Dan Neil, the Pulitzer-Prize winning auto journalist of the Los Angeles Times, says the Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid deserves praise. “For sheer execution, you can do nothing but throw rose petals at the thing.” But he also poses a long list of questions about GM’s 6.0-liter V8 hybrid, which he calls, “a fantastically fuel-efficient vehicle that's still a gas hog.”
The EPA estimated fuel economy for the Tahoe Hybrid is 21 miles per gallon in the city and 22 mpg highway. That represents about a 50% improvement of in-city fuel economy over the non-hybrid Tahoe.
Mr. Neil sees a lot of good in the Chevy Tahoe Hybrid:
The Tahoe can tow 6,200 pounds, which is “a tonnage that would fatally herniate a Toyota Highlander Hybrid.”
The smooth transitions from gas, to electric, and back, is “a astonishing [in its] seamlessness, the absence of shudder or second-order vibrations.”
The hybrid's improved aerodynamic efficiency: “A slippery 0.34 Cd, compared to 0.39 Cd for the standard Tahoe. Not bad for a vehicle that looks like a refugee from the shipping yard at Long Beach.”
But for all this praise, Mr. Neil asks a number of bigger and tougher questions, not just aimed at GM engineers and marketeers, but the general public:
Shouldn’t the aerodynamic improvements be applied to the standard-issue Tahoe?
Do the super-low-volume sales targets (considering the $8,000 “hybrid premium”), do more for GM’s corporate image than its corporate average fuel economy?
Are critics being too harsh on GM?
Mr. Neil wonders, “Could it be we're being cynical about a good-faith effort?”. He then answers his own question: “What really needs to be re-engineered, of course, is the consumer, who opts for these big, heavy-duty vehicles for personal transportation and light loading when smaller, lighter vehicles will do.”
While green car enthusiasts wait for the next generation of hybrids that use different fuel sources or rely more on electricity, big cities are now placing orders for buses that combine hybrid controls, diesel engines, and electric drives. Yesterday, Daimler AG received an order for 850 of its Orion VII hybrid diesel-electric buses from MTA, the agency that oversees public transit in New York. The new order will double the MTA’s diesel hybrid bus fleet to 1,700, making it the largest in the world.
Dan Neil, the Pulitzer-Prize winning auto journalist of the Los Angeles Times, says the Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid deserves praise. “For sheer execution, you can do nothing but throw rose petals at the thing.” But he also poses a long list of questions about GM’s 6.0-liter V8 hybrid, which he calls, “a fantastically fuel-efficient vehicle that's still a gas hog.”
Saturn Vue Green Hybrid is the greenest SUV you can find. This hybrid SUV posts fuel economy at 27mpg in the city and 32mpg on the highway, better than any other SUV. This SUV doesn’t just beat other SUVs when it comes to fuel efficiency, it betters Toyota Camry hybrid and Honda Accord hybrid as well.
Get ready for a wave of hybrid press releases coming from Detroit’s North American International Auto Show, running from January 13-27 January. The first two announcements to hit the wire are about “two-mode” hybrid SUVs from General Motors and BMW. GM will unveil the 2009 Saturn Vue Green Line and BMW will show the X6 ActiveHybrid Concept. Both vehicles will be available in the United States in late 2008.
Porsche AG said it will introduce a hybrid version of its yet-to-be released Panamera sports sedan. The company previously announced plans to build a hybrid-powertrain version of the next generation Cayenne SUV in 2010. A hybrid Panamera would be sold as late as 2013. Both vehicles will use the same full-hybrid system capable of running on its gas engine, solely via its electric motor, or a combination of the two.