Is the American customer ready to a front-wheel drive full-size van?

Already proven in the stereotypical soccer-mom vans, the front-wheel drive layout is still rejected by many commercial operators. However, it's likely to change soon...

Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vans, from Daimler AG, with its conservative rear-wheel drive layout, despite having a narrower body than the average American full-size van, were very sucessful since its introduction in the USDM as a Dodge product, but nowadays Chrysler LLC, which has the rights to the Dodge brand, is tied up with Fiat SpA. Then, a gap emerged in Dodge lineup with the Sprinter being reintroduced as a Mercedes-Benz, and a replacement is required.

From Fiat lineup, the front-wheel drive Ducato is often pointed as a viable option. Due to its lighter transmission setup, and the transverse engine layout allowing a more compact packaging, it turns out as an effective way to meet higher fuel-efficiency requirements. Its stability, comparably higher than the average rear-wheel drive vans, is particularly attractive since it could avoid lawsuits from reckless drivers. And is also a great advantage for some vocational applications such as ambulances...

Another option is the Iveco Daily, which RWD layout, and the longitudinal engine placement, allow to an increasement in the engine and transmission options that could be offered and shared with Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep current lineups. Higher GVW ratings are also available to meet different requirements. Dual rear wheel, preferred by many operators due to the enhanced stability, despite absent in the Ducato, is also available for the Daily range...

Another example of this trend is the Ford Transit: the model, already available in Mexico only in front-wheel drive layout with a transverse 4-cylinder 2.2L turbodiesel and a manual transmission, has many rear-wheel drive versions in other markets, including some fitted with the same Duratec 2.3L formerly used in the Fusion and the Ranger. To the entry versions, with lower payload and GVW ratings to be an alternative over the current truck-based E-150, the front-wheel drive layout can be attractive for its enhanced fuel-efficiency and lower purchase cost, also benefitting from the enhanced stability. Another advantage is the lower cargo platform, which could be an enormous advantage due to the increasement of the overall cargo volume and due to the easier boarding it might benefit some special applications such as ambulances...

So, despite some common misbeliefs, front-wheel drive presents itself actually as a reasonable option to many commercial van customers.

Hummer: currently out of business, but still a strong brand

One of the best-recognized brands in the world, Hummer was one of the best American symbols. Its characteristic military-inspired design inspires either passion or the deepest hate not just for the vehicles, but also for its owners and the United States in a general way. Yes, there are many losers who blame Americans just for being Americans, hence the rejection against many of the modern cultural icons such as Coca-Cola, McDonald's, and Hummer...

Its size tends to please men who want a vehicle with high tow/haul capabilities and off-road ability for outdoor leisure, and also soccer-moms women due to its visibility on traffic and the perception of the ruggedness as a safety factor in a family-oriented vehicle. For this reason, in a partnership between AM General (developer of the original military Hummvee) and General Motors, civilian-only models started to be made based in the Chevrolet/GMC full-size truck platform.

Subsequently, there was a lighter series, the H3, notably narrower and initially not fitted with a traditional V8 (having an inline-5 gasser instead), based in the mid-size pickups platform co-developed with Isuzu, and then more suitable for export markets. Factory-fitted right-hand drive versions were officially released in 2007 and even started the global expansion of the brand with a manufacturing facility in South Africa, but in 2008 came the Real Estate crisis that led to a severe economic recession, and GM was strongly affected.

Under a strict restructuration plan ruled by the federal government, General Motors phased out the Hummer brand in 2010. Many of its enthusiasts blame the president Barack Obama for that, since many of his supporters seem to be "sorry" for being American and don't really give patriotic values their due respect. Actually, after the "Buy American" bill, it's quite dumb that an American industry icon was so neglected...

Considering the technical aspects, the H3 could remain on production. The frame, lighter than the one used in the H2, could be fitted with smaller engines, such as the Opel C24 2.4L inline-4 used in Brazilian versions of the Chevrolet S10 and in the Isuzu D-Max (badged as Isuzu KB 240 in South Africa when fitted with this engine) and the Ecotec 2.0L turbocharged that incorporates downsizing concepts while delivering a performance comparable to the 3.7L inline-5. It's worth to note that the 2.0L Ecotec would be subject to lower taxes in many export markets due to its displacement and favored due to its lower fuel consumption. Also, many Diesel engines from Opel, Isuzu, Fiat and currently Chevrolet can perfectly fit inside its engine bay, and are a decisive sales argument in Europe, also desirable in Australia due to the extended range it can provide, South America due to the lower operational cost and in Southeast Asia due to the harsh environmental conditions in the countryside. Even for the American market it's a good option since it helps to decrease the demand for imported fuels without sacrifice the overall performance even in a heavy vehicle...

It's also noticeable that the current generation of Diesel engines has even some 4-cylinder options perfectly suitable as a higher-efficiency option to the gasser V8. The presence of a turbocharger in many of the modern Diesels is also an advantage for uphill driving since forced induction provides a more constant intake pressure, reducing power losses in higher altitudes...

Actually, even its heavy-duty body-on-frame configuration is more suitable to experiences with alternative fuels and energy-saving drivelines since it allows a larger flexibility for layout arrangements than an unibody.

So, despite the current hiatus experienced by the Hummer brand, it's still well-recognised in the market, has a strong cult-following and is clearly possible to become profitable again.

Hydrogen as a fuel: a distant dream

For a long time, alternative fuels have been researched, and one of the most prominent is the Hydrogen. Altough its combustion process is reported to be the cleanest one due to the emissions restricted to vaporized water and being the most abundant chemical element in the Universe, Hydrogen is also the most reactive, then it must be extracted from chemical compounds like water or methane, that is currently the most common Hydrogen source besides its usage as a fuel (usually labeled as CNG - compressed natural gas - or NGV - natural gas for vehicles) widely accepted commercially in India, Pakistan, Argentina, Italy and Brazil.

Unlike water, which electrolysis releases only Oxygen, methane processing releases carbon dioxide, the same compound intended to be cut away from tailpipe emissions in hydrogen-powered vehicles. Considering that a biggest chunk of all the methane turned into Hydrogen is coming from fossil reserves, turns its usage as a fuel pointless in an environmental aspect, while other options as the biodiesel and even the ethanol are more effective in this matter. Also, due to all the energy spent to process the methane and subsequently store the Hydrogen in a safe way, it does worth more to use the methane itself as a fuel.

One of the ways intended to make use of Hydrogen is thru the fuel-cells (also often quoted as combustion-cells), promoting a combustion that releases an electric current used to power an electric-drive motor. First experiences in a fuel-cell vehicle were attempted by General Motors in 1966 in a prototype badged as Electrovan and based in the ChevyVan available at the time that was chosen over a regular sedan due to the enormous size and the extra weight of the Hydrogen-powered setup. Currently the systems evolved to a point that it can be bolted into a smaller vehicle such as the Opel Zafira and the Chevrolet Equinox without too many interferences in the passenger space and cargo capacity. The first manufacturer to release a fuel-cell vehicle to the general public was Honda with the FCX Clarity in 2008, but the availability is extremely limited to some areas in California and Japan due to the absence of Hydrogen refuelling stations enough to a worldwide offer.

Another way to use Hydrogen is into internal-combustion engines, with highlights to BMW and Mazda, since it also allows an easier usage of more traditional fuels such as gasoline and ethanol. Hydrogen, however, has a lower energy density and the on-board storage is quite problematic. Usually, a carbon-fibre storage cylinder is certified to 900bar, and while the most usual CNG setups have a 200bar working pressure Hydrogen is kept at 700bar, with a smaller safety margin. Also, beyond the safety valves required, due to the size of a Hydrogen atom it easily escapes from micro-fissures in the tank walls, requiring the vehicle to be stored in places with a good air circulation to avoid an explosive atmosphere to be generated around the parked vehicle, turning it into a less attractive option not just in the economic viability matter but also due to the safety.

So, despite the daydreams in late Twentieth Century years and early 2000s, Hydrogen kept a distant dream to the motor world in general...

Engine placement in buses: many aspects involved in the final decision

All around the world, buses perform an important role in the economical and social aspects. Many differences can be seen among these vehicles, and the engine placement is often quoted as the most notable one.

In some countries like Brazil, urban transit buses with front-mounted engine are still very popular due to the low purchase cost, simple technical features and interchangeable parts with trucks. No wonder these vehicles are often quoted as a bare truck frame with a bus body, also considering that non-adjustable all-metallic suspensions, usually with the same leaf springs setup from trucks, are still prevalent on front-engine buses.

They're also usually qouted as "more rugged", then better to cope with hilly terrain and poorly-paved (or even unpaved) roads still easily found in Brazilian suburbs and countryside areas. However, for inter-urban commuting operations or long-distance road service, rear-engined buses have become more usual, not just because they lead to larger and fully pass-thru luggage compartments but also due to the higher comfort since there is less noise inside the vehicle at all and less heat in the cockpit.

Also, due to the weight distribution more concentrated around the traction axle even while the vehicle is unloaded, it ends up not so bad to face some rough terrain.

Another advantage from the rear-engine setup is the allowance of a fully-plain floor without any step, leading to an easier, safer and faster accessibility to disabled people in urban transit buses, due to the lesser space required on the floorpan to get clearance from the driveshaft and the transmission.

However, since low-floor frames are often qouted as unsuitable for some routes, even among the rear-engined buses it's still easy to find vehicles with a regular floor height and steps, leading to the need of a hydraulic elevator to get accessibility for wheelchair users, like any average front-engined bus.

Another setup that is worth to quote but is not so usual is the mid-mounted engine, mainly promoted by Volvo with the B58, B10M, B12M and B340M. It had a good acclaim from the coach segment but is more remembered due to the urban articulated buses that have become a trend due to the BRT systems.

Nowadays the mid-engined Volvo frames are restricted to the articulated buses, currently facing only rear-engined ones as opponents. However, since it's harder to get a low-floor without any sacrifice to the passenger capacity, rear engine ends up as a more profitable option to the fleet manager.

Also, despite one myth still prevalent about rear-engined buses being related to some difficult to perform the PMS, its larger engine bay eases the access to mechanical and electric components, and then the services can be performed quickly, leaving the vehicle ready to hit the road sooner.

It's also often pointed as easier to fit some comfort features like HVAC and self-levelling air suspension in a rear-engined vehicle due to the space-saving around the frame, leading to a "premium" aura for them, leading to a misconception that it shouldn't be introduced to some routes in lower-income neighborhoods to retain the "prestige" image of the rear-engined buses over the front-engined ones.

But the initial lower purchase cost goes away considering that a rear-engined vehicle can be more profitable to operate. Usually, a rear-engined bus is lighter due to the lower frame rails due to the lesser clearance required from the driveline (however retaining the tortion strenght), shorter driveshaft and exhaust pipe, leading to fuel-savings.

It's also more usual for the rear-engined bus frames to be fitted with automatic transmissions, while the higher fuel consumption reported from the older designs nowadays is getting closer to the fuel-efficiency of the manual transmissions, getting wider maintenance intervals. Also, the hydraulic torque converter that provides the coupling between engine and transmission suffers less damages than a regular clutch in routes with a lot of start-and-stop, what is very desired to face the heavy traffic in major cities.

The already-proven ruggedness is still favorable to the front-engine setup, but the rear-engine has becoming increasingly popular in a wider range of applications, not just in the urban transit segment...

RHD to LHD conversion: is it really justifiable under a safety view?

For many reasons, such as colonial heritage, national sovereignty, cross-borders driving safety or even economical reasons, left-hand traffic is still enforced in some countries, altough right-hand traffic is currently more usual.

However, this doesn't prevent second-hand Japanese right-hand drive vehicles, intended for left-hand traffic, to be popular even in right-hand traffic countries such as the Philippines, Paraguay, Bolivia and Chile, altough RHD to LHD conversions being mandatory for the vehicles to become street-legal. Main reason for that is the visibility while passing by other drivers, preventing head-on collisions.

Other right-hand traffic countries that allow the Japanese RHD used cars, such as North Korea, Russia and the United States, don't require the conversions. In the United States there are even some locally-made special-purpose RHD vehicles, such as parcel-delivery vans allowing the driver to get out of the vehicle already on the curb side. Canada had an RHD ban held in Quebec despite its increased comfort for rural mail carriers who could easily perform their duty without getting outside the vehicle in the cold weather. This led up to some RHD vehicles to be converted to LHD in the Philippines before the arrival in Canada.

I have already seen personally some Japanese vehicles converted from RHD to LHD, and despite the improvements in high-end setups there are still some cheaper backyard workarounds that end up as a threat to the safety, such as the use of motorcycle transmission chains and sprockets to link a simply cut-away steering collumn to the remaining right-side steering box instead of reverse the assymetrical steering links and a proper relocation of the steering box and the power steering hydraulic pump (when applicable) for safety and weight-saving reasons.

Even in a good-quality conversion, often the relocated steering collumn can lead to clearance issues with peripherals at the engine bay like the HVAC compressor, alternator and brake booster (that also are usually relocated) or with turbochargers when there is no LHD provision in the vehicle's original design, leading to a messy appearance inside the engine bay if the accessories mounting brackets and the exhaust manifold (including the turbo housing) are not properly rebuilt to meet LHD specifications.

Nowadays, due to the extensive use of global platforms by the automakers for cost-cutting, this problem is not so usual anymore, and interchangeable parts from official-market models can be easily found to increase the factory-like finishing, altough increasing the cost.

But we must consider the main reason to the RHD grey-imports popularity in some markets like Paraguay and the Philippines is the price tag, and even after the LHD conversion it's usually lower than the price of a factory-fitted LHD vehicle. Often, due to low budget, the interior trim is quite neglected and some driving interfaces such as the automatic transmission shifter knob and electric functions controls are not reversed to ease the operation, despite all the complexity of the mechanical and structural changes involved with the relocation of the steering setup and pedal assemblies.

Afterall, I'm not so favorable to the RHD to LHD conversions since there are nowadays some different options to overcome the visibility issues that are not just cheaper but also avoid a badly-performed conversion. The use of an auxiliary camera mounted either at the top of the left A-pillar, in a similar scheme to the reverse-view cameras currently very popular as an aftermarket mod (and even as a factory option for some models) is an easier and cost-effective way to solve that problem, plus not taking the vehicle's safety and structural integrity at risk.

Since some newer audio systems are fitted with a multi-function screen, sometimes integrated with other electronics of the vehicle, this could ease the adaptation of this visibility-enhancement setup, altough I would prefer either a dashboard-mounted screen or integrated to the inner rearview mirror.

The same functionality has been adapted into some LHD Brazilian-made Volkswagen Kombi vans that were exported to Japanese and British collectors in early 2000's with a small camera top-mounted at the right side of the vehicle for a safer drive in left-hand traffic. It's also an usual add-on to large American LHD vehicles in Japan.

Considering another detail that can get unnoticed but makes a huge difference, the windshield wipers mounting position and sweeping pattern, often remaining unchanged in the converted vehicles and then more favorable to RHD visibility, it makes even more sense to remain RHD. It's also not so unusual for the SRS-Airbag to be disabled altough remaining present, giving a false safety sensation to the unsuspicious driver of an LHD-converted car.

So, the safety argument favorable to the conversions goes over...