Buick Regal eAssist

The Regal nameplate was dusted off and added to Buick’s lineup in 2011 for the first time since the 2004 model. The hybrid system on the Buick is called “eAssist”. It is a system which enhances the fuel mileage by assisting the fuel engine. It does this by either shutting down the engine when the vehicle comes to a complete stop or it will cut of the fuel supply when the vehicle is cruising or decelerating. It can also give some electric assistance to the engine while the vehicle is accelerating, but there is no option for an all electric operation. The electric motor inside is a 15kw liquid cooled one and generates a respectable 79 pounds of torque. This is mounted on the engine where the alternator is usually located. This provides both motor assist and charging of the battery by using a belt drive system which is connected to the crankshaft. The battery pack is a 115 volt air cooled lithium type and this gives an extra 11 kw of electric power assist during rapid acceleration or when the vehicle goes up steep hills and also gets back 15kw from regenerative braking. Also under the hood of the Buick is a 2.4l fuel motor with 182hp. The transmission is a six speed Hydra-Matic which has high final-drive gearing. This allows the engine to maintain lower engine revs at motorway speeds, this also boosts mpg. There is an auxiliary electric driven oil pump to the transmission. This keeps it primed and also keeps the the fluid flowing when the engine switches off when the vehicle is at a stop. A hill assist system is also included as standard to aid the driver to make a smoother start from a stop when the vehicle is on an incline by stopping the vehicle from rolling backward when the engine is in the shutdown mode. Some of the standard features that come with the Regal eAssist include keyless remote entry, cruise control, leather wrapped steering wheel with audio and cruise controls. Leather seats. The front seats are heated and has an eight way power driver’s seat. There is dual zone climate control and also a cd/satellite system. The instrument panel has an ECO gauge, this responds to the way you are driving the vehicle. It also gives you a power flow schematic to let you see the battery charging and the way the power is being used by the eAssist system. Using the eAssist in the city will give you around 40kph and on the motorway you will get nearly 58kph. If car rental companies in major cities, like Sydney do start to move their fleets to vehicles which are a hybrid like the Buick eAssist then this would reduce their carbon footprint as well as helping to reduce their maintenance costs for their fleets and the need to refuel their vehicles. This would also reduce the cost for car rental in sydney.