Report: GM Green Lights Hybrid Cadillac
General Motors has reportedly given the go ahead for the battery-powered Cadillac Converj coupe.
First seen at the 2009 Detroit Auto how, the Converj turned plenty of heads when it was revealed by vice chairman of GM, Bob Lutz. Now, the Detroit News cites sources familiar with the matter who say the Converj was included in a production plan Cadillac officials presented to GM's board of directors last week.
The Detroit News goes on to say that the plug-in Cadillac will use the same extended-range electric powertrain as the upcoming Chevrolet Volt. No word on price or a release date but expect it to be after the Volt hits in 2010 with a pricetag that is considerably higher.
Read the full story here.
(Image via The Detroit News)
-
Previous News Article
Hijackers Take Over Hundreds of... -
Next News Article
Google Flu Shot Finder Shows...








I wonder if the selling model will look like the one in that photo.
manufacturers learn fast. they known electric cars are not a solution whatsoever. hydrogeen is. so they make eletric cars. petrodolar economy ftw
Hydrogen sucks. Why the heck would I want to drive to a station to get my fuel anymore? I'd rather just plug it into the wall. Fuel cell cars are electric anyways, so you're an idiot.
The only hydrogen powered car I'd use would be one that could reverse the fuel cell and create hydrogen out of electricity. But, I'm pretty sure a battery is more efficient at the moment. Batteries also don't have their energy vaporize(literally) in 1 months time.
F-hydrogen.
You know the car will look nothing like the concept.
you can fuel your hydrogen powered car at home. there are many devices. all you need is water and energy. some units cost as much as 2000$. and you don't need 12hours charging. it's more like 1.2minutes.
And fuel cell hydrogen battery is way more environmental friendly then the lead acid or li-ion batteries from electric cars. Not to mention you can only drive 100km with a electric car and with an hydrogen one you can drive 1000km. And I'm not even going to compare the performance. it's not comparable.
Hydrogen sucks. Why the heck would I want to drive to a station to get my fuel anymore? I'd rather just plug it into the wall. Fuel cell cars are electric anyways, so you're an idiot.The only hydrogen powered car I'd use would be one that could reverse the fuel cell and create hydrogen out of electricity. But, I'm pretty sure a battery is more efficient at the moment. Batteries also don't have their energy vaporize(literally) in 1 months time.F-hydrogen.
Actually, more than 99% of Universe is hydrogen, so you are using hydrogen-generated energy right now (from the sun). So, you are the idiot.
All forms of energy that mankind have used and is using now are solar energy stored on Earth at some point in the past or being transformed in other forms of energy (wind, solar). See above.
Try to get more info before calling others idiots.
you can fuel your hydrogen powered car at home...
But is then the hydrogen stored safely in the car? I'm not sure I want a blazing ride to heaven/hell each time I crash my car and the hydrogen tank explodes.
yes it's very safe. it has all the safety certifications. more safe then gasoline. and if you are worried just see the thousands of LPG cars running today without any safety problem.
Hydrogen sucks. Why the heck would I want to drive to a station to get my fuel anymore? I'd rather just plug it into the wall. Fuel cell cars are electric anyways, so you're an idiot.The only hydrogen powered car I'd use would be one that could reverse the fuel cell and create hydrogen out of electricity. But, I'm pretty sure a battery is more efficient at the moment. Batteries also don't have their energy vaporize(literally) in 1 months time.F-hydrogen.
Wow. Ignorance must be bliss. How do you think that magical electricity is supplied to that outlet you want to plug your car into? (don't answer, I'll tell you) It's created by burning limited natural resources. Electric cars of this type are no better than the misunderstood hybrid cars, both of which use batteries that take a lot of energy to produce and are a disaster to dispose of. Hybrid cars are a joke, and that smug look on the drivers' faces makes me laugh at them. They apparently have no idea what a pointless waste of money their technology is.
Okay the Chevy volt is supposed to have a 0-60 time of 8.6-9.0 seconds. Who's going to spend $40,000-50,000 on Cadillac coupe that pokey? These buyers want 0-60 times of under 6.5-7 seconds. I foresee another Catera-like flop.
The car looks a badass, but the whole Green-cars fever thing is a rather joke!
The idea of hydrogen is great. Unfortunately, actually using hydrogen as a mainstream automotive fuel source poses many problems. A huge amount of energy is required to compress hydrogen gas to the level needed for use in a vehicle. Unless this energy comes from renewables or nuclear power plants, hydrogen doesn't fix our fossil fuel problem. Currently, hydrogen fuel cells don't work well in cold weather. This may improve with time, but for now, it's a drawback. Although each generation of fuel cell uses less platinum, they still use a lot of a very scarce resource likely unsuitable for mass adoption. Even with these expensive materials, fuel cells currently need to be entirely replaced every 50,000 miles. Lastly, unlike electricity, hydrogen has virtually no delivery infrastructure.
@ Pei-chen Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles also use lithium ion batteries to supplement the fuel-cell and to recapture energy from regenerative braking. Many electric cars have quick charge capability to greatly reduce recharge time. You highly underestimate the mileage possible with EV's and greatly overestimate the mileage of current hydrogen vehicles (Tesla Roadster = 244 miles per charge, Honda FCX Clarity = 280 miles per tank).
@ Martel80 - The hydrogen fuel tanks of today are incredibly robust. Usually carbon fiber, they are tested to withstand bullet permeation and pass collision requirements without issue.
The car looks a badass, but the whole Green-cars fever thing is a rather joke!
"Green-cars" need to become a reality, but hybrids and electrics are not really green. It's an illusion to get people to think they are saving the planet and therefore willing to spend a small fortune of a premium for the technology. Oil companies still profit from electric cars because many power plants are burning natural gas to create the electricty. A hydrogen fuel cell would make a green car.
The Volt is tuned for maximum efficiency. Using the same powertrain, the Cadillac could be tuned for more performance by sacrificing all-electric range and generator mode MPG. Still, in my opinion, I don't see much market demand for this car. Only time will tell if it actually makes it to showrooms.
You know, rich people that can afford $65,000+ Cadillacs, can afford fuel and don't need hybrids. Auto Industry Fail
The biggest problem with Hydrogen right now is the lack of infrastructure. Sure people could but a machine for home use, but how many people have an extra $2000 to tack onto their car purchase? Also who has the space to put it anywhere? And how many people would WANT it there? Without a wide spread distribution network like gasoline, hydrogen wouldn't catch on. The real appeal of plug in hybrids is that you don't have to do anything at home different. You use a standard household outlet and away you go for generally up to 40 miles without gas.
That brings up the case of American power generation. We don't use much oil to generate electricity in the US. Mostly its coal (which we don't import) natural gas (which we import very little and burns much cleaner than coal) nuclear (which is much cleaner than natural gas with the exception of the hazardous waste) and hydroelectric (very clean power). Therefore, using one of these other forms of electricity generation over burning gasoline is a much better alternative than not doing anything. In the near future, plug in hybrids are a viable option but they are by no means an end all solution as long as they continue to use fossil fuels to generate the electricity (both in the charging and the extended range). Anything that can quadruple the current MPG rating of a vehicle (most plug-ins get in the 100mpg range vs. 25 mpg average for standard car) is a huge step toward reducing fossil fuel consumption.
The other problem is that cars are too big and heavy. No one truly needs a ford excursion ALL the time. Even 4 door passenger cars are becoming extremely bloated. Reduce the mass of the car and MPG increases dramatically. That should be another focus of auto manufacturers. Reduce the weight of cars.
Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles also use lithium ion batteries to supplement the fuel-cell and to recapture energy from regenerative braking. Many electric cars have quick charge capability to greatly reduce recharge time. You highly underestimate the mileage possible with EV's and greatly overestimate the mileage of current hydrogen vehicles (Tesla Roadster = 244 miles per charge, Honda FCX Clarity = 280 miles per tank).@ Martel80 - The hydrogen fuel tanks of today are incredibly robust. Usually carbon fiber, they are tested to withstand bullet permeation and pass collision requirements without issue.
Didn't tests of the Tesla show that it had the reliability of a Ford Pinto.
There already has been a cadillac hybrid you can buy. Might have wanted to add to the title "this time a car rather than an SUV"
btw how is this computer news? all cars have computers in them these days.
The front of the car needs to be reworked, it won't sell if it looks like that...
I'll stick with my my 12 MPG Eldorado thank you.
f-cadillac, im waiting for the r-zero
http://www.tuningmag.net/dcentral. [...] oncept.wmv
i'm surprised. i clicked on the link thinking i would see another SUV hybrid.
The biggest problem with Hydrogen right now is the lack of infrastructure. Sure people could but a machine for home use, but how many people have an extra $2000 to tack onto their car purchase? Also who has the space to put it anywhere? And how many people would WANT it there?
I would gladly live with those drawbacks if it means that oil companies don't get my money.
"I'll stick with my my 12 MPG Eldorado thank you."
Maybe if you lived in the UK and paid $8 per gallon you might think twice...
This will mainly be bought by the celebs who currently own a Toyota Prius. Just another way for rich people & 1 car company in particular to claim green credentials.
If GM wants to spice up the Caddy to be as sporty and efficient as it looks, they need to look into deploying a technology that helps increase performance, regenerative capabilities and reduces warranty issues with the batteries. Batteries may work well in the warm, flat, southern Californian coast line, but when they move to the colder, hill areas (such as NY), the reduced temperature and increased demand for climbing hills wears out the batteries, thus requiring another source, such as an ultracapacitor, added in parallel with the battery.
Chad Hall, COO of Ioxus