Thanks for the article. It is a step in the right
direction. On a percentage basis the MPG increase is
very good. I know I'm risking inflaming some people
by saying it but: Even at 18.6 MPG we Americans have
fuel in-efficent cars. It hurts the enviorment and
keeps us poor - both as individual -gas- and a country
- balance of trade -imports & high interest rates -
yes they are high by historical standards.
It kills me when I see people communiting to work in
Exsursions. (I'll admit it I have a '96 sunfire -
25mpg in the city - to commute to work & the QC for
all else).
--- Patrick and Kelly Engram
<patrickandkelly@erols.com> wrote:
> Info from Buzz- new 3.9L hybrid Durango will out
> accelerate 0-60 mph a
> 5.9L, and have better fuel ecomony.
> Read below....
> Patrick
>
>
> DaimlerChrysler is preparing to offer a
> hybrid vehicle that
> customers want -- a high performance
> sport-utility vehicle
> with improved fuel economy and lower
> emissions at an
> affordable cost.
>
> The gasoline-electric hybrid Dodge
> Durango SUV, with
> patented through-the-road powertrain
> technology, gives
> consumers the option of an
> environmentally-friendly vehicle
> that continues to provide the
> performance, size and utility
> right for the U.S. market.
>
> "You can get V-8 power out of a V-6 and
> make fewer stops
> at the gas station," said Bernard
> Robertson,
> DaimlerChrysler Senior Vice President,
> Engineering
> Technologies. "It's exactly what people
> want – to be able to
> have a positive impact on the environment
> without having
> to pay for it. The added irony is that
> this is done in a
> sport-utility vehicle."
>
> Federal legislation to create up to
> $3,000 in tax incentives
> for purchasers of hybrid vehicles could
> make the Durango
> hybrid cost competitive with its
> gasoline-powered
> counterpart.
>
> The hybrid Durango combines two separate
> propulsion
> systems: a 3.9-liter, V-6 engine with
> automatic transmission
> that powers the rear wheels, and a
> three-phase, AC
> induction electric motor that drives the
> front wheels. The
> electric motor assists the gasoline
> engine during
> acceleration, and recaptures energy
> normally lost during
> deceleration.
>
> The combination provides the power,
> acceleration and
> performance of a conventional V-8 engine.
> In fact, it is
> quicker than a 5.9-liter V-8-powered
> Durango from 0-60
> miles per hour.
>
> The hybrid powertrain yields a 20 percent
> increase in fuel
> economy, achieving 18.6 miles per gallon
> combined
> city/highway, compared with 15.5 miles
> per gallon for the
> conventional V-8 Durango. The application
> of fuel-saving
> hybrid technology in a popular
> sport-utility vehicle results
> in greater overall savings in fuel
> consumption than the same
> technology applied to a smaller passenger
> car.
>
> "If every SUV sold in this country got
> that kind of
> improved fuel economy with a hybrid
> powertrain, we would
> save 142 million gallons of gas a year,"
> Robertson said.
>
> In addition, the improved fuel economy
> results in reduced
> emissions of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse
> gas that is
> produced in the combustion of fossil
> fuels.
>
> Passengers also enjoy a quieter, smoother
> ride, with no
> sacrifices in comfort or equipment
> options, although trailer
> tow capability is reduced.
>
> The gains in fuel efficiency result in
> part from the
> downsizing of components in the hybrid
> vehicle. A smaller
> engine can be used, permitting use of
> smaller related
> components, including catalytic
> converter, fan and fan
> clutch, radiator, and drive shaft. The
> improved fuel
> economy, in turn, permits use of a
> smaller fuel tank (20
> gallons vs. 25 gallons).
>
> With the performance provided by the
> gas-electric hybrid,
> the Durango can be adapted for the U.S.
> and European
> markets to meet consumers' differing
> demands for fuel
> economy, lower emissions and performance.
>
> DaimlerChrysler has been a leader in the
> development of
> vehicles demonstrating hybrid technology,
> including the
> ESX, ESX2 and ESX3 concept cars with mild
> hybrid, or
> "mybrid" powertrain technology, and the
> Chrysler Citadel,
> the first concept vehicle to implement
> DaimlerChrysler's
> patented through-the-road technology.
>
> "Consumers are in love with the size,
> safety, comfort and
> versatility of the sport-utility vehicle.
> To offer them an
> affordable SUV that is also more fuel
> efficient and lower in
> emissions would have a major impact on
> our national oil
> consumption and greenhouse gas
> emissions," said
> Robertson.
>
> Posted: 10/12/2000
> Source:DC
>
>
=====
2000 Quad Cab 4X4-Sport V-6 Automatic Sports Plus Package
31X10.5 tires Limited Slip 3.55 Trailer Tow Group
HD Package Skid Plates Added:Airaid air filter,Flowmaster 3 chamber,
Steel Horse Torneau cover, Autolite Double Platinum Spark Plugs,
Removed air horns from Throttle Boddy, added new TB bolts,
Cool Tape around air filter and A/C tubes-Smyrna, Georgia
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