News From the Auto Industry

The efficiency theme continues under the largely aluminum skin, where engineers crafted an aluminum spaceframe structure that weighs in at 334.4 lb., a 45% reduction from a traditional steel model. Engineers could have gone with exotic materials to really shake out weight, but remember that cost will eventually be one of the parameters PNGV designs need to own up to in 2004.

On the Precept, engineers designed the LPB pack to sit under the vehicle floor pan with a total height of just 179 mm, a length of 1295mm and a width of 516 mm.

To hit this record-breaking level, engineers started with a rear-engine design. Engineers say the front-engine layout went against the grain of the ultimate aerodynamic shape, the teardrop design. Now, with the engine in the trunk, all of the thermal management could also be sent aft.

Under the hood (actually the trunk), GM is using a hybrid diesel-electric powerplant hooked up to a complex dual-axle regenerative system using both heat and electric traction to boost efficiency. Engineers say right now, their battery specification is nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) packs provided by Ovonic Battery Co., a joint venture with GM. The 28 battery modules weigh 197lb. and produce more than 43 kW of power. A liquid cooling system circulates between the battery cells, maintaining an optimum operating temperature.