During his campaign for the Presidency, then Senator Barack Obama replaced his Chrysler 300 with a Ford Escape Hybrid SUV. I expect that both of these vehicles provided significantly better driving and ownership experiences then the old Ford Granada in which he learned to drive.
Today, the new President "gets the keys" to his new ride - the 2009 Cadillac Presidential Limousine. Previous state vehicles were heavily-modified high-security versions of commercially available Lincolns or Cadillacs. The last presidential limo was based-off of the 2006 Cadillac DTS. President Obama's new limo is a unique, purposefully-built high security vehicle that's unlike any other Cadillac. Nicknamed "The Beast", the new 2009 limo was built by General Motors using components from a variety of GM vehicles. While it looks like a large Cadillac sedan with a high roof, the underpinnings (frame and chassis) for the 2009 limo are reportedly based-off of a GM heavy-duty pickup and medium-duty truck. Its all-wheel-drive system is similar to that offered on the Cadillac Escalade SUV. The Secret Service has not released engine specifications, but some reports speculate that it is a 6.5L turbodiesel, which would be appropriate to propel the weight of this heavily-armored vehicle's 5 - 8" thick bulletproof doors. Hand-stitched leather and a 10-disc CD changer round out the options. However, given the new President's penchant for technology, I expect the CD-changer will be replaced by an iPod adaptor.
Given the need for the presidential fleet to always be in a state of readiness, I don't expect to see a conversion to full-battery power anytime soon. For security reasons, even relatively short battery charge times would be unacceptable. However, I expect that we could see future vehicles employ versions of the Two-Mode hybrid gas-electric system that was jointly developed between GM, BMW and the automaker formerly known as DaimlerChrysler. This system incorporates two electric motors in the transmission, along with a nickel-metal hydride battery pack, to assist in propelling heavier more substantial vehicles while using less fossil fuel. This technology has been successfully applied to city busses and large SUVs like the Chevrolet Tahoe, GMC Yukon and Cadillac Escalade. Automobile Magazine named GM's Two-Mode Hybrid Electric System its 2008 Technology of the Year.
2 comments:
Very informative article. Can't wait to see other blogs posted here. Your wealth of knowledge helps to keep us mindful of the essence of the automotive industry.
In this application, I could care less about greeness. I care only about protecting the President.
That said, isn't it true that certain uses of hybrid technology enhance performance? Certainly there are probably enough electronic geegaws in the Beast that they must already have pretty heavy duty electricity generating capacity.
To the degree that hybrid technology enables enhanced presidential protection (e.g enabling a stealth driving mode with no engine sound, or the ability to move short distances even if there is no oxygen in the air), I'm for it. Otherwise, let's prove the technology on governmental vehicles with more flexible missions.
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