GM CEO sees hybrids as image boosters, focuses on E85
05-11-2006, 09:33 PM
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GM CEO sees hybrids as image boosters, focuses on E85
GM CEO sees hybrids as image boosters, focuses on E85 - - Reuters / May 11, 2006 - 1:00 pm - -Source: Autonews.com
DETROIT -- General Motors plans to stay in the hybrid vehicle business for the favorable image it projects, CEO Rick Wagoner said in an interview this week, adding that the United States also needs to focus on ethanol to reduce foreign-oil dependency.
Wagoner said automakers should focus more on ethanol as an alternative fuel and that GM is focused on increasing the distribution system for fueling vehicles with E85 -- a blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline.
"It will reduce our dependence on foreign oil," Wagoner said, adding that the fueling infrastructure needs to grow "very, very rapidly."
Wagoner also said he planned to discuss it with President George W. Bush in an upcoming meeting, where he will ask Washington to focus on energy policy questions, such as how to produce and distribute more ethanol.
Bush earlier this year raised the corporate average fuel economy -- or CAFE -- requirements for trucks. The CAFE for cars has been 27.5 mpg since 1990.
Wagoner would not say whether he supports Bush's request to Congress to allow the White House to develop new fuel economy standards for cars, but said the concept of a mandatory requirement was not the best solution.
"We continue to think it's a misguided policy with literally nothing to show for 30 years, and built around the false premise that one can regulate energy policy changes without having anyone make any changes or sacrifices," he said.
GM has built 1.7 million E85-equipped vehicles so far and plans to make another 400,000 this year.
HYBRIDS AND HYDROGEN
Wagoner said he has no regrets about not being first to launch a hybrid vehicle, but that being a part of that market is important. "I like our emerging position," he said.
Hybrid vehicles run on a combination of gasoline and electricity.
GM, which started its hybrid line with two pickups -- the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra -- will launch its third hybrid, the Saturn Vue, later this year. The Vue will be its first vehicle powered by a new, more affordable hybrid system.
Wagoner said GM needs to compete on hybrid technology for "image reasons" and that it was too early to tell if demand for hybrid vehicles will wane, but there will be "a natural limit" to them.
Speaking of vehicles powered by hydrogen fuel cells, Wagoner said the first ones will be "massive money losers," but he added that the technology would further reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil.
GM is working on bringing hydrogen technology to the market by 2010.
Despite rising gasoline prices this summer, Wagoner said he intends to stick with developing alternate fuel sources and has no plans to stray from GM's new strategy of low sticker prices and fewer incentives.
While GM does not plan any massive blowouts like its employee-discounts-for-all promotion last year, there will be some small programs this year, Wagoner said.
"You'll see some interesting model-year close-out initiatives."
Wagoner said automakers should focus more on ethanol as an alternative fuel and that GM is focused on increasing the distribution system for fueling vehicles with E85 -- a blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline.
"It will reduce our dependence on foreign oil," Wagoner said, adding that the fueling infrastructure needs to grow "very, very rapidly."
Wagoner also said he planned to discuss it with President George W. Bush in an upcoming meeting, where he will ask Washington to focus on energy policy questions, such as how to produce and distribute more ethanol.
Bush earlier this year raised the corporate average fuel economy -- or CAFE -- requirements for trucks. The CAFE for cars has been 27.5 mpg since 1990.
Wagoner would not say whether he supports Bush's request to Congress to allow the White House to develop new fuel economy standards for cars, but said the concept of a mandatory requirement was not the best solution.
"We continue to think it's a misguided policy with literally nothing to show for 30 years, and built around the false premise that one can regulate energy policy changes without having anyone make any changes or sacrifices," he said.
GM has built 1.7 million E85-equipped vehicles so far and plans to make another 400,000 this year.
HYBRIDS AND HYDROGEN
Wagoner said he has no regrets about not being first to launch a hybrid vehicle, but that being a part of that market is important. "I like our emerging position," he said.
Hybrid vehicles run on a combination of gasoline and electricity.
GM, which started its hybrid line with two pickups -- the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra -- will launch its third hybrid, the Saturn Vue, later this year. The Vue will be its first vehicle powered by a new, more affordable hybrid system.
Wagoner said GM needs to compete on hybrid technology for "image reasons" and that it was too early to tell if demand for hybrid vehicles will wane, but there will be "a natural limit" to them.
Speaking of vehicles powered by hydrogen fuel cells, Wagoner said the first ones will be "massive money losers," but he added that the technology would further reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil.
GM is working on bringing hydrogen technology to the market by 2010.
Despite rising gasoline prices this summer, Wagoner said he intends to stick with developing alternate fuel sources and has no plans to stray from GM's new strategy of low sticker prices and fewer incentives.
While GM does not plan any massive blowouts like its employee-discounts-for-all promotion last year, there will be some small programs this year, Wagoner said.
"You'll see some interesting model-year close-out initiatives."
05-12-2006, 06:05 AM
#2
Smitty's Moral Police
Ah, there's the GM we know. Kind of like putting technology into cars to say you have it in there, but not really integrating it well and surrounding it with the world's hardest plastic. And they wonder why they're in trouble. "hybrid" silverado my ass.
05-12-2006, 11:39 AM
#4
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During a sleepless night I watched C-SPAN and saw the taped meeting of the House Energy Commitee during which a bunch of petroleum industry related folks were testifying. One gets good details during such boring meetings and a different view than what the media and others portray.
There are 660 E85 stations out of 130,000 and 5 mil vehicles (out of 220 mil) that run on it. Talk about a drop in the bucket.
There was some interesting info on a bunch of topics. ULSD will start to be made in 3 weeks and available at the pump by Labor day - look for a spike in diesel during the transition and higher prices after.
Some interesting points about Brazil, the ethanol poster child country - they became energy independant mainly because of a major spike in oil exploration and not solely by switching to ethanol, and it took them 30 years.
The most interesting fact was that if a way could be found to economically extract fuel from shale deposits, the western US has known reserves greater than Saudi Arabia!
It's obivuous why GM wants E85 - they are a major producer of the cars that run on it.
BTW, in some locales polution will go UP during the time that ethanol is used in gas.
There are 660 E85 stations out of 130,000 and 5 mil vehicles (out of 220 mil) that run on it. Talk about a drop in the bucket.
There was some interesting info on a bunch of topics. ULSD will start to be made in 3 weeks and available at the pump by Labor day - look for a spike in diesel during the transition and higher prices after.
Some interesting points about Brazil, the ethanol poster child country - they became energy independant mainly because of a major spike in oil exploration and not solely by switching to ethanol, and it took them 30 years.
The most interesting fact was that if a way could be found to economically extract fuel from shale deposits, the western US has known reserves greater than Saudi Arabia!
It's obivuous why GM wants E85 - they are a major producer of the cars that run on it.
BTW, in some locales polution will go UP during the time that ethanol is used in gas.
05-12-2006, 01:18 PM
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Having hybrids boosts the image of companies that know how to "blow their own horn", such as Toyota and Lexus.
But other companies don't "blow" hard enough, and having hybrids doesn't really add much to its image, such as Honda's Accord, Civic, and Insight hybrids which receive very little fanfare these days, even if gas costs $3 per gal.
GM seems to be blowing pretty hard though...even claiming that the silverado and sierra are hybrids which for all intents and purposes is B.S.
But other companies don't "blow" hard enough, and having hybrids doesn't really add much to its image, such as Honda's Accord, Civic, and Insight hybrids which receive very little fanfare these days, even if gas costs $3 per gal.
GM seems to be blowing pretty hard though...even claiming that the silverado and sierra are hybrids which for all intents and purposes is B.S.
05-12-2006, 04:53 PM
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Focusing on ethanol in the Us now is like Toyota or Honda trying to push hybrids on the public in 1990. I can see developing 'e85' engine technology in the background and having meetings with ethanol produces etc. to build a future infrastructure.
Hybrids don't seem to be be the fad that gm thinks they are, especially with Toyota having a full line of hybrids in 4-6yrs.
Hybrids don't seem to be be the fad that gm thinks they are, especially with Toyota having a full line of hybrids in 4-6yrs.
Last edited by heyitsme; 05-12-2006 at 04:57 PM.
05-14-2006, 12:53 PM
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the thing is I'm a farmer and plus I'm all for lower gas prices and less foreign oil. However ethanol doesn't get the mileage like normal gas does. for example lets say you got a like my parents have a 2005 Odyseey EX-L it averages 25 miles per gallon on "regular" unleaded gas. on Ethanol it would get about 20 miles to a gallon. same car,same type drving,same driver. every same. just Ethanol doesn't produce the BTUs oil does. plus stright oil gas per gallon is about(last when I checked) was about 20 cents per gallon cheaper.
so lets do a cost comparision on a 500 mile trip in a 05 Odyseey EX-L:
right now around here gas is around 3 bucks a gallon.
and it gets 25 miles to a gallon. that comes out to 20 gallons of fuel used. you take 20 gallons time 3 bucks and that's 60 dollars of fuel.
now with Ethanol. same trip.
at 3.20 a gallon and at 20 mpg. I get 80 dollars in fuel.
bottom line: to me it's a goverment front to saying we don't have a solution to get car users off foreign oil.
so lets do a cost comparision on a 500 mile trip in a 05 Odyseey EX-L:
right now around here gas is around 3 bucks a gallon.
and it gets 25 miles to a gallon. that comes out to 20 gallons of fuel used. you take 20 gallons time 3 bucks and that's 60 dollars of fuel.
now with Ethanol. same trip.
at 3.20 a gallon and at 20 mpg. I get 80 dollars in fuel.
bottom line: to me it's a goverment front to saying we don't have a solution to get car users off foreign oil.
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05-14-2006, 01:58 PM
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I could've sworn that I read somewhere that Rick Wagoner said he regrets not focusing on the EV1 project as much, and instead going with the E85.
This is a case of "Shit, we made the wrong choice, but fuck it, let's just keep pushing it, lest we look like idiots."
Ethanol sucks. Michigan sucks even worse for mandating it in every brand and type of gasoline sold in this state... 10% ethanol, what the fuck? Besides, I've never even see a gas station with E85, meaning even if my dad wanted to use E85 in his XLD, he couldn't. Way to go, GM. Ethanol certainly is the answer.
This is a case of "Shit, we made the wrong choice, but fuck it, let's just keep pushing it, lest we look like idiots."
Ethanol sucks. Michigan sucks even worse for mandating it in every brand and type of gasoline sold in this state... 10% ethanol, what the fuck? Besides, I've never even see a gas station with E85, meaning even if my dad wanted to use E85 in his XLD, he couldn't. Way to go, GM. Ethanol certainly is the answer.
05-14-2006, 05:57 PM
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I just saw Motorweek on PBS ( Friday May 12th) and they talked about E85...it seems the highest concentrated E85 stations and cars are in the midwest since they have farms and refineries for it. But if what Water-S said is true, I think why continue with E85 other than foreign oil dependence?
05-14-2006, 11:51 PM
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Originally Posted by Water-S
so lets do a cost comparision on a 500 mile trip in a 05 Odyseey EX-L:
right now around here gas is around 3 bucks a gallon.
and it gets 25 miles to a gallon. that comes out to 20 gallons of fuel used. you take 20 gallons time 3 bucks and that's 60 dollars of fuel.
now with Ethanol. same trip.
at 3.20 a gallon and at 20 mpg. I get 80 dollars in fuel.
right now around here gas is around 3 bucks a gallon.
and it gets 25 miles to a gallon. that comes out to 20 gallons of fuel used. you take 20 gallons time 3 bucks and that's 60 dollars of fuel.
now with Ethanol. same trip.
at 3.20 a gallon and at 20 mpg. I get 80 dollars in fuel.
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