At the 2008 Detroit auto show, we were impressed the importance given to promoting hybrid vehicles by car makers. This year we expected everyone to have some sort of alternative powerplant on display. We’ve seen lots of examples of vehicles badged with the hybrid name. But not all hybrids are the same. The challenge now is to differentiate one from the next. At the show this year we noticed a broader variety of language being used to describe each vehicle type. The most evolved is probably the Mini E which manages to include the manufacturer name and forgoes the hybrid tag. The above is a sampling of some of the names that caught our eye.
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Errr, Dave … the Mini E is *not* a hybrid. It’s a pure electric vehicle. No combustion engine whatsoever. That’s why they’re not calling it a hybrid!
Ditto the Smart EV (”electric drive”) and, arguably, the Chevrolet Equinox Fuel Cell–though it has the H2 fuel cell and a battery, so perhaps that counts as a hybrid powertrain.
But the other two: Pure EVs. Not hybrids.
January 28th, 2009 at 3:17 pm
Fair enough John, maybe I should have called the piece ‘Drivetrain Naming 2.0′
January 28th, 2009 at 5:08 pm
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January 29th, 2009 at 10:08 am