NAIAS 2008: Hybrid Fever Hits Detroit on Day Two of Auto Show

Hybrids were the overriding theme of the second day of press previews at the 2008 North American International Auto Show in Detroit on Monday (14 January), with several manufacturers introducing concepts, production models, news soundbites, and even challenges. The Detroit Three were abuzz with hybrid news, and Toyota even laid down its own plans, indirectly challenging General Motors (GM) to be the first to market with plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.

The Chryslers

Chrysler LLC unveiled its trio of concept cars for the show, with company design chief Trevor Creed stating that the three vehicles, the Dodge Zeo, Chrysler EcoVoyager, and Jeep Renegade, point the way for Chrysler's brands in terms of design themes and content. All three vehicles are non-functioning conceptual serial hybrids, meaning that the propulsive force is electric, using various forms of a common 200 kW electric motor, modular 16 kWh lithium-ion battery pack, and range-extending alternative fuel powertrains.

Chrysler's take on where its future lies was displayed in the EcoVoyager concept, a four-seat, one-box design of flowing lines and sweeping panoramic arcs. The concept is purported to be powered by the common 200 kW electric motor driving the front wheels, coupled to a single 16 kWh battery pack and a range-extending hydrogen powered fuel cell with two 10,000psi storage tanks. The vehicle is designed around the idea of "elegant simplicity", Chrysler brand's new mantra that is said to show the intent of the future of the brand. The vehicle can supposedly travel 40 miles on pure electric power, a range which grows to 300 miles when power generated by the hydrogen fuel cell is included.

The Jeep brand will be defining itself as "stylish green," with the future of the brand looking towards young, active lifestyle buyers who "are extremely environmentally oriented, appreciate high-tech and innovation, and enjoy performance combined with style in keeping with their green attitude," according to a company press release. The embodiment of this idea has been created in Jeep's Renegade concept, a two-seat, open air B-segment runabout. The concept is also powered by Chrysler's 200 kW electric motor, but employs two of them, one driving each axle for all-wheel-drive capability. Power is stored in the 16 kWh battery pack, and features a range-extending 1.5-litre diesel three-cylinder engine whose purpose is to charge the battery pack. The vehicle gets an estimated 110 mpg, but can drive 40 miles on pure electrical charge alone. The concept represents what is basically a big plastic dune buggy, with the interior made out of moulded soy-based urethane, foam, and aluminium components; a special compartment in the back can be configured for whatever adventure the operator could be interested in, with the concept featuring two "water scooters" for scuba diving.

The final concept represented the future of Dodge brand, which the company sums up in the phrase "need for speed." The Dodge ZEO, an all-electric sports car 2+2 sedan, is meant to redefine what an electric car can look like and what it can do. Powered by the 200 kW electric motor driving the rear wheels, it features four linked modular lithium-ion battery packs, creating one large 64 kWh pack good to power the car for a 250 mile range. The sports car can reportedly reach 60 mph in under six seconds, performance that rivals the company's 5.7-litre Hemi V8-powered sports models.

GM Fires Back

Not content to lose the hybrid electric vehicle spotlight, GM announced a bit more information about its own serial plug-in hybrid vehicle programme, the Chevrolet Volt. In an interview with Automotive News, GM vice-chairman for global product development Bob Lutz told the trade publication that he expects demonstrator vehicles will be available by June 2008, later than the initial second-quarter date he had previously mentioned. Lutz admitted that the timeline to have production vehicles out and rolling by 2010 is uncertain. "It means everything has to go right," he said. "So far, everything has gone right." He added that development of the lithium-ion batteries that GM wants to use to power the Volt is "complicated," telling Automotive News that the introduction date could potentially go beyond 2010. The delay is made all the more critical to GM after an announcement by Toyota the previous day that the Japanese company would be pursuing plug-in hybrids of its own, with the first development Prius vehicles to be delivered to California utilities for testing this year.

GM also unveiled three new hybrids at the show: the Saturn Flextreme, the production Saturn Vue Green Line 2-Mode Hybrid, and a new plug-in concept version of that model. The Flextreme was simply the Opel Flextreme seen at the Frankfurt show in September 2007, but like all new Opels, the concept received a Saturn badge for its trip across the Atlantic. The new Vue Green Line 2-Mode will enter production in the fourth quarter of 2008, and will reportedly feature a 50% improvement in fuel economy over the standard V6 Vue. The plug-in concept model will also feature the 2-Mode's powertrain, but with additional battery capacity and the ability to charge from a household outlet in about four to five hours. The CUV should then be able to provide up to 10 miles of all-electric cruising, according to the company. It is slated for production in 2010.

The Independents Arrive

Stealing some of GM's thunder was the arrival at the show of Fisker, a coachbuilder from California better known for high-dollar rebodies of BMW and Mercedes-Benz coupés and convertibles for wealthy patrons. The Fisker Karma is an US$80,000 four-door luxury sedan unique from the ground up, utilising what the company claims is the first production plug-in lithium-ion hybrid powertrain system. "We are the first company to offer a true lithium-ion battery vehicle," Fisker said at press conference at the car's unveiling. "We have tested this car extensively and are ready to market it." The Karma allegedly will travel up to 50 miles on electric power only, seats four, recharges overnight, and features a gasoline (petrol) engine of unspecified size to kick in when the batteries run low. Orders are being taken now, but the company says that delivery will not occur until sometime in 2010.

Outlook and Implications

The wide range of alternative powertrains on display in Detroit seems to be determining the overall theme of the show, when no one theme is presenting itself: this year's NAIAS is about variety. Everything from big new full-size pick-ups and top-shelf supercars unveiled Sunday (13 January) to the latest in hybrid technologies in both concept and production form has been introduced, but the astonishing part is that so much new technology and so many new vehicles are being introduced at the show, a far cry from the rather light list of unveilings seen at the Los Angeles Auto Show late last year. This year's show has gone a long way in reaffirming the Detroit venue as North America's premier auto show.

Green with ENVI

Chrysler's concepts were created largely through the efforts of a new in-house division called ENVI, currently consisting of a cross-functional team of about fifty people, and headed by division president Lou Rhodes. The division is tasked with bringing Chrysler up to speed quickly and efficiently with regards to hybrid technologies; that all three of Chrysler's future cars displayed at the show were electric cars, two with hybrid powertrains, is definitely significant. But none of the cars displayed was actually equipped with the hybrid system purported to be under the hood; all were described "as they were envisioned to be powered," according to a Chrysler company spokesperson. While all three cars can run under their own power, Chrysler is not that far along in development of its own lithium-ion batteries that it could put together such high-tech systems for its concept cars. This means that the cars' significance lies more in what their creation and theme says about how the brands they are assigned to will change. For Jeep, the concept is dead-on where Jeep needs to be. Both Jeep and Hummer brands make much of their outdoorsy attitude; it is a short hop from rugged outdoor adventure to sustainable ecologically friendly exploration. Hummer's HX concept advances much the same message as the Jeep Renegade, and is the start of what looks to be a rebranding strategy for both Jeep and Hummer.

Dodge's concept was also spot-on, embodying the sporty, driving enthusiast attitude that Dodge has already been cultivating. The ZEO concept maintains that sporty look and should deliver on the performance, if ENVI can develop and produce the electrical architecture that is "envisioned" to underpin the vehicle. The Chrysler EcoVoyager concept however is less of a success. Exterior styling is similar to the 2007 Chrysler Nassau concept, which itself was not a critical success. It would seem that the future of Chrysler style abandons designer Ralph Gilles' highly successful theme seen on the Chrysler 300 sedan, a slab-sided, low-roof sedan that was Chrysler's last true sales hit. That vehicle is uniquely Chrysler and generated more buzz for the company than anything since the PT Cruiser, but its proportions and image have not been replicated on any other Chrysler vehicle since its introduction.

As for the race to produce the first plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, GM has been extraordinarily open about its development process and timelines. GM product development guru Bob Lutz continues to maintain that production in 2010 is still possible, but with demonstrator vehicles not even available until mid-2008, the challenge is looking more and more unlikely. If the Volt were any ordinary conventionally powered vehicle, prototypes in mid-2008 would not be alarming when talking about production in 2010. But the Volt is not conventionally powered; its powertrain is still not only still in development, it is still basically considered experimental. Not only does the technology have to be finally worked out, but it also must be made bulletproof reliable, inexpensive to produce, and integrated into a production vehicle system. That car then needs to be tooled up at suppliers and a line built in a manufacturing plant, all of which should be occurring very, very shortly if production is to occur in 2010. Each passing day makes this deadline increasingly more unlikely.

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