13 May 2010 Tokyo, Japan Suzuki Swift Plug-in Hybrid gains type designation from Japanese government Suzuki Motor Corporation’s newly developed Swift Plug-in Hybrid gained type designation from the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism on 12 May. As a result, it can, like a typical production car, be registered and receive number plates without having to be physically presented to the ministry. The Swift Plug-in Hybrid is a compact passenger car with a 0.66L engine that’s used for electricity generation in a powertrain based on that of an electric vehicle (EV). It can travel about 15km on battery power. When the battery runs low, it can run on electricity generated by means of the engine; the user does not need to worry about getting stranded by a flat battery. The incorporation of the small engine makes a large volume of costly, heavy batteries unnecessary, so it keeps the cost of the car down and enables the car to be light and compact. Suzuki plans to ship Swift Plug-in Hybrid units to dealers throughout Japan this autumn and have them subjected to proving tests in order to collect performance data corresponding to regional traffic conditions and information on service issues. read more... Ken@Japan
No arrow back from wheels to batteries?? More mistaken marketing like the one thrown by GM on Volt benchmarking, or really does not regen??
More info from the link: Gas engine size: PHV Prius: 1.796 L PHV Swift: 0.660 L Electric motor power rating: PHV Prius: 80 hp (60 kW) PHV Swift: 74 hp (55 kW) Battery Pack: PHV Prius: 5.2 kWh PHV Swift: 2.66 kWh Fuel economy measured in JC08 cycle and verified by Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism: PHV Prius: 57.0 km/L (134 MPG) PHV Swift: 37.6 km/L (88 MPG) PHV Prius (hybrid mode): 30.6 km/L (72 MPG) PHV Swift (hybrid mode): 25.6 km/L (60 MPG) PHV Prius Source PHV Prius is better in every way. We just need to know the price. It is interesting to see the series hybrid with 0.66 L (1/3) displacement of the Prius can not get better MPG in hybrid mode.
Price will be the main deal. Yes, the Prius is better, but is also in a larger, and pricer class. It's battery pack holds twice the charge of the Swift, but gives the car only a 50% increase in electric range. Swift was once available in the states as the Geo Metro. I don't think the Swift's target market in the economy area has changed much in the years. Unless the Japanese test reguires further driving on gas for cars with longer range, the Prius gets a higher fuel economy in the charge included test mainly because it has a longer electric range. But a larger pack would be a larger price increase for the Swift. As a percentage of price, the battery pack is probaly a larger chunk for the Swift than Prius. The series hybrid is simply not as efficient as a parallel/series one when running one just gas. Doesn't matter if a majority of your driving is on grid electric. The Swift is like the Insight2. Doesn't beat the Prius, but as long as it isn't overpriced for it's class, it can succeed and excel in its segment.
Are there studies/references on the importance of energy conversion loss in serial hybrids vs parallel hybrids (when batteries are depleted) (%)? What is the electrical path loss in the HSD? How is it important in the whole system efficiency? Am I correct assuming many car builders avoid HSD-type design (parallel and serial) because it is protected by patents (unless licensed from Toyota, like Mazda or Ford did)? They would then be left with the serials option, even if it is less efficient (in conventional hybrid mode, with batteries depleted)?
Are Toyota's patents so widely encompassing that they are inhibiting competition? (this question is not posed directly at you; it is for everyone)
Price point. Remember, this is basically a Yaris-sized vehicle with a plug-in hybrid system. Price will be a big factor. At 25km/L, that's 4.0L/100km or 59mpg. So realistically, say it's more like 50mpg. That's pretty good for a car that will be cheaper than a Prius and for someone who doesn't mind a smaller vehicle.
I have only seen a summary of the study done by Toyota comparing Parallel, Series and Series-Parallel hybrids. The picked HSD (series-parallel) due to low cost with highest benefits. HSD is geared to be 72% parallel and 28% series. The actual amount of power split between the two paths varies at any instance. That's because it depends on the rpm of the generator. HSD leans toward the series hybrid at low speed or heavy acceleration. The reason is to multiply torque at the wheel (using huge torque from electric motor for "low gear"). HSD has heretical mode to minimize electrical path and maximize mechanical path on the highway. This achieve the "high gear". Having both the series and parallel paths utilized as low and high gears plus anything in between allows HSD to get away without having a dedicated gearbox transmission. The effect of the CVT is simply the change in the percentage of series vs. parallel modes. This new concept in the transmission operation need a hybrid drivetrain (gas + electric) to work. Therefore it was named eCVT; even though there isn't any transmission. Everything works out very well from a very simple planetary gearset without shifting any gear that would result in power interruption or lag. The overall efficiency gain is the best of both worlds; greater MPG on the highway than a parallel hybrid and EV drive benefit at low speed. Toyota patented HSD with about 3,000 (1,000 patents per generation). Competitors can still come up with a parallel-series hybrids. For example, Hyundai's Blue Drive (HBD) is technically a parallel-series hybrid. HBD is around 90% parallel and 10% series judging by the power rating of the generator and gas engine. HBD also need a clutch and a separate (automatic) transmission. HBD is much more complex mechanically than HSD.
You make a great point. PHV Swift (88 MPG if plugged in) gets higher MPG than a regular Prius (72 MPG). If Suzuki can price it below or around the regular Prius, they can compete.
Ya never know what sneaky ol' Toyota may have up their sleeve ... they may just drop a Yaris PHEV bomb on 'em and make future mpg killers a mere dream for the competition.
It's easy to imagine some of the engineers getting anxious to work on an extreme. Rather than the well-balanced Prius (size, price, power, efficiency), they focus on a vehicle which places very heavy emphasis on efficiency. .
