Hybrid Escalade to be offered in fall of 2007

[Variance]

Hybrid Escalade to be offered in fall of 2007

By JAMIE LAREAU AND RICHARD TRUETT | AUTOMOTIVE NEWS

AutoWeek | Published 02/01/06, 11:19 am et

General Motors CEO Rick Wagoner confirmed that Cadillac will get its first hybrid vehicle in the fall of 2007 with the 2008 Escalade SUV.

Wagoner made the announcement Wednesday at the Baltimore transmission plant during a ceremony to name the plant as the builder of GM’s hybrid transmissions.

The hybrid version of the Escalade will use a new transmission made by GM’s Allison division. The two-mode hybrid system will be similar to what GM will use in the hybrid version of a Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon SUVs.

The hybrid Escalade will get a 25 percent gain in fuel economy, meaning the vehicle could get close to 30 mpg on the highway.

The supplier for the nickel-metal batteries to be used in the Escalade will be Panasonic EV, a Japanese company.

GM is spending $118 million to tool up for production of the hybrid transmissions.

Link: http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dll/arti...E/60201002/1041

[PurdueGuy]

GM sure seems to be taking this embrace of hybrids seriously. For a while they seemed to ignore it and focus on fuel cells. Hopefully they keep working on the fuel cells too, but it's good to see them making serious strides at hybrid technology.

[pow]

Escalade Hybrid makes the most sense out of all the GMT900s since hybrids are becoming a status-symbol, image-making luxury anyway, and the Escalade kinda epitomizes that. Hybrids don't make as much sense in a semi-practical truck like the Tahoe, IMO; a normal, non-hybrid crossover offers similar capabilities in a cheaper and less wasteful package.

edit: Oh, I forgot to mention that if you're gonna spend $60K on an Escalade, you can probably afford to tick the $5K hybrid option or however much it costs. A family buying a $35K Tahoe LS 2WD, on the other hand...

Edited February 2, 2006 by empowah

[Dsuupr]

WOW, 30 mpg from a full size SUV. I hope the press grabs hold of this because GM deserves it.

[evok]

WOW, 30 mpg from a full size SUV.  I hope the press grabs hold of this because GM deserves it.

Not 30 mpg, more like 25mpg.

[BuddyP]

GM sure seems to be taking this embrace of hybrids seriously.  For a while they seemed to ignore it and focus on fuel cells.  Hopefully they keep working on the fuel cells too, but it's good to see them making serious strides at hybrid technology.

GM better hit fuel cells harder than ever, you can only do so much with hybrids. Toyota is beating them to the punch, but hybrid tech can only go so far. Fuel cells will be the next turning point, and with the money GM already put into fuel cell research, they better beat everyone to the punch!

[PurdueGuy]

GM better hit fuel cells harder than ever, you can only do so much with hybrids. Toyota is beating them to the punch, but hybrid tech can only go so far. Fuel cells will be the next turning point, and with the money GM already put into fuel cell research, they better beat everyone to the punch!

Trouble is, it's a turning point that's many years away, even looking at it optimistically, simply looking at infrastructure. Mass production and distribution of hydrogen won't happen quickly, nor without a ton of politics. GM does need to keep pushing in that direction, but it's not like hybrids are distracting them from something that's 5 years off. They need to be in both arenas.

Edited February 3, 2006 by PurdueGuy

[chevyman62]

Not 30 mpg, more like 25mpg.

as much as I would like to believe 30 mpg or even 25..... it will probably be more like 21, because according to the reviews I've read on the tahoe, they're only getting around 17. But I'll keep my fingers crossed.

[G. David Felt]

NOT IMPRESSED! We add at least 600 to maybe 1000lbs more weight, Create a TON of Toxic waste on a bunch of batteries that creates a memory and must be replaced. The least they could have done is gone beyond everyone and use Lithiom Ion Batteries instead.

WHY WHY WHY Does everyone think a Hybrid is so much better for the Enviornment? People seem to continue to forget about all the toxic waste created by Battery production and the added Electrical components.

So we use less Oil but still produce plenty of new Toxic byproducts. Again, people are so easily fooled by marketing and political BULL$h!!

[Variance]

  NOT IMPRESSED!  We add at least 600 to maybe 1000lbs more weight, Create a TON of Toxic waste on a bunch of batteries that creates a memory and must be replaced.  The least they could have done is gone beyond everyone and use Lithiom Ion Batteries instead.

WHY WHY WHY Does everyone think a Hybrid is so much better for the Enviornment?  People seem to continue to forget about all the toxic waste created by Battery production and the added Electrical components.

So we use less Oil but still produce plenty of new Toxic byproducts.  Again, people are so easily fooled by marketing and political BULL$h!! 

Please know what you're talking about if you're going to go off on a rant.

Where on Earth are you getting that the hybrid system will add 600-1000 pounds?

Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) do not have a memory. You're thinking of Nickel Cadmium batteries. Hybrid batteries in other cars have lasted well over 100K miles(I've heard as much as 200K miles).

The NiMH are the most enviromentally-friendly battery type and the hybrid batteries can be recycled.

[jbartley]

  NOT IMPRESSED!  We add at least 600 to maybe 1000lbs more weight, Create a TON of Toxic waste on a bunch of batteries that creates a memory and must be replaced.  The least they could have done is gone beyond everyone and use Lithiom Ion Batteries instead.

WHY WHY WHY Does everyone think a Hybrid is so much better for the Enviornment?  People seem to continue to forget about all the toxic waste created by Battery production and the added Electrical components.

So we use less Oil but still produce plenty of new Toxic byproducts.  Again, people are so easily fooled by marketing and political BULL$h!! 

not everyone is as bright as we are....sadness

[Fah-King-Cool]

GM better hit fuel cells harder than ever, you can only do so much with hybrids. Toyota is beating them to the punch, but hybrid tech can only go so far. Fuel cells will be the next turning point, and with the money GM already put into fuel cell research, they better beat everyone to the punch!

letd hope they keep putting some cash into fuel cells and start selling them. GM spent billions on the rotatry engine and then gave up because of some glitches they couldnt figure out. but mazda has a nice motor for there sports car. i hope GM dosent give up on the Fuel Cell research

[G. David Felt]

Please know what you're talking about if you're going to go off on a rant.

Where on Earth are you getting that the hybrid system will add 600-1000 pounds?

Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) do not have a memory. You're thinking of Nickel Cadmium batteries. Hybrid batteries in other cars have lasted well over 100K miles(I've heard as much as 200K miles).

The NiMH are the most enviromentally-friendly battery type and the hybrid batteries can be recycled.

Rant Hardly a rant, but we are in disagreement. HiMH does get memory far more than Lithum Ion and you are right that Cadmium is worse with memory. The computer industry has had plenty of issues with memory on HiMH. Plus the SUV's are going to require much bigger battery packs than the little Toyota's. Yes is might not be 600-1000lbs, but it will be still a ton of weight in comparison to fuel cell's or just advancing the basic gas engine. Western Washington University took the best parts from all the various makers and built a 2 person car that got 100 miles per gallon proving that Gas engines could do more and they felt this could be done for trucks not just cars.

Still Battery production does creat a host of new Toxic by products. Not nearly as friendly as one would think and the recycled batteries still ends up leaving toxins. You can recycle just about anything but that does not mean it is better to do so.

We choose to disagree, I still do not believe that Hybrids are the right solution. For a poor family on $35,000 a year, they can still survive much easier on a Dodge Neon or Chevy Cavalier than on a Over priced Toyota Prius.

IMO

[Imaj]

Wow.. what will they call it?

Escalde Hybrid? The need to come up with some cool name B)

[PurdueGuy]

Western Washington University took the best parts from all the various makers and built a 2 person car that got 100 miles per gallon proving that Gas engines could do more and they felt this could be done for trucks not just cars.

Link?

[Newbiewar]

as much as I would like to believe 30 mpg or even 25..... it will probably be more like 21, because according to the reviews I've read on the tahoe, they're only getting around 17.  But I'll keep my fingers  crossed.

when you are on the freeway you can monitor your fuel ecconomy and it generally bounces back between a 20 V8 mode to a 35 V4 mode... so i believe low 20's for highway...

but thats when you drive it properly... no one does these days... if you keep it on cruise you get about 5 % increase in fuel ecconomy... and no one uses it. and thats for almost any vehicle.

but keep in mind the Cadillac is getting a 6.2 Liter 402 Hp motor... so, ideally it has more power to work with more efficently, or more power to work less efficently, depending on how they drive it.

Edited February 4, 2006 by Newbiewar