GM Stir-Lec I

Last updated

The General Motors Stir-Lec I was a concept hybrid electric car based on the Opel Kadett body in 1969. [1] The power plant consists of 14 lead-acid batteries in the front of the car which transfer energy to a rear-mounted 3 phase electric induction motor, in turn driving the rear wheels. The Stir-Lec I had a top speed of 55 mph (89 km/h). While the car is running, the batteries are constantly recharged by a small Stirling engine in the rear. The engine was allegedly so quiet it was hard to determine if it was running or not, just by sound. Since the Stirling is an external combustion engine, the exhaust has virtually no odor and pollution levels can be made very low.

Another hybrid electric car GM experimented with in 1969 was the XP-883 which featured a similar, but reversed drive line to the Stir-Lec I (using front-wheel drive, with a front-mounted motor and engine, along with rear-mounted batteries). [2]

The Stirling was successfully tested in an Opel Kadett and an AMC Sprint. The clean exhaust of this engine was due to its "continuous and controllable combustion process." It was reported that a fuel efficiency of better than 70 miles per gallon could be realized for a 3,500-pound car. Congressional testimony also asserted, in 1980: ..."if the engine is switched one for one for a 1980 internal combustion engine, a 30% improvement will be realized." [3]

And in 1984: "These engines met or exceeded the miles-per-gallon found with standard internal combustion engines and demonstrated environmental acceptability with a variety of fuels including gasoline, diesel, kerosene and alcohol." The Stirling "would propel a vehicle further on a given amount of fuel than any other engine."

• As of 1972, there were several hybrid electric cars developed by major car companies but never produced.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hybrid vehicle</span> Vehicle using two or more power sources

A hybrid vehicle is one that uses two or more distinct types of power, such as submarines that use diesel when surfaced and batteries when submerged. Other means to store energy include pressurized fluid in hydraulic hybrids.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vauxhall Viva</span> Motor vehicle

The Vauxhall Viva is a small family car that was produced by Vauxhall in a succession of three versions between 1963 and 1979. These were designated the HA, HB and HC series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electric vehicle</span> Vehicle propelled by one or more electric motors

An electric vehicle (EV) is a vehicle that uses one or more electric motors for propulsion. It can be powered by a collector system, with electricity from extravehicular sources, or it can be powered autonomously by a battery. EVs include, but are not limited to, road and rail vehicles, surface and underwater vessels, electric aircraft, and electric spacecraft. For road vehicles, together with other emerging automotive technologies such as autonomous driving, connected vehicles, and shared mobility, EVs form a future mobility vision called Connected, Autonomous, Shared, and Electric (CASE) Mobility.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fuel efficiency</span> Form of thermal efficiency

Fuel efficiency is a form of thermal efficiency, meaning the ratio of effort to result of a process that converts chemical potential energy contained in a carrier (fuel) into kinetic energy or work. Overall fuel efficiency may vary per device, which in turn may vary per application, and this spectrum of variance is often illustrated as a continuous energy profile. Non-transportation applications, such as industry, benefit from increased fuel efficiency, especially fossil fuel power plants or industries dealing with combustion, such as ammonia production during the Haber process.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Opel Astra</span> Compact car

The Opel Astra is a compact car/small family car (C-segment) developed and produced by the German automaker Opel since 1991, currently at its sixth generation. It was first launched in September 1991 as a direct replacement to the Opel Kadett. As of 2022, the car slots between the smaller Corsa supermini and the larger Insignia large family car.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Opel Kadett</span> German small car model

The Opel Kadett is a small family car produced by the German automobile manufacturer Opel from 1936 until 1940 and then from 1962 until 1991, when it was succeeded by the Opel Astra.

Global Hybrid Cooperation, formerly Advanced Hybrid System 2 (AHS2), is a set of hybrid vehicle technologies jointly developed by General Motors, Daimler, and Chrysler LLC, with BMW joining in 2005. It uses 2 or 3 planetary gearsets in an automatic transmission: one on the internal combustion engine (ICE) side paired with a second, forming the compound split, and possibly one third additional planetary gearset to multiply the number of fixed gear ratios. General Motors has stopped using the "AHS2" name as of 2006, preferring to call it simply a two-mode hybrid system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chevrolet S-10 EV</span> Motor vehicle

The Chevrolet S-10 Electric was an American electric-powered vehicle built by Chevrolet. It was introduced in 1997, becoming the world's first electric pickup truck from the original manufacturer, updated in 1998, and then discontinued. It was an OEM BEV variant of Chevrolet's S-10 pickup truck. The S-10 Electric was solely powered by electricity (batteries) and was marketed primarily to utility fleet customers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Automotive engine</span> Car and truck technology

There are a wide variety of propulsion systems available or potentially available for automobiles and other vehicles. Options included internal combustion engines fueled by petrol, diesel, propane, or natural gas; hybrid vehicles, plug-in hybrids, fuel cell vehicles fueled by hydrogen and all electric cars. Fueled vehicles seem to have the advantage due to the limited range and high cost of batteries. Some options required construction of a network of fueling or charging stations. With no compelling advantage for any particular option, car makers pursued parallel development tracks using a variety of options. Reducing the weight of vehicles was one strategy being employed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ford Reflex</span> Motor vehicle

The Ford Reflex is a concept car introduced at the 2006 North American International Auto Show that, according to Ford, "proves small cars can be bold and American". It is a technological showcase that includes solar panel-powered headlights, integrated child seat, baby cam with a monitor mounted on the dash, inflatable rear safety belts, and an interior quieted by ground rubber taken from Nike athletic shoe outsoles. A production version of the Reflex design has not yet been announced. It features an advanced diesel-electric hybrid engine with new-generation lithium ion batteries that help deliver up to 65 miles per US gallon of diesel fuel, and can accelerate the vehicle from 0 to 60 mph (97 km/h) in 7 seconds.

The Dodge Intrepid ESX prototype cars are the result of the 1993 response by the Chrysler Corporation to a challenge by U.S. President Bill Clinton to produce a vehicle which was capable of meeting the demands of the modern consumer, while still achieving an unprecedented 80 miles per US gallon overall in fuel economy. The PNGV - Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles project was aimed at The Big Three American car manufacturers.

Hybrid vehicle drivetrains transmit power to the driving wheels for hybrid vehicles. A hybrid vehicle has multiple forms of motive power.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to automobiles:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chevrolet Volt</span> Range extended electric automobile

The Chevrolet Volt is a plug-in hybrid manufactured by General Motors, also marketed in rebadged variants as the Holden Volt in Australia and New Zealand and the Buick Velite 5 in China, and with a different fascia as the Vauxhall Ampera in the United Kingdom and as the Opel Ampera in the remainder of Europe. Volt production ended in February 2019.

Voltec, formerly known as E-Flex, is a General Motors powertrain released in November 2010. The Voltec architecture is primarily a plug-in capable, battery-dominant electric vehicle with additional fossil fuel powered series and parallel hybrid capabilities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bright Automotive</span> Defunct American motor vehicle manufacturer

Bright Automotive was a startup company in Anderson, Indiana, working to create a fuel-efficient line of plug-in electric vehicles. The company was started in 2008 with a team of employees from former companies such as Chrysler, Delphi, GM, Mazda, and Toyota. The company designed its first vehicle, the IDEA, a plug-in hybrid electric fleet vehicle designed to reduce fuel costs for corporations that maintain a large commercial fleet. Bright also had a service branch called eSolutions that focused on speeding up the process of car electrification with consulting and conversions. Bright's last CEO, Reuben Munger, stated in early press releases that he wished to see the IDEA in production by 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Range extender</span>

A range extender is a fuel-based auxiliary power unit (APU) that extends the range of a battery electric vehicle by driving an electric generator that charges the vehicle's battery. This arrangement is known as a series hybrid drivetrain. The most commonly used range extenders are internal combustion engines, but fuel-cells or other engine types can be used.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Opel Kadett C</span> Motor vehicle

The Opel Kadett C is a small family car which was produced by the German automobile manufacturer Opel from 1973 to 1979. The Kadett C, which was the third generation of the Opel Kadett, was released in August 1973, and was Opel's version of the General Motors' "T-Car". It was the last small Opel to feature rear-wheel drive, and remained in production at Opel's Bochum plant until July 1979, by which time Opel had produced 1,701,076. Of these, 52% had been exported outside West Germany, most of them to markets in other parts of western Europe. In other world markets however, various badge engineered versions of the Kadett C remained in production as late as the mid 1990s under other GM brand names.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hyundai Blue-Will</span> Motor vehicle

The Hyundai Blue-Will is a plug-in petrol-electric hybrid concept compact car designed by the South Korean car manufacturer Hyundai Motor Company. The vehicle was debuted at the 2009 Seoul Motor Show in South Korea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Opel Twin</span>

The Opel Twin was a prototype vehicle built by Opel in 1991. If was an electric car with an exchangeable drive unit including the rear wheels. For an electric drive, the batteries and motors could be replaced by an internal combustion engine including fuel tank, gearbox and an exhaust system.

References

  1. "General Motors Hybrid Car from 1969!". Archived from the original on 2009-06-30. Retrieved 2009-07-21.
  2. Hybrid Car Ready in 1969
  3. "9786131653179 - GM Stir-Lec I: General Motors, Concept car, Hybrid electric vehicle, Opel Kadett, Lead-acid battery, Three-phase, Automobile layout, Induction motor - Frederic P. Miller, Agnes F. Vandome, John McBrewster".

A Stirling Electric Hybrid Car Agarwal, P., Mooney, R., and Toepel, R., "Stir-Lec I," SAE Technical Paper 690074, 1969