Chrysler President: Everything will be hybrid
03-02-08, 08:45 PM
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Chrysler President: Everything will be hybrid
When Chrysler rolled out its trio of hybrid concepts (ZEO, EcoVoyager, Renegade) at last month’s Detroit Auto Show, no one envisaged it would be a sign the carmaker was serious about offering a full hybrid lineup one day. Latest comments from Chrysler’s new President Jim Press reaffirm the carmaker’s desire to make every model available with a hybrid option, which also sounds remarkably similar to claims from Press’ former employer Toyota.
Speaking at a recent seminar, Jim Press said that eventually every vehicle Chrysler makes would be hybrid-powered. He wasn’t willing to give a timeline but revealed the new CAFE laws, forcing carmakers to lift fleetwide fuel economy levels to 35mpg by 2020, would be easier to meet with more fuel-saving hybrid models, reports Popular Mechanics.
Last year, Toyota’s vice president in charge of powertrain development, Masatami Takimoto, made the bold claim that by 2020 hybrids will be the standard drivetrain and account for “100 percent” of Toyota’s cars as they would be no more expensive to produce than a conventional vehicle.
Speaking at a recent seminar, Jim Press said that eventually every vehicle Chrysler makes would be hybrid-powered. He wasn’t willing to give a timeline but revealed the new CAFE laws, forcing carmakers to lift fleetwide fuel economy levels to 35mpg by 2020, would be easier to meet with more fuel-saving hybrid models, reports Popular Mechanics.
Last year, Toyota’s vice president in charge of powertrain development, Masatami Takimoto, made the bold claim that by 2020 hybrids will be the standard drivetrain and account for “100 percent” of Toyota’s cars as they would be no more expensive to produce than a conventional vehicle.
burn!
01-19-11, 04:42 PM
#4
Update
Chrysler Group is working on a new hybrid minivan that doesn't use batteries or electric motors to drive it, the automaker announced with the Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday.
By the end of next year a Town and Country van built around a hybrid system that relies on pumped-up hydraulic fluid, rather than expensive batteries, will be up and running, Chrysler said.
The so-called hydraulic hybrid system was developed at the EPA's Ann Arbor laboratory and the agency has been testing the system for years in commercial trucks.
Chrysler wants to use it for light-duty trucks, minivans, and large passenger cars.
Instead of storing electricity in a battery pack, the hydraulic hybrid system stores energy normally lost during braking to drive pumps that squeeze hydraulic fluid into a large on-board tank that also contains a nitrogen-filled bladder. The nitrogen bladder acts like a spring, pushing back against the fluid.
When a driver is approaching a stop sign, some of the braking energy pumps fluid into the tank. As with most hybrid vehicles, the gasoline engine shuts off completely when the vehicle stops. When it's time to go again, the pressure in the tank is released to push hydraulic motors that turn the wheels. When it's needed, the gas engine takes over again.
The system increases fuel efficiency by about 30% to 35% in overall driving and up to 60% in city driving, according to the EPA.
Among the benefits of the system, according to the EPA, is its low cost and simplicity. Once produced in high volumes, the system will pay for itself through fuel savings in less than three years, the EPA predicts. Battery-electric hybrid cars typically take much longer.
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