Electric Vehicle Forums - Letter from Saturn today...

- Saturn Vue Green Line (https://electricvehicleforums.com/forums/saturn-vue-green-line-54/)

- - Letter from Saturn today... (https://electricvehicleforums.com/forums/saturn-vue-green-line-54/letter-saturn-today-15107/)

Re: Letter from Saturn today...

Quote:

Originally Posted by TeeSter (Post 187540)

....As for your MPG there can be a lot of reasons for that, it might just be that the GM system doesn't help much on your commute. Last I knew its not a two mode hybrid.... it really is of most help in stop-and-go traffic where the engine can shut down. The system in the Vue probably won't help alot if your drive is mostly freeway.

Actually, it's probably more the other way around. You are correct that currently the VUE is not a 2-Mode, but fact is, the BAS provides improvement on the highway by assisting the engine so it doesn't have to work as hard. In stop and go driving, the BAS is good in situations where you have a discrete stop and go (lot's of stop signs, traffic lights). There you can get a total shut down and re-start. It's not as good with congestion situations where traffic is just inching along at low speed. You don't get the advantage of engine off because there is no EV capability.

There will be EV capability in the VUE 2-Mode when it launches in a few months.

Peace,

Martin

Re: Letter from Saturn today...

Quote:

Originally Posted by martinjlm (Post 187580)

I wasn't aware a non-two mode hybrid could provide any electric assist on the freeway at speed other than for brief acceleration bursts. If you don't have a generator to provide electric power at steady state freeway speed where does the electric motor get its current from? The battery? You'd drain that in a few miles at best.

In a two mode the ICE is turning a generator and driving the wheels... the current from the generator is used by the electric motors to provide assist because the electric motors can provide better torque at certain RPM levels... without a generator two mode system... I don't understand how you can do it.

Re: Letter from Saturn today...

Quote:

Originally Posted by TeeSter (Post 187621)

Jalopnik.com explains it better than I would, so I'll just clip part of their review..... The Bold parts underscore what I was saying about the system boosting the engine performance to allow it to work less hard / more efficiently. The Underlined parts underscore what I was saying about the differences between stop & go driving vs congestion related slow speeds.

Using a combination generator/motor attached to the engine, the Vue Hybrid provides sort of an electric turbo-boost effect when needed to complement the relatively frugal Ecotec four-cylinder under the hood. It also uses regenerative engine braking to charge a small 36-volt battery pack behind the rear seats. The Vue Hybrid cannot cruise on electricity alone, though it does shut down the engine during stops.
So what good is a hybrid if you can't drive on straight electricity? It all depends upon what kind of driving you do most. If you're running errands in stop-and-go situations around town, the Vue Hybrid could provide you with significant fuel cost savings, since the engine will shut off at lights and give you an electric boost when you accelerate away. Similarly, on wide-open freeway driving, the Vue provides an estimated 32 MPG thanks to its electric assist — even better than the more-advanced Escape Hybrid's 31 MPG highway.
If, on the other hand, you tend to creep along in gridlocked interstate traffic, the Vue Hybrid will provide fewer benefits: Since the Vue's engine will remain on while crawling at low speeds, a true two-mode system like that found in the larger Tahoe/Yukon SUVs or the Ford Escape Hybrid would allow you to move at low speeds on pure electric power, saving more fuel. The disadvantage for the Saturn here is easily apparent when you compare the Vue's 25 MPG city rating with the Escape Hybrid's 34 MPG city mileage.

And here's a link to the entire review......

http://jalopnik.com/5051020/2008-sat...ybrid-part-one

Re: Letter from Saturn today...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flores (Post 141134)

We got a letter from Saturn acknowledging there is a potential problem with the GreenLine.

From what they describe, it is the same problem folks who are getting poor performance from their Vues were describing, mainly that the battery system was not working properly. Saturn attributes this to too much resistance across the charging system, which causes it to shut down.

The best part is, you only have between 20 and 90 minutes of drive time before the car uses up its battery, and you will be stuck!

The temporary 'fix' when you notice the problem (check engine light, battery light, or the charge/discharge gauge stays fixed in the center), is to shut off the car, and restart it.

The good news is, they are asking us to bring ours in and have the engine and transmission control units reprogrammed as well as a change to the wiring harness to prevent this issue from occurring.

Anyone else get the letter?

Mine is doing the same thing how do get in touch with Saturn when I come to a stop sign my car doesn't shut down like it's suppose to and my charge assist isn't working either.