General Motors Corp (GM) and Daimler AG unveiled plans on Tuesday for lithium-ion hybrids as automakers push to overcome difficulties with a technology that promises to push hybrid autos to the next level of performance.
Daimler AG will be the first to get to market, announcing plans to introduce a hybrid version of its Mercedes-Benz flagship S-class luxury sedan using a gasoline engine and a lithium-ion power source next year.
The new S-class is what is called a "mild" hybrid, meaning the electric motor aids combustion but does not itself drive the car, instead boosting the main engine. The new models will achieve a carbon dioxide emissions level of 190 grams per kilometer, higher than many small cars with efficient engines but which Daimler strategist Johannes Reifenrath said would make it the most efficient luxury car in the world.
PHOTO: EPA
To date, the least-emitting car in Mercedes' fleet is the diesel S-class with 230g/km.
The Mercedes example demonstrates the application of the technology at the luxury end of the market and is driven in part by tougher regulations taking effect in Europe in 2012 that would require automakers to reduce average emissions in their fleet to 130g/km.
"Change has to start now. Automakers can't wait until 2012," Reifenrath said.
General Motors said it expects to bring its first lithium-ion battery powered hybrid engine system to market in North America sometime in 2010. No product has been announced yet, but officials said the technology had potential across a broad range of product models.
GM showcased the technology in a Saab concept car, boasting carbon emissions of 117g/km on gas and 105g/km on ethanol. Unlike GM's other hybrid project -- the Volt, which has a large battery that can move the car by itself -- the new concept uses a smaller battery about the size of a case of soft drinks to assist the main internal-combustion motor.
The dual announcements indicated increased confidence in the technology, already widely used in consumer electronics. But adapting to meet demanding auto requirements has been an obstacle as has concerns about costs and overheating.
"I think there's a trend there. I think it is good news that Mercedes and GM are coming out at the same time," GM spokesman Scott Fosgard said.
GM is working with Hitachi, which has used a lithium-ion battery in an electric car, to develop its technology. GM's chief hybrid engineer, Stephen Poulos, said that the Hitachi battery design would give the GM application a degree of stability because it was easy to regulate the flow of energy -- but that tests were still being done to ensure stability to prevent overheating and the potential for fires.
"There are a lot of controls to make sure that doesn't happen," he said. "It is a more forgiving application of the lithium ion than most applications out there."
Because they are smaller yet more powerful than the nickel metal hydride batteries used in first-generation hybrid cars, like Toyota Motor Corp's Prius, lithium-ion technology holds the potential to be used across a wider range of models -- as Mercedes' launch of the technology in its powerful S class indicates.
GM chief executive officer Rick Wagoner said the company expected the technology to improve fuel economy by 20 percent. But he said to have a real impact, the technology must drive high volumes.
"The view is that the technology has the opportunity to get a much better range on a small battery and this has a chance to break through in a big way," Wagoner said.
GM said it expects hybrid sales volumes to exceed 100,000 vehicles per year. The system would build on GM's current hybrids, reducing engineering costs and the cost to consumers, the company said.
The battery system would be mated to a wide range of GM engines, including turbocharged gasoline, diesel and bio-fuel power plants. GM said in a statement that the new hybrid system would save fuel by turning the engine off at idle and cutting off fuel during deceleration. It would offer brief electric-only power, the company said in a statement.
FIREPOWER: On top of the torpedoes, the military would procure Kestrel II anti-tank weapons systems to replace aging license-produced M72 LAW launchers Taiwan is to receive US-made Mark 48 torpedoes and training simulators over the next three years, following delays that hampered the navy’s operational readiness, the Ministry of National Defense’s latest budget proposal showed. The navy next year would acquire four training simulator systems for the torpedoes and take receipt of 14 torpedoes in 2027 and 10 torpedoes in 2028, the ministry said in its budget for the next fiscal year. The torpedoes would almost certainly be utilized in the navy’s two upgraded Chien Lung-class submarines and the indigenously developed Hai Kun, should the attack sub successfully reach operational status. US President Donald Trump
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) is expected to start construction of its 1.4-nanometer chip manufacturing facilities at the Central Taiwan Science Park (CTSP, 中部科學園區) as early as October, the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) reported yesterday, citing the park administration. TSMC acquired land for the second phase of the park’s expansion in Taichung in June. Large cement, construction and facility engineering companies in central Taiwan have reportedly been receiving bids for TSMC-related projects, the report said. Supply-chain firms estimated that the business opportunities for engineering, equipment and materials supply, and back-end packaging and testing could reach as high as
ALL QUIET: The Philippine foreign secretary told senators she would not respond to questions about whether Lin Chia-lung was in the country The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday confirmed that a business delegation is visiting the Philippines, but declined to say whether Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) is part of the group, as Philippine lawmakers raised questions over Lin’s reported visit. The group is being led by Deputy Minister of Agriculture Huang Chao-chin (黃昭欽), Chinese International Economic Cooperation Association (CIECA) chairman Joseph Lyu (呂桔誠) and US-Taiwan Business Council (USTBC) vice president Lotta Danielsson, the ministry said in a statement. However, sources speaking on condition of anonymity said that Lin is leading the delegation of 70 people. Filinvest New Clark City Innovation Park
DEFENSIVE EDGE: The liaison officer would work with Taiwan on drones and military applications for other civilian-developed technologies, a source said A Pentagon unit tasked with facilitating the US military’s adoption of new technology is soon to deploy officials to dozens of friendly nations, including Taiwan, the Financial Times reported yesterday. The US Department of Defense’s Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) is to send a representative to collaborate with Taiwan on drones and military applications from the semiconductor industry by the end of the year, the British daily reported, citing three sources familiar with the matter. “Drones will certainly be a focus, but they will also be looking at connecting to the broader civilian and dual-use ecosystem, including the tech sector,” one source was
RSS