GM shuns "hybrid" label for latest electric-assisted model: Buick Lacrosse 25/37 mpg

[payne171]

If we're talking about saving fuel on a grand scale, this may be a bigger game-changer than the Prius. Yeah, yeah, I know, Blasphemy! But...
This appears to be a system that GM would be capable of putting into EVERY car they make with much less effort than any other carmaker's system. Just imagine if GM offered a 25% improvement on the entire model line, including Corvettes, Camaros, and all of those trucks. GM's products would save more fuel in the first year than every Prius ever made. Me likey!

[gone-ot]

...hm-m-m, a 25% increase for an Eco Cruze would mean something like 53 MPG!

[bwilson4web]

Originally Posted by payne171

If we're talking about saving fuel on a grand scale, this may be a bigger game-changer than the Prius. Yeah, yeah, I know, Blasphemy! But...
This appears to be a system that GM would be capable of putting into EVERY car they make with much less effort than any other carmaker's system. Just imagine if GM offered a 25% improvement on the entire model line, including Corvettes, Camaros, and all of those trucks. GM's products would save more fuel in the first year than every Prius ever made. Me likey!

First, it helps to understand what they did:

GM’s Cruze Eco: Fuel Economy Without the Batteries | BNET

. . . At the heart of the Eco model is a modest 1.4-liter Ecotec four-cylinder engine with turbocharging and variable valve timing. The six-speed manual transmission that comes with it offers a useful overdrive gear that helps it achieve the 40 mpg (city mileage isn’t disclosed yet).

Some other features that get the Cruze Eco to 40 mpg:

• A shutter in the lower front grille that automatically closes at higher speeds for improved aerodynamics, coupled with a lower front air dam extension (watch out for curbs with that one) and a rear spoiler.
• Lower ride height, which further reduces drag and improves air flow.
• Lightweight 17-inch aluminum wheels with the same ultra-low rolling resistance Goodyear tires used on the Volt.

Russell said that the Cruze team went over “every weld flange” on the car and reduced them by one to two millimeters. It also trimmed gauge thickness on some panels. The net result of both operations was a 24-pound weight reduction.

What they deliver is 40-41 MPG "on the highway" for a compact car. As long as we ban them from urban travel and jammed up freeways and only for small payloads, it is a great solution. Considering the small size and highway-only performance that is 20% worse than the Prius, it really is only competition for the Jetta TDI, not the Prius.

GM spent a decade spreading FUD about the Prius with 'tall tales' such as unprofitable, battery frauds, the CNW Marketing "Dust-to-Dust" nonsense to bogus claims by Bob Lutz. That they finally built a car to compete with the Jetta TDI is good but it in no way competes with Prius performance.

Bob Wilson

[payne171]

You completely missed my point. First, I can't imagine GM really cared whether the Prius was profitable; they had to compete with Toyota at that price point whether Toyota was making money on them or not. Second, I doubt the first generation Prius was profitable; fortunately, Toyota goals were more long term than what GM would have planned.

More importantly, I was not comparing any particular GM product one on one with the Prius. But if GM has developed a simplified hybrid, ahem, E-assist system that can go on every car they make, that is big. It may not be the extreme vehicle the prius is, but jumping a 20 mpg car to 25 will save twice as much fuel as improving a 40 mpg car to 50. Even better, GM could be installing E-assist on a couple million cars a year in a very short period of time. Hybrid Synergy Drive will never be that.

[MadisonMPG]

Am I reading the gear ratios right?

1550 rpms @ 60mph?

[bwilson4web]

Originally Posted by payne171

You completely missed my point. . . .

Ok, works for me. You win! Science and engineering don't matter.

Bob Wilson

[skyl4rk]

It has automatic motor shutoff at stops, which is good for air quality. It has regenerative braking. 15hp of electric assist on acceleration.

I wonder if you can accelerate with a light foot on electric only without the gas motor kicking in.

What speed could a 15hp electric motor bring that vehicle to without any gas assist? From a hypermiling perspective, I need a motor that will e-assist in acceleration up to about 45mph, then shut down and let me coast down to 30mph. The battery can charge on uphill runs and when I need to keep my speed up due to traffic.

If the price point is $30k in 2012, and gas prices are at $4 per gallon, I bet the grey hairs (me included) will go for it big time. I know I would rather drive a bigger car with a smoother suspension if there were no mpg penalty.

[cfg83]

payne171 -

Originally Posted by payne171

If we're talking about saving fuel on a grand scale, this may be a bigger game-changer than the Prius. Yeah, yeah, I know, Blasphemy! But...
This appears to be a system that GM would be capable of putting into EVERY car they make with much less effort than any other carmaker's system. Just imagine if GM offered a 25% improvement on the entire model line, including Corvettes, Camaros, and all of those trucks. GM's products would save more fuel in the first year than every Prius ever made. Me likey!

I would call it a "mild hybrid+" drivetrain. The Saturn mild-hybrids had the stop-start technology and the mini battery pack for eAssist. The Cruze-Eco has the aero-goodies. But the technology was/is not across the product line, it was/is a pri$ey option.

The Lacrosse (and Regal!) combines both MPG strategies and is not an option. I am very interested in what the LaCrosse sales will be because we should be able to gauge customer acceptance. It's also well-timed for the increase in gas prices.

Buick is now funneling Opels. That was going to be Saturn's job before they were closed down. I wonder if Opels will also have this technology standard?

At 26/37 MPG, that was my personal minimum (old EPA) MPG standard for compact cars. Sedans have come a long way.

CarloSW2

[payne171]

Who ever said science and engineering don't matter? I never criticized the Prius's science or engineering; I really never made any claim about the Prius. Or the Cruze. The point I made was about saving fuel, not in one car, but across the industry. You want science? How about mathematics? Let's assume the nation's cars average 15000 miles per year. A car making 24 miles per gallon will burn 625 gallons of fuel. Now your Prius gets 50 mpg. The most comparable car is a Yaris (from an economy standpoint ONLY). I'll use EPA numbers rather than real world numbers because they favor the Prius more. In that case, 32 mpg up to 50 is a 56 % improvement. More than half again as good, and it saves 170 gallons of fuel per car per year (300 versus ~470). ~17 million gallons total (about 100k Priuses sold last year). Very impressive.

Now, if you improve the fuel economy of our 24 mpg GM Generic by 25%, it only saves 125 gallons of fuel per car. BUT...GM sold well over 2 million cars last year. That would save 250 MILLION gallons of fuel per year. If the Toyota Prius ran on perpetual motion, 100,000 of them would only save 47 million gallons. Is anything GM has ever made a better piece of engineering than the current Prius? Probably not, but the economy of scale says that E-assist could have a lot bigger impact on worldwide fuel usage than Hybrid Synergy Drive (even including all of the other HSD cars sold) simply because it could be built on a much grander scale. I'm glad you're an engineer and a proud Prius owner, but I was arguing economics while you had engineering blinders on.

[cfg83]

Hello -

More details on the motor/alternator :

2012 REGAL TO OFFER NEW eASSIST FUEL-SAVING TECHNOLOGY
http://www.buick.com/content/dam/Bui...al_eAssist.pdf

The eAssist power pack contains the lithium-ion battery pack, the integrated power inverter and 12V power supply. It is located in a compartment between the rear seat and trunk; and it is surprisingly compact and lightweight, weighing only about 65 pounds (29 kg). Trunk space is slightly reduced when compared with 2011 models with the four-cylinder/six-speed powertrain, but still offers 11.1 cubic feet (314 liters) of storage. A quiet electric fan cools the power pack, drawing air from a vent located in the package tray, behind the rear seat.

The eAssist systems electric induction motor-generator is mounted to the engine in place of the alternator to provide both motor assist and electric-generating functions through a unique engine belt-drive system. The induction motor-generator is a high-performance, compact induction motor that is liquid-cooled for increased performance and efficiency.

Next-generation six-speed

The eAssist system works with Regals direct injected 2.4L Ecotec four-cylinder and next-generation six-speed automatic powertrain combination. In the Regal with eAssist, the engine is rated at 182 horsepower (136 kW) and the next-generation Hydra-Matic 6T40 takes transmission technology to the next level with features designed to enhance powertrain efficiency.

Significant internal transmission changes to clutch controls and hardware provide reduced spin losses while improving shift response and time. The added electric power provided by the eAssist system allows for higher gearing to improve steady state efficiency without impacting acceleration performance or driveability. The systems ability to provide some electric assistance at cruising speeds allows the driver to accelerate lightly or ascend mild grades without the transmission downshifting.

An auxiliary, electric-driven transmission oil pump is added to the 6T40, which keeps the transmission primed and the fluid flowing when the engine shuts down at a stop. That keeps the transmission ready to perform when the driver accelerates, for a seamless, uncompromised driving experience.

Soooooo, if you're a featherfoot, you can keep the car from downshifting.

CarloSW2