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LOS ANGELES--General Motors Co. will roll out the Chevrolet Volt slowly, starting in California, Vice Chairman Bob Lutz said here.
GM will provide 100 Volts to California utility companies in early 2011, Lutz said last week at the Los Angeles Auto Show.
Production will reach 8,000 to 10,000 in the first full year, ultimately ramping up to 50,000 to 60,000 annually. The Volt, a plug-in hybrid, can travel 40 miles on its battery before a gasoline engine provides electricity.
Last week, Chevrolet chief Brent Dewar said GM would roll out the Volt in selected U.S. markets before launching it nationwide, choosing the markets by their infrastructure for recharging batteries and tax credit offerings.
GM designed the Volt to comply with regulations for all overseas markets, Lutz said. He expects GM ultimately to sell 100,000 to 150,000 a year.
Lutz said he drove a prototype Volt on public roads over the Thanksgiving weekend. GM, he said, is designing the battery to have a 10-year or 100,000-mile life. If the battery fails after that, the owner would need to have a dealer replace it. The cost should be no more than an engine overhaul on a traditional vehicle, Lutz said.
He said he is confident that "there will be a secondary-use market for spent battery packs" that still store energy. For instance, hospitals and homes may use the batteries for emergencies.
(Source: Automotive News)
California will be the "lead market" for the Chevy Volt when the electrically driven car is available at the end of next year, General Motors said Wednesday.
California was chosen because the state has the largest U.S. car market, and Californians are "known to be leaders in adopting groundbreaking new technologies," GM's vice president of global Chevrolet brand, Brent Deware, said in a statement pegged to this week's Los Angeles International Auto Show.
Production of the Volt is scheduled to start in late 2010. GM has not announced pricing for the 2011 model, though newly dethroned CEO Fritz Henderson acknowledged earlier this fall that the price would be about $40,000. (GM's board on Tuesday asked Henderson to resign, effective immediately.)
California, here we come.
(Credit: General Motors)As part of the California rollout, GM plans to make 100 Volts available to three utilities for testing. The cars will be used as fleet vehicles, and performance data will be collected via GM's OnStar in-car communications for a Department of Energy-run research program.
Financially strapped GM has a lot riding on the Chevy Volt. The car is designed to run for 40 miles on its lithium ion batteries and then use an engine-generator combination for longer rides. GM expects that most customers will do the majority of their driving on electric charge only, making the cost per mile cheaper than gas-only cars.
Even with the public excitement over electric cars, automakers are still not totally sure how consumers will adjust to the new technology and how electric components will operate in real-world conditions.
GM, as well as other automakers, plans to offer electric vehicles in certain regions that will invest in the infrastructure to support them. The California research program calls for the installation of 500 charging stations at people's homes, at businesses, and in public places.
It may look like yet another boring SUV, but the GMC Terrain brings the SUV, and GM itself, into this millennium. A direct injection 3-liter V-6 offers plenty of power, an option over the standard direct injection four-cylinder. The interior looks particularly nice, especially considering a base price in the mid-20s. And we were most impressed with GM's new navigation system, a hard-drive-based unit with traffic detouring. The Terrain could change your mind about GM.
Whatever happened to ethanol?
With all the buzz about hybrids, full electrics, and plug-ins, the industry doesn't seem to talk a lot about biofuels these days.
But research is continuing. So is a political debate over the amount of ethanol that should be blended with gasoline in the U.S. fuel supply.
Proving grounds tests
Vehicles at General Motors' Milford Proving Grounds in Michigan have started testing cellulosic ethanol made by GM partner Coskata at a new plant in Madison, Pa., outside Pittsburgh. Coskata dubbed its plant, which opened last month, "semicommercial." It is capable of producing 50 million to 100 million gallons of fuel a year from such feedstocks as wood biomass, agricultural, and construction waste, and crops raised specifically to be used for energy.
"The next step is to build full-scale facilities and begin licensing our technology to project developers, project financiers, and strategic partners," Coskata CEO Bill Roe said in a statement.
Among the nation's automakers, GM has been the most visible backer of ethanol. In January 2008, it launched a partnership with Coskata. A few months later, it invested in a second cellulosic-ethanol venture, Mascoma.
Companies such as Coskata and Mascoma are working to address a major criticism leveled against the use of ethanol derived from corn: that it jeopardizes the world's food supplies and raises food prices.
Cellulosic-ethanol companies are looking at ways to make fuel by breaking down cellulose, the material that gives structure to plants. The idea is to get away from relying on corn and other food crops by using waste matter, such as corn stalks.
"We invested in Coskata so that we could enable the rapid deployment of commercially viable and environmentally sustainable ethanol globally," said Bob Babik, GM's vehicle emissions director, in a statement issued at the startup of the Pennsylvania plant.
The debate over cars and ethanol long has centered on the relative scarcity of ethanol fueling stations and the low fuel economy that vehicles achieve when fueled with ethanol.
How much is too much?
Lately, that debate has shifted to how much ethanol should be blended into the nation's gasoline supply.
By law, standard gasoline in the United States can contain up to 10 percent ethanol. Recently, backers of the biofuel, led by a group of ethanol makers known as Growth Energy, have lobbied to increase that limit to 15 percent. High corn prices and a slump in demand, the result of Americans driving fewer miles in the recession, have hit makers of corn-derived ethanol hard. Many ethanol makers have gone out of business.
Flexible-fuel vehicles, which many automakers now offer, are designed to run on such a high concentration of ethanol, a blend specifically labeled E85.
Groups representing carmakers, including the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers and the Association of International Automobile Manufacturers, are fighting efforts to allow 15 percent ethanol in standard gasoline. They say that engines designed to handle no more than 10 percent ethanol would suffer if the mix rose to 15 percent.
Michael Stanton, CEO of the international association, wrote this summer in a letter to the EPA that if the EPA "were to approve the sale of such fuels, we believe a range of problems would result that could jeopardize the control or reduction of automotive emissions."
| Corn-free |
|---|
| Coskata's new cellulosic-ethanol plant does not use corn as its feedstock. Here are details on the plant. |
| Input: Wood chips, agricultural, and construction waste |
| Output: Can be scaled up to 50-100 million gallons a year |
| Partners: General Motors, others |
| Location: Madison, Pa. (outside Pittsburgh) |
| Source: Coskata |
(Source: Automotive News)
One year before starting production of the Chevy Volt, General Motors engineers say they are confident in the performance and safety of the electric car's batteries.
GM executives gave an update on the car's plans on Tuesday, saying engineers are making some tweaks to the design but that they are on schedule.
The Volt's chief engineer, Andrew Farah, also implied that GM is close to moving ahead with a project to make a Cadillac that uses the same gas-electric power train that the Volt uses. Last week, there were reports that the Converj concept had been given the green light internally, with expected car delivery in 2013.
For the Volt, GM is preparing the battery and auto manufacturing, which will happen in its home state of Michigan, with the process and product validation scheduled to begin early next year, executives said.
In the meantime, GM engineers are testing the Volt's battery pack, called the Voltec, and putting 80 prototype vehicles through the paces. In addition to crash tests for safety, they are testing the car's performance on a range of conditions, including very hot and cold temperatures, and steep hills.
This crash test shows that the orange T-shape battery pack of the Volt is not impacted during frontal collision, says GM.
(Credit: General Motors)The Volt is a gas-electric hybrid, but unlike the Toyota Prius and other hybrids on the road now, the Volt moves only from electric motors. The gasoline engine is used to supply energy to the batteries through a generator.
Because it's a new car, GM still is trying to project what sort of performance to expect. Overall, engineers are happy, but they also know that climate conditions and driving style will affect the battery's performance, they said.
"Ten years is the target life (for the battery). Depending on how you use it and where you live, you could see significantly longer time," said David Wallace, engineering group manager for Voltec Battery Systems.
The biggest challenge is battery durability in very hot weather, he said. People who live in more temperate areas and do a lot of city driving will have more forgiving conditions, Wallace added.
"But even if you live in Phoenix, as long as you charge at night, and you run during the day, your battery will remain happy," he said.
During its testing, GM has to tune the chemistry of individual batteries, which will be supplied by LG Chem. Various tests, including crash tests, have indicated that battery safety is good, executives said.
For the car itself, auto engineers are now making adjustments to reduce the overall noise during times when the gas engine kicks on for longer rides.
Farah declined to say how big the gas tank will be, which will indicate what the overall driving range is, saying that decision will be made as late as possible.
Separately, Farah said GM's plan to produce an Opel in Europe that uses the Voltec powertrain is still on target, with a schedule roughly one year behind the Volt.
DETROIT--As General Motors Co. expands its lineup of rechargeable vehicles beyond the Volt, it will not brand them to be identified with the plug-in Chevrolet launching next year, a senior GM executive says.
That approach sets GM apart from Toyota Motor Corp., which is considering a range of hybrids identified with the Prius.
"Our thought is to take the Volt technology to other products," Brent Dewar, chief of global operations for Chevrolet, told the Reuters Autos Summit in Detroit this month. "The Volt was the original vehicle that we started, but I wouldn't see that as a brand marketing direction for us."
The Prius, introduced in the late 1990s, commands about three-fourths of the hybrid market.
Dewar said the Volt would pave the way for more vehicles based on the same technology--combining a rechargeable battery pack for all-electric driving with a gasoline-powered generator for longer trips.
But Dewar said the Volt name would not be identified with GM's future electric vehicles.
By contrast, Toyota's brand chief has said the automaker was considering a plan to put the Prius name behind a broad family of high-mileage hybrids.
Bob Carter, group vice president of Toyota's U.S. sales arm, told the Reuters Autos Summit that he thought the Prius had become synonymous with hybrid cars.
The Volt is on track to become the first mass-market plug-in hybrid in the United States. It is designed to run for 40 miles on a battery charge and can be recharged at a standard electric outlet.
When the battery is partly depleted, a small gasoline engine kicks in to recharge it and power the vehicle. That will allow the Volt to make longer trips without what Dewar called "range anxiety."
Separately, the Detroit News reported last week that GM will produce the Cadillac Converj plug-in concept car it introduced last January at the Detroit auto show. The vehicle uses the same technology as the Volt.
A Cadillac spokeswoman declined comment.
The Volt will be sold in North America and Europe before it goes on sale in Asia, Dewar said. The introduction in Europe is to be in 2011.
Dewar said Opel will sell its extended-range Ampera, derived from the Volt, in Europe alongside the Volt.
(Source: Automotive News)
Earlier this week, I posted a video featuring an SUV, the T-98 Kombat, as made by Russian manufacturer Dartz (whose $1.5M Dartz Prombron Monaco Red Diamond Edition extravagantly decked out in whale penis leather--how high-brow is that--even got lip service recently on "The Colbert Report"). Anyhoo, this particular blog (located here for your convenience) garnered the snide comment of "It looks like a Hummer...big deal." Well, funny that you should say that, sir, as today's video features the Dartz Kombat one-on-one against the Hummer H1. Let's get ready to rumble!
The Dartz T-98 has been noted as one of the fastest multiterrain armored vehicles in the world, boasting an 8.1-liter engine and made with parts courtesy of General Motors. The Hummer H1 is often considered to be the most desirable of the Humvee makes, being the first of the now famous line introduced by AM General and also valued for its (relatively) efficient gas mileage. Coincidentally, the Hummer brand is also associated with GM, which had to part with the line as part of its bankruptcy settlement. So how much do they have in common versus how much they don't have in common? Well, I'll let you be the judge, as this video puts both vehicle types to the test in various environments including highways, sand dunes, forests, and snow. Enjoy. Or not. It's no big deal, right?
Take a huge engine and drop it in a basic chassis. The VSR follows the classic hot rod formula to a tee.
(Credit: Antuan Goodwin/CNET)Cadillac and General Motors have unveiled the VSR Cadillac V-Series Powered Sports Rod Concept, or VSR for short, at the 2009 SEMA Show in Las Vegas. What's the VSR concept, you ask? Well, according to GM:
"This concept features a contemporary hand-sculpted body and unique blend of Cadillac styling cues, with proportions and form that evoke images of earlier days of race cars/sports cars and 'Hot Rodding.' Race car engineering, state-of-the-art electronics and technology express the modern supercar era."
That means that GM had taken a lightweight and stripped-down aluminum hot rod chassis and slapped a thoroughly modern 6-liter, 400-horsepower Cadillac V-8 engine under its clamshell hood. This engine is probably a close relative to the 6.2-liter mill that powers the CTS-V. It transmits its power and torque through an automatic transmission to a pair of meaty, 22-inch rear wheels shod in TOYO Proxes S/T tires.
Up front, a pair of 20-inch wheels is connected to an electric powered rack-and-pinion system to handle the VSR's steering duties. All four corners are independently suspended on Air-Ride Technology Shock Wave air struts. Halting the VSR to a stop are a quartet of disc brakes with six-piston calipers and 13-inch rotors.
Although on display in a single seating configuration, the VSR actually seats two with its passenger side tonneau cover removed. Both passengers sit in carbon fiber bucket seats, but only the driver gets to tickle the custom steering wheel and play with the Digital instrumentation by Medallion. Cabin tech comes in the form of an iPhone/iPod Touch compatible audio system and a rearview camera system by Peak.
We don't expect to see this baby on the road any time soon, but it's good to know that someone at GM still has an active imagination.
Wow. I write a piece a couple days ago about the 2010 and upcoming 2011 Chevrolet Camaro, and next thing I know a representative from Chevrolet communications is posting a comment to my blog. Yeah, it was regarding a discrepancy in the information relayed in the video blog, but to me that's still pretty cool. As this gentleman pointed out, there are custom car builders out there who are co-opting the Chevy Camaro make and putting out non-GM versions of the Camaro for the consumer who wants one done their way. Apparently, Hennessey Performance Engineering does just that, and they've splattered videos of their souped-up and supercharged Camaros all over YouTube. And here's just one of several videos they've done to hype their business of making bad-ass cars even badder.
In this Web video HPE puts a reportedly specialized 2010 Chevy Camaro SS up to a dyno to see what kind of power this beast can bring to its wheelbase, and its horsepower is certainly impressive. (Love the hum of that engine!) Then a little after the 2-minute mark we get to see that same Camaro roar by on a two-lane highway. Like Borat would say, the view is "nice!"
DETROIT -- General Motors Co. will spend $202 million to renovate its Flint Engine South factory to build 1.4-liter four-cylinder engines for the highly anticipated Chevrolet Volt--and for a small car that likely will be even more crucial to Chevy's future success, the Cruze.
The automaker also will spend about $28 million on three other plants in the Flint, Mich., area to help build the 2011 Cruze compact and the Volt.
A 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine will power a generator to create electricity for the motor that propels the Chevrolet Volt, above, and will drive the Chevy Cruze.
(Credit: Automotive News)GM is scheduled to launch the Cruze next spring. Production of the Volt, a plug-in hybrid sedan, is scheduled to start in November 2010.
The Flint engine plant will produce 40 engines per day when production starts late next year. Output will rise to 800 engines a day by fall 2011, GM officials said.
The engine for the Cruze will be turbocharged. The Volt's engine, which will power a generator to create electricity for the motor that propels the car, will not be turbocharged.
The initial batch of engines for the Chevy Volt will be imported from a GM plant in Aspern, Austria, until the revamped Flint plant begins production.
The other GM plants that will be updated and retooled are the Flint Metal Center, Flint Tool and Die and Grand Blanc Weld Tool Center.
GM says the key functions at the plants will include development of automated equipment and tooling for the Cruze and Volt assembly plants. The Cruze will be assembled at Lordstown, Ohio, and the Volt at the Detroit-Hamtramck plant.
The operations will develop dies and stamp body panels and components for Lordstown and Detroit-Hamtramck.
GM is spending about $30 million on the Grand Blanc plant to build robotic weld tool cells that will assemble the Volt body at Detroit-Hamtramck.
(Source: Automotive News)
