GM Hybrids, Hybrid Rentals, ZEVs and more

If you haven’t had a chance yet, check out the latest issue of our HybridCenter.org Driving Change Network newsletter.  A bunch of fun things in there, including a very interesting case of two gents, namely myself and our Senior Engineer Jim Kliesch trying to rent a hybrid car around the same time.  There’s also an interesting examination of the possible revisions to the Zero Emission Vehicle mandate in California—something that could blunt the leading edge of auto technologies if not properly addressed.

Of course, what would a DCN newsletter be without GM vice president Bob Lutz.  On March 20, General Motors (GM) vice chairman Bob Lutz admitted at the New York Auto Show that not making a vehicle like the Prius was “a mistake.” Indeed it was, for as a long-time GM car owner, I anxiously awaited a GM hybrid to buy when my family needed a second car. With none available, I bought a Prius instead—my first foreign car.

Yet GM continues to make that same mistake with the Chevy Tahoe and GMC Yukon Hybrids, using the very hybrid technology that attracts the fuel-conscious consumer primarily to boost power rather than efficiency.
 
General Motors has recently initiated an online program called GMnext that, according to their website, is “a dialogue-based campaign…to showcase GM's commitment to transportation solutions employing technologies that are relevant to consumer needs.”  We asked our activists both to comment on GM’s blog about  their plug-in Volt, and send letters directly to GM to “engage in the dialogue.”

You can head to the site and see a number of great comments posted—several of them by DCN members.  A few of the comments submitted, however, didn’t get posted for whatever reason, and I wanted to make sure that everyone had a chance to read them.

Here’s what Richard in Colarado had to say:

General Motors, along with the other major American automobile makers, are already late bringing plug-in hybrids to market.

It is time to pull your heads out of the sand, break out of the old status-quo, and really start to address the issue seriously.

The capacity is there, but where is the will power in upper management?

If upper management is too stodgy to accept change, then get rid of them.  We need fresh new thought and sweat equity, to bring about the solutions we need now!

Get to work, there is no time to waste!

And this one from Kristen in New York:

It is time to increase the miles a vehicle can get using fossil fuel and/or change the direction of fueling vehicles with fossil fuel.

Make the wave instead of waiting to ride it.

Here’s one from north of the border, Dianne in Quebec:

Comfortable cars with as little gas consumption as possible are required by the population.  With so many baby boomers about to retire, and with a FEW dollars to spend, we need comfortable cars - not uncomfortable vehicles that we have to climb up into and are afraid to drive too far due to their high gas consumption, high insurance costs, etc.  i.e.  give us back the Buick LeSabre only make it a hybrid, or electric car, but give us comfort and economy!

Last, but not least, here’s an interesting one from Carolyn in Kansas:

As a long time GM employee, I'd like to again be able to buy a GM car - however US car-makers seem determined that I buy foreign (started in '75). 

Our latest purchases are Priuses (2).  We're delighted with the vehicle and are now only waiting for a van-type roomy vehicle.  The concept of making SUV type hybrids is ridiculous. 

All these blog comments, plus the 13,000 letters sent directly to GM on this issue should send a clear message to Lutz, Wagoner, and company that there’s a market to be won for fuel-efficient vehicles, but they’ll need more than concept models and muscle hybrids to win that market over.

Posted by: ScottN

P.S.  For any of you who sent your comments to GM through our action center and got a bounce-back on your email, I got in touch with the GMNext webmaster, who told me that they had some issues with messages getting caught in their spam filters.  Rest assured, we will make sure your messages are indeed delivered to GM.

Comments

[Frank]

It is obvious that most US Automakers didn't see the signs that hybrids and other fuel efficient technology would be in high-demand as oil prices continued to rise. With Toyota and Honda well developed and trusted with their hybrid tech, it may be more difficult to break into the niche than some people expect.

[Ken Grubb]

Hybrid car development will always strike me ironic. Back in the 1990s under PNGV (Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles), Ford, GM and Chrysler produced concepts for 72-80 MPG hybrid "supercars". As a result, Toyota and Honda decided they needed to remain competitive and aggressively pursued hybrids on their own. Today, Japanese hybrids beat the pants off the ridiculous hollow hybrid models that Detroit produces. The American taxpayer paid about over $1.25 billion for PNGV. Ford, GM and Chrysler have delivered little substance to the consumer in the 8 years since the Prius and Insight first appeared in America.

[Adrian]

Hey! Thanks for the great info about GM and hybrids. I can't wait for the plug in to become commercially available.

I was browsing through a bunch of green websites and blogs and I came across yours and found it very interesting. There are a bunch of others I like too, like the daily green, ecorazzi and earthlab.com. I especially like EarthLab.com’s carbon calculator (http://www.earthlab.com/signupprofile/). I find it really easy to use (it doesn’t make me feel guilty after I take it).

Are there any others you would recommend? Can you drop me a link to your favorites (let me know if they are the same as mine).

[iHero]

Here is a great DIY project for all of us who own SUVs:

It is called the Hybrid Adapter and will transform your SUV into a hybrid when you need it:

http://www.hybrad.com

[Joseph D. Jackson]

Isn't it obvious that the time has come for an "either/or" Diesel-electric hybrid pick-up truck? People buy pick-ups for their versatility. They can be used to haul trailers, tools, dirt, groceries, gravel, sand, bricks; you-name-it, They are ALSO the primary form of PERSONAL transport, of driver and passengers, for those who own them. So they are used both LOADED and 'empty' of any cargo except a few PEOPLE.
If one were built with a plug-in battery bank and an electric motor connected to a TRANSFER case, it could be used for 'light duty' such as grocery runs and trips to the bank, using ONLY a very efficient electric motor. But when it came time to haul the horse trailer, a load of bricks, or take a LONG trip that ran the battery bank DOWN, you just put the transmission in neutral and switch the TRANSFER case over to direct-drive-diesel! The truck then runs on a relatively small 5 cylinder, long-rod, high-compression diesel engine, and has all the torque and power needed to haul the heavy weights AND/OR use the alternator to recharge that battery bank, ALL at the same TIME! And if you're NOT hauling anything but people, you can switch BACK to "electric only" mode, just as soon as an indicator light on the dash tells you that the storage batteries are back up to "charged" status. The system is relatively uncomplicated and so easy to build and understand, but you still have 'the best of both worlds!'

[Ira Beckerman]

RE: Hybrid Rentals

I'd like to share a small success story, with the hope that more will push this envelope. My wife and I were in Arizona visiting my mother, and planned a 3-day side trip to visit another part of the State we hadn't seen yet. We needed to rent a car, and rather than getting the usual smallest vehicle available, we chased down a Prius at Enterprise, the big national chain. Let me preface by saying it wasn't easy to find. None of the other major rental companies knew what I was talking about: Avis, National, Budget, Alamo. Hertz had 3 Prius's, but only at the airport (where there is a 25% tax). Enterprise, as a corporation, was only partly clueless, having placed their hybrids into an "Exotic Car" category. With the help of two very good local staff, I was able to reserve a Prius for the trip. Even at a premium of $18/day (over the cost of the cheapest rental), we saved a few dollars for the trip by using less gas. Kudos to Enterprise and especially to these young staffers, who "get it".