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Detroit automakers criticized, defended in Congress. (http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070712/BUSINESS01/70712042/1014)

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/MI_Rep_John_Dingell.jpgJustin Hyde - Detroit Free Press - July 12, 2007

WASHINGTON - A debate over the survival of Detroit’s automakers broke out Thursday during a Congressional hearing on the future of plug-in hybrid vehicles, as advocates pressed for more action and Detroit’s defender warned the industry was on the brink of collapse.

The hearing was a mix of sympathy, castigation and the occasional factual error that’s typical of any debate about the auto industry on Capitol Hill. While General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and DaimlerChrysler are building prototype plug-in hybrid vehicles, none was invited to the hearing of the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming.

That’s the panel overseen by Rep. Ed Markey, the Massachusetts Democrat who’s proposed a fuel economy standard of 35 miles per gallon by 2018 for new vehicles, and pledged to tie it onto a energy bill that the House will consider later this month.

Markey said it was a lack of will, rather than technology, that was keeping plug-in hybrids from American roads.

“Innovations such as the plug-in hybrid should not have been sitting on the shelf for so long,” said Markey. “After all, this isn’t rocket science, it is auto mechanics.”http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070712/BUSINESS01/70712042/1014

Markey said it was a lack of will, rather than technology, that was keeping plug-in hybrids from American roads.

“Innovations such as the plug-in hybrid should not have been sitting on the shelf for so long,” said Markey. “After all, this isn’t rocket science, it is auto mechanics.”


Sounds like someone is thinking that the Govt should be throwing some of NASA's allocated funding into the auto industry ...

No sympathy for the devil!

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c7/GMEV1serieshybrid.jpg/800px-GMEV1serieshybrid.jpg

EV1 series hybrid

The series hybrid prototype had a gas turbine engine APU placed in the trunk. A single-stage, single-shaft, recuperated gas turbine unit with a high-speed permanent-magnet AC generator was provided by Williams International; it weighed 220 lb (99.8 kg), measured 20 inches (50.8 cm) in diameter by 22 inches (55.9 cm) long and was running between 100,000 and 140,000 rpm. The turbine could run on multiple fuels, from reformulated gasoline to compressed natural gas. The APU started automatically when the battery charge dropped below 40% and delivered 40 kW of electrical power, enough to achieve speeds up to 80 mph (128.8 km/h) and to return the car's 44 NiMH cells to a 50% charge level.

A fuel tank capacity of 6.5 gallons (24.6 l) and fuel economy of 60 to 100 mpg (3.9 to 2.4 L/100 km) in hybrid mode, depending on the driving conditions, allowed for a highway range of more than 390 miles (627.6 km). The car accelerated to 0-60 mph (96.6 km/h) in 9 seconds.

There was also a research program that powered the series hybrid Gen2 version from Stirling engine based generator. The program demonstrated the technical feasibility of such drivetrain, but concluded that commercial viability was out of reach at that time.

EV1 parallel hybrid

The parallel hybrid variant featured 1.3 L turbocharged DTI diesel engine from Isuzu delivering 75 hp, installed in the trunk along with an additional 6.5 hp DC motor/generator; the two motors drove the rear wheels through an electronically controlled transaxle. When combined with the AC induction motor which powered the front wheels, all three power units delivered a total output of 219 hp, accelerating the car to 0-60 mph (96.6 km/h) in 7 seconds. A single tank of diesel fuel could keep the car running for 550 miles with a fuel economy of 80 mpg.

A similar technology is used in the 2005 Opel Astra Diesel Hybrid concept.

EV1 fuel cell

This variant extended all-electric propulsion capabilities with a methanol-powered fuel cell system (developed by Daimler-Benz/Ballard for the Mercedes-Benz NECAR), again installed in the trunk. The system consisted of a fuel processor, an expander/compressor and the fuel cell stack. The highway range was about 300 miles, with a fuel economy of 80 mpg (in a gasoline equivalent). The car accelerated to 0-60 mph (96.6 km/h) in 9 seconds.

Sounds like someone is thinking that the Govt should be throwing some of NASA's allocated funding into the auto industry ...

Might as well. NASA hasn't done anything useful with their funding in 2 decades.

Might as well. NASA hasn't done anything useful with their funding in 2 decades.
Hmmm ...seems as though others have noticed the billions and billions they've gotten with no results worthy to life on Earth...Don't get me wrong it is a noble cause- space exploration is - it's just so many problems could be solved here with that funding. Auto manufacturing has had the tech and the funding to solve their/our own problems with transportation and missed the mark by a moon shot . (see ?there is a tie-in to the original post ;) )

Time for Burt Rutan and Richard Branson to get involved in the car industry.... how about the H Prize for the first street legal car to go unrefueled from coast to coast?

Might as well. NASA hasn't done anything useful with their funding in 2 decades.

But what about Tang? :(

Time for Burt Rutan and Richard Branson to get involved in the car industry.... how about the H Prize for the first street legal car to go unrefueled from coast to coast?

Actually Branson has been talking about building his own hybrid car and making his own fuel--http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2006/02/06/8367961/

But what about Tang? :(

That high point was three or four decades ago.

But what about Tang? :(NASA did not invent Tang as is commonly reported. It was invented many years before it went into space.

Modern Marvels did a show recently themed "It Came From Space." Leading into the commercials, they debunked common mis-truths.

FWIW: NASA didn't invent velcro either. Sorry.

I think NASA's unmanned Mars missions were way cool. Both rovers are still alive and well, living much longer than expected. And you could say NASA did some hypermiling of sorts, because they had to pay attention to every milliamp of power they used.

That being said, I agree that they have a very large budget that could do a lot of good elsewhere. I think the possibility of life on Mars is fascinating, but so is the possibility of life on Earth.