General Motors announced, in a press release this morning that the new
2011 Buick Crossover will come with a plug-in hybrid system. The new mid size vehicle will be about the size of a Chevrolet Equinox SUV and get double the city gas mileage of a similar-sized conventional SUV while running on a combination of batteries and regular fuel.
The Buick will have a new plug-in rechargeable version of GM's two-mode hybrid poertrain now used in larger SUVs and pickup trucks. The current version cannot be recharged by plugging it in. The new Buick will have a 3.6-liter V-6 engine and two electic motors powered by a lithium-ion battery made by LG Chem of South Korea.
Under the GM dual- mode hybrid system, a computer determines what combination of the three motors is most efficient for the road conditions, temperature and load.
The new Buick, which has not yet been named, will initially be powered by a four-cylinder engine. It will get the plug-in powertrain in 2011 for Department of Energy fleet use, followed shortly thereafter by sales to the public.
Pierre-Alexandre Tonin
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