Toyota and Ford to partner on new hybrids

That is really special.... The first line of the article states "...to develop a gasoline-electric hybrid drivetrain for rear-wheel-drive light trucks and SUVs." I wonder how that will work? Currently cars like the Prius use front wheel drive for power and braking regeneration. Considering that the majority of braking on vehicles is on the front wheels, this system will not be that efficient, unless they put in a generator on the front wheels to recover the lost energy during braking. more parts = higher cost.

Keith

 

Toyota and GM already have rwd hybrid systems, but the problem with them is they are expensive. This partnership is to develop a less expensive method. BMW and Mercedes now do a fairly inexpesive method for rwd but with low volumes bmw still charges a large premium.

 

And then there's this.
Startup Bright Automotive Shuts Down, Slams DoE Loan Process

 

That's truely sad. This company looks more qualified for a DOE loan than many that got them, but the worse situation is the DOE by leading them on, stopped them from getting other funding.

 

It seems like a better proposal than fisker, but fisker had an ex VP involved. I don't even know if this loan should have been approved, but certainly the DOE should have given them real terms instead of leading them on and changing terms for years. Government incompetence is hardly a surprise, but the details here warrant questions.