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The VOLT lit the match -- GM is now coming to terms with a carbon constrained future. (http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?p=67428)

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/Saturn-Opel_Flextreme_PHEV_Concept.jpgWayne Gerdes - CleanMPG (www.cleanmpg.com) - Jan. 25, 2008

Saturn/Opel Flextreme Concept - Extremely efficient PHEV series hybrid w/ 34 miles of AER (diesel fuel free) and 70 + mpg from the small Turbo-diesel HEV for longer trips.

WARREN, Mich. – With GM’s new understanding of how our national interests and their product lineup are both being held hostage by a commodity with an ever decreasing future supply, GM is advancing their engineering prowess with the goal of bringing electrified vehicles to the mainstream. With the new paradigm shift, GM has formed a new organization especially dedicated to implementing hybrid and extended-range electric vehicles (E-REV) and the advanced battery technology needed to drive them into their future product lineup.

The team and its lead, Robert Kruse, will be based out of GM’s Warren and Milford, MI proving grounds. In Europe, the team’s home will be in Mainz-Kastel, Germany and in the Asia-Pacific, Shanghai, China.

"The future of automotive transportation will be based on electrification of our vehicles," said Jim Queen, GM group vice president of Global Engineering. "By having a vehicle engineering team in place and focused on delivering the technical aspects of hybrids and E-REVs, we can accelerate these programs and get them into production quickly and efficiently."

GM's newest vehicle engineering group is already hard at work on a variety of propulsion systems including the current mild and full HEV’s and upcoming PHEV’s based off the E-Flex architecture. The E-Flex platform scheduled for the upcoming Volt (PHEV-40) and Flextreme (PHEV-34) will use a 1.0L SI-ICE (turbo-gasoline) and a 1.3L CI-ICE (turbo-diesel) as range extenders respectively. The Chevrolet Volt is currently scheduled for a late 2010 release.

Besides the advanced PHEV’s of the future, the teams will help design and engineer future HEV’s and E-REVs based off the current Chevrolet Tahoe and Silverado 2-Mode; Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid; Saturn Vue 2-Mode PHEV; Saturn Vue and Aura Hybrid; GMC Yukon and Sierra 2-Mode; and the Cadillac Escalade 2-Mode’s.

Other, yet to be announced global hybrid and electric propulsion vehicles are expected to be developed under this organization.

Bring it on! As soon as these GM vehicles get to the dealers there should be a market... Hopefully some will avoid the high-performance focus in favor of efficiency.

As always, I remain cautiously optimistic about GM's future offerings. I certainly hope that they do bring all of these to market!

Bring it on! As soon as these GM vehicles get to the dealers there should be a market... Hopefully some will avoid the high-performance focus in favor of efficiency.

Based on Lutz's comments and plans that have been revealed, there doesn't seem to be the focus on all out FE that will make GM competitive with Toyota in the green world. I hope that changes.

Hi Antrey:

___Unfortunately or not, you are currently correct in thinking that way ... When the Saturn VUE 2-Mode was revealed in Detroit, it made that same statement. Using a 3.6L DI ICE with a 0 – 60 time of 7.3 seconds but only allowing the FE of the current Saturn VUE Greenline mild hybrid shows they are definitely out to launch where FE is concerned. The VUE PHEV-10 for 2010 will make some waves but is 10 miles AER enough and it is scheduled to use the same 3.6L ICE with its pathetic < 30 mpg ratings. When it does run, what is the point :(

___Good Luck

___Wayne

As always, I remain cautiously optimistic about GM's future offerings. I certainly hope that they do bring all of these to market!

I am more cautious than optimistic. Ultimately, GM has to demonstrate its committment in the showroom and not the auto show.

Unfortunately, GM has a long and bitter track record of spending billions on really neat cars that they then choose to never build. My other concern about GM is that they will iron out all the kinks in E-Flex and then sell the patents to Chevron (like they did with the EV1). The Opel looks more like a real car than the Volt does, but until it's available for sale, who cares? And if GM does start selling them, how can we be sure we won't be asked to surrender them later on like the EV1 owners were forced to do?

Yes, I'm more cautious than otimistic.