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GM's Advanced Propulsion Technology Strategy

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GM's Advanced Propulsion Technology Strategy em • feature CASE STUDY by Meganne Arens GM’s Advanced Propulsion Meganne J. Arens, APR, for GM Environment & Energy Communications, Technology Strategy General Motors Corp., Detroit, MI. The automotive industry is in a very turbulent period. However, what is certain is that today more than one-third of the world’s energy needs are met with petroleum and that the automobile is 96% dependent on fossil fuels. Supply and availability, fuel prices, sustainable growth, climate change, and even national security all have a common denominator: oil. 24 em may 2009 Copyright 2009 Air & Waste Management Association awma.org As a business necessity and as our obligation to society, GM is working to bring all of these technologies to General Motors Corp. (GM) believes the global auto- market using its global organization with common methods motive industry must develop alternative sources of and systems within the company’s global product devel- propulsion, based on diverse sources of energy, to meet opment, manufacturing, and purchasing departments. The the world’s rapidly growing demand for personal trans- goal is to provide transportation solutions that meet the portation that is sustainable and affordable to purchase varied needs of markets around the world. Solutions for a and operate. Energy and environmental leadership are given area will be based on a variety of factors, including keys to GM’s future business strategy. local fuel resources and consumer driving patterns. At GM, we believe that: As a full-line automaker, GM is pursuing energy • Electrically-driven vehicles are the best solution to diversity across its product lineup by developing vehicles GM believes address society’s energy and environmental concerns. that can be powered by advanced propulsion systems that innovation, • There is no singular solution to the issue of propulsion using many different energy sources that displace and energy technology. Several sources of energy will petroleum. In addition to its intensive efforts to improve efficiency improve- be needed to reduce global reliance on petroleum the efficiency of internal combustion engines and to dis- ments, and energy and the automobile’s impact on the environment, place traditional petroleum-based fuels with biofuels like diversity are keys while successfully meeting the growing global demand E85 ethanol (a mixture of up to 85% denatured fuel for personal transportation. ethanol and gasoline), GM is also significantly expanding to sustainable and accelerating the development of electrically driven global economic Petroleum has been one of the world’s primary energy vehicles, including hybrids, plug-in hybrids, extended- development. sources for more than a century because of its relative range electric vehicles, and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles. abundance, high energy density, and ease of transportation. As the demand for automobiles around the world has In the long term, GM considers a variety of energy grown (and continues to grow), so too has the demand sources to have viable places within the transportation for fuel to power these automobiles. Recognizing these sector, including gasoline, diesel, ethanol, natural gas, trends around global energy issues, GM believes that and biodiesel, each contributing toward a globally diverse innovation, efficiency improvements, and energy diversity energy strategy. are keys to sustainable global economic development. Advanced Gasoline Engines To meet these challenges in the automotive sector, GM and Transmissions has developed a strategy that is focused on utilizing a Traditional engines and transmissions will continue to variety of advanced propulsion technologies and fuels to play a significant role in transportation around the globe deliver transportation solutions to markets around the as newer technologies move through development, world (see Figure 1). Challenges to development and growth, and maturation phases. With this in mind, GM implementation do exist. However, they are not insur- continues to make improvements to the traditional gasoline mountable and GM is working closely with key stake- engine with features such as Active Fuel Management, a holders to address these issues each step of the way. technology that saves fuel by using only half of the engine’s cylinders when driving with a light load and GM’s advanced propulsion technology strategy focuses then seamlessly switching to all cylinders when needed on three main areas: for brisk acceleration or for hauling heavy loads. 1. Advanced gasoline engines and transmissions: Con- Other advanced technologies like Variable Valve Timing tinuously improve engines and transmissions that and Direct Injection also help to improve fuel economy achieve greater efficiency and reduced emissions. and emissions performance in traditional vehicle systems. 2. Alternative fuels: Accelerate the use of alternative Additionally, the aggressive rollout of six-speed auto- fuels through biofuel-capable propulsion systems. matic transmission technology in GM vehicles has 3. Electrification: Drive the electrification of the vehicle helped to support the goal of improved fuel economy by developing and marketing hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and reduced emissions. In fact, by the end of 2009, extended-range electric vehicles, and hydrogen GM will have introduced 10 new variants of six-speed fuel-cell vehicles. transmissions. awma.org Copyright 2009 Air & Waste Management Association may 2009 em 25 Figure 1. GM’s advanced propulsion technology. Alternative Fuels and trucks. GM is on track to make 50% of its annual Ethanol vehicle production volume in North America E85-capable In the near term, GM believes ethanol has the greatest by 2012. In Europe, the Saab 9-5 BioPower is the best- potential to displace petroleum, and the company is selling flex-fuel vehicle, and Saab recently added the committed to working with government, academia, and 9-3 line with BioPower variants. In Brazil, more than 95% industry to promote both supply and availability. of GM’s vehicles are flex-fuel-enabled, allowing the Ethanol’s benefits include that it comes from renewable vehicles to run on 100% ethanol or a blend of 22% sources and that it produces fewer greenhouse gas ethanol and gasoline. Brazil’s ethanol primarily comes (GHG) emissions than gasoline.1 Based on results of a from domestically grown sugar cane. Brazil is a net recently concluded nine-month study by Sandia National exporter of ethanol and the second-largest producer Laboratory and GM, 90 billion gallons of ethanol could following the United States. be produced annually in the United States by 2030, offsetting up to one- third of U.S. petroleum use for Ethanol as a transportation fuel has its detractors. Much approximately the same cost as expanding on-shore oil has been written about the impact on U.S. food prices drilling and refining.2 and food availability globally because of ethanol, but after several months in 2008 when ethanol was blamed Most ethanol today is blended into gasoline as a gasoline for record prices for corn, the bushel price of corn has additive at 10% volume, called E10. GM’s preference is dropped by 40% from its highs, while ethanol has E85 ethanol, which is an alternative fuel as opposed to a followed petroleum, dropping to less than half its peak gasoline additive. Comparatively minimal investment is price. Meanwhile, food prices have continued to rise.3 required by manufacturers to reengineer traditional internal combustion engines to flex-fuel engines, making A second criticism of ethanol, and the subject of an them capable of running on E85, ordinary gasoline, or ongoing environmental debate, is whether and how any combination of the two. much impact ethanol production directly and indirectly affects land use as corn production is used for ethanol More than 7 million flex-fuel vehicles are on the road in instead of food and feed. The argument goes that new the United States today, and more than half are GM cars land in other parts of the world is converted to food 26 em may 2009 Copyright 2009 Air & Waste Management Association awma.org production, releasing stored carbon because land in the for 16 billion gallons of the RFS. Advanced biofuels are United States that was used to grow corn for food is now expected to account for the remaining 5 billion gallons. used to grow corn for ethanol. GM has alliances with two cellulosic ethanol firms, Studies released in early 2008 that suggested ethanol Coskata Inc. and Mascoma Corp., that are viewed as production in the United States was leading to the burn- leaders in biothermal and biochemical ethanol conversion ing of rain forests in Brazil received significant attention.4 processes, respectively. A recent series of articles But in the months since their release, the conclusions of published in Biofuels, Bioproducts, and Biorefinining the studies have been criticized by numerous scientists concludes that most cellulosic biofuel scenarios offer and scientific organizations as lacking substantiation.5 comparable, if not lower, costs and much reduced GHG The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is currently emissions (>90%) compared to petroleum-derived considering how to count direct and indirect land use fuels.6 According to a 2007 study by Argonne National change in GHG calculations of corn and cellulosic Laboratory, corn ethanol averages a 19% reduction in ethanol required as part of the Energy Independence GHG emissions compared with gasoline.7 and Security Act of 2007 that raised the Renewable Fuels Standard
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