Hybrid Vigour

Barely a day goes by without an automaker announcing some exciting new development in the quest to marry the internal combustion engine with electricity. Yet, here in Australia we’re sticking resolutely with our dedicated petrol burners. Yes, we’ve dipped a toe or two into the diesel pool, but for the most part we remain cautious.

To date only two mainstream makes, Toyota and Honda, have been pushing affordable hybrid technology in a major way. The prestige end fares little better, with only Porsche and Lexus serving up hybrids.

Things are set to change, however, with a wave of new hybrids from Infiniti, BMW, Mitsubishi, Peugeot, Citroen and Holden all due Down Under in the next 18 months. Indeed, Australia is set to witness a veritable explosion in the number of hybrids offered for sale – right across the new car size and segment spectrum.

Even Ferrari, a brand that symbolises the very essence of high octane, high performance motoring, is dabbling in the hybrid space with the 599 HY-KERS and its Enzo successor. But if you’re gagging to sample the Italian stallion’s green credentials, it’s probably wise to not hold your breath, according to Edward Rowe, spokesman for Ferrari’s Australian importer, Ateco.

“The hybrid system shown in Beijing show this year is destined for a mid-engine rear-drive production vehicle. But traditionally these limited edition vehicles have been LHD only, so we won’t see it here,” Mr Rowe told motoring.com.au.

But the marque has stated publicly that it will have a production hybrid on sale by 2014 for markets that require such a vehicle for marketing or legislative reasons. Pundits predict the California will be the Ferrari model most likely to go green.

With a mountain of hybrids figuratively on the water to Oz, it's worth reflecting for a moment on whether hybrid power is a long-term proposition, or merely a stepping stone to pure electric.

Unsurprisingly, opinions differ depending on who you talk to. Audi, for example, views hybrids as a convenient segue into an all-electric future. Earlier this year, the company’s local CEO, Uwe Hagen, made Ingolstadt’s intentions clear, when he confirmed to motoring.com.au that, by 2020, every model in its lineup will have an electric variant.

Toyota is more explicit in its support for the technology. Local product planning chief Greg Gardner told motoring.com.au that, far from being an interim technology, the company’s Hybrid Synergy Drive will form an integral part of ‘the ultimate eco car’. Indeed, the furthest Toyota has been prepared to move away from the unique full (parallel) hybrid package it has invested so much in has been to add Plug-in battery-recharge technology to its next-generation Prius.

So, why the baby steps? Put simply, the internal combustion engine is like a security blanket. A little bit of electric power is easier to get used to than the wholesale leap to pure electric. While ever there’s a petrol burner under the bonnet, people will feel they’re less likely to end up stranded. Little wonder then, that Holden's Volt has so many excited...

Here's the state-of-the-hybrid-nation, a rundown of the 30-model hybrid avalanche that will soon be on Aussie roads. Love them or hate them, there'll soon be no getting away from hybrids...

AUDI

“We certainly have the A6 and A8 Hybrids on our local launch radar, and we’re doing everything we can to get them to Australia in 2013... if we get them at all,” spokeswoman Anna Burgdorf told motoring.com.au.

If that sounds fairly equivocal to you, then it does to us as well. But it’d be a real shame if Audi’s hybrids didn’t make it here, as the line up looks tempting. Both the A6 and A8 hybrids marry a 155kW/350Nm four-cylinder petrol engine with a 40kW/210Nm electric motor, driving the front wheels through an eight-speed ZF auto. Combined outputs of 188kW and 480Nm endow these sizable models with the power of a V6 and the economy of a four.

The limousine-sized A8 hybrid sprints from 0-100km/h in 7.7 seconds, while sipping a thrifty 6.4L/100km in the combined cycle. The smaller A6 hybrid manages 0-100km/h in 7.3sec and economy of 6.2L/100km, while emitting 142g/km CO2.

Audi claims the rear-mounted 1.3kWh lithium-ion battery gives up to three kilometres’ of pure electric drive at a constant 60km/h, or a shorter burst of electric-only drive to get the car up to 100km/h.

The ActiveHybrid formula squeezes a compact electric motor between the BMW’s 3.0-litre six-cylinder engine and its eight-speed transmission. The electric motor adds 40kW and 210Nm to the engine’s 225kW and 400Nm. The package is all torque, with the engine tuned to serve up the full 400Nm from a low 1200rpm, and the electric motor delivering its extra 210Nm on even the lightest throttle. The result is a whopping reduction in the car’s 0-100km/h sprint time, from 7.5 to 5.9sec, with an equally powerful shove in the back at open-road overtaking speeds.

BMW’s engineers have taken care to divide the weight of the battery and related equipment evenly between bow and stern, maintaining the conventional 5 Series 50:50 weight distribution. The 96-cell, 1.35kW/h lithium-ion battery sits between the rear seat-back and the boot, countering the weight of the electric motor up front.

BMW claims the ActiveHybrid 5 has up to 4km of pure-electric drive in it and, aided by a drive mode that shifts the onus for propulsion to the electric motor wherever possible, it’s good for an impressive and official 6.5L/100km in the combined cycle.

Asked about pricing and positioning, BMW Australia spokesman Piers Scott told motoring.com.au the ActiveHybrid will not supplant the V8 550i at the top of the 5 Series tree. He said it would be pitched to compete with the rival Lexus GS450h, commanding “a small premium” over the 535i top-spec six.

“[It will be priced] around the same as the diesel, so you’re looking at just under $125K start,” Mr Scott said.

BMW will follow its hybrid 5 Series launch with ActiveHybrid extensions to the 3 Series and 7 Series. The ActiveHybrid 3 will closely follow the 5, using the same powertrain. It will be the 3 Series range topper in terms of performance but will still be priced under the 335i.

The ActiveHybrid 7, due in the first quarter of 2013, will sit “midrange-ish”, Mr Scott said, with a small premium over the 740i and some way below the V8-powered 750i.

While he wasn’t prepared to offer any sales projections, Mr Scott said BMW sees the ActiveHybrid 3 as having the greatest volume potential.

Scott says BMW is looking further ahead on that front, perhaps indicating the Bavarian brand, like its rival Audi, is looking on hybrid systems as a short-term transitional phase, rather than an end in itself.

For a clue as to what comes next, we need to look at BMW’s range of electric-powered i-badged models, including the upcoming i3, which launches internationally in mid-2013.

“The i3’s designed from scratch as a BEV [battery electric vehicle], so [its] battery pack is integrated into the chassis. That gets it out of the way of cargo and keeps the centre of gravity nice and low.

“And we’re hoping to get it here before year’s end (2013), though it may not reach Australia till 2014,” Mr Scott said.

The M35h arrives carrying the mantle of “world’s fastest accelerating full hybrid”, as validated by the folks at Guinness World Records. Delivering a scorching (by hybrid standards) 5.5sec 0-100km/h sprint and a 13.41-second standing quarter mile, the impressive Infiniti pips even Porsche’s Panamera S Hybrid. It does so while returning a fairly thrifty 8.1L/100km on the US combined cycle – although it’s interesting to note that on the marketing material its economy figures are buried beneath the performance info.

Infiniti’s Direct Response Hybrid parallel drivetrain sandwiches its 50kW electric motor between the 224kW 3.5-litre V6 and a seven-speed automatic, producing a combined peak of 268kW. The rear-mounted 96-cell, 1.4kW/h lithium-ion battery pack reduces boot space from 420 to 320-litres, but Infiniti points to the performance and handling benefits as justification.

Infiniti spokesman Peter Fadeyev told motoring.com.au that it was too early to comment on sales forecasts ahead of launch, but that the company was brimming with confidence in the car.

“We know it will raise eyebrows and show that taking the hybrid option doesn’t mean sacrificing dynamic handling and driving enjoyment,” Mr Fadeyev said.

Pricing and equipment is yet to be announced but expect a package and figure sharply competitive with the GS450h, which extends from $100K-$122K plus on-road costs.

If you include its new Lexus hybrids 2012 has already been a busy year for Toyota, which is looking to strengthen its grip on the hybrid market. The first half of the year saw the Japanese giant launch two new Prius models – the Yaris-based Prius c and the seven-seat Prius v – plus the Camry Hybrid, new GS450h midsize sedan and the RX450h SUV.

Flexing its considerable marketing might, the company has also shown competitors it’s prepared to get down and dirty in any price war by slicing $6K off the price of the Prius. The latter’s keen $34K list price gives mid-sized hatch buyers cause to take a serious look.

Hybrid happenings become noticeably quieter for Toyota from now until 2014, with the exception of the Prius Plug-in, which is already on sale in Japan and the US, and was poised for European launch at the time of writing. Essentially a conventional Prius with a more potent 4.4kw/h lithium-ion battery upgrade, the Prius Plug-in has been on trial in Australia for some time now. At 1420kg, it’s around 50kg heavier than the standard Prius with a next-gen lithium-ion battery pack that recharges from flat in as little as 90 minutes. Importantly, it’s good for a full 25km of all-electric drive, after which it reverts to the familiar Hybrid Synergy Drive system.

With Holden’s Volt looming close enough for the General to be screening pre-launch TV ads, it’s surprising that Toyota is taking its time with the Prius plug-in. Toyota Australia’s product planning chief Greg Gardner told motoring.com.au the company didn’t want to damage the Prius brand by releasing the plug-in prematurely.

“Obviously, we believe it has a fair bit going for it. But the feedback from the local trial is (that) it will need better performance – especially in terms of EV-only range – for wider acceptance in the local market. We believe that by 2015, plug-in hybrid technology will have evolved further – smaller, lighter, with better fuel economy, better acceleration and longer all-electric range – all with a short charging time.”

You can read into this that Toyota’s local arm has turned its attention in earnest to the next-generation plug-in and may well skip the first generation version.

Globally, Toyota’s hybrid R&D efforts continue unabated in a bid to stay ahead of the pack. The company is investing heavily in hybrid motorsport – including its recent unsuccessful tilt at Le Mans, and its entry in the famous Pike’s Peak hill climb. Lessons learned here will end up on the road in prototypes such as the ‘Prius-on-steroids’ FT-HS (Future Toyota Hybrid Sports), and the Yaris-based FT-Bh.

To help lower CO2 emissions further, Toyota is also working on natural-gas-powered hybrids returning a claimed CO2 figure of 38g/km, and plug-in versions of the latter returning an even more impressive 19g/km. The company has also announced plans to launch a hydrogen fuel-cell model in 2015.

Honda’s Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) technology is from the ‘mild hybrid’ school. This means that, unlike the parallel hybrid system employed by Toyota, Honda hybrids never operate on full electric power, relying instead on what amounts to a very big starter motor/generator to provide a boost on acceleration and to top up the battery on deceleration.

The fifth generation IMA in the Civic Hybrid expanded the 1.3-litre i-VTEC petrol four to 1.5-litres in capacity, bumped up the electric power to match, and replaced the old NiMH battery with a smaller, lighter yet more potent lithium ion one. The result: stronger kick-off from the auto stop/start system, more overtaking muscle and economy improvement of 4.3 per cent, taking it to 4.4L/100km.

The Insight retains the 1.3-litre i-VTEC engine but has had tweaks to its drivetrain, aerodynamics and rolling resistance, boosting fuel economy by 6.5 per cent. At 4.3L/100km combined cycle and 103g/km CO2 (down 5.5 per cent), it’s now among Australia’s cleanest cars.

Like the Insight, the Jazz Hybrid retains the 65kW/121Nm 1.3-litre i-VTEC engine, combined with a 10kW/78Nm electric motor. Available with CVT only, it sips just 4.5L/100km and emits 104g/km CO2.

Several big names are going down the REEV (range-extended electric vehicle) path. That is, an EV with an internal combustion engine that only ever drives a generator to keep the battery topped up. The logic is simple: spinning a small generator uses a lot less fuel than spinning four wheels laden with 1.5 tonnes of car.

The best known of the REEV breed is Holden’s Volt. Its so-called ‘Voltec’ drivetrain uses three powerplants: a front-mounted 111kW electric-drive motor does the heavy lifting; a secondary motor-cum-generator shifts between helping out with traction and generator duties; and a 1.4-litre petrol engine runs the generator.

When the engine management system detects battery levels dropping, it boots up the 63kW 1.4-litre petrol engine to run the generator, which itself produces up to 54kW to top up the 16.5kW/h lithium ion battery pack. The petrol engine plays no direct part in driving the car.

Built on the Cruze platform, and priced at $59,990, the Volt goes on sale in October. It packs a suitably premium list of kit including: eight airbags, forward collision alert, lane departure warning, 17-inch alloys, daytime running lights, a seven-inch touch screen with sat-nav and a rear-view camera, quality audio with Bluetooth streaming, a 30GB hard drive and voice recognition.

After launching Australia’s first mainstream EV, the i-MiEV, Mitsubishi is determined to stake a claim for itself as a leader in EV and hybrid technology. The company plans to roll out eight new hybrid, P-HEV and EV models worldwide by 2015.

Locally, the next 18 to 24 months will see a major update or overhaul of every model in the Japanese company’s lineup – and that will include alternative power extensions to many.

“Every model will get a low-emission variant,” Mitsubishi Australia spokeswoman Caitlin Beale told motoring.com.au.

The Outlander’s P-HEV’s all-wheel drivetrain puts an electric motor on each axle, with drive running through a modified Super-All Wheel Control (S-AWC) chassis control package hailing from the Lancer Evolution. For the Outlander P-HEV’s purposes, the S-AWC has been skewed towards economy instead of the Evo’s performance orientation.

The two motors drive the front and rear axles independently, simplifying the mechanicals by dispensing with the propeller shaft, hydraulic system and clutch plate usually needed to connect the front and rear diffs.

The Outlander P-HEV offers three driving modes: Pure (electric-only); Series (electric motors for traction, with the petrol engine driving the generator); and Parallel (dual electric drive, with the petrol engine taking over at higher speeds and the electric motors dropping back to a support role, providing accelerative boost on demand). No economy or performance figures are available, beyond claims of a range of around 800km, and CO2 emissions as low as 50g/km.

The Volvo’s charge times show how rapidly battery chemistry is evolving, with a full charge taking 4.5 hours from a 10A domestic outlet – not that long ago this was an overnight proposition.

Volvo Cars Australia spokesman Oliver Peagam calls the V60 PHEV, already available in Europe, “three cars in one”.

“In the city, it’s good for up to 50km of zero-emission city driving. In the suburbs, it’s a high-efficiency diesel-electric hybrid that can return just 1.9L/100km with as little as 49g/km CO2. While on the highway you get an AWD sports wagon with 200kW and 640Nm, good for 0-100km/h in 6.9sec,” he told motoring.com.au.

“We see it as a landmark car – something not seen in Australia before. So yes, we're keen to get it here as soon as possible.”

Peagam says it’s too early to speculate on pricing, release date and local sales projections, but says Volvo hopes to be able to get the V60 PHEV in for under $100K. The Chinese-owned Swede, meanwhile, is also working on petrol hybrid, shown in XC60 SUV form at the Geneva motor show last March.

Peugeot’s local arm is looking closely at two cars that share one drivetrain: the 3008 Hybrid4 and the 508 RXH (the X denotes AWD, the H is for hybrid). Both are similar to the V60 in layout, with a 122kW/300Nm 2.0-litre four-cylinder direct-injection diesel driving the front wheels, and a 27kW/200Nm electric motor driving the rear.

Local spokesperson Jaedene Hudson says the company is looking at both, but no decisions has yet been made. Rumour suggests we’re more likely to see the 508 RXH.

“At this stage we’re not sure – we were hoping we might see something late this year but it’s more likely to be next year now. They’re still in hot (climate) testing, and after that there’s a few admin things to sort,” Ms Hudson said.

A ZEV mode gives the 508 RXH up to three kilometres’ all-electric range, while Sport mode turns on the full 147kW and 450Nm – bound to push either car along at a cracking pace, notwithstanding the 508’s hefty 1770kg mass. More impressive is its fuel consumption: Peugeot claims 4.2L/100km combined with 107g/km CO2 (3.8L/100km and 99g/km for the smaller but taller 3008 Hybrid4).

The same drivetrain will likely arrive here in 2013 wearing a swisher Citroen DS5 Hybrid4 suit. Importer Ateco’s Edward Rowe told us the company is still working on timing, specs and price.

“It’s way too early to talk about any of that, beyond the obvious – it will sit at the top of the DS5 tree.”

The conventional FWD DS5 launches here in August, with base spec pricing in the vicinity of $50K.

Benz spokesman David McCarthy says the narrowing of the gap between diesel and petrol on both fuel consumption (as petrol improves) and performance (as diesel improves) is making it harder to justify the inclusion of a hybrid in their lineup.

The company has E and S Class hybrid models, but they’re some way off yet – if they ever reach these shores.

“We’re working on the business case for the E300 Hybrid – still calculating the price premium which, as things stand, could be anything between $5K and $20K over the current E250.

“The jury’s still out on it, because it’s not just a matter of sticking another kind of car on the ship – there’s also all the costs associated with compliance, service training, marketing and the like, which have to be balanced out against volume. And when there’s less than 1L/100km between them, we have to give people other good reasons to buy it.

The E300 BlueTec Hybrid slips a slim (65mm thick) disc motor between its 150kW 2.1-litre diesel engine and 7G-Tronic auto transmission. It draws power from a front-mounted battery pack to add about 23kW, giving an accelerative kick to what’s already a peppy engine. It’s good for about one kilometre of all-electric drive, albeit at speeds of up to 30km/h. It can also use the electric motor to maintain pace on flat and downhill freeway stretches, the diesel engine shutting down until battery power drops, or it needs a kick, for example when overtaking.

The electric motor adds an instant 250Nm to the diesel’s impressive 500Nm, pushing it from 0-100km/h in 7.5sec. It sips just 4.2L/100km (109g/km CO2) – laudable until you see the stock E250 CDI drinks just 4.9L/100km (129g/km), and it’s a fair bit simpler under the bonnet.

The next gen S Class, due out in 2013, will have a hybrid – essentially an update to the current S400 Hybrid available in some countries.

“We’re planning to take it, but again, it depends on the kind of premium we’d have to put on it. We’re managing to put the S350 diesel BlueTec to market for the same price as its petrol counterpart, and we’d be hoping to put a petrol hybrid variant alongside them too…”.

It might be easier to get hybrids to market on larger, more luxurious platforms, where there’s more margin to work with. But rationale remains a problem. For now, it’s a matter of waiting while the deliberations take place. McCarthy confirmed the S is due for a “March-ish” international launch, with a local release to follow mid-year. Possibly.

Introduced into the US market in 2009, Benz’s Lexus LS600hL competitor was the first hybrid to adopt a Li-ion battery. The current mild hybrid formula marries a 205kW, 3.5-litre Atkinson-cycle V6 petrol engine with a 15kW/160Nm electric motor, producing 220kW and 385Nm. Benz claims 0-100km/h in 7.2sec, with fuel consumption of 11L/100km urban cycle, and 7.7L/100km highway cycle.

The Porsche system is a full hybrid package, and the cars are able to travel under electric power alone, albeit for a strictly limited distance. The electric motor is used on low-demand take-offs, with the V6 cutting in quickly once the vehicle is rolling. After that, the two share the load. The AWD Cayenne’s fixed torque distribution system feeds the output 60:40 rear-to-front.

The electric motor draws power from a Ni-MH battery, which gets regular top-ups on deceleration from the car’s energy regeneration system.

All up, they’re pretty thrifty for vehicles of their size – the Panamera gets 7.1L/100km combined (167g/km CO2), from just… $298,300. The Cayenne is thirstier – using 8.2L/100 (193g/km) – and 0.5 seconds slower to 100 kays. But it’s also considerably more affordable, starting at $163,600.

The oddball two-seat Insight, priced around $50K, had almost no impact, while the unwieldy first-gen Prius fared only a little better. Both cars did better in the USA, of course, and the original Prius’s cultural status was subsequently cemented as the vehicle of choice for Larry David’s tightwad curmudgeon in Curb Your Enthusiasm.

While neither car made a significant dent on the Australian sales charts, or the popular psyche, they played a vital role as bellwethers to the most important automotive trend of the decade. The Insight and Prius established Honda and Toyota respectively as technological leaders, while their different approaches to the petrol-electric drivetrain provided an early insight into the coming diversity of this now burgeoning sector.

Hybrid power got its first real fillip following Toyota’s release of the second-generation Prius in 2003. Combining 21st century looks with the day-to-day practicality of a spacious five-door hatch, the Prius II caught on in a way its predecessor hadn’t, handing Toyota the unassailable segment leadership it retains to this day.

Today, alternative propulsion, be it hybrid or pure electric, has become inextricably intertwined with the environment and caring for Mother Earth. Just look at Nissan’s adoption of the LEAF for its landmark EV, or Honda’s use of the green Econ-mode button on its products, let alone the clamour amongst carmakers to claim the title of Australia’s most fuel-efficient car.

But fuel efficiency and low C02 emissions are not the only advantage the electric motor offers. Its other big plus is in the way it serves up its torque: all of it, instantaneously...