Just as important as the Chevy Volt?
Are GM’s electrified powertrains unified?
Before GM’s bankruptcy, a plug-in dual mode hybrid version of the Saturn Vue was set to hit the market not long after the launch of the Chevy Volt. Since bankruptcy and the death of Saturn, the company has said little regarding GM’s dual mode plug-in architecture. A Buick iteration seemed a possibility, but overall the death of GM’s ‘other’ plug-in hybrid drive seemed plausible.
Then GM showed off an updated plug-in hybrid architecture in the Mi-Ray concept that opened the door to alternative plug-in hybrid powertrains, and at the SAE conference, GM announced an updated prototype of its dual mode plug-in hybrid drive.
Is GM confused about plug-in vehicles, or is GM simply creating a robust electrified portfolio?
For comparison, Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy drive isn’t just the powertrain of hybrid cars like the Toyota Prius, but also the powertrain of the upcoming plug-in hybrid Prius, as well as as a number of Toyota plug-in electric and fuel cell concept vehicles. Ultimately, the HSD was developed to be a flexible and adaptable-to-all-forms of electrification powertrain. As a result, Toyota Prius development has resulted in a multitude of battery and fuel cell car patents that ensure that HSD is becoming Toyota’s powertrain of the future.
What’s GM’s powertrain of the future?
Today, GM offers E-Assist, dual mode hybrids, and Voltecs. Soon dual mode plug-in hybrid, full electric and fuel cell vehicles will also become part of GM’s electric mix. But how coordinated are these different powertrains?
If all of these electrified powertrains are as synchronized as are Toyota’s via the HSD, then GM seems to have an even more robust electric vehicle platform than does Toyota – particularly in terms of the light duty truck space. If not, however, then scale could give Toyota a major advantage in the race to mainstream electrification.
While it is clear that there is some part share between a number of these powertrains, considering the fact that the original BAS hybrid powertrain has undergone major updates, as has the dual mode plug-in hybrid – while the the Chevy Volt was being rushed to market – it seems a little hard to believe that GM’s plans for electrification are today as cohesive as are Toyota’s, although certainly not impossible.
So, what does that say about the Volt? I guess it suggests that the Volt is just a piece of GM’s future, not THE future. Nevertheless, if GM’s electrification program is as well synchronized as Toyota’s, GM’s future could be electric.