Comments on: The S.A.E. Hearts GM’s Two-Mode Hybrid

By: Robert Schwartz

Robert Schwartz — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 03:48:35 +0000

I understand that Edward and other authors on this Blog, think the GM 2 mode system is technically inelegant and too expensive (although that charge may be related to the amortization of development costs, which will be written off if they aren’t amortized.

My opinion is that it is the General’s life raft. They should stop building conventional SUVs which no one is buying anyway. Their inventory will carry them and their dealers for a couple of years in any event. They should build and sell 2MHSUVs exclusively, and they should crow about it. They may be expensive, and they may not sell a lot of them for a while, but it is the only product they have that has any long term viability.

If they stick with conventional SUVs they are dead. They might as well do the only thing that gives them an opening.

By: Captain Tungsten (of GM)

Captain Tungsten (of GM) — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 01:20:43 +0000

Mr. Niedermeyer:

I think the engineers that read this post (and there are at least two of us…) would like a little more explanation of the basis of your position. Expensive? Yeah, I get that, most new technology is expensive when it is launched and is only appealing to early adopters, but over time, if it is worthwhile and the marketers do their job, costs go down and sales go up. But how did you conclude it’s overcomplicated. Your picture caption betrays your dim view of the engineering profession, but doesn’t add much to our understanding of your opinion. And the GM SUV’s are not the only application of the system, their are hundreds of transit buses trundling around our (and Germany’s)cities, packing this system, saving oceans of fuel and……wait for it…… buckets of dough for the forward thinking transit authorities that bought them.

To AET2009’s point, the press release states that the award was selected by “readers and the editors of Automotive Engineering International magazine”, which is received by all SAE members who check the Automotive box on their member profile (the other choice is Aerospace). So apparently we all had a chance to vote, but I, like you, missed the memo…

http://www.sae.org/servlets/pressRoom?OBJECT_TYPE=PressReleases&PAGE=showRelease&RELEASE_ID=753

By: AET2009

AET2009 — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 20:55:58 +0000

I am a member of SAE and was unaware of any sort of voting. I may have seen it in the Automotive Engineering International, but was so bewildered by the fact that they would put this on the nomination list. I may have just abstained, otherwise I would have not voted for this particular piece of engineering. I still wonder how much weight the votes from SAE members actually have in the final vote.

By the way, SAE members are not mechanics, they are engineers. ASE is the organization that certifies automotive technicians.

By: jolo

jolo — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 19:41:29 +0000

oops, my bad…

By: Captain Tungsten (of GM)

Captain Tungsten (of GM) — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 18:43:48 +0000

Prius won “Best Engineered Vehicle” in 2004

http://www.sae.org/servlets/pressRoom?OBJECT_TYPE=PressReleases&PAGE=showRelease&RELEASE_ID=167

By: Kendahl

Kendahl — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 18:17:03 +0000

“Isn’t it a feather in one’s cap to be an SAE certified mechanic?” It’s ASE certified mechanic.

By: jolo

jolo — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 16:56:51 +0000

Is the SAE saying that the two mode drive is the Rube Goldberg of hybrid systems? Isn’t it a feather in one’s cap to be an SAE certified mechanic? So the more complicated it is, the more people will want/need to be certified. It would be in their best interest to like this system.

I’m curious, when the Prius came to the US, did the SAE heart the hybrid synergy drive? I’m asking a question I hope someone can answer.