Oil and Gas Press

GE’s Mega-Hybrid Technology Makes a Splash

Tug Engine Joins Evolution® Hybrid Locomotive, Fuel Cell Bus, Off Highway Vehicle In GE’s Fleet of “Mega-hybrid” Machines

NISKAYUNA, N.Y.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Today GE announced (http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20080520005758/en) that it is demonstrating new hybrid tugboat technology in cooperation with the C-MAR Group. GE’s hybrid tug propulsion system, which features its V228 or V250 medium-speed diesel engines, a battery, a generator, and control technologies, will decrease both fuel consumption and emissions.

The tugboat platform builds on current hybrid technology projects for locomotives, city buses and off-highway vehicles. Beyond the system applications of hybrid technology, GE also is making significant investments in battery technology and energy storage management.

“Four dollar per gallon gasoline is painful for the average U.S. consumer and the impact of these record-high oil prices is even harder on companies transporting goods,” said Tim Richter, Lead Hybrid Systems Engineer, GE Global Research. “GE has been working with electric and hybrid vehicles for more than 30 years. Hybrids are a great fit with our expertise in motors, controls and energy management. From trucks and tugs to buses and locomotives, we can look at technology across the transportation sector and deliver working solutions for these mega-hybrid machines.”

“By water, rail, city streets or interstate highways, virtually every part of the transportation sector can be hybridized,” Richter added. “GE’s technology developments for mega-hybrids can potentially cascade down to the passenger cars, which would have a mega-impact in the auto marketplace.”

Emerging hybrid technologies from GE include:

Evolution® Hybrid locomotive, available in 2009
Hybrid tugboat in cooperation with the C-MAR Group
Hybrid off highway vehicle demonstration, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy
Zero emissions hybrid fuel cell transit bus in partnership with the Federal Transit Administration.
These hybrid technologies are all part of GE’s ecomagination initiative. Ecomagination represents the company’s commitment to develop new environmentally friendly technologies and products to solve our toughest environmental challenges. Under ecomagination, GE has pledged to more than double its level of investment in the development of cleaner energy technologies from $700 million to $1.5 billion during the next five years.

GE’s ecomagination and fuel smart systems in the market today include:

GEnx aircraft engine, a fuel-efficient engine that reduces emissions and noise while providing greater capacity, longer range and lower operating costs
GE’s Evolution® Series locomotive delivers up to 5% higher fuel efficiency and a 40% reduction in emissions over its predecessor.
GE’s new Trip Optimizer software generates an additional 10% in fuel savings. Trip Optimizer determines the optimum speed profile over a trip or route to minimize fuel consumption while maintaining time schedules.
In addition to GE’s mega-hybrid activities, GE’s Global Research Center is engaged in two projects with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) totaling $6.8 million to accelerate the introduction of plug-in hybrid vehicles to market. The first of the two DOE projects is a $5.6 million contract to develop smaller, lower cost, higher performing hybrid drivetrain motors for hybrid electric vehicles. The second is a $1.2 million project to develop advanced high temperature, high energy density capacitors. Both technologies are critical to enabling the commercialization of plug-in hybrid vehicles.

GE’s research activities also extend into battery development for electric cars. In recent months, GE Energy Financial Services announced capital investments in the Norwegian electric car manufacturer THINK and lithium-ion battery manufacturer A123Systems. GE Global Research is performing some research in conjunction with A123 to support their battery development, including batteries for the THINK vehicles.

GE (NYSE: GE) is Imagination at Work — a diversified technology, media and financial services company focused on solving some of the world’s toughest problems. With products and services ranging from aircraft engines, power generation, water processing and security technology to medical imaging, business and consumer financing, and media content, GE serves customers in more than 100 countries and employs more than 300,000 people worldwide. For more information, visit the Company’s Web site at www.ge.com.

Contacts
GE Global Research
Todd E. Alhart, 518-387-7914
Mobile: 518-338-5880
alhart@research.ge.com
or
GE Corporate
Jeff DeMarrais, 203-373-3244
Mobile: 203-583-2495
jeffrey.demarrais@ge.com

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Tags: GE, Mega-Hybrid, Technology