1 billion USD developed hybrid powertrain

The global auto industry alliance, General Motors, DaimlerChrysler and BMW, announced yesterday it will invest $ 1 billion to develop a new hybrid powertrain.

This new drive system will be invested 1 billion USD by GM, DaimlerChrysler and BMW to develop.(Photo: autoblog.com)

This drive system is called a two-mode hybrid (tow-mode hybrid). It differs from existing systems by operating similarly to Toyota's electronic CVT gearbox (eCVT) when running at low speed (when the internal combustion engine operates inefficiently), but then brings Switch to operate as normal manual gearbox at high speed.

This system is said to be suitable for high-speed operation because it does not require a large current as the eCVT gearbox has only one gear ratio. In addition, it is best suited for SUVs or large vehicles.

With this new system, these three giants are expected to surpass Toyota in the hybrid car segment, both in technology and market share. All three companies have concentrated on about 500 engineers working in the last 18 months for the joint project on the next generation hybrid engine system, still a combination of an electric motor and an internal combustion engine.

According to the disclosure, research and development costs are not equally divided among members, instead the contribution will depend on the number of products that each firm plans to produce. GM and DaimlerChrysler prioritize this system for the driving version of both front and rear bridges of some existing models, while BMW only cares about rear-wheel drive vehicles.

According to GM, the 2007 version of the SUVs is the Yukon and Tahoe will be the first models to use a two-mode hybrid system. Chrysler, owned by DaimlerChrysler, said it would sell the Durango hybrid SUV in 2008. BMW has not yet announced which hybrid models will be available in the next 3-5 years.