2011 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid Fuel Economy with Luxury Features

2011 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid - Front Side

Cadillac’s innovative Escalade Hybrid is the world’s first hybrid full-size luxury SÚV. It achieves an EPA-rated 20 miles per gallon in the city, up to a 33-percent city fuel economy improvement over the non-hybrid model. The Escalade Hybrid lineup also includes the premium Escalade Hybrid Platinum model.

Both models are powered by an innovative, fuel-saving two-mode hybrid system and offer the same dramatic design, luxury and full-size capability that have made the Escalade an icon. Both are available in RWD and 4WD configurations. They deliver up to 5,800 pounds (2,631 kg) of usable towing capacity on RWD models and 5,600 pounds (2,540 kg) on 4WD models.

Escalade Hybrid models include nearly all of Escalade’s standard comfort and convenience features, including an eight-inch, touch screen navigation system that displays performance readouts of the hybrid system.

Patented two-mode hybrid technology
Escalade Hybrid’s patented two-mode hybrid system consists of an advanced, electrically variable transmission and 300-volt nickel-metal hydride Energy Storage System. These systems work in concert with the standard 6.0L V-8 Gen IV gasoline engine with Active Fuel Management and late-intake valve closing technology.

The key to Escalade’s two-mode hybrid system is that the hybrid system itself generates the electric power used to propel the vehicle. When the brakes are applied or the vehicle is coasting, the electric motors within the hybrid system create electricity that is stored in the 300-volt battery. This stored energy is then used to move the vehicle. This cycle repeats itself continually to increase fuel economy.

Providing power to the hybrid’s electrically variable transmission’s two electric motors is a 300-volt nickel-metal hydride Energy Storage System. This battery pack is under the second-row seat, where it takes up virtually no additional space and does not interfere with second- or third-row ingress/egress.

2011 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid - Dashboard

Additional features of the hybrid powertrain and supporting systems include:
• Fully blended regenerative braking captures energy that would otherwise be lost during vehicle deceleration.
• A 6.0L V-8 engine with Active Fuel Management and late intake valve closing (Atkinson-cycle combustion process) for reduced pumping losses and better overall fuel economy. It is rated at 332 horsepower (248 kW) and 367 lb.-ft. of torque (498 Nm) and runs on regular unleaded fuel. (concept carz)
• Auto Stop mode. Once the vehicle reaches 0 mph, the gasoline engine may automatically shut down, leaving the engine off there by conserving fuel and emitting no tailpipe emissions.
• At low speeds such as during city driving or heavy stop-and-go traffic, the hybrid may use only electric power
• When engine loads permit the hybrid will use both engine and electric power sources to move the vehicle.
• An exhaust system and resonator specially tuned for the 6.0L LIVC engine’s Active Fuel Management operation. It ensures comfortable interior acoustics and a pleasant exhaust note during both V-4 and V-8 operation
• An electrically driven, 300-volt air conditioning compressor reduces vibration and allows the HVAC system to cool the passenger compartment even when the gasoline engine is shut off. It includes the standard tri-zone climate control system.
• Electrically driven, 42-volt variable-assist power §teering system reduces vibration and provides up to a 0.5-mpg fuel economy improvement by reducing parasitic losses common in belt-driven hydraulic systems.
• The Energy Storage System cooling system’s internal fan is tuned to be quiet at low vehicle speeds, when occupants could more easily hear it.

The Escalade Hybrid’s battery pack durability and reliability are maintained via optimized charge and discharge cycles, as well as a dedicated cooling system that draws air from the passenger compartment. The vehicle’s emission control system, hybrid drive line and the energy storage system are warranted for eight years/100,000 miles.

2011 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid - Wheel

Escalade Hybrid Platinum
The Escalade Hybrid Platinum’s efficiency is complemented by an exclusive package of luxury, style and technology, including:
• A distinctive front fascia with unique upper and lower grilles
• Únique 22-inch wheels
• Magnetic Ride Control technology
• LED headlamps
• Exclusive interior appointments with full Aniline leather first- and second-row seats
• DVD entertainment system with screens integrated in front-seat headrests.

The Escalade Hybrid Platinum edition includes a blend of technical innovations and aesthetic enhancements, including unique 22-inch wheels and exclusive Platinum exterior badges. Segment-first applications of Magnetic Ride Control technology (available on all Escalade models with 22-inch wheels) and full-function light-emitting diode (LED) headlamps highlight the Platinum’s technology.

Magnetic Ride Control gives the Escalade Platinum more precise body motion control. It is a real-time damping system – ‘reading’ the road in millisecond intervals and changes damping in just 5 milliseconds. It replaces conventional mechanical-valve shocks with electronically controlled shocks filled with a magneto-rheological fluid containing minute iron particles. Únder the presence of magnetic charge, the iron particles align to provide damping resistance almost instantly.

The LED headlamps emulate the characteristics of natural daylight much more closely than traditional auto lighting. LEDs are environmentally friendly lasting 10 times longer than traditional halogen bulbs.

Inside the Escalade Hybrid Platinum is the latest example of Cadillac’s 21st century return to handcrafted luxury details. The instrument panel, center storage console and door trim are leather wrapped. They feature decorative French seams that convey an elegantly tailored look and feel. Materials include rich leather on the instrument panel, with olive ash and walnut burl wood inlays and aluminum trim.

Tehama aniline leather is unique to the Escalade Hybrid Platinum and is used to fully trim the first- and second-row seats. Contrasting-color stitching is used on the French seams for a distinctive, luxurious appearance and the seatbacks feature embroidered Cadillac wreath and crest insignias. The leather-covered seats are comfortable and convenient, with the industry-exclusive power fold-and-tumble second-row seat feature that eases access to the third-row seat.

2011 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid - Rear Side

Additional standard interior features include Platinum-specific door sills and floor mats; a heated §teering wheel; and heated and cooled cupholders and a power liftgate that opens and closes with the touch of a button. Also, the DVD entertainment system adds screens integrated into each front-seat headrest, in addition to the existing roof-mounted screen.

Each front-row headrest screen has its own driver and input controls. The headrest units can be operated independently or in tandem. This system enables passengers in different seats to watch or listen to different entertainment choices. Escalade Hybrid Platinum models include the acclaimed Bose 5.1 Digital Surround system, as well as the eight-inch touch screen navigation and control of the DVD, CD, MP3 and XM Satellite Radio entertainment.

All 2011 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid models are now equipped with ninth-generation OnStar technology. The flexible speech recognition system is now smart enough to interpret different sentences/phrases without actually hearing the exact 2-3 word commands from the user. For example, if a subscriber wants to place a call using the Hands Free Calling System, if they simply say, ‘I would like to make a phone call’ or ‘Need to make a phone call,’ instead of saying the exact ‘dial’ or ‘call’ command, the system will understand that the user wants to place a call and process that command accordingly. The system is capable of recognizing thousands of sentences that users may say.

Additionally, significant improvements have been made to the flexible speech recognition system to allow it to better understand the many regional dialects that subscribers may have. This means that a subscriber in Southern Louisiana will be just as easily understood by the OnStar system as a subscriber in Long Island or Minnesota, no matter how thick his or her accent may be. OnStar engineers in North America and China perform extensive validation testing across four languages (English, French, Spanish and Mandarin), more than thirty different dialects and vehicles models in a wide range of driving and noise conditions.

Pictures, Images, Photos, Pics, taken from Cadillac Press Release.