General Motors XP-883
Encyclopedia
The XP-883 was an experimental plug-in hybrid car demonstrated by General Motors
in 1969. Primarily intended as a commuter vehicle, the very small car had a fiberglass
body with a design resembling the then-future Chevrolet Vega
or Ford Pinto
. The two-door hatchback
had seating for two adults and two children, though the children sat in rear-facing seats and would enter and exit through the tailgate. It was powered by the combination of a two-cylinder engine and a DC
electric motor
. Electricity was stored in six 12-volt batteries placed between the rear wheels.
At 35 cubic inch (0.000574 m³), the engine was small enough to bypass laws of the day mandating emissions control devices. The batteries could be charged using a standard 115-volt wall outlet and could power the vehicle in all-electric mode during city driving. In hybrid mode, it had a maximum speed of 60 miles per hour (26.8 m/s), which could be reached in 28 seconds. A speed of 40 miles per hour (17.9 m/s) could be attained in twelve seconds. The electric motor powered the car until it reached 10 miles per hour (4.5 m/s), at which point the gasoline engine would kick in when running in hybrid mode. At cruising speeds, the gasoline engine would normally provide all of the power.
While the XP-883 was built using off-the-shelf technology, General Motors did not provide an electric car to consumers until about 25 years later, when the GM EV1 was made available for lease (at the same time the factory Chevrolet S-10 EV was manufactured for sale as opposed to strictly for lease). GM's full hybrid system appeared first in their city buses and their first "mild" hybrid light vehicles appeared in the first decade of the 21st century. A non-bus light vehicle version of GM's full hybrid system was expected to appear in 2007 (MY 2008) as the Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid. As of 2010, GM is preparing to introduce the Volt, an EREV(Extended Range Electric Vehicle) in November.
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
in 1969. Primarily intended as a commuter vehicle, the very small car had a fiberglass
Fiberglass
Glass fiber is a material consisting of numerous extremely fine fibers of glass.Glassmakers throughout history have experimented with glass fibers, but mass manufacture of glass fiber was only made possible with the invention of finer machine tooling...
body with a design resembling the then-future Chevrolet Vega
Chevrolet Vega
The Chevrolet Vega is a subcompact, two-door automobile that was produced by the Chevrolet division of General Motors for the 1971-1977 model years. Named after the star Vega, the car was powered by a lightweight aluminum-block inline four-cylinder engine...
or Ford Pinto
Ford Pinto
The Ford Pinto is a subcompact car produced by the Ford Motor Company for the model years 1971–1980. The car's name derives from the Pinto horse. Initially offered as a two-door sedan, Ford offered "Runabout" hatchback and wagon models the following year, competing in the U.S. market with the AMC...
. The two-door hatchback
Hatchback
A Hatchback is a car body style incorporating a shared passenger and cargo volume, with rearmost accessibility via a rear third or fifth door, typically a top-hinged liftgate—and features such as fold-down rear seats to enable flexibility within the shared passenger/cargo volume. As a two-box...
had seating for two adults and two children, though the children sat in rear-facing seats and would enter and exit through the tailgate. It was powered by the combination of a two-cylinder engine and a DC
Direct current
Direct current is the unidirectional flow of electric charge. Direct current is produced by such sources as batteries, thermocouples, solar cells, and commutator-type electric machines of the dynamo type. Direct current may flow in a conductor such as a wire, but can also flow through...
electric motor
Electric motor
An electric motor converts electrical energy into mechanical energy.Most electric motors operate through the interaction of magnetic fields and current-carrying conductors to generate force...
. Electricity was stored in six 12-volt batteries placed between the rear wheels.
At 35 cubic inch (0.000574 m³), the engine was small enough to bypass laws of the day mandating emissions control devices. The batteries could be charged using a standard 115-volt wall outlet and could power the vehicle in all-electric mode during city driving. In hybrid mode, it had a maximum speed of 60 miles per hour (26.8 m/s), which could be reached in 28 seconds. A speed of 40 miles per hour (17.9 m/s) could be attained in twelve seconds. The electric motor powered the car until it reached 10 miles per hour (4.5 m/s), at which point the gasoline engine would kick in when running in hybrid mode. At cruising speeds, the gasoline engine would normally provide all of the power.
While the XP-883 was built using off-the-shelf technology, General Motors did not provide an electric car to consumers until about 25 years later, when the GM EV1 was made available for lease (at the same time the factory Chevrolet S-10 EV was manufactured for sale as opposed to strictly for lease). GM's full hybrid system appeared first in their city buses and their first "mild" hybrid light vehicles appeared in the first decade of the 21st century. A non-bus light vehicle version of GM's full hybrid system was expected to appear in 2007 (MY 2008) as the Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid. As of 2010, GM is preparing to introduce the Volt, an EREV(Extended Range Electric Vehicle) in November.
External links
- Finkbuilt: Hybrid Car Ready in 1969 – with pages from a July 1969 article in Popular SciencePopular SciencePopular Science is an American monthly magazine founded in 1872 carrying articles for the general reader on science and technology subjects. Popular Science has won over 58 awards, including the ASME awards for its journalistic excellence in both 2003 and 2004...
(pp. 86–7.) - Priustoric: GM Builds a Plug-In Hybrid... In 1969 – Wired Blogs Autopia.
- On display at 1974 World's Fair
