I wanted a Sky R/L so bad but I couldn't wait through the ridiculous wait list. I was slated to receive one in Jan of 2007 but a drunk driver killed my Camaro in Oct. So I got a SS Cobalt (stage II, exhaust, smaller pulley, etc..) and bought my wife a R/T Charger while trying to fill the vast void of not having a Sky.

Anyway, the Charger lease is up in Nov 2009 and I want to still buy a Saturn. I like the new Vue but I am more interested in getting a good hybrid. Here is what GM plans to offer as of todays' press release:
Current 2007 Vue Green Line - consists of a larger alternator to assit the 2.4L for a mild increase in economy. The pros are simplicity and a low cost. The 34 MPG is right on par with the more complex and more expensive Ford Escape.

2008 Vue Green Line 2-Mode (the above inexpensive Green Line will still be available) This is a true 2-mode hybrid with integrated dual-electric motors in the transmission. This Vue will utilize the direct injection 3.6L (direct injection offers better fuel economy and more power, a ++) with this transmission. A version of this system is being offered this fall in the 5.3L Tahoe/Yukon. This essentially will be a hot rod while utilizing the top of the line engine with electric assist. This two mode system was developed with GM, BMW, and Chrysler and is poised to kick out Toyota with a substantially better system. The system has great economy around town with the ability to drive solely electric but it also ahs the second mode (2 mode) like the Honda Insight that offers awesome mileage on the highway. Their will be a 2008 Vue Mode 2 hybrid possibly this fall as a FWD with AWD the following year as a 2009.

2009 or 2010 Vue Green Line 2-Mode Plug-In. The will be the third available Hybrid, probably just an option with the Mode 2. This will be a larger battery pack (possibly Lithium) that can be plugged in and charged at home. This will allow a 10 mile range at 45 miles per hour with just solely the batteries and the electric motors, while using no gas you are looking at twice the mileage of comparable SUV (70 MPG has been mentioned by GM bloggers). This is the Vue hybrid that I am waiting for. Right now I am asking my local dealer to take a deposit putting me as the 1 person on “the list” (hopefully this would coordinate with my charger lease expiration in Dec of 2009.

2012 The Volt electric car with the EFlex system will be offered. This essentially is an electric car with motors that drive the wheels directly. This car will utilize an onboard generator that could be a number of power generators (the Flex in EFlex) hydrogen, small/E85 gas turbo, or a diesel turbo.

So here’s my question, any insiders out there that can verify Dec 2009 as a possible availability date for the 2-mode Hybrid Plug-In?

I applaud your forward thinking. I too would be interested in that Saturn Vue. However, when looking into the automotive future - what's hot on the drawing board today maybe not come to fruition tomorrow. There are so many variables that your question will probably not be able to be answered until Mid 2009.

For me, I would put that deposit into the stock market and make 8% per year.

My logic is dictated by the fact that the current Sky Red Line has a 20 month wait list here locally! "If" GM is the first to release a plug-in then you should see the same interest.

Worst case scenario I just get a VUE 2-mode hybrid in Dec 2009 since that release can be verified via GM's press releases:

So will all the other versions have the same drives?

Daewoo Winstorm (S3X)
Chevy Captiva
Opel Antara

What a jumbled car world we live in

This is essentially an Opel Antara, I would think the 2-Mode Hybrid would be available in Europe. A good indicator would be if the simple current hybrid is offered with those other name-plates this year like the Vue.

Psst... want to see a prototype Saturn VUE Green Line Plug In Hybrid (PHEV) up close and personal?

Come to Hybridfest. We will have one on display. It has 150kW assist and 10kWhr stored energy.

Plus, as an added bonus, there will be a knowledge expert, Ted Bohn, from Argonne labs on hand to answer questions and do a few presentations.

Eric Powers

MHG Organizer - www.MadisonHybridGroup.com
Hybridfest 2008 - A Hybrid Electric Car Show and More! www.hybridfest.com
Madison, WI July 19 & 20, 2008

I know volts and horsepower, how much power and how much range does 150kW assist and 10kWhr stored energy, equate to?

Why don't you come down to a real car show, Vegas in Nov for SEMA.

Here's more info..2010 for the Volt!
http://www.egmcartech.com/2007/05/07...elta-platform/
GM is working as fast as it can to get the Chevrolet Volt on the road for Americans by 2010. Last week we told you that after having workshops to let the suppliers know exactly what they need to produce the Volt, GM has awarded two development contracts for the batteries. Well that’s just half the story. GM’s Larry Burns, vice president of r&d told Automotive News that “We are doing the production engineering on the Chevrolet Volt.”
According Larry Burns, ”It (Chevrolet Volt) is a formal product program within our company, just like the Chevrolet Malibu is a product program.”
Last week, Burns listed the steps GM has taken in the program:

- GM has allocated funds for development.
- Engineering work is under way.
- The development team has selected the next-generation Delta platform for the vehicle (also used for next Astra and Cobalt).
- GM has decided to develop two versions, one with a gasoline engine and the other with a fuel cell.
No official date has been release as of yet, but it is been estimated to take GM 36 months to have a working production model working. So that means we can expect it around 2010.

I believe 10kw is about 13 horsepower and 150kw is about 185 horsepower.

There are two different numbers used here with different connotations.

Kwh is killowatt hours, which is refering to battery capacity.

Kw is killowatts, which is refering to the power output of the motor.

So in this case, if the motor were running at 2 Kw for an hour, it would have expended 2 Kwh of battery.

So this may not sound like a lot, but actually it is quite sufficient for a hybrid. Most of the time when your driving your usually staying within a range of speed. This requires little power (less than a Kw). This is the reason why on a fairly level freeway, the current VGL gets good gas mileage.

You'll probably get higher burst coming off the line, or for when your passing. In this case, you'd probably temporarily hit 20-50 Kw for maybe 30 seconds or so. Sounds like a power hit but not for that power pack. Let's take the middle of the range (35 Kw) for 30 seconds (30/3600 seconds) gives us the power consumed (.29 KwH).

The full power would only be utilized under extreme circumstances. But in order to drain the battery from a full charge, you would have to maintain full acceleration (gas/electric) for 15 minutes.

Throw in regenerative braking and the ability to plug in one should never have to worry about draining the system. Plus, you get a significant source of power at much better efficiency than an ICE.

Ok, that's enough nerd.

~X~