GM Announces Buick Crossover Plug-In Hybrid Vehicle

In the days of Saturn, GM was in the process of developing a mild plug-in hybrid vehicle destined for the Vue SUV. Since then, GM has been bailed out, declared bankruptcy and sold the Saturn line. Fortunately, they decided to salvage the technology from the Vue hybrid and to place it in a Buick. The one troubling statement is that the vehicle will only be able to travel in electric mode at lower speeds. With 10 miles or so of electric range, this works fine for in town errands but would require the gas-fired engine to assist on roads with speed limits in excess of 35 mph.

From Green Car Congress:

The 8 kWh battery pack for the new 2011 Buick PHEV crossover vehicle is prepared for testing at the General Motors Tech Center in Warren, Michigan. (Photo by Jeffrey Sauger for GM) Click to enlarge.

General Motors will debut its two-mode plug-in hybrid technology—originally intended to appear first in a Saturn VUE, prior to that brand’s sale—in a new Buick crossover vehicle in 2011. Tom Stephens, GM vice chairman of product development, made the announcement during the Management Briefing Seminars in Traverse City, Michigan. In early testing, the plug-in hybrid is capable of electric-only propulsion for more than 10 miles at low speeds.

The yet-to-be-named Buick crossover will launch in late 2010, offering a family of fuel-efficient direct-injected gasoline engines, followed in 2011 by the plug-in hybrid (PHEV) model. The new five-passenger crossover will build on the success GM has had with the Buick Enclave.

Some customers who have been drawn to the Enclave were looking for something a little smaller, but they didn’t want to give up craftsmanship or a quiet ride to get there. We believe this new Buick will excite those customers, and will continue to broaden the appeal of the brand.

—Susan Docherty, general manager of Buick-Pontiac-GMC

Glimpse of the new crossover. Source: GM Click to enlarge.

The conventional version of the Buick crossover will be powered by an Ecotec 2.4L direct-injected four-cylinder engine with an optional 3.0L direct-injected V-6, and is expected to deliver 30 mpg or more on the highway. GM will announce final fuel economy estimates, as well as additional vehicle details such as name and pricing, later.

The plug-in hybrid version of the Buick crossover will combine a modified version of GM’s 2-Mode Hybrid system; advanced lithium-ion battery cells and charging technology developed for GM’s Voltec system, which will debut in the Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric vehicle in late 2010; and an efficient direct-injected 3.6L V-6 flex-fuel engine.

General Motors 2MT70 FWD two-mode hybrid transaxle, as seen from engine side. Click to enlarge.

GM engineers presented the front-wheel-drive (FWD) iteration of their two-mode hybrid transaxle, termed the 2MT70, at SAE World Congress 2009 in April. (Earlier post.)

GM has selected LG Chem—the supplier of the cells for the Volt—also to supply the Li-ion cells for the new Buick PHEV, Stephens said. The Buick plug-in hybrid will use the same manganese-spinel based chemistry and polymer battery cells as the Volt. The 8 kWh battery—half the capacity of the Volt pack—will be packaged in a rectangular-shaped box under the cargo floor. The lithium-ion battery can be fully recharged in four to five hours with a standard 110V household electrical outlet.

On the road, GM’s 2-Mode plug-in hybrid system can use any combination of electric or gasoline engine power to move the vehicle, depending on the driving conditions. This differs from GM’s Voltec technology, which provides the Volt with up to 40 miles of emissions- and petroleum-free electric-only propulsion, and an overall range of more than 300 miles with its flex-fuel engine-generator.

GM expects the Buick plug-in hybrid to be the first commercially available plug-in hybrid SUV produced by a major automaker.