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Articles from GM-Volt: Chevy Volt Concept Site

It’s Big, it’s Tough, it’s Powerful…it’s a Hybrid?! 2008 Yukon/Tahoe Hybrid Test Drive 2007-07-26 20:31:32 General Motor’s has officially announced that it will begin mass production of hybrid versions of it’s popular large SUV vehicles the GMC Yukon and Chevrolet Tahoe. The cars will be available for purchase in the 4th quarter of this year. GM-Volt.com moderator was given the opportunity to test drive one of the pre-production models right in the crazy yellow-cab filled traffic of NYC, and to discuss the cars with Vehicle Chief, Full Size Truck Hybrid Mark Cieslak and Assistant Chief Engineer Small block truck engines Chris Meagher. These vehicles are unique for two reasons, they are the first-ever passenger vehicles to have a 2-mode hybrid system, and they are the first ever large SUV hybrid vehicles on the planet. While they aren’t Volts, they are a step in the right direction. Standard hybrids like the Toyota Prius use a single mode hybrid system, meaning the electric motor powers the car only at low velocities, once speed or acceleration increases, the car goes t ... Hybrid

Even More Volt Questions Answered 2007-07-26 11:45:39 Sam Abuelsamid and his colleagues over at AutoBlogGreen, were in Washington for the Volt D.C. exhibits.  They collected some readers questions about the Volt and have posted the responses they got here. ...

More on the Toyota Plugin 2007-07-26 10:01:41 Now that the news is out on the Toyota plugin there has been a flurry of interest. Of course, we realize than an 8 mile range NiMh car is only a starter, its the Li-ion battery that makes it a killer-app. Toyota has announced they are not ready for Li-ion yet. Let’s hope GM gets there first! Here are some more detailed specs on the Toyota (from greencarcongress.com): Toyota also mentioned that U.S. testing will take place at UC Berkeley and UC Irvine,with each campus getting one car. ...

Now Toyota Plugs-in Too 2007-07-25 10:25:13 Today Toyota Motor Corp. announced that they have developed a plug-in hybrid car based on the Prius. The car is called the Toyota Plug-in HV (name definitely not as cool as “the Volt”) and is slated for testing in the U.S. and Europe. The vehicle does not use lithium-ion batteries but rather relies on lower energy density Nickel-Metal Hydride batteries. Due to this limitation, the car can only go 8 miles on a full charge, despite a “trunk-full” of batteries. Also, unlike the current Prius, the test car can drive electric-only at all speeds, and not just low velocities. This news attests to the importance of the plug-in paradigm, the not-yet-ready nature of lithium-ion battery packs, and the staunch competition that GM and it’s Volt will face. Source: Reuters ...

Compact Power’s CEO Wants to Lease You Your Volt’s Batteries 2007-07-23 19:57:05 Reuter’s has just published an interview with Compact Power Inc. (CPI) CEO, Prabhakar Patil. In it he notes some interesting and novel points. For those who are not following the news that carefully, CPI is the competitor against A123 to design the Volt’s battery pack. CPI is working with Li-ion cells from LG Chem, whereas A123 cells are being worked with by Continental AG. GM-Volt.com has exclusive interviews and podcasts with both sides: CPI, A123. In this new statement, Patil indicates that CPI has apparently chosen a liquid-cooled course for their battery packs.  This is new as Volt Chief Engineer Nick Zielinksi had previously said it wasn’t clear whether liquid or air-cooling would be chosen, when we met with him in June. Patil also acknowledged that selling battery packs to cars would rapidly grow to a billion dollar industry in the next 5 to 10 years. It is clear that Li-ion automotive battery systems are the way to go, but right now they are quite expen ...

More Volt D.C. Photos 2007-07-23 12:32:32 For those who like photos, Ross Karchner posted some that he took of the Volt at the D.C. showing here: http://rossnotes.com/archives/2007/07/21/chevy-volt-1-concept-car/ Anyone in D.C. today and tomorrow can still check the car out in the flesh. Locations here. ...

New Government Study Shows PHEV Use Will Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Oil Use 2007-07-20 09:46:20 Yesterday the Electric Power Research Institute and the National Resources Defense Council released a comprehensive assessment which found that widespread use of plug-in electric vehicles (PHEV) could be expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve ambient air quality. The 3 key findings: By 2050, 450 million tons less greenhouse gas would be produced. The power grid can handle it: assuming a 60% market share of these vehicles, they will only use 7 - 8% of the grid’s power By 2050, 3-4 million barrels per day less oil will be consumed Here is the official press release. Comprehensive Greenhouse Gas report is here. The event in Washington, was attended by Tony Pozawatz, GM Volt Vehicle Line Chief.  He confirmed GM’s commitment to building the Volt, but was still vague on release date and cost. It is this author’s opinion that this study is extremely important, because of concerns that using cars like the Volt would simply shift CO2 generation from the c ...

A Volt on the Streets of D.C. 2007-07-19 20:20:56 As we reported previously, the Volt concept made it to Capitol Hill Today. Courtesy of GM, below is a little clip of the car backing up on the street. You can read two GM employees accounts of it here (GM sanctioned) and here (unlikely GM sanctioned). (Either JavaScript is not active or you are using an old version of Adobe Flash Player. Please install the newest Flash Player.) ...

The Volt Goes to Washington D.C. 2007-07-19 10:01:40 The Detroit news reported today that Tory Clarke, GM’s head of North American operations will be meeting with several lawmakers today on Capitol Hill. He will be pushing GM’s interest that new laws on CAFE standards not be passed. To help persuade them that GM is still very serious about improving fuel economy through other means, he will be bring the Volt with him to show off GMs’ commitment to the issue. GM is concerned about potentially over 40 billion in increased costs to them to achieve the proposed 4% annual increases in mpgs. GM believes that through vehicular electrification and fuel diversity within their fleet the same overall improvements in fuel economy can be obtained rather than forcing all vehicles in the fleet to adhere to the same minimum standards. ...

E-Flex Opel May be Unveiled in September 2007-07-17 20:03:22 Many folks have written about concerns on whether GM will spread E-flex technology to other countries. We have previously mentioned that a diesel E-Flex variant would likely appear in Europe, but not the U.S. Several internet sites are now reporting that GM has announced it will unveil an E-Flex Opel Concept at the Frankfurt Auto Show this December. It is clear that GM Europe Vice President Hans Demant did announce they will present the HydrGen4 — a European version of the Chevrolet Equinox Fuel Cell, an E85 Cadillac BLS, and a new diesel Opel/Vauxhall Corsa. We have no new E-Flex pictures to show as yet, and consider the reports unconfirmed but very likely to be true. The Reuters release is here. Stay posted for more on this. ...

Chevy Volt Pays a Visit to A123 System Headquarters 2007-07-17 12:46:16 Justin Hyde of the Detroit Free Press wrote an article reporting that A123 employees got to drive an early Chevy Volt prototype.  The web rumor mill of course has expanded this into a highway driveable car. Information from reliable sources indicate that yes indeed A123 employees did get to view the Volt firsthand, but they did not drive it, it was only driven by a GM handler. As well,  the car was the same concept car that gets shown at the Auto Shows, it is not a newer prototype, and does not have a Li-ion battery pack in it. Lets face it, at the time of my interview with Bart Riley, cofounder and CTO of A123 one month ago, a working battery pack prototype did not even exist. Sorry to disappoint the hopeful, but, I’m betting we do see a next generation prototype by year end.  Also, purely speculative, but the Detroit Auto show in Jan. 2008 seems like it might be a nice place to show one. ...

New York Times Article on the Volt 2007-07-16 19:40:12 An article was published in the New York Times yesterday, giving a basic discussion about the promise, potenital, and delays of Lithium-ion batteries for automotive use. Lithium titanate was mentioned, but not any specific battery companies by name.  Interestingly they commented that the Tesla roadster carries 6,831 individual cells, and will begin deliveries this fall. The author also noted that next generation Toyota Prius  using Lithium ion batteries would have to be delayed for 6 months due to the lack of readiness of the technology, and also mentioned the Volt reporting that “industry experts” say that car’s batteries wont be ready until 2010. Although promoting the knowledge to the mainstream, the article really did not tell us anything new. ...

Diesel Volt? 2007-07-14 14:29:08 (Either JavaScript is not active or you are using an old version of Adobe Flash Player. Please install the newest Flash Player.) From the point of introduction of the Volt in January one of it’s strong selling points, after the beauty of the electric engine, is the fact that the ICE could potentially run on gas, E85, or diesel.  Not to mention the fact that a hydrogen cell could substitute for teh ICE altogether.  This is the flex(ibility) of the E-Flex system. Many of the enthusiasts here and around the internet are strong proponents of diesel and biodiesel.  Mainly, this type of combustion engine is more efficient, allowing for overall better mpg ratings.  Indeed, in Europe, there are deisel cars which can hit 70 mpg.  So many people are enthusiastsc that the Volt might have a diesel engine. We are indeed at a point in history of great change in environmental awareness, and recognition of the  limited supply of oil.  General Motors, under Rick Wagoner’s leadership ...

Ford Also Plans to Enter the Plug-in Car Arena 2007-07-10 10:52:47 Yesterday, Ford Motor Co. CEO Alan Mulally said that hsi company plans to sell plug-in hybrids within the next 5 to 10 years. He made this comment at an event marking a partnership between Ford and Southern California Edison to explore the feasibility of rechargeable cars and the impact on the electrical grid of their widespread use. Ford is apparently giving 20 plug-in modified Escape hybrid vehicles to the utility company who will hand them out to some of it’s customers for analysis. Although lagging behind GM by years, this announcement by the number 2 U.S. automaker proves the importance of this new class of vehicles and clearly indicates that mass production and widepread use and acceptance will certainly be taking place in the near future. Theres no stopping the plug! ...

GM Plans To Lose Money on Hybrid Electric Cars 2007-07-10 10:37:45 GM plans to roll out two Two-mode hybrid vehicles this fall, the Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon.  This system uses software to determine when and how much electric power to the drivetrain both at high and low speeds, and is very expensive.  Analogous to Microsft losing money on its inital X-Box sales, GM will have to lose money on the sale of the vehicles in order to make them affordable to consumers, eventually gaining acceptance, and then expanding the sales volumes (economies of scale). These 2-mode hybrids will be part of the next-generation fleet of cars, which will include lower end hybrid cars, early low-mileage plugins, and finally by 2010 the Volt. This intention to lose money was a statement from Bob Lutz.  Also, an important point, GM is not calling the Volt a hybrid, but an “electric car with range assist”. Will GM also have to lose money on initial Volt sales? This revolutionary transformation of GM into a cutting-edge green car company is bold, aggressive, ... Hybrid