Park a Saturn Plug In Vue in Your Driveway by 2010
With all latest hybrid hype has been about talks over at Prius becoming a Toyota brand you might have missed an announcement from GM’s executive director of hybrid powertrain engineering, Larry Nitz. At the 2008 Plug-in conference Nitz announced that the automaker is “currently testing 11 Saturn Vue plug-in hybrid electric vehicles at the GM Proving Grounds in Michigan and Arizona.” The Vue plug-in is due out in late 2010 and will be a direct competitor to Chevrolet’s Volt model.
Early versions ofthe vehicle used a Nickel-metal hydride battery. Nitz says “But now we’re using lithium-ion batteries. We’ve done extensive battery thermal management work in the lab and on the road, and plug-in charge integration is fully operational and undergoing refinement.” There is still more research and development that needs to take place before the plug-in Vue is at a showroom near you. Based on Nitz’s announcement it would appear that the Saturn team are on the right path to getting the vehicle into your garage within the next few years.
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