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0913.PR
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PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109. TELEPHONE (213) 354-5011
FOR RELEASE FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 1979
A new experimental passenger car with two drive
systems -- both gasoline-powered and electric -- will be
designed and built for the U.S. Department of Energy by
General Electric Company under contract to the NASA Jet
Propulsion Laboratory.
Called a "hybrid," this vehicle will use less fuel
than conventional internal combustion automobiles and have
far greater range and all around motoring flexibility than
all-electric cars.
This development is part of an overall DOE program
aimed at stimulating commercialization of electric and hybrid
vehicles as a means of reducing petroleum consumption. DOE
sponsorship of hybrid development is designed to encourage
industry to initiate commercial production and to heighten
public awareness of the merits and practicality of hybrids.
The selection of General Electric Corporate ì
ì
Research and Development of Schenectady, N.Y., followed a ì
ì
yearlong competitive preliminary design study (Phase I) for ì
ì
DOE's Near-Term Hybrid Vehicle Program. Under terms of the ì
ì
second phase contract award, GE will deliver two automobiles ì
ì
for test and evaluation. Proposed cost of the 30-month ì
ì
contract is approximately $7 million.
The baseline vehicle selected by GE is a l979
Chevrolet Malibu four-door sedan, which will be modified for ì
ì
this application.
A four-cylinder, l.6-liter fuel-injected ì
ì
Volkswagen engine and a GE-developed 20-horsepower electric ì
ì
motor will power the front wheels. Transmission is a three-ì
ì
speed automatic.
Lead-acid batteries for the electric drive system ì
ì
will be provided by Globe-Union Inc. of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. ì
ì
Battery weight is 770 pounds.
The electric motor and gasoline engine will operate
separately or in parallel, with the electric motor primary at
speeds under 30 miles per hour and in all low-speed maneuvers
such as parking and in reverse gear. The gasoline engine
will be primary for highway driving. Near equal sharing of
load between motor and gasoline engine will occur when both
are needed. Vehicle operation will be controlled by a system
microprocessor.
With 1,000 miles per month use, the hybrid vehicle
could save 41% of the petroleum and 5% of the total energy
which would be used by a comparable gasoline-powered car.
Batteries will be recharged by regenerative ì
ì
braking, by the gasoline engine and overnight by ordinary ì
ì
house current.
GE selected Triad Services, Inc., of Dearborn,
Michigan, for vehicle redesign. The exterior of the Malibu
will be redesigned for improved aerodynamics. Curb weight of
the five-passenger automobile will be 3928 pounds.
DOE's Near-Term Hybrid Vehicle Program has the ì
ì
following objectives expected to be met by the technology ì
ì
developed under this contract:
- Minimize petroleum consumption.
- Use near-term technology amenable to commercial
production.
- Vehicle performance requirements that allow
hybrid and internal combustion engine vehicles
to co-exist safely in anticipated 1985 vehicular
traffic patterns.
Although the hybrid is an experimental car, its
design is planned to be suitable for mass production in the
mid-1980's at a consumer price of about $7600 (1978 dollars).
Through its Office of Energy and Technology
Applications, The Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the
Electric and Hybrid Vehicle Research and Development Project
for the Department of Energy. The JPL work is done under
an interagency agreement between DOE and the National ì
ì
Aeronautics and Space Administration.
#####
#913
11/12/79