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Automotive News & Views Prez to GM/Ford - Can they make appealing alternative fuel cars?
7 messages, Last post on Nov 09, 2009 at 9:07 PM
You are in the Automotive News & Views Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & claires
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Just when it seemed things couldn't get worse for General Motors Corp., they did, as the embattled automaker said Thursday it lost a total of $4.8 billion in just the last three months of 2005. Ford and GM have said they would close plants and cut tens of thousands of jobs. Competition, particularly from companies based in Asia, soaring health care and pension expenses and production costs have increased financial pressures on the unionized companies. How do they get out of this hole they have dug for themselves and get their market share back. Well, yesterday President Bush comes in and said General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. should develop more appealing products using technology rather than look to Washington for help with their heavy pension burdens. The president hinted that he would take a dim view of a government bailout of the top two U.S. automakers even though they had not asked for it so far. As far as any pre-emptive action, Bush said, "I think it's very important for the market to function." which dint leave any doubt he was against it, or felt they need to work it out themselves as he felt optimistic about the companies' long term prospects. Both GM and Ford have dropped hints they would welcome government help in areas such as coping with rising health care and pensions which is having a detrimental affect on their bottom line. The President however, suggested that one way automakers could make more appealing products was to promote cars using alternative fuels.The President said that U.S. automakers could find new market share in the competition to sell vehicles that run on alternative fuels. As these automobile manufacturers compete for market share they should use technology and alternative fuels to make the cars mores appealing for consumers looking for fuel effeciency, and they also will be helping America become less dependent on foreign sources of oil. Can GM and Ford save their plummeting market share and come up with cars specifically built to run on alternative fuels, and with a price and design that makes it appealing to the American consumer?Is it worth the investment in R & D and what type of alternative fuels would be the best bet to get buyers into the showroom, I think that is the most important question of all. Is it doable? |
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I've edited the title of this one to make it a bit more concise and keep it to a single line. Carry on! |
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Let's take a look: Deisal: Pros: mature tech, many gas stations have it, can be developed profitably. Cons: more expensive than gas, most of it is derived from petroleum vs. bio (so still dependant on foreign oil), more emissions (although improving quickly). Natural gas: Honda has a natural gas car and provides owners with a fueling device to hook up at their house. Pros: Cheaper than gas, no more visits to the station. Cons: Company likely losing money on it (likely will improve over time), natural gas still coming from foreign oil, new tech maintenance/reliability issues. E85: Pros: mostly not made from oil, cheaper than gas because of gov't subsidies. Cons: Almost no stations carry it outside of Minnesota. Hybrids: Pros: use less gas, fewer emissions. Cons: more expensive to buy, companies make very little or no money on them (likely will improve over time), new tech maintenance/reliability issues, still dependent on foreign oil. Hydrogen: Pros: no gas used, no emissions. Cons: very few consumers have $1 million available to buy one - still 10-20 years away from real usage. IMHO, I think the best bets right now are biodeisal and E85 if we really want to reduce our foreign oil dependency, with hybrids as a more realistic backup until we can develop a better infrastructure for delivering biodeisal and E85. |
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E-85 and bio-diesel will power the future for the next 2 or better decades if "Big Oil" can make money on it. Right now it's rhetoric in my opinion. Rocky |
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Team Hybrid: New System from GM, BMW and DaimlerChrysler Unveiled for 2007 Date posted: 04-29-2006 VIENNA, Austria — General Motors and partners BMW and DaimlerChrysler have unveiled a state-of-the-art full hybrid system that integrates electric motors with a fixed-gear transmission. The two-mode system, which employs low- and high-speed electric continuously variable transmission (ECVT) modes, should be ready for production in 2007, the partners said. The system incorporates four fixed gear ratios in addition to the two ECVT modes, and it can use electric motors during all modes for boosting power and regenerative braking. The partners say the new technology provides superior fuel economy, performance and towing capability. The hybrid system is about the same size as a conventional automatic transmission, with about the same overall mechanical content. An electronic control module constantly optimizes the system, matching the most efficient operation point to the power level demanded by the driver. Because the system imposes no significant limitation on the size or type of engine, the three partners will be able to mate it to a wide variety of engines with relatively few alterations to each one's powertrain portfolio. That means the hybrid technology also can be used across a broader range of vehicles, including passenger cars and light trucks. Initially, it will be employed in rear- and four-wheel-drive applications, but the partners say they are working on future front-wheel-drive applications as well. What this means to you: An unprecedented alliance, teaming GM with BMW and DCX, will be bringing new hybrid vehicles to your doorstep within the next year. http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=114918 |
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green technologies and how we are going to re-charge them. Check out this article. http://www.allcarselectric.com/blog/1037745_ford-developing-smart-charging-syste- - m-with-help-from-doe-and-utility-companies Right down to wirelessly choosing charging sources and the appropriate times to charge up, so as to not overload the particular grid you're on. Pretty smart stuff-if they can get it to work right. |
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