Hybrids, plug-ins, diesels – all green
By Bud Wells
Environmentally friendly vehicles will be in abundance at the Denver Auto Show; the focus will be green.
The five-day show gives consumers an opportunity to compare the various types of fuel-efficient vehicles, from “mild” to “full” hybrids to plug-in electrics to clean diesels, along with the finely tuned internal combustion engines.
While the Chevy Volt, a plug-in electric hybrid, is still more than a year away, consumers can view production models of full-hybrids Toyota Prius, Ford Fusion and Chevrolet Tahoe, and milds such as the Saturn Vue and Honda Civic.
The soon-to-be-introduced Honda Insight, a full hybrid, will be on display; it carries a strong resemblance to the rival Prius.
Alternative propulsion technology has also drawn attention, such as the hydrogen-powered Chevrolet Equinox fuel cell vehicle, the Dodge Circuit EV concept and the Mitsubishi MiEV lithium-ion battery vehicle.
Clean diesels in the spotlight will be the Volkswagen Jetta TDI and the Mercedees-Benz ML320 Bluetec SUV. Each delivers remarkable fuel mileage and strong midrange acceleration. Mercedes uses a 3.0-liter V-6 diesel engine; VW’s is a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder. Both are turbocharged.
They attain clean-exhaust status with different systems. Volkswagen uses a NOx storage catalyst, a reservoir trap that temporarily holds the noxious emissions. At certain stages, the engine will switch to an air-fuel mixture that will burn off the noxious emissions in the trap. Mercedes uses injections of AdBlue, a urea solution from a tank under the rear floor, into the exhaust gas, which runs through a converter, reducing nitrous oxides into harmless nitrogen and water. The AdBlue tank is replenished as part of regular servicing of the vehicle. Before the AdBlue treatment, an oxidization catalyst scrubs out carbon monoxide and unburned hydrocarbons, and a particulate filter collects the soot and burns it off.
A third European maker, BMW, will show off its diesel prowess with the BluePerformance technology in the 335d sedan.
Featured with the traditional internal-combustion engine will be the 2009 Nissan GT-R; I drove it several months ago. At the moment of its “launch,” when the power kicked in from a dead stop, the GT-R provided the strongest instant surge or rush I’ve felt in an automobile. It will run 0 to 60 in under 4 seconds. Nissan says it is the quickest thing on the road.
All this power is the result of overtime effort by the Nissan Performance Division, which put together a twin-turbocharged 480-horsepower, 3.8-liter V-6 engine and dual-clutch, paddle-shifting 6-speed transmission. The twin-clutch gearbox uses separate multi-disc clutches for odd and even gears; shifts can be done without interrupting power, by applying engine torque to one clutch as the engine’s torque is being disconnected from the other clutch, resulting in quicker and smoother shifts.
