Seeing as I, and everyone else in the United States, own our very own company car company (General Motors), it frustrates me to see such a lack of vision and true innovation over at GM even in the final days of it’s last stand as a functioning company. Being the home of the Hummer, no one really expects to see GM as a leader in fuel efficiency and sustainability. After all, they are the last people to get to the party when it comes to anything resembling environmental responsibility. But in light of recent events involving the company and it’s finances, GM seems to be finally going the way of it’s competitors by begrudgingly embracing fuel efficiency with hybrid, and electric, vehicles. Yet what they’re coming up with so far, it would appear they’re kicking and screaming the whole way.
GM’s Big Pat On The Back…From Itself
We’ve all been hearing about the Chevy Volt now for years. The electric sports car that has an all electric range of 40 miles. It’s that mirage in the desert that is almost within reach, but just a few more years away. While GM is waiting to be surpassed yet again by a slew of plug-in hybrids, scheduled to hit the market in the next couple of years, that will match and exceed the Volt’s current estimated all-electric range, they unveiled this week that they’ve made another great fuel efficiency innovation; an engine technology that will increase fuel efficiency by 15%!
I know, they’re aiming for the stars with this one folks. The ‘technology’ known as homogenous charge compression ignition (HCCI) essentially uses the heat and pressure generated by the cylinders to ignite the air/fuel mixture inside without the aid of a traditional spark-generated flame. This burns fuel faster and reduces efficiency losses from pumping.
It sounds like crazy stuff, I know, but you’re most likely already familiar with this ‘new technology’. It’s called a diesel engine. That’s right, GM is partying like it’s 1896. Their HCCI concept is essentially the same process used in diesel engines…only it’s applied to gasoline engines instead. Oh yeah, I almost forgot, it will take years to test and implement. It’s true, the process will yield around 15% more fuel-efficiency, but shouldn’t GM be spending every free moment and red-cent on developing something that is not only more than ‘less bad’, in comparison to what they’ve been doing so far, but a technology and product that is actually going to be relevant and viable in today’s marketplace?
The EV What?
Surprisingly, the leap forward for GM actually occurred almost 2 decades ago with it’s development, wildly successful limited release, and eventual recall/crushing of the EV1. Years before the Prius, the EV1 was the first purpose-built electric car put into production. In true GM fashion, the development of the EV1 was largely due to the recently passed, and later recalled, California zero emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate which mandated that all 7 major car companies selling cars in California had to have at least 2% of those sales be from zero emission vehicles by 1998.
The few people who were able to actually lease the cars loved them. Some went so far as to almost get arrested when GM came to repossess them at the end of the “no purchase” lease to which the driver had agreed in order to obtain the car. The entire debacle and mind numbing story of the EV1’s development and incomprehensible demise is illustrated quite well in the documentary “Who Killed The Electric Car?”. Suffice to say, GM made almost every irrational and counterintuitive decision a company could make when it came to the EV1 program and it’s continuation.
Looking At The Past To Progress Into The Future
The point being is that GM was actually way ahead of other car companies when it came to ZEV and electrically powered cars. They had even brought on Andy Frank to adapt the EV1 to run as a hybrid which in essence would have increased the cars range several hundred miles. So why does it seem like the higher-ups at GM act like they’ve all been hit in the head when it comes to gauging their current ‘innovative successes’? The fact that what they were doing in the early 90s still holds more promise and excitement than what they are doing now really is telling of the culture and mentality over at GM. They are either blind to the clearly defined avenues for truly sustainable progress and innovation, or they’re just plain stupid.
Whatever the case may be, GM’s entry into the annals of history grows closer everyday and perhaps that’s a good thing. We never would have had the automobile in the first place if we had subsidized every horse and cart company that didn’t like the idea of change. Yes, jobs will be lost and people will be negatively affected, but to prolong the inevitable for a company that continually exhibits backwards thinking, and an unwillingness toward change, is counterproductive to not only the economy, but the environment as well.
The Good: GM is finally getting on board the sustainability train, even though it’s already left the station.
The Bad: The fuel-efficiency gained from the HCCI concept would not be all that significant even if it were implemented in GM’s production models today. Many other makes and models would still surpass GM models equipped with this still lab-tested only technology.
The Bottom-Line: GM appears to be eternally boneheaded in regards to the direction in which the car-buying public, and the culture in general, is now going. Nature would not let something this overtly unintelligent survive, so why should we.
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