is actually located in nearby White Marsh, MD, has been ...

The last time we heard anything substantive from General Motors about its plug-in hybrid program was last August, when it announced that the planned Saturn Vue PHEV would instead be re-badged as a Buick crossover. We all know how that worked out. GM backtracked after less than two weeks and ...

For a mere $89,725 you can have your pick of questionable V8 powered BMW X6s. For that price tag you can get the monster 555 hp X6 M or the new the new ActiveHybrid X6. Unlike Mercedes-Benz, which has opted to only make the ...

Hybrid transit buses using the GM-Allison Two-mode hybrid system are becoming fairly common in North America with several thousand now on the road. In the UK however, the two-mode buses are brand new, with the first four recently going into service in London. The two-mode hybrid transmissions are ...

Apparently, some people think that $83,000 just isn't enough money to spend on a new Escalade. That's the sticker on the Platinum edition of the big Caddy SUV. The marketing department has decided the truck needed to move closer to 6 figures to be taken seriously. Therefore, General Motors is ...

Over the past decade, if there is one word that has become synonymous with green motoring it is hybrid. Ever since Toyota launched the first modern commercially viable hybrid with the original Prius (above) in 1997, over one million of them have hit the roads. Of course, as is so often the case, ...

During the General Motors third quarter earnings (or lack thereof) conference call on Friday, company executives discussed the vehicle introduction schedule for 2009 and 2010. Several cars that had been expected to debut during 2009 have been pushed back to the following year, including the Saab ...

Click the Aspen Hybrid for a high-res galleryThis summer, Chrysler hits the market with the 2-Mode hybrid Dodge Durango and Chrysler Aspen. Chrysler and former owner Daimler partnered with General Motors and BMW back in 2006 to help bring the 2-Mode hybrid system to light-duty vehicles. The setup ...

Click the Escalade hybrid for a high-res galleryThis fall, GM is adding its 2-Mode hybrid drivetrain to the Cadillac Escalade in an attempt to actually make some money off the system. Those of you who thought the existing Tahoe and Yukon hybrids were too rich for the average Joe, with prices ...