Buick Crossover Hybrid Dead on Arrival

Or maybe that should be dead on the table? Either way, the crossover from Buick was killed off almost as soon as it was announced.

Based on feedback they were getting, within one day GM executives killed off the crossover, along with the plug-in hybrid that was to go along with it.

This does not mean the plug-in hybrid is dead, but it will have to find a new home. After starting out as a Saturn Vue plug-in hybrid, the technology was said to be moved to the new crossover. Badging for the the test vehicle was changed, but now GM will have to find a new home for their plug-in.

Reports from the Front | GM FastLane

Last Friday, reaction to the Buick crossover was discussed at the meeting of our Executive Committee, the newly formed group that steers product decisions, and it was decided that if it didn’t belong, it didn’t belong. Buick crossover canceled. Fritz Henderson, Bob Lutz and I and the rest of the committee decided to take swift action to prevent a potential underperformer from reaching the marketplace. And we decided that the important plug-in hybrid technology would be applied to another vehicle, at no delay, that we’ll discuss in the very near future.

Again, the plug-in vehicle will live on, even if the crossover from Buick will not.

The depressing part of all of this for me is the plug-in Vue was supposed to be coming out sometime soon. Now, who knows? If they can't even find someplace to put the engine...

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Toyota Will Buy Batteries From Sanyo

Starting in 2011, Toyota will buy batteries for its line-up of hybrids from Sanyo Electric (Reuters).

But what kind of batteries?

If we're talking about lithium-ion battery packs, then we get a good idea about when Toyota is going to start using Li-Ion, and how many they are going to use per year. Toyota is planning on buying 10,000 batteries a year from Sanyo.

Could this be the upper limit on plug-in Prius for 2012?

Or this could just be a way of obtaining more battery packs for their current Prius. Production has been limited by the number of battery packs Panasonic can build right now. Perhaps Toyota is just working on alleviating that issue.

I find the first possibility more plausible than the second.

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Halfway Through the Cash for Clunkers Program

The Cash for Clunkers program has reportedly seen 358,851 submissions for the program from dealerships. Those submissions indicate the government owes about $1.5 billion in rebates, making this the halfway point for the program. That is, unless the government once again decides to push more money out.

The government has only released some summary numbers on the program so far. The AP and others have applied for the raw data, but so far they have not received anything.

The latest figures from the government indicate that Toyota has surpassed GM for the most popular car maker to buy from using the CARS program.   Cars make up the majority of vehicle bought, while trucks are the majority of vehicles being recycled.  That leaves a lot of room for improvement in fuel economy (from 15.8 mpg to 25 mpg).  It's interesting to note the differences between what the government is releasing and the figures obtained from surveys by Edmunds and others.


Top 5 manufacturers for new vehicles

1. Toyota 18.9 percent
2. GM 17.6 percent
3. Ford 15.4 percent
4. Honda Motor Co. 12.9 percent
5. Chrysler 9.1 percent

Top 10 new vehicles bought

1. Toyota Corolla
2. Honda Civic
3. Ford Focus fwd
4. Toyota Camry
5. Toyota Prius
6. Hyundai Elantra
7. Ford Escape fwd
8. Honda Fit
9. Nissan Versa
10. Honda CR-V 4WD

Top 10 Vehicles to be Recycled

1. Ford Explorer 4wd
2. Ford F-150 2wd
3. Jeep Grand Cherokee 4wd
4. Jeep Cherokee 4wd
5. Ford Explorer 2wd
6. Dodge Caravan / Grand Caravan 2wd
7. Chevrolet Blazer 4wd
8. Ford F-150 4wd
9. Chevrolet C1500 2wd
10. Ford Windstar fwd

Top 5 states by voucher amounts requested

1. California $152.4 million
2. Texas $91.1 million
3. Michigan $80.6 million
4. New York $77 million
5. Ohio $76.3 million

Types of Vehicles Purchased:

• Passenger cars 208,378
• Category 1 trucks 124,187
• Category 2 trucks 22,157
• Category 3 trucks 883

Vehicles to be Recycled by Type

• Passenger cars 60,365
• Category 1 trucks 233,704
• Category 2 trucks 58,154
• Category 3 trucks 3,506

Fuel Efficiency

• Average fuel economy of purchases 25 mpg
• Average fuel economy of trade-ins 15.8 mpg

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Ford Develops Smart Charging for Plug-In Hybrids

Plug-in hybrids are coming, and if the car companies and government have anything to do with, are coming very soon.  But, in order to be successful, plugging in your car is going to take a bit of co-operation between government, automakers, and utility companies.  Ford is working in partnership with  Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), an independent nonprofit organization to continue to develop and test plug-ins and how they're going to affect the grid in the coming years.

Part of the technology that Ford has been working on is the vehicle-to-grid communications and control systems.   The control system allows the operator to program the vehicle charging station to recharge the vehicle during off-peak hours, when rates are cheaper.  It also allows the car owner to tell the car how long to charge for.  Ford announced they now have such a system.


When the vehicle plugs in, the plug-in hybrid will communicate directly with the smart grid via smart meters through wireless networking.  The owner can then use the touch screen to make the most informed choices on when and how long to charge the vehicle.

Ford is working with utility companies across North America to develop the smart grid and smart meters to work with their plug-in hybrids.

Ford is partnering with utility companies across North America including:

• Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)
• U.S. Department of Energy
• Southern California Edison
• New York Power Authority
• Consolidated Edison of New York
• American Electric Power of Columbus, Ohio
• Alabama Power of Birmingham, Ala.; and its parent, Atlanta-based Southern Company
• Progress Energy of Raleigh, N.C.
• DTE Energy of Detroit
• National Grid of Waltham, Mass.
• Pepco Holdings
• New York State Energy and Research Development Authority, a state agency
• Hydro-Quebec, the largest electricity generator in Canada

Ford is also helping to work on re-charging when you're away from home.  They hope that recharging can be as easy as plugging in and swiping a credit card at your local mall or parking lot.

Ford has two grants from the Department of Energy to help it on its way.  The first grant is for $30 million and is used to help fund Ford's collaboration with utility partners across the nation with an expansion of a vehicle demonstration and grid integration program.

Ford is also set to receive a $62.7 million DOE grant for production of an electric-drive transaxle that could be used for hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles at Ford's Van Dyke transmission manufacturing facility in Sterling Heights, Mich. This grant will be matched by Ford.

DOE grant funds also will support production of electric-drive system components at Ford supplier Magna, for the Ford Focus battery electric vehicle, as well as Johnson Controls-Saft, which will supply high-voltage batteries for Ford's plug-in hybrid vehicle in 2012.

Ford plans to invest nearly $14 billion in advanced technology vehicles in the next seven years, retooling its U.S. plants more quickly to produce fuel-efficient vehicles and help meet the new, rigorous fuel economy requirements.

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Cash For Clunkers Tripling Workforce

Dealing with a backlog of submissions, the Cash for Clunkers (CARS) program is now tripling the work force to process claims from dealerships. The number of public and private sector workers will go from 350 to 1,100 by the end of the week.

That's a lot of jobs to fill in just one week. I wonder what these people are going to do in a month or two when the program runs out of money?

The CARS program has now seen submissions for $1.6 billion for more than 390,000 vehicle sales. Details on the submissions have yet to be released, although edmunds.com and others are trying to keep track.

One little tidbit from edmunds, the Ford F-150 is number 2 on the list of vehicles being traded in to be recycled. But it's also number 8 on the list of vehicles being purchased. You don't see this sort of thing on the government releases.

GM and Honda are ramping up production slightly. GM is planning on building some more Chevy Malibu and Cobalts, while Honda is looking to make more Civics and CR-Vs. But don't expect them to be anything but cautious in producing more vehicles. Until the economy turns around, car makers are reluctant to build up inventory again.

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Suzuki Hybrid in 2011

A Nikkei report (via Reuters) reported Suzuki will begin selling hybrids in 2011.  Suzuki, partnered with GM, will market a 'next generation hybrid system' in a sedan.

The hybrid system will be installed in the Kizashi.  The Kizashi is supposed to begin selling in North America in late 2009.

The midsize Kizashi has a 2.4 liter, dual overhead cam four-cylinder engine mated to a six-speed manual transmission or CVT. All-wheel drive will be optional, but it only comes with the CVT.

The 'next generation hybrid system' will most likely be the next generation in BAS hybrid system, which will mean it will be a mild hybrid.  I would expect start-stop technology and regenerative breaking.

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Boston Blocked From Turning Taxis Into Hybrids

Once again, an effort to turn taxi fleets into hybrid fleets has been officially blocked by a judge.  The judge had granted a temporary injunction of the switchover, but has now officially ruled in favor of the cab owners.

The US District Court ruled in favor of the taxi owners. The Judge William G. Young ruled that Mayor Menino was infringing on the Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975, which established fuel economy standards for vehicles and forbids local officials from setting up their own standards.

Young noted that his 10-year-old grandson had heard arguments recently in the case and wondered, ``Why can't Boston do what it wants with its taxis? It's for the environment.''

``The answer, Cam, is that the Congress of the United States, pursuing national goals it considers important, has forbidden Boston from taking this initiative on behalf of its citizens.''

Which is quite ridiculous on the face of things, but that seems to be the way the judges are going to decide this issue. The same argument was used in New York, and it made sense to the judge there, too.

Do these judges really feel this is what Congress intended? I doubt it. But that doesn't matter based on the rulings they've made.

Source: Judge rejects hybrid car mandate for Boston cabbies - Local News Updates - The Boston Globe

What it's really all about is money. Hybrids cost more to buy and outfit than Crown Vics. I've seen estimates of $4-$10,000 to buy and outfit a Crown Victoria Cab, while it can cost 2-4X as much to outfit a hybrid cab. 

So, cab owners do not want to switch over to hybrid cabs. Drivers, on the other hand, love hybrids because it saves them money when they drive around.

Boston wanted to switch over to hybrid taxis over a seven year period.  Boston may appeal to a higher court, or they may be forced to abandon the plan. The lawyer for the taxi owners says he "hopes that the Menino administration will instead sit down with cab drivers and discuss a less onerous way to improve fuel economy for taxis."

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