Plugs and Cars

JANUARY 4, 2007

GM today announced two contracts to "design and test lithium-ion batteries" for use in the Saturn Vue Plug-in Hybrid announced last month at the LA Auto Show. Johnson Controls/SAFT, the huge battery company at which President Bush first publicly announced his support for plug-in hybrids, received one contract.

VUE 100

VUE Saturn Plug-in Nickel Metal Hydride 100

Green Car Congress

JUNE 13, 2009

University students from The Ohio State University earned top honors at the 2009 finals of the EcoCAR : The NeXt Challenge competition in Toronto, Canada for their design of a Extended Range Electric Vehicle (EREV). The Ohio State’s design was powered by a 1.8-liter Plug-in capability. liter engine and fueled by E85 ethanol.

Ohio 150

Ohio Universal 2009 Design 150

Green Car Congress

APRIL 25, 2014

For EcoCAR 2: Plugging In to the Future, GM donated Chevrolet Malibus; for EcoCAR: The NeXt Challenge, GM donated Saturn Vues; and for Challenge X: Crossover to Sustainable Mobility, the company donated Chevrolet Equinoxes.

West Virginia 231

West Virginia Los Angeles VUE Virginia 231

Clean Fleet Report

MAY 13, 2021

These European designs are perfectly good EVs, although their limited battery range and high price compared to the gasoline versions are major drawbacks. The car has been rolling along ever since, including a plug-in hybrid Prime model today and variants that were discarded along the way. Nissan’s Leaf stood alone as an EV.

Market 70

Market Motorcycles Saturn Prius 70

Green Car Congress

MAY 20, 2009

Work on a research project developing an actively coupled ultracapacitor-battery system targeted at plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) applications is attracting interest from a variety of OEMs both at a component and a system level, according to Argonne’s Ted Bohn, in his presentation at the Department of Energy Merit Review this week.

PHEV 247

PHEV Li-ion Batteries Battery 247

Green Car Congress

AUGUST 30, 2009

The Saturn version of the two-mode plug-in hybrid at the Milford Proving Grounds. One of the designers called Buick “ premium without being pretentious ” Buick appears to be targeting a Lexus like experience. The Enclave was the first step in the “ renaissance of the Buick brand ” as mentioned by another designer.

GM 262

GM Buick Fuel Economy Economy 262

Plugs and Cars

DECEMBER 22, 2006

In December, Nissan announced its "Green Program 2010," projecting a line of hybrids, plug-in hybrids and all-electric cars utilizing lithium-ion batteries of its own manufacture. As underscored last month when GM announced it would build a plug-in hybrid version of its Saturn Vue, the logic of electric propulsion is compelling.

Altima Hybrid 100

Altima Hybrid Gasoline-Electric Lithium Ion Plug-in 100