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18 Jul 2007 HEADLINE


SYNOPSIS: Hybrid technology too expensive for small cars, Carl-Peter Forster told European magazines, leading to conclusion that Opel will skip the IC engine and go to straight battery electric vehicle.

Source: Forbes
Class: SYNDICATED NEWS

Opel Chief Says Company Will Debut Electric Car by End of 2010

General Motors Corp unit Opel plans to bring out an all-electric car at the end of 2010, GM's European chief Carl-Peter Forster was cited as saying in an excerpt from tomorrow's Auto Motor Sport magazine.

He told the magazines that hybrid technology is too costly to use in small cars. A prototype of GM's E-Flex electric engine will be presented at the IAA car show in Frankfurt in September, he said, and series production is expected to start at the end of 2010.

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4 comments so far...

18-Jul-2007
57224 		   If true, and they are going to make more than a handful, this is bigger news than the Chevy Volt. GM acknowledging that EV is ideal for many small cars. Next question: why not in the US? I fear I know the answer to that. Not only do they not like to sell small-profit small cars, but you could get crushed in one when hit by the likes of their beloved Hummer.
Posted by: P L Schager
18-Jul-2007
57225 		   The article mention's GM's "E-Flex electric engine"... so is this really a pure EV, or is a series hybrid (fully electric drive-chain, but with an onboard generator to recharge the batteries) as in GM's Volt prototype?

In any case, it looks ilke Europe will get it 1st, though possibly only by a year before the US market?
Posted by: Jeff M

19-Jul-2007
57232 		   This is non-sense. If a hybrid vehicle is too expensive, how can a pure battery vehicle be less expensive if it still needs to have a decent range? This just can’t be. The advantage of a plug-in hybrid is exactly the fact that it combines the advantages of both worlds. An electric vehicle base, with a relatively small battery to limit the cost of it, and a small engine, to provide extended range with a handy liquid fuel. At present, if you want 500 miles range and not 50 miles, there is just no better alternative. Small car or big SUV that doesn’t make a difference, the same conclusion is true in both cases.
Posted by: Patrick Leonard
19-Jul-2007
57233 		   I think he was misquoted or it was misinterpreted. He meant parallel hybrid is too expensive - the model being introduced is the serial hybrid like the Volt only with a diesel range extender.
Posted by: Greg Kelley
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