GM's
dual mode hybrid advantage?
Thursday,
May 31, 2007
Bigger
hybrids are better?
Later this year GM's first dual mode hybrid
vehicles are set to go on sale. The Chevy
Tahoe hybrid and the GMC
Yukon hybrid will be GM's first full hybrid passenger
vehicles, and already many are claiming GM's dual mode
hybrids are superior to Toyota's hybrids.
And they are right. Well, sort of. OK, maybe, in some
circumstances, although no one really knows, to be quite
honest.
First, GM's hybrid powertrain seems to integrate better in
large vehicles. Thus, GM will not have a Toyota
Prius contender for years, possibly not until the Chevy
Volt. Second, GM's big advantage is the dual mode
aspect and what it can offer in terms of hybrid
performance, particularly during highway driving.
Toyota's hybrids, such as the Prius or the Highlander
hybrid, are at their best in almost every kind of
driving condition, except on the open highway. Here, the
Hybrid Synergy Drive doesn't offer much to increase fuel
efficiency.
GM's dual mode hybrids, on the other hand, offer a 'city'
mode like Toyota's hybrids, but they also offer a highway
mode. In addition, GM's dual mode hybrid powertrain offers
far more towing capabilities than Toyota's hybrids.
So, there might be some advantages to the GM powertrain,
in theory at least. Of course, there could be some
disadvantages as well.
First, there is cost. How much are GM's hybrids going to
cost? Some have speculated the difference between a
conventional Tahoe and a hybrid Tahoe could be as much as
$10,000. Is it still an advantage at that price? Second,
GM's city mode might not be nearly as effective as
Toyota's hybrid drive. Third, many have speculated that
the dual mode powertrain will not scale down well to
smaller vehicles, such as the Aura, very well - at least
in terms of cost and effectiveness.
So, there are definitely plenty of questions left for the
real world to resolve regarding GM's hybrids.
When it comes to large SUVs and those whom drive them,
GM's dual mode hybrids might be superior to the
competition. The towing capability alone provides a
significant advantage for these drivers. Still, will the
cost of GM's large hybrid SUVs with this capability
justify the price?
We'll just have to wait and see.
posted
by Dahcredyns at
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