By Dale Jewett Automotive News Europe / December 13, 2004 DETROIT --General Motors and DaimlerChrysler are joining forces to develop a new hybrid powertrain that they claim is more efficient and flexible than current hybrids. The first vehicles to make use of the new hybrid powertrain will be the Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon SUVs in late 2007. The Dodge Durango SUV will be equipped with the technology soon after that, said Eric Ridenour, Chrysler group's executive vice president for product development. Neither automaker would give production volumes or detailed cost figures for the project. But the effort will produce three variants of the hybrid powertrain, said Tom Stephens, group vice president for GM Powertain. Automakers spend "hundreds of millions" of dollars developing new engines and transmissions, Stephens said. The automakers announced their cooperation on the hybrid on Monday. But they have been holding meetings on the project for several months. The Mercedes Car Group is also playing a role in the project, leading the development for rear-drive luxury vehicles. The cooperation began after a conference in October 2003, when teams from both automakers gave presentations on advanced hybrid powertrains that were remarkably similar, Ridenour said. The new hybrid powertrain, which GM calls Advanced Hybrid System 2, uses two gear sets in the transmission to better use the torque output from the internal combustion engine and two electric motors. The use of two gear sets offers greater torque multiplication, said Stephens. That means the electric motors can be smaller. The smaller components weigh less and can be more easily packaged in a wide range of vehicles, from small cars to full-sized trucks. Stephens said GM will primarily be providing the technology for the powertrain's electronic controller. The two gear set scheme enables the powertrain to better improve fuel economy at highway speeds, compared to today's hybrid vehicles, Stephens said. The automakers expect that the new hybrid powertrain will deliver a 25 percent gain in fuel economy in full-sized trucks, Stephens said. The new powertrain is a scaled-down version of the hybrid drive GM has been using on transit buses since 2003. Flexibility is a hallmark of the design. Stephens and Ridenour said the hybrid powertrain can be used with both gasoline and diesel engines. The powertrain also improves the gains from other fuel-saving technologies, such as cylinder deactivation and variable camshaft timing. The powertrain components are designed to package inside a conventional-sized transmission case.
It is pretty funny.. but Mercedes has the upper hand on engine development over GM.. so they will be able to produce something that's pretty good... plus.. you are taking GM, which is still number one, and Diamler Chrysler, which is currently number 4?, and splitting the cost of research with a lot of people involved. I feel they will not tie with Toyota, but should be able to develop something sufficient. One thing is catching my attention though. They way mpg will increase on the highway. Truly... my mpg is greater on the highway. I drive highway to raise my mpg up past 50... city beings it down to about 48/49. If i were to only cruise highway in the high 50 ( traffic ) through 60mph range, i could achieve 60mpg without too much effort. Just cruise for long periods of time.. and treat the gas pedal as if it has a rotten egg under it. Acceleration is not really felt by my foot.. but mentaly it does happen.. same with deceleration. Cruise behind a big rig for about a half an hour.. you'll learn how to pull the high mpg.. they cruise, don't use their brakes much.. and make the most out of coasting when needed. They also accelerate very slowly.
The Dodge Durango SUV will be equipped with the technology soon after that, said Eric Ridenour, Chrysler group's executive vice president for product development. Eric went on to say they'd do all this as soon as they could keep the front ends under their cars.. yasureyabetcha
