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100-MPG SUV

New joint venture, developing ultra-frugal full-size SUV, touts partnership with major automaker

by James M. Flammang
DriveSmart - Green Corner - autoMedia.com

Back in the heyday of the internal-combustion engine, when gasoline was cheap and highways were full, not many motorists fretted about fuel economy. Teenagers could drive all night on a few bucks worth of gas. Long commutes weren't yet commonplace. Traffic jams were more likely to occur on Sundays, when "everybody" was out driving, than on workdays.

Gimmicks and Gadgets

Even a quarter a gallon was too much for true frugality-minded folks, who began to complain about fuel costs. Hearing those pleas, some zealous entrepreneurs came up with solutions. Modern technology, they claimed, could let cars travel vastly farther on a gallon of gasoline. Thus were born such gadgets as the 100-mile-per-gallon carburetor.

Did they work? No reliable demonstrations ever proved they did. Yet, enough gullible drivers chose to ignore that lack of evidence to keep those "scientists" afloat for years. No one can say how many people ordered information or actual gadgets by mail, in the hope that they really would make cars operate for pennies a day.

Reachable Goal

Today, with gasoline topping $4 a gallon and diesel stretching past $5, reports of vehicles that can get 100 mpg, or even 150 mpg, again are making the rounds. This time, the claims emanate from respected engineering firms, often in accord with major automakers. Hybrid technology, particularly the prospect of plug-in hybrids, is making such claims appear reasonable and reachable.

Is this kind of gas mileage too good to be true, or can it feasibly be achieved? A new joint venture, partnering with one of the major domestic automakers, claims to be preparing such a vehicle. Two organizations—FEV and Raser Technologies—joined forces to develop this concept, which was announced at the SAE World Congress, presented by SAE International (the preeminent engineering association) in April 2008.

Plug-In Hybrid Technology

Announcement of an actual vehicle that will use this technology is planned for a "prominent" auto show, as early as the third quarter of 2008. Testing is scheduled to begin this fall, and vehicles could be on sale in low volume (to fleets) in about two years. Higher-volume production could begin a year later, they believe.

Rather than a small car or compact SUV, the FEV/Raser project puts their technology into a full-size sport-utility vehicle. Why so big? "We thought it had the biggest wow factor," said Jim Spellman, vice-president of business development at Raser. Rather than making a modest effort, they sought to "convert the worst offender."

Plug-in hybrid technology is what makes such mileage figures possible. FEV/Raser calls its project an "electric vehicle with a Range Extender." They claim that 100-plus mpg will be typical in local daily driving.

Peak Efficiency

A small gasoline engine (two liters or less) will be installed, but it's intended for only occasional use. Mainly, it's there to charge the three liquid-cooled, lithium-ion battery packs. Running on electricity alone, the vehicle is expected to have a 40-mile range.

Doesn't sound like much, though it's enough for many drivers. At that point, if the vehicle hasn't stopped for recharging at a plug-in electrical outlet, the gasoline engine starts up to handle the charging chore. Serving as an on-board generator, it's never used to propel the vehicle, only to charge the batteries. Therefore, the gas engine always operates at its peak efficiency. Specifically, the engine is said to run at 30 percent efficiency, rather than the customary 15-20 percent. Total range before plug-in charging at a 110- or 220-volt outlet is required may reach 400 miles, and Raser asserts that the vehicle produces "near zero" emissions.

Despite using a four-cylinder engine rather than the usual truck V-8, shrinking the gas tank, and other alterations, the plug-in hybrid vehicle will weigh about 1,000 pounds more than its conventional gas-engine counterpart. Plugged in at home, charging cost is estimated as equivalent to paying 60 cents per gallon of gasoline.

Domestic Partner

Originally designed by Raser Technologies, the concept was developed by FEV. Of course, no actual vehicle exists as yet, to verify the companies' claims. At the SAE Congress, the FEV/Raser people would not divulge the name of the auto company with which they're working, but Spellman noted that it's a "domestic OEM" (original equipment manufacturer), which logically suggests one of the Detroit Three. Also described as a "global OEM," that automaker will be identified when an actual vehicle is unveiled, later in 2008.

Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) already has agreed to buy two of the SUVs by the end of 2008. Raser also has developed a similarly propelled full-size pickup truck. Developers claim respectable 33-mpg gas mileage in highway driving–but a whopping 140 mpg in city use. The experimental pickup accelerates to 60 mph in a claimed 8.5 seconds, and can climb a 6.5 percent grade at 65 mph.

Spellman advises that the FEV/Raser technology is "adaptable to other-size vehicles," adding that their agreement is not exclusive to a single automaker.

FEV/Raser's planned high-mileage vehicle isn't the only one to emerge lately. During spring 2008, for instance, an experimental 150-mpg vehicle was touring the country. Instead of fantasy or wishful thinking, perhaps the long-sought dream of triple-digit fuel economy is finally about to arrive.