Automotive News - November 3, 2008 - (Page 22)

22 • NOVEMBER 3, 2008 INSIGHT Electrics edge closer by 2010 Automakers are exploring various forms of electric-powered vehicles in addition to their efforts to improve petroleum-fueled cars. Here’s a rundown of plans for electrics, hybrids and plug-in hybrids in 2010. Plug-in hybrid Chrysler LLC, General Motors and Toyota Motor Corp. are developing plug-in hybrid vehicles. Unlike a conventional hybrid, a plug-in can be recharged by connecting to a power outlet, whether at home, the office or elsewhere. The vehicle runs on batteries until the electric power runs low, then switches to a combustion engine. The Volt, due to go on sale in November 2010, will use the engine to power the car after 40 miles of electric-only motoring. Other vehicles might use the engine to recharge the batteries. In late 2009, Toyota’s unnamed plug-in vehicle will debut offering a seven-mile range under battery power. But the vehicle initially will be available only to fleets. Chrysler is considering two plug-in hybrids: the Wrangler-based Jeep EV and the Chrysler EV, based on the Town & Country minivan. Chrysler says it will produce either one of these vehicles or the Dodge EV, which will run solely on electricity. Whatever vehicle Chrysler selects is expected to be on sale in late 2010. Tougher CAFE standards loom The push to develop fuel-efficient cars began in earnest when the federal government raised its corporate average fuel economy standards under the new energy law enacted last December. Preliminary rules issued in April indicate that in the 2011 through 2015 model years, each automaker’s mandated CAFE standard will rise more than 4 percent a year, cars and trucks combined. Ultimately, the law will require cars and trucks together to average at least 35 mpg by 2020, about 40 percent higher than today’s fleet. Today, cars and trucks are measured separately. Cars must meet an average of 27.5 mpg. That’s not scheduled to change until the new law takes effect for 2011. The lighttruck standard is rising modestly under a previous set of regulations to 23.1 mpg for 2009 and 23.5 mpg for 2010. The Bush administration has said it will issue the final rules for 2011-15 before the end of this year. Both presidential candidates have proposed going beyond the requirements set by last year’s energy law, but their recent campaign rhetoric has indicated some flexibility on the rules. — Rick Kranz Chrysler LLC could produce the Jeep EV, the Chrysler EV plug-in hybrid or the all-electric Dodge EV. their hybrid offerings. Hybrids are planned for the 2010 Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan sedans and the Saturn Vue crossover. The Honda Insight car, due in 2009, will be a dedicated hybrid. Toyota remains the hybrid leader. The automaker’s redesigned Prius, a dedicated hybrid, will be assembled in Mississippi beginning in 2010. Toyota aims to assemble 100,000 units here annually. Unlike other automakers, BMW and Mercedes-Benz will link their upcoming hybrid models to a diesel engine. These hybrids are due in the next 18 months or so. Pure electric Late this year, Mini will test a pure electric vehicle here. BMW, Mini’s parent, will put 500 electric Minis on the road in New York, New Jersey and California for one year. In 2010, Mitsubishi Motors Corp. plans to introduce an electric vehicle with a range of about 100 miles. Its i MiEV electric car is on the road in small volumes in Japan. Nissan is moving ahead with plans to introduce a pure electric car for fleet customers in 2010. A version for retail customers is penciled in for 2012. Nissan showed the Nuvu concept electric car at the Paris auto show in Hybrid Hybrid powertrains no longer are a novelty. In the next several months, Ford, GM and Honda plan to expand October but says the production model will be substantially different. The Nissan car will be powered by lithium ion batteries developed by the automaker’s joint venture with NEC Corp. Nissan targets a range of 100 miles, with an estimated top speed of 75 mph, for its production electric car. A complete recharge will take about eight hours. The Dodge EV, an all-electric vehicle developed with England’s Lotus Cars Ltd., is under consideration for production with an expected 150mile range. If produced, the target date is the end of 2010. — Rick Kranz Fuel efficiency is still a few years away continued from Page 20 Higher mpg Here’s how much various technologies can improve fuel economy. TECHNOLOGY COMPARED WITH PERCENT IMPROVEMENT IN FUEL EFFICIENCY the driver takes his foot off the brake. The stop-start feature can generate about a 5 percent fuel savings by essentially eliminating idling. That’s a hefty improvement at a cost that is barely a sliver of what it costs to develop and build an electric or hybrid vehicle. Today, the system is limited to cars with a manual transmission. The Mini sold in Europe offers stop-start. The Mini Cooper is expected to offer that feature here in the near future. Mazda Motor Corp. will offer the system next year. Engineering hurdles must be overcome to create a version of stop-start for an automatic transmission. “I think you will see a lot of applications of start-stop” in the industry, says Toyota’s Love. The automaker offers the system on a handful of models sold in Japan and Europe. Love would not say whether Toyota will offer it in the United States. Diesel engine Gasoline direct injection plus turbocharging Dual-clutch transmission Cylinder deactivation Continuously variable valve timing Stop-start system 5-speed transmission Gasoline engine Multiport fuel injection Automatic transmission Using all 8 cylinders Fixed valve settings Idling 4-speed 25-30% up to 12% up to 10% 7% 5% 5% 3-4% into the cylinders. When and how long the valves open (called timing) and how much the values move (referred to as “lift”) affect engine efficiency. Optimum timing and lift settings are different for high and low engine speeds. But the compromise for traditional designs has been a fixed setting for high and low speeds. Continuously variable value timing systems automatically change engine timing and lift to the best setting for engine speed. The result is a 5 percent fuel savings, says the Energy Department. Almost every new engine introduced these days adds or refines variable valve timing. PHILIP MEECH An eight-speed automatic transmission, such as this one from ZF, increases fuel economy 1.5 percent vs. a seven-speed. Chrysler LLC, GM and Honda Motor Co. Cylinder deactivation This system deactivates some of the cylinders when they are not needed by stopping the flow of fuel to those cylinders. For example, Eight- and six-cylinder engines can operate in a four-cylinder mode. The fuel savings is estimated at about 7 percent. Cylinder deactivation is expected to expand beyond such companies as Gasoline direct injection Gasoline direct injection — especially when combined with turbocharging — lets smaller engines work like bigger engines. The secret is the way gasoline and air are mixed, resulting in a potential 12 percent sav- ings in fuel when direct injection is offered with turbocharging, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. In multiport injection systems, fuel is injected into the port and mixed with air before the fuel-air mixture is pumped into the cylinders. In a direct-injection system, fuel is injected directly into the cylinder so that the timing and amount of fuel can be precisely controlled. The result is higher compression and lower fuel consumption. “We already have direct injection” engines, says CSM’s Jowett. “I think you will see more of that with and without the combination of turbo-chargers.” GM, Mazda and Volkswagen AG are among the automakers offering direct injection. Ford’s next generation of V-6 engines arriving in 2009 will incorporate direct injection. Tires Tires with less rolling resistance save fuel, but not all vehicle models will be treated the same. The gain is about 1 mpg within a vehicle segment, says GM’s Clark. “But if you start comparing different segments and performance tires” against nonperformance tires, “it can be up to 2 mpg difference.” Tires with less rolling resistance will be adapted to GM’s entry-level models within a product line, but not necessarily an entire model line, Clark says. The fuel-saving tires cost more, and carmakers have to keep an eye on the other tasks that tires perform. “We have to be able to maintain the stopping distance, handling and all the other attributes of the tire,” Clark says. The aerodynamics of the underbody shield on the upcoming Chevy Cruze will help the car exceed 40 mpg. derbody aerodynamics, reducing drag and boosting top speed. Carmakers are designing front air dams that are longer and a bit closer to the ground. The purpose is to direct air away from the engine compartment, where air can be trapped, increasing drag and decreasing fuel economy. For GM, the rear underbody will be targeted on the Chevrolet Cruze, the replacement for the Cobalt small car, and on other vehicles. The Cruze had been expected in 2010 but now could be delayed. “If you got a really good (front) air dam, adding a shield under the engine doesn’t help a lot,” Clark says. “Toward the back of the vehicle, behind the rear wheels, there is more shielding going on. The Volt will have that — almost a complete belly pan under the whole vehicle.”c Underbody shield Continuously variable valve timing Valves control the flow of air and fuel Improving the flow of air under a vehicle is not new. Automakers such as Porsche have spent years on un-

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Automotive News - November 3, 2008

Credit? Come and get it, industry groups say GM's product delays signal dire health Ford sticks with small-car plans Mitsubishi CEO: Let's halt Galant production in U.S. A dealer â and his reputation â on the ballot Help vehicles shed pounds American Axle posts loss UAW hires bailout adviser Ford to spend $200 million to upgrade 2 Ky. plants No off-lease cars? Certified will find others Arlena Sawyers China's stock market plunge has spooked car shoppers Advantage, Ford: Mulally likes owning Ford Credit Supplier execs join innovation panel at congress Quietly, Mini seeks 500 drivers to lease electric car for a year Reynolds bolsters document business Winterkorn: Audi needs to build in U.S. The great revenue drop of 2008 Bidders bet they can rebuild Heard 1 size fits all NADA: Give us tax incentives, dealer loan guarantees Campaigns' climate, energy plans hit economic wall Detroit 3 need and deserve U.S. help now Chrysler needs a buyer, but not GM Dealers pay fair share of taxes Washington hurts, not helps, electrics Compressed natural gas is the best fuel New ads aim to raise Suzuki's low profile Suzuki's new ad strategist: This brand has soul Fuel efficiency is coming â it just takes time Electrics edge closer by 2010 Tougher CAFE standards loom R&d chiefs shift gears for an electric future Japan carmakers lead charge into electrics Buffett backs BYD's sketchy plan for U.S. electric car Q&A: BYD envisions 2010 exports to U.S., Europe Girding the power grid for an electric fleet Hype powers plug-in vehicles Coachbuilders see salvation in electric cars Electric vehicles are charging into Europe Expect stop-start's big start to arrive in 2010 Flexibility will help Honda survive the storm Nardelli: Bailout not perfect â but needed Audi goes high-tech to boost service Acura offers quick service to win business Toyota's fashion fan Picture this Hondaâs N.A. operating profit falls 80.6% in quarter Aug. RV shipments fall 44% VW drops hints about car for new Tenn. plant Mexico sales fall 10.7% in September Honda to boost CR-V, end Civic output in Ohio Ford and GM jockey for steel discounts Dealers Ford Credit seeks to tap $700 billion package GM will end a used-car incentive early Nissan, Mitsubishi, Mazda recast fiscal 2009 forecasts Metaldyne to bondholders: Take 30% or Chap. 11 looms Detroit 3 ties hurt profits of dealer groups GM takeover would eviscerate Chrysler ranks, model lineup Mitsubishi plans electric hauler To match Toyota, Nissan offers 0% loans Sticker, sticker at the mall, what's the cheapest of them all? The Versa Waiting is what it's all about, Alfa Buy Chrysler? GM should sell Buick to SAIC Pickups pumped up by pump price plunge Chrysler hybrids, we hardly new ye Ghosn: Your best partner is a president in your pocket Sonic wins, but Mercedes wants last word

Automotive News - November 3, 2008

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