Wagoner announces second generation hybrids

Lithium-ion batteries are set to be the next step in the progression of hybrid-drive vehicles in volume passenger car production.

Three days ago, we brought you the news of Daimler AG's breakthrough in patenting the process by which lithium-ion batteries can survive in what is usually a hostile working environment -- a typical motor vehicle (more here).

This news was obviously a long time coming, because manufacturers other than Mercedes-Benz are jumping on the lithium-ion bandwagon.

General Motors is not least among those car makers. The corporation's chairman, Rick Wagoner, has informed media at the Geneva Motor Show that GM will migrate to lithium-ion from the existing nickel-metal hydride batteries from 2010.

The announcement has implications for Australia, since Wagoner mentions a global roll-out for all GM brands. That would include Holden.

GM is hesitating to expand its range of rear-wheel drive models in the US -- of which the Holden-built Pontiac G8 is one -- because RWD cars are not as economical as FWD cars, traditionally.

GM has an obligation to comply with the Corporate Average Fuel Economy ('CAFE') mandate handed down by the US government, a mandate that holds all vehicle manufacturers to reduce the average fuel consumption of their whole model range over a period of time.

Hybrids are a part of the solution. With electric motors that can combine the role of motive power and electric energy recovery -- and the lithium-ion batteries to store that recovered energy in a low-cost, compact and efficient reservoir -- the hybrid-drive vehicles sold in sufficient numbers can potentially reduce the CAFE figures drastically.

"In order to have a real impact in reducing oil consumption, oil imports, and CO2 emissions, advanced technologies must be affordable enough to drive high-volume applications," Wagoner said.

"We plan to roll out this next-generation hybrid technology globally, across our brands and regions, starting in 2010 in North America, and we expect that volumes will eventually exceed 100,000 units annually."

With the introduction of the lithium-ion batteries in volume production, the efficiency of hybrids will be extended, to provide electric-only operation, to reduce the reliance on the IC engine for performance motoring and to optimise the recovery of energy from regenerative braking.

Hitachi Vehicle Energy Ltd is tasked with supplying the batteries to GM.

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