Industry News
GM to show new E-Flex hybrid concept car at Frankfurt
30th August 2007
A concept model which GM will unveil in two weeks at the Frankfurt Motor Show will start two years of durability and quality testing at the beginning of next year, according to GM chief engineer Frank Weber, who says GM has some 600 engineers worldwide dedicated to developing the E-Flex system which will power the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid and this new vehicle.
The car on show at Frankfurt will be Astra-size and powered directly only by an electric motor, using its 1.3 litre diesel as a generator to recharge the car’s lithium-ion battery when it runs low, and extending the battery’s normal 40 mile range to nearly 500 miles without a fuel fill-up or a battery recharge. Full charge time is three hours.
“This has extremely high torque characteristics,” said Mr. Weber of the vehicle, “similar to what you would get from a V6 engine, and it is available from zero revs.”
In terms of running costs he said that the E-Flex would work out at €1.50 (£1.07) per 100 km (62 miles) against €6.84 (£4.90) with a conventional diesel-engined car.
This is work in progress, however. According to Weber the system works in computer simulations, but the real test will come when the trial vehicles take to the road next year.
“We have to see how the battery performs in very hot and very cold conditions and what sort of drain is put on it by other systems such as heating and air conditioning, audio systems, lights and windscreen wipers.
“But we are not looking at this essentially as a long distance vehicle. This is for people with daily and relatively short commutes although there is the ability to go longer distances when necessary.”
Benoit Schlumberger, GM product planning director for global compact vehicles, said: “Obviously there is a lot of development cost and there will be a price premium on these vehicles, but we are expecting to sell a large number in China, for example. The environmental challenge there is greater than most other areas of the world but it is where interest in the E-Flex system is developing fastest.”
GM says its E-Flex powertrain should save some 4.4 tonnes of carbon dioxide p.a. per vehicle.
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