Automotive News reports that BMW, General Motors and Daimler-Chrysler are working
on a joint project to produce a Two-Mode hybrid transmission. GM will use the new
transmission in Chevrolet Tahoes next summer, and in GMC Yukons and Cadillac Escalades SUVs
in 2008. Dodge will add the Two Mode in the Durango SUV for the 2009 model year.
Mercedes-Benz and BMW have not indicated which vehicle models will get the new transmission
or when. This new hybrid system combines an electric motor with a gas engine, with a
computer that determines when the two motors will be used and the onboard battery charged.
The article says the transmission, when used with cylinder-cutoff technology, is expected
to increase the mileage of a full-size V-8 SUV by at least 25 percent.
Some SUVs Get 'Two Mode' Tranny
Originally Published in Trailer Life Magazine
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