Vehicles Go Green, But Will We?

Coates' Column

By George Coates, President, Phoenix AG and Tempe Services

The 2008 Car Show Season is introducing lots of cool new vehicles in cities across the globe. New interiors, new colors and exciting new shapes are creating lots of energy; but the biggest buzz may be for new technologies that are enabling performance and reduced fuel consumption to co-exist. And the winner is the environment, as reduced CO2 emissions are in the crosshairs of every auto manufacturer’s target.

While WorldAutoSteel has been busy promoting the reduction in GHG’s via steel light-weighting, combined with powertrain re-sizing, the world industry is catching the “green fever”. Europe has long led the way, with an environment and culture that embraces small cars and low emissions. In North America, rising fuel prices and the threat of legislation are causing consumers to catch “the green bug” - there’s now a distinctive sales trend towards smaller cars! But as automakers work to reduce emissions, new vehicle options for better fuel economy are here now. So let’s look at a few. . .

2008 Chevrolet Tahoe 2-mode Hybrid--It's electric and it's gasoline, with a 40 percent city fuel economy improvement.  Photo Source: Scott Gable

General Motors "Green" Offerings

The great news was that their 2008 Cadillac CTS was named Motor Trend “Car of the Year,” and their 2008 Malibu garnered similar awards at the North American International Auto Show. These are wonderful products: both exemplify beautiful interior finishes, beautiful exterior designs, and are priced competitively in the marketplace. But what has the press buzzing the most is the introduction of their 2-mode hybrid systems introduced in GM’s full-size SUV and truck lineup. This new hybrid combines a large V-8 engine with a two-mode hybrid transmission and 300-volt battery pack; the result are Yukons, Tahoes and Silverados that now average 20 mpg in both the city and highway, a 30% increase in fuel economy without any loss in power or track performance.

GM introduced a “Hybrid” version of the new Malibu, equipped with the “simple” system employed in the Saturn Aura and Vue models, where a 36-volt motor-generator replaces the normal engine-driven alternator, and a nickel-hydride battery pack is situated in the trunk to store electrical power. This system gains 15% fuel economy, and is a lower cost option compared to competitor “full hybrids”.

GM also recently announced a new initiative to resize powertrains, making them smaller and coupling them to turbochargers to achieve gains in fuel economy without overall loss in power or performance. Finally, engineers at the General are busy attacking light-weighting options including the use of advanced high-strength steels of thinner guage to replace conventional steels, elimination of spare tires via run-flat tires and use of low rolling-resistance tires.

Click to watch the YouTube video with Derrick Kuzak, Group Vice President for Global Product Development, talking about the Ford EcoBoost family of engines.

Ford Developments

Ford announced similar initiatives, noting that they also would be incorporating smaller engines coupled to turbochargers to yield significant improvements in fuel economy without power loss. As early as 2009, they’ll be introducing new, lighter weight 4-cylinder Eco-Boost family of engines and combining them with new, efficient 6-speed automatic transmissions that were usually reserved for the more expensive engine options. These new transmission will help Ford gain significant improvements in fuel economy, and will be available in the Escape and Mariner Hybrid SUV’s beginning next year to further enhance their value and performance.

What's Happening in Europe / Asia?

These geographic areas have long led the way towards smaller cars, more efficient powertrains, and reduced tailpipe emissions. Diesel use is widespread and growing, and technology that enables sulfur-free and “clean” diesels is now application-ready. Stretching that envelope, Mercedes is introducing a clean diesel hybrid powertrain, and BMW is introducing a mild hybrid SUV, that uses solar panels in the roof to power some of the vehicles electronics! Ford and GM of Europe are introducing new, smaller vehicles that use lots of advanced high strength steel while cutting weight; like their European brethren, they are also incorporating smaller displacement engines combined with turbos to deliver strong engine performance and reduced emissions. Nissan announced global sales of a pure electric vehicle by 2012. (See the edmunds AutoObserversm blog article by Nick Kurczewski) And Renault/Nissan announced the mass marketing of an electric vehicle in Israel starting in 2011 (see YouTube video of the announcement below) Toyota and Honda are advancing the technology in their hybrid vehicles, and plan to expand the number of hybrid models.

Watch the video of Renault/Nissan announcing new marketing of hybrids to Israel.

But the Question is....

Here in the U.S., I often wonder how long it will take the American public to embrace these technologies, and go green. The Checklist for Change model simply notes that there are drivers that cause change to happen; these can be cost, environmental, emotional, etc. Re-stated, in order for us to change, we must either “see the light, or feel the heat”. Will we first “see the light”, worry about our overall world pollution problem, take responsibility and make changes to our driving habits (including vehicle selection) to go green? Or will we only respond when we “feel the heat”, mostly from gasoline prices at the pump or added taxation. I’ve had many soft arguments about Global Warming over the last several months, and even members of my own family don’t believe all the signs, claiming that this is a press-induced panic, and that what we’re seeing is really nothing more than natural climate cycles that have been around for millions of years. But some are getting concerned about gas pump prices, and if this is what’s necessary for them to catch “green fever”, I’m ok with that. And Europe has shown us that when change gains momentum, it becomes a cultural thing, and is enduring. That will be a good thing for Americans.

Case in point: I have a friend that is a very successful business person, and a gem to be around. He likes cars, loves them, in fact, and he was a race car driver in his past, so he understands their engineering and mechanics far better than most people. He usually drives something that is powerful and fun to drive, maturing with BMW’s, Porsche’s and now Range Rovers. Last week he traded in his Range Rover Sport for a Mercedes-Benz ML320CD, the clean diesel version of their mid-size sport utility. Now, it’s equipped beyond normal options, so it’s impressive to look at. But what really impressed me about his decision, were the reasons he made this dramatic switch:

• He was feeling the heat at the pump, driving more than 500 miles per week and filling up his SUV twice each week.
• He was starting to be concerned about America’s dependency on petroleum products.
• He doesn’t like what he reads about global warming and our slow initiatives, and personally likes the fact that this diesel has extremely low fuel-pipe emissions.

The optimist in me shouts that “green-fever” may indeed become an epidemic.

George Coates is President of Phoenix AG and Tempe Services, and provides engineering and consulting services in supplier metal conversion programs, manufacturing cost savings audits, production troubleshooting and die optimization, development of metal formability and reference panel systems, new vehicle launch manufacturing support, and Tool and Die training programs. Prior to his role at Phoenix, he spent ten years with AK Steel in research and automotive applications.