Ram Begins Deliveries of 140 Plug-In Hybrid Pickups to Local Governments for Testing

May 31, 2011 at 3:15pm by Steve Siler

This week, Yuma, Arizona, became the first of 12 U.S. cities to receive a fleet of Ram pickups that have been equipped with plug-in hybrid electric powertrains. The trucks are part of a three-year, $100m demonstration program sponsored by Chrysler and the U.S. Department of Energy. Each one of the 10 trucks arriving in Yuma—like the 130 more to be distributed elsewhere— is equipped with Chrysler’s tried-and-true 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 under the hood and a liquid-cooled, 12.9-kWh battery pack tucked beneath the second row bench. In case of a local power outage, the powertrain is capable of a “reverse power flow” to keep the lights on—at least in City Hall.

The trucks also feature a two-mode transmission “based upon two-speed transmission technology that was readily available from a previous vehicle electrification project,” Chrysler’s press release said. (Reading between the lines, Chrysler has finally found something to do with a hunk of leftover transmissions from the ill-timed previous-gen Dodge Durango and Chrysler Aspen hybrids.) Also along for the ride are regenerative brakes, cylinder deactivation, and a 240-volt/30-amp four-prong power outlet and 120-volt/20-amp outlet power strip in the cargo bed to power tools, cell phones, and margarita blenders.

The municipalities earmarked for the plug-in pickups are scattered from coast to coast and from Arizona to North Dakota, for use in both cities and rural areas, in order to gather a wide range of usage data and to see where and in which circumstances big-battery technology does best. Needless to say, the usage data collected will be markedly different than that which Toyota is gleaning from its Prius plug-in hybrid program. But unlike the Prius plug-in, which goes into production in 2012, the Ram plug-in hybrid program is strictly experimental, as is an upcoming endeavor to build 25 Chrysler Town & Country plug-in hybrids, and there are no plans for a production version.

Tags: Dodge, Dodge Ram, plug-in hybrid, Ram, Ram 1500, Ram 1500 PHEV |

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New EPA Fuel-Economy Stickers for Gas Vehicles, Plug-in Hybrids, and EVs Explained

It was just a few months ago that we dissected the convoluted fuel-economy sticker on the Chevy Volt, but if you didn’t get a chance to figure that out, don’t bother. The EPA has released a set of all-new stickers for cars and light trucks that will be mandatory for the 2013 model year. Use of the new sticker is optional for 2012, so you could see it in showrooms as early as this fall. Why this, why now? According to the EPA’s online fact sheet, the new labels “highlight the increased efficiency standards achieved under the Obama Administration that will save families money at the pump starting this year.” How’s that for grandstanding? Politics aside, the new labels are meant to provide more-detailed information about energy consumption and ownership costs. Plus, the labels give a consistent, easy-to-read look for plug-in hybrids and EVs.

The Basics

All labels have a projected annual fuel cost (and yes, it says “fuel” on the EV label) and five-year estimate for how much you save or spend compared to the projected CAFE average of all vehicles in that model year. The other universal elements to the labels are the “Fuel Economy & Greenhouse Gas Rating” and “Smog Rating” sliders. The greenhouse-gas rating is strictly a measure of tailpipe CO2 emissions (which is directly proportional to fuel consumption) and doesn’t count any upstream emissions for electricity production. The smog rating is based on emissions of non-methane organic gases, oxides of nitrogen, particulate matter, carbon monoxide, and formaldehyde. The smog rating also is tailpipe-only; EVs and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles get a pass on both of these rankings.

Your Mileage May Vary

Gasoline, diesel, and E85 ratings are simple: a big combined fuel-economy figure is accompanied by smaller city and highway figures. E85 vehicles will actually display gasoline mpg; optional inclusion of E85 fuel economy is a future possibility. The reason for this, according to the EPA’s final ruling, is because “Data show that, on average, FFVs operate on gasoline nearly 99 percent of the time, and on E85 fuel about 1 percent of the time.” Sorry, Iowa. Compressed natural gas and hydrogen vehicles look similar, only with mpg-equivalent figures.

Another number on the label is consumption rate in terms of gallons per 100 miles. Despite our American attachment to mpg, consumption rate is a great way to look at fuel economy. For example, consider a 25-mpg car and a 40-mpg car. When viewed in terms of consumption rate–4 gallons per 100 miles compared to 2.5 gallons per 100 miles–the difference is perhaps even more  pointed. Consumption rate also makes it easy to figure out relative fuel costs.

Conventional hybrid vehicles will get a standard gasoline sticker. Plug-in hybrids are broken into two categories, blended or series. Blended PHEVs include the plug-in Toyota Prius, where electric-only operation is possible at low speeds but the gasoline engine is still used when needed. Series PHEVs, like the Chevrolet Volt, can operate in full electric mode until the battery is depleted. Both types show 240-volt charge time, an mpg-equivalent combined city/highway rating, and range for either the blended or electric-only mode. Blended PHEVs also show the corresponding gasoline and electricity consumption (per 100 miles), while series PHEVs simply show the electricity consumption. This is essentially the same information presented on the old Volt EPA sticker, but the presentation is easier to read.

Finally, the label for pure-electric vehicles is much like the gasoline label, with the addition of 240-volt charging time and consumption rate expressed in kilowatt-hours per 100 miles. For both EVs and PHEVs, the electric consumption rate is wall-to-wheels, so it accounts for the electricity used to charge the battery and not just the electrical energy used to move the vehicle.

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2013 Cadillac SRX Plug-In Hybrid Spy Photos – Future Cars

April 25, 2011 at 6:34pm by David Gluckman

A plug-in powertrain will power the touch-sensitive interior of Caddy’s crossover (and the rest of the car, too).

Cadillac can’t seem to settle on a powertrain for its hot-selling SRX. The second-gen crossover was introduced in 2010 with Saab’s turbocharged 2.8-liter six as an option (it was sacked early this year; no big loss) and a 3.0-liter V-6 as the base engine (also gone for 2012). Both are being replaced by GM’s 3.6-liter V-6, which will be the only available motivator for now. A plug-in hybrid version—caught here by our covert photogs—should join the lineup soon enough. The 2013 model year also will bring a mild interior update with touch-sensitive controls.

Keep Reading: 2013 Cadillac SRX Plug-In Hybrid Spy Photos – Future Cars

Tags: American, Cadillac, Cadillac SRX, Cadillac SRX plug-in hybrid, crossover, hybrid, luxury, plug-in hybrid, spy photos, SUV |

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2013 Cadillac SRX Plug-In Hybrid Spy Photos – Future Cars

April 25, 2011 at 6:34pm by David Gluckman

A plug-in powertrain will power the touch-sensitive interior of Caddy’s crossover (and the rest of the car, too).

Cadillac can’t seem to settle on a powertrain for its hot-selling SRX. The second-gen crossover was introduced in 2010 with Saab’s turbocharged 2.8-liter six as an option (it was sacked early this year; no big loss) and a 3.0-liter V-6 as the base engine (also gone for 2012). Both are being replaced by GM’s 3.6-liter V-6, which will be the only available motivator for now. A plug-in hybrid version—caught here by our covert photogs—should join the lineup soon enough. The 2013 model year also will bring a mild interior update with touch-sensitive controls.

Keep Reading: 2013 Cadillac SRX Plug-In Hybrid Spy Photos – Future Cars

Tags: American, Cadillac, Cadillac SRX, Cadillac SRX plug-in hybrid, crossover, hybrid, luxury, plug-in hybrid, spy photos, SUV |

View the original article here