Toyota A-BAT hybrid pickup closer to reality
Up to suppliers now?Back in January Toyota showed off the A-BAT hybrid pickup truck at the Detroit Auto Show, and it was received quite well. Thus, Toyota has now asked suppliers to bid on making parts for the truck, and if those bids come back as cost-effective, the A-BAT hybrid could get the greenlight to go from concept to reality, according to AutoWeek.
Labels: a-bat hybrid truck
posted by Dahcredyns at
1:00 PM
13 Comments:
Wow, that would be a sweet ride, eh?
I forget, is it a plug in? And how far does it travel on electric alone?
Never mind. I did some research and this will be a hybrid like the Prius.
No plug, no deal for me.
Do you hear that Toyota? No plug, no deal.
still, it's a pretty cool looking concept.
while toyota is moving ahead with plug-ins, they, like honda, still seem pretty uneasy with the idea.
does that mean that gm is out-thinking these guys, or that gm has out-thought itself?
Could it be patent related?
Does GM likely have patents on series hybrids, like Toyota does on their synergy drive that Ford was forced to license? Could Toyota do a plugin that wasn't a series hybrid?
In any case, I love that pickup. I would buy that, or maybe help my dad get one so I could borrow it at times.
thus far toyota has given every indication that its plug-in hybrids will be based off the hybrid synergy drive, similar to the plug-in hybrids that hymotion, etc. have been converting.
ultimately, i think that toyota just isn't certain that lithium-based plug-in technology is yet cost-effective and reliable. even if it is, production numbers are still years away, and toyota can sell many NiMH hybrids in the interim. similarly, Toyota has invested a lot in NiMH technology, so i'm sure Toyota wants to optimize that investment as much as possible.
Nonetheless, they've been working on lithium for some time, and Toyota is very tight-lipped about what its doing, so I wouldn't underestimate Toyota on plug-ins by any means.
still, their silence is a bit mysterious.
on the other hand, i've heard rumors that Honda believes the Volt is a complete joke - that's according to bob lutz whom is a pr spin-master, so take that for what you will, but honda has definitely made some interesting comments questioning plug-ins.
When was the last time you charge your electronic device for 5 hours so that you can use it for 1 hour?
That's what Volt will be. Charge it five hours over-night and you'll use up the battery in less than an hour. If you are going 70 MPH on the highway, the juice will run out in 34 minutes.
You'll have to drive 40 MPH to last an hour. The idea of not using gas sounds good but is it practical and cost effective?
That's a good point Dennis, and I think it demonstrates that range extended EVs aren't THE solution.
Still, if you live in an urban area and commute about 40 miles per day through congestion, you'll be able to make most of that commute on electric power in the Volt. If you go an extra 10 miles, you'd still average well over 100 mpg.
Will that be a better value than something like a plug-in Prius that will also use more gas initially, but could also average far in excess of 100 mpg at a cheaper cost?
I think the answer to that depends on a number of criteria, however, in some cases the Volt will make sense. In others a plug-in prius, even a conventional prius, might make better financial sense.
Of course, this debate isn't about only financial sense. For those seeking to minimize their gasoline footprint as much as possible, something like the Volt might resonate beyond just economic savings.
Ultimately, in my opinion, there is plenty of room for many different types of hybrid vehicles and plug-in vehicles in the market place.
There will be a market but the question is how big is that market?
80% commute less than 40 miles a day. How many out of those have the ability and will to plug in? Out of those, how many can spend $40-48k? etc...
The big assumption for E-Flex is that the battery will get cheaper as the mass production kicks in. The market for it, is not even in the mass... so this is just a set up for a failure.
To me what makes more sense is... A-BAT for $25k and iQ 60 miles plug-in for $20-23k. iQ plug-in will be for city local usage while A-BAT can be used to haul stuffs. The big advantage of this combo is, you can use both at the same time -- fitting 8+ passengers, husband and wife can drive separately.
Another alternative combo is the iQ plug-in with the Insight II. Insight II will be excellent for the highway while iQ plug-in will be ideal for the city driving.
I very much agree with you dennis. gm seems to believe that costs will come down significantly rather quickly. most outside analysts don't seem to agree, so I guess we'll have to see.
still, just the fact that the volt is american is going to bring in a number of buyers.
True.. but the most expensive, heaviest and significant part (battery) of Volt will not be made in the USA.
Won't be made in the USA INITIALLY! That's rather the point, I think. Fed Gov will invest in the creation of a new industry, i.e. battery driven cars, and that means America will start producing batteries. I've read indications that GM itself wants to build the batteries eventually.
I see nothing wrong with this either. 700 billion to bail out our financials based the economy? If we must, but I would much rather govt invest in new industries.
we need automobile products that are more like desktop computers with plug and play capability. Unplug the battery pack, plug in a fuel cell. Just establish standards (44volts DC, USB 3.0 automotive data connector, wheel-hub motors with such-and-such mounting bolts), and the car of the future will practically invent itself.
I think we're heading in that direction, and the electrification of the automobile will be a major step in that direction as it will fully computerize the automobile, then plug-n-play is next.
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