GM "Road To Hydrogen" Tech Tour Highlights Fuel-Saving Technologies

Hybrids Take A Leading Role In Seattle Stop

SEATTLE - With the summer driving season beginning this weekend and increased fuel prices in the national spotlight, General Motors has taken a broad range of its fuel-efficient advanced technology vehicles to Seahawks Stadium in downtown Seattle. The GM "Road to Hydrogen" Tech Tour stop will showcase many current and future General Motors cars and trucks that dramatically reduce emissions and improve fuel economy.

The Tech Tour also will set the stage for the delivery of the first of 235 GM hybrid transit buses purchased by King County. U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., will join representatives from GM, King County and Puget Sound Clean Air as the keys to the nation's largest hybrid bus fleet are delivered, offering Seattle and the surrounding areas a range of environmental benefits.

The new buses can deliver up to 60 percent better fuel economy, potentially saving the county 750,000 gallons of fuel each year. GM hybrid transit buses also produce much lower hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide emissions than conventional diesel buses, lowering particulate emissions (tiny pieces of soot and dust) by 90 percent and nitrogen oxide (NOX) emissions by up to 50 percent.

"King County's efforts should be considered a model to other counties throughout the nation," said Elizabeth Lowery, GM vice president, Environment and Energy. "Only through the combined efforts of governments, businesses and private citizens will advanced automotive technologies be successful in the marketplace."

The Tech Tour will serve as a platform for discussion on the future of transportation. GM representatives will explain how its global presence and numerous partnerships enable it to develop and implement advanced technologies, allowing the company to apply the most innovative and appropriate technologies to define and meet customer and societal needs around the world.

"It is important to address environmental and energy issues through frank discussion with our stakeholders," said Lowery. "Understanding various perspectives and building strong partnerships with academic, business and government sectors will assist us in commercializing these technologies."

Throughout the day, GM technical experts will demonstrate many of these current and near-term efficient, fuel-saving technologies such as gas-electric hybrids, cylinder deactivation - also known as Displacement on Demand, alternative fuel vehicles, clean diesels and others. By offering a range of options for fuel-saving vehicles that are available today and in the near future, GM aims to provide consumers with products that meet their needs and address their concerns about fuel economy.

Internal Combustion Engine Improvements One such example is Displacement on Demand, which allows a vehicle to run on half its cylinders when full power is not needed. When engine loads demand full power, the system shifts seamlessly without any input from the driver and without any compromise in vehicle performance. Displacement on Demand will appear this summer on 2005 model year GMC Envoy XL and Envoy XUV; and on the Chevrolet TrailBlazer EXT sport-utility vehicles . By 2008, more than 2 million GM vehicles with V-8 and V-6 engines will have this feature, which boosts engine efficiency by up to 8 percent (based on the EPA testing procedure).

GM engineers are also developing all-new 6-speed rear- wheel-drive (RWD) and front-wheel-drive (FWD) automatic transmissions, which are expected to offer up to 4 percent improvement in fuel economy over today's traditional 4-speed automatic transmissions. Production is scheduled to begin in 2006 for FWD and all-wheel-drive passenger cars and sport-utility vehicles.

"General Motors' strategy is to apply fuel saving technologies on our highest volume, highest-consuming vehicles first," said Tom Stephens, group vice president, GM Powertrain. "For example, our Advanced Hybrid System II - which is based on our hybrid bus technology - will be applied to our full-size SUVs and offers fuel economy gains of 25-30 percent."

Hybrids GM is offering three different hybrid systems on three vehicle architectures, representing more than a dozen of its most popular models. In addition to the GM hybrid transit bus, Tech Tour will feature several GM hybrid trucks - the industry's first hybrid pickups. The technology improves efficiency in stop-and-go driving by shutting off the engine at idle mode and enabling early fuel cutoff to the engine during decelerations, providing drivers with up to 13 percent fuel savings.

The first of 50 GM hybrid trucks ordered by Miami-Dade County was recently delivered at the 10th National Clean Cities Conference and Expo in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. It will be available to retail consumers in the state of Washington later this year as a 2005 model.

Fuel Cells GM will continue its role in fuel cell development, using its portion of the recently announced federal grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to collaborate with Shell Oil, Air Products and Chemicals Inc., and Quantum Technologies. This partnership will work to develop more hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and fueling stations, in addition to furthering hydrogen infrastructure. Research efforts will take place in several states throughout the United States.

"Tech Tour participants will see how GM is building on its history of technology and powertrain leadership to reduce vehicle emissions and improve efficiency," said Lowery. "We are committed to using advanced technologies to address global transportation needs."