Hey Look! GM To Unveil Electric Car Prototype!

[hatrack]

Unbefuckinglievable.


EDIT

Some environmental activists also seemed intrigued by the idea, noting that though it is not a "pure" electric vehicle like the battery-powered EV1, a generator-driven hybrid electric car would still consume far less fuel than a vehicle that relied on a larger, thirstier gasoline or diesel engine for propulsion. "We shouldn't make 'perfect' the enemy of 'good,' " said Roland Hwang, Berkeley-based vehicle policy director for the Natural Resources Defense Council. "If it helps reduce global warming emissions and dependency on oil, then it is a plus," he said.

GM "apparently recognizes that it is falling behind in the race for a piece of the 'green' vehicle market … and needs something it can get out there and sell in substantial numbers," Hwang said. He remained skeptical, however, saying that GM "is fond of showing us things it never brings to market. The question is whether this will be just a prototype for public relations or a real effort."

GM won't talk openly about its new electric vehicle — first hinted at in an interview Vice Chairman Robert Lutz granted industry trade publication Automotive News this week. But a knowledgeable person within the giant automaker's technology division confirmed that GM had developed a prototype that would run initially on power provided by rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, switching to electricity provided by the onboard gasoline- or diesel-fueled generator when the battery charge was depleted.

Filmmaker Paine said he was in regular contact with GM engineers who support work on electric vehicles and had been told that the automaker planned to unveil the new model in early January at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

EDIT

http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-ev9nov09,1,1893953.story?coll=la-headlines-pe-business

[Wickerman]

1. What amazing visionaries! n/t

[Poiuyt]

2. GM? Do you think they'll use Sean Hannity as their spokesman?

[longship]

3. How long before they call them all back and destroy them?

Like they did for the last electric car prototype.

[hunter]

4. They won't make that mistake again...

This time they'll make damned sure the cars don't work before they lease them.

Maybe a spontaneous combustion feature?

:P

[Canuckistanian]

6. An external combustion engine?

You wouldn't need a heater in the winter.

[longship]

7. Pic of latest GM "external combustion hybrid" prototype.

Note the controlled external combustion.

Nope! No heater needed here.

[Javaman]

5. And part of this revolutionary technology will be the gasoline powered

battery charger!

I wish I could kick the ceo of gm in the nuts.

[Massacure]

8. It should still be a step forward.

By putting batteries in a car and having the batteries drive motors to turn the wheels, you can remove the requirement of setting up the engine to the wheels. This means that the engine can be allowed to run at its "sweet spot" 100% of the time and you also take out the transmission inefficiencies.

On edit: To tell you the truth, I don't understand why Toyota has the internal combustion engine as its primary source of power and the electric motors as its secondary in the Prius. The motors should be primary and the engine should just charge the batteries.

[Nihil]

9. Power ranges

> To tell you the truth, I don't understand why Toyota has the internal combustion engine
> as its primary source of power and the electric motors as its secondary in the Prius.
> The motors should be primary and the engine should just charge the batteries.

The electric motor works fine on the flat and up to ~30mph.
It can also work fine when keeping the car coasting at 40-50 mph (i.e., after the
petrol-based acceleration has achieved this speed, ease right off then gently apply
the throttle again to just engage the electric motor to "keep the speed up" without
kicking it enough to restart the petrol engine).

The electric motor simply hasn't enough balls to push the car up a hill.
You need a petrol engine for that (ok, at least in England you do ...).
The electric engine is also incapable (due to design & gearing) to drive the car
at higher speeds on the flat (e.g., 65-75 mph) never mind up any hills.
In the States (where many towns are pretty damn flat) this might be different.
If so, use the EV switch to "encourage" the car to stay in electric mode.

Although I'm obviously biased, I find that the Toyota solution really *is* optimal:
it is ideal for my wife running round 2-6 mile trips and is still damn efficient
for me on my 50-80 mile (each way) gigs. I can keep it cruising at 60+ mpg once I
take the hit for the acceleration to cruise speed. My wife benefits from the
regenerative braking in town driving. I reckon Toyota have got the balance right!

[Massacure]

10. Having enough balls depends on the size of the motor.

The thing about motors is that the power they output is proportional to the amount of electricity you run through them and you don't have to worry about changing efficiencies based on the speed you operate them. Some motors will even output up to five time their rated power for a short period of time which makes them ideal for getting an extra "umph" when you need it, the operator just has to be careful not to put too much juice for too long or the motors will burn out.

I'm betting Toyota's designed their setup thinking cost is more important than the extra performance.