Chevrolet Tahoe And GMC Yukon Hybrid The Only Hybrid SUVs At Texas State Fair

[Mr. Wyndham]

No, your not. It's much more than possible...did you know that the two-mode hybrid system in the Tahoe, actually adds power? Not much, but it still helps.

Also, pair up a Gen V to a Hybrid propulsion system, you're looking at an easy 40mpg @ 450+ hp.

[fbodfather]

I think the larger issue here is the fact that there's not one 'single' solution to our energy problems.

First -- a subcompact car can't serve everyones' transportation needs -- there is a need for a vehicle that can carry 7 or 8 people -- and there IS a need for a vehicle that can pull a lot of weight. Thus -- the 'reason for being" for the Tahoe (and Yukon) 2-mode Hybrid.......

Chevy sees it this way --

Fuel Economy -- Active Fuel Management (Displacement on Demand) (one of many technologies) to improve fuel economy --

E85 Ethanol -- so that you can grow fuel rather than import it. (and it doesn't have to be corn - it's surprising what can be recycled to create ethanol....)

Hybrids -- when you read and understand what the Tahoe (and Yukon) 2-mode hybrid system brings to the automotive market - it's quite amazing.......

Fuel Cells -- Chevy is putting over 100 Equinox Fuel Cell vehicles on the road as we speak -- in areas like Los Angeles/New York/Washington DC --

Electric Vehicles -- such as the Volt Concept -- we've announced that we want a production Volt on the road in 2010 -- if you drive less than 40 miles a day -- you'll never burn a drop of gas - but if you DO travel more than 40 miles -- a 1 liter engine (3 cyl) is built in to charge the battery -- getting you unheard of fuel economy.......

....and there's more coming.

The point is this: looking at a single technology will not serve our country's needs -- nor will it fulfill everyones' wants and needs.........

I gotta tell ya -- I'm proud to work for GM.........

[Mr. Wyndham]

You should be Scott. GM does great work - I don't care what anybody says. I'd kill to be a part of the company.

Multiple fuel solutions hmmm...You know, I think I've said that exact thing to some friends here at home (at least on the fuel part of things): the whole country is different. We live in different locations, climates, etc. Places like Western New York (me ) can be a great place to grow and supply our cars with Ethanol(in fact they're talking about it), whereas the cold winters might give the fuel cells a hard time. If GM can implement the different fuel solutions in the various different places effectively - which I think they can - It'll be a HUGE step toward further success, and a leader in Environment-"assistance".

This Tahoe really proves what can be done. I hope more people start seeing that - I'm getting tired of these SUV-haters. I agree wholeheartedly, that some people, not all, need them.

My favorite part is that the internal combustion engine doesn't necessarily need to die. Ethanol, and eventually substitutes for that will keep our V8's rumbling for some time to come, I believe .

[DGthe3]

The best part of about all this is that while company T and company H make some vehicles that are very efficient, GM is making the vehicles that people want more effiecient.

[Mr. Wyndham]

You know...all things set aside. forget prices, and no foriegn company bias:

The Malibu actually does look much better than most of the other cars in it's segment.

[Power Junkie]

I personally think that GM and a few other car companies are doing a great job with developing new ways of powering vehicles... i'd never take that away, i just think that Hybrids have been wrongly promoted in the UK at least has been the ultimate "ECO-CAR" and frankly it's no more enviro-friendly (when you take in to account the building etc) than a normal car........ yes they do get good fuel economy and should be promoted as such...

Maybe it's just a little bitterness on my part, in the fact that the UK government is finding more and more ways to tax the motorist, and the "eco" bug was a very convenient way for those gits to hit us up for more cash!!

E85 well don't know alot about it, but it does seem a fairly logical choice, depending whether older cars can be retrofitted to run on it.

Fuel cells... fantastic idea an i quite liked the car that they had on TOP GEAR (can't remember what it was called).. loved the idea that you could just lift the body off and have an MPV one day and a hatchback the next.... Hydrogen worries me a little bit though , the safety of the cell in an accident... imagine it ruptures (nice little sparks) and bang... definitely a write off!!

But again good on GM for spending the time and (loads of) money to research and develop these... one things for sure the future will be interesting!!

[DGthe3]

Originally Posted by Power Junkie

E85 well don't know alot about it, but it does seem a fairly logical choice, depending whether older cars can be retrofitted to run on it.

Fuel cells... fantastic idea an i quite liked the car that they had on TOP GEAR (can't remember what it was called).. loved the idea that you could just lift the body off and have an MPV one day and a hatchback the next.... Hydrogen worries me a little bit though , the safety of the cell in an accident... imagine it ruptures (nice little sparks) and bang... definitely a write off!!

But again good on GM for spending the time and (loads of) money to research and develop these... one things for sure the future will be interesting!!

I am a little cautious on ethanol. yes it is plant based but growing crops to fuel cars is a losing game. If bio-waste can be used, then all is good. to grow anything you need fertilizers, insecticides, and herbicides. For the most part, thses products are derived from oil. Then the current distilation process requires vast amounts of energy. I have heard that to turn corn into fuel requires the equivelent of up to 5 times as much energy to produce as what you get. I don't believe that number, but if its anything more than 1 to 1 then it is worse than simply using gasoline. But like i said, if we can use parts of plants that are otherwise wasted instead of crops specifically grown for fuel, then it becomes much better

Also, you're fears about hydrogen are a bit misplaced. Think about what happens when a tank of gasoline ruptures. The fuel spreads out all around the vehicle and sits there waiting until one little spark sets off an inferno. Rare, but it happens. OR it could just explode on impact. But we never worry about those things, do we? Now a hydrogen tank is actually safer. First off, the tank will not be made of a material that can spark, nearly eliminating instant explosions. Secondly, if the tank ruptures it is likely to only crack thus venting the pressurized gas. since hydrogen is so light, it will disipate skyward and not pool near the vehicle, thus decreasing the likelyhood that it will ignite.

Wow, i think that may be the longest and most technical post i have ever made

[Power Junkie]

To be fair i'm sure people like GM wouldn't put a car that dangerous on the roads... but i still have my fears... and i'm sure the people on the Hindenburg would probably side with me over my concerns.

[DGthe3]

Originally Posted by Power Junkie

To be fair i'm sure people like GM wouldn't put a car that dangerous on the roads... but i still have my fears... and i'm sure the people on the Hindenburg would probably side with me over my concerns.

After looking at some data from the US and Canada (I got bored this afternoon), I feel confident in saying that there are more deaths per week caused by car fires than people who have died from the hindenburg disaster. Where did i get my numbers? It is estimated that there are between 400 and 750 deaths caused by car fires each year in the US alone. In the Canadian province of Alberta, with a population of just over 3 mil, there has been an average of 33 car fire deaths per year from 2001 to 2005. The hindenburg caused only 36 fatalities. Oh, we are also forgetting the Challenger space shuttle accident. The shuttle tank was filled with hydrogen and oxygen.

However, i aknowledge that the the more spectacular the disaster, the more recognition it gets. you are something like 15 to 20 times more likely do die in a car accident than in an airplane but few people are affraid of driving. Why? because when a plane crashes it is a huge event and gets alot of recognition. But car accidents happen every day, in every city.

And I'm sorry if it sounds like I'm ripping you up because of your fears. I do not intend that, I wanted to illustrate that although hydrogen is dangerous and needs to be respected, gasoline is just as dangerous but we do not fear it because it is so common. In fact, it has been said that if the situation were reversed, trying to introduce gasoline after hydrogen, it would never be allowed, too dangerous.

[Mr. Wyndham]

Originally Posted by Power Junkie

To be fair i'm sure people like GM wouldn't put a car that dangerous on the roads... but i still have my fears... and i'm sure the people on the Hindenburg would probably side with me over my concerns.

Yeah, I guess so. but I factor in that Crude oil, is pretty much Nature's waste, buried where it can't do any harm...and what are we doing? Spewing it back all over the globe. Not that there was much choice. Ethanol to me, is taking a plant(corn, hay, whatever-there are lots of sources), converting it into a burnable fuel, and then re-introducing it to the environment. A circle. I'm sure there are other by-products that aren't as desireable - but they are in a much smaller supply than burning gasoline.

:tweetz:<== long overdue.


As per the Hydrogen thing...although it is more volatile than gasoline, they have the tech to safely store it, and during the operation of a fuel cell, there is no burning, and there are no intended sparks. The Hydrogen is flowed past a catalyst, creating electricity, and turning it into water. So, I guess what I'm saying, is no - I'm not worried about expolsions...

Though they can store it safely, doesn't mean that they can store it cheaply. That's one of the major issues still hampering GM's advancements. AND they can't produce tons of power, the most GM has gotten is in the Equinox fuel cell vehicle, and that was 93Kw, or 124ish Hp. I really love what Hydrogen Fuel cells promise, but there is still aways to go.