In its 2012 Car Brand Perception Survey, Consumer Reports added a couple of questions to assess "America’s pulse" on plug-in vehicles.
The "unnatural relationship" between the Obama administration and US carmakers in the wake of the 2009 auto bailouts may have led to a delay in disclosing a potential safety defect in Chevrolet Volts, Republican lawmakers claim in a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee report.
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee will hold a formal hearing to discuss and to investigate the potential fire risks associated with the extensively damaged Chevrolet Volts. Darrell Issa, R-CA, chairman of the committee, told members of the House that the hearing—titled "Volt Vehicle Fire: What did NHTSA know and when did they know it?”—will be held on January 25.
On Thursday GM announced it had engineered an expedient but effective solution to post-crash-test battery fires reported by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, and will ask Chevrolet Volt drivers to return to their dealers for the one-day reinforcing procedure.
Despite ongoing distortions of facts by critics including one Fox News pundit who suggested the vehicle might “blow up,” federal authorities have repeated that the Volt is safe and GM says its voluntary measure is intended to keep showing why the Volt is rated #1 in customer satisfaction.
General Motors said today that a “couple dozen” Chevy Volt owners have indicated that they plan to take the company up on its offer to buy back Volts from customers worried about potential fire dangers raised by a recently announced NHTSA test.
Following news of an industry wide federal electrified vehicle investigation announced two weeks ago, General Motors has since found itself the subject of a preliminary probe after impacted Chevy Volt batteries caught fire, and GM is responding to allay concerns.
On Friday the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) said following two fires created this month in a crash lab – although too soon to predict – a recall might even be necessary.
“NHTSA is continually working to ensure automakers are in compliance with federal motor vehicle safety standards, culling information to identify safety defects, and ensuring manufacturers conduct any necessary safety recalls,” said NHTSA, while adding further down in its statement, “While it is too soon to tell whether the investigation will lead to a recall of any vehicles or parts, if NHTSA identifies an unreasonable risk to safety, the agency will take immediate action to notify consumers and ensure that GM communicates with current vehicle owners.”
A Chevrolet Volt that was side-impact tested for the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration and caught fire three weeks later has prompted the same agency to begin investigating lithium-ion batteries from all makers.
The second Volt now known to have been involved in a fire in early June after the 20-mph impact did not make the press five months ago, and might have gone unreported if not for the investigation just begun.
NHTSA's full revelation was reported last week, and details included that the fire might have been prevented if it had known to implement GM’s post-crash protocols. In a statement, NHTSA did not raise undue alarm.
September 30, 2011 was a day I’ll never forget. It took longer than the gestation period of my child to finally take ownership of my Volt and drive it away from the dealer.
The excitement that day was punctuated by the torrential downpour that ensued during the ride home. Roads disappeared under streams of water as tree branches rustled in the wind. While driving I recalled the videos of the Volt barreling though knee-deep water on the test track and I instinctively knew which button to push to clear the windows. The Volt pushed confidently through standing water as the windows magically cleared. Upon arriving home I silently pulled into the garage and plugged into the awaiting fast charger. This moment symbolically marked the beginning of a new era: that of 100 mile-per-dollar driving.
Following, I’ll discuss how the Volt fits in my 10-year plan to wean off of oil, my review of the vehicle, people’s reactions, pros and cons, model year differences, as well as future thoughts.
The UK’s Telegraph caused a stir in June when it speculated that G.M. soon might turn the Chevy Volt into a hybrid by directly linking the engine to the wheels. HybridCars.com also reported that the 2011 model already has hardware, like a planetary gear set, which makes it possible for the Volt to work more like a hybrid than an electric car. Devoted Volt fans quickly defended the car's status as a pure electric car (despite the fact that is has a gas engine on board). But the discussion steered clear of the key question: Why would G.M. ever want to use the engine to directly drive its wheels? In a guest post, Chris Ellis, CEO of HyKinesys, answers the question.
General Motors announced today that the Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid will be offered for sale at $41,000, or for a surprisingly low monthly lease cost of $350 per month (with a $2,500 initial payment). The sticker price for the Volt is $8,200 higher than that of the $32,800 all-electric Nissan LEAF—though the two vehicles' lease prices are virtually identical.
In an exclusive interview with HybridCars.com, Rob Peterson, General Motors spokesperson, would not rule out the Volt’s use of its on-board gas engine to power the wheels after the first 40 miles—if it means improvement in overall efficiency. “Efficiency is the Volt’s mantra,” Peterson said. “We will take whatever method we have to get there.” Asked if Volt engineers would use gas engine to power the wheels—a signature of hybrids—if it meant greater efficiency under some conditions. Peterson replied, “You could do it. Absolutely."
General Motors yesterday gave electric car enthusiasts and a handful of journalists an opportunity to spin the Chevy Volt around a parking lot next to San Francisco’s AT&T Park. HybridCars.com had its first two or three minutes behind the wheel, spoke with the Volt team, and came away with a few new insights about the Volt. For example, engineers found it easy to get the Volt to drive 40 miles on electricity. The tough part was what happens next.
Deloitte’s Robert Hill said the adoption of electric cars will match the slow acceptance of 20th-century consumer breakthroughs like washing machines—not the fast embrace of more recent innovations like the cell phone. What do you believe?
![Chevy Volt Will Have "Mountain Mode"](http://www.hybridcars.com/files/imagecache/teaser_thumbnail/files/volt-big-boy-112.jpg "Chevy Volt Will Have "Mountain Mode"")
Larry Nitz, GM’s director of hybrid electric power engineering, today said that the Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid will have a “mountain mode,” as a standard feature, in addition to the normal and sport mode. In a conference call with journalists, Nitz said the new mode will allow Volt drivers to set a larger reserve capacity in the battery in terrain that would require extra power.
With the countdown to the introduction of the Chevy Volt now at seven months, General Motors held a one-hour technical update Monday on the vehicle’s progress. The engineering team focused on actual test numbers, and steered away from broad marketing messages—as if to say that it’s time to get real about what the first Volt customers might experience when they get behind the wheel.
Hybrid and electric cars offer a range of benefits, including reduced emissions and enhanced energy security. But new jobs are the most immediate payout from government support of advanced auto technologies and lithium batteries. In the two years, Michigan will add thousands of new jobs as it ramps up to manufacture as many as 400,000 battery packs a year by 2012.
Current-generation hybrids have been successful because consumers can expect their hybrid battery packs to last the full lifetime of the vehicle—without requiring expensive replacements. But what if you could upgrade or downgrade packs whenever you like? That's in the plans for the Opel Ampera, the European version of the Chevy Volt, according to Nick Reilly, CEO of Opel-Vauxhall. Reilly believes the goal should be to give consumers a choice of different battery pack sizes and to make it cheap and easy to change the battery packs, even after only a few years.
After dominating the world market for hybrid gas-electric vehicles, Japan's automakers are now aiming to set the global standards for electric car charging. A coalition of companies, including Nissan and Toyota, announced yesterday the creation of a organization called CHAdeMO that is working to develop the standards.
In the past, the Detroit auto show was all about theater. Pulsating music, fog machines, and sexy models. Some of that remains, but at this year’s show, starting next week, automakers are getting real. After years of spending millions of dollars on glitzy displays but fighting higher efficiency standards, car companies are finally putting their energies into the battle for leadership in advanced fuel-saving technology.
In one more sign that plug-in cars and information networks are merging, General Motors yesterday unveiled a downloadable application that will let Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid drivers use a Blackberry, iPhone or Motorola Droid to remotely control and monitor vehicle charging and other functions. GM demonstrated the mobile application at the glitzy International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
The volume of announcements regarding hybrids, electric cars and other green offerings at the Los Angeles Auto Show expands every year. However, this year’s media days held few surprises for car fans following the green scene. Carmakers mostly confirmed and reiterated commitments to bring previously announced alternative vehicles to market.
From its inception, the Chevy Volt was designed to travel 40 miles without using a drop of gasoline. General Motors drew the line in the sand, citing studies that show the majority of US drivers, on average, travel less than 40 miles per day. New reports suggest that, under a number of conditions, the Volt might not reach 40 miles of EV-range. If the reports prove true, does it matter?
The Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid, and the Nissan Leaf pure electric car, are both about one year away from reaching car dealerships. At the “T minus one year" mark, top-tier auto journalists are finding small faults with the cars, but are pronouncing them in great shape for a rollout in one year.
Chrysler is killing its dedicated electric car program. General Motors is moving forward with its sleek electric-drive Caddy. What do these two news flashes tell us about Detroit’s prospects in the bold new era of EVs and plug-in hybrids? And what about that other Detroit car company?
Nissan released an image yesterday of a light commercial electric vehicle concept. It’s just a sketch, but the drawing signals that Nissan is moving forward with plans to build an entire electric vehicle program—rather than focusing on a single vehicle.
The first mainstream cars that plug into the electric grid are not expected for another year—but the battle to provide charging and battery services to those early adopters is already heating up. The tension between two companies—General Motors and Better Place—which might provide those services was palpable on Monday during a panel discussion in Palo Alto, Calif., entitled “Electric Cars: Transformational Change or Niche Trend?”
The smash hit IPO of lithium ion battery maker A123 Systems is sending waves of euphoria through the clean tech and plug-in car market. Mass.-based A123 Systems is now worth nearly $2 billion—indicating huge investor confidence in the future of electric cars, plug-in hybrids, and the batteries that make them go. Yet, A123 has yet to make a profit and faces significant hurdles to mass commercial success.
General Motors is working hard to establish itself as a leader in the market for high-tech eco-friendly vehicles, but its actions since coming out of bankruptcy raise doubts about the depth of the company’s environment commitment. The "New GM" is technically a new company cleared of legal responsibilities for cleaning up its legacy toxic sites and safely recycling products containing mercury. But the company could face greater scrutiny in the court of public perception.
Taking its place right next to other great existential riddles—such as “What is the sound of one hand clapping?"—GM’s claim that the Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid will get 230 mpg left journalists bewildered about its meaning. Check out our favorite candidates for the best explanation of a number that defies explanation.
General Motors announced Tuesday that the Chevy Volt could get a government in-city fuel economy rating of “230 miles per gallon.” While the potential for a three-digit mpg rating is grabbing headlines, figuring out what it means is another matter. What's the significance of MPG in a vehicle which seldom or never uses gallons of liquid fuel?
Toyota is boosting production—and the image—of its star hybrid, the Toyota Prius. As the company celebrates big sales numbers for the just-released third-generation Prius in Japan, it is also fighting a publicity campaign in the US against competing green car technologies.
In the direct aftermath of General Motors filing for Chapter 11 this morning, the fate of the Chevy Volt remains unclear. Does it make sense to save an expensive future product that will lose money for many years? How many will be made? How much will it cost? How will it be marketed? When is it expected to turn a profit?
The dismal economy is forcing companies, and individuals, to make tough decisions about what is essential, and what can get tossed aside to save a buck. In the past, car companies might have shelved green car technologies as nice-to-have but too expensive and not really critical. However, this time around, the world’s major automakers are holding firm to plans for hybrid gas-electric cars, pure electric vehicles, and other fuel-saving programs.
When President Barack Obama walked into Southern California Edison’s electric-vehicle test facility today, he visited what may be the highest concentration of electric vehicles in North America. The president’s goal, said White House spokesman Robert Gibbs, was to highlight the role of plug-in cars in creating “clean energy jobs” that will spur economic growth.
Piaggio Group, the maker of Vespa scooters, said that it will sell a plug-in hybrid scooter in the United States by early 2010. If the company delivers on its plans, it will be the first plug-in hybrid vehicle on American roads—beating the Chevrolet Volt by six months or more. The combined fuel economy will be approximately 140 miles per gallon. The acceleration will be rip-roaring fast: 0 – 60 in about 5 seconds.
At last month's Chicago Auto Show, GM added another dimension to the Chevy Volt story: the push for suppliers to develop energy-saving components in every nook and cranny of the vehicle.
A new study conducted by Carnegie Mellon University says that plug-in hybrids with 40 miles of all-electric range are less cost-effective than hybrids with smaller battery packs. This follows other recent reports of disappointing mileage from plug-in hybrid testing fleets.
Unless General Motors makes fundamental changes in its basic decision-making process, the company will be “back at the public trough again and again," according to Rob Kleinbaum, who has consulted and worked for GM for the last 24 years. According to Kleinbaum, GM has false hopes that the Chevrolet Volt will save the company. GM returns to Washington next week for more bailout money.
While major carmakers have dragged their heels on delivering the next big breakthrough on fuel efficiency, the plug-in hybrid, a small group of California entrepreneurs and innovators have made it possible for consumers to convert existing hybrids into plug-in cars running mostly on electricity. Yet, later this week, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) is expected to adopt new regulations that could put many of those conversion companies out of business.
President Nicolas Sarkozy is accused of squelching a negative report about electric cars because of personal connections. Companies owned by French industrial magnates Vincent Bolloré and Serge Dassault are major investors in the development of electric cars, including the Pininfarina B0 (B Zero).
GM today downplayed a report in Automotive News, an industry publication, that it would be cutting off nearly all product development spending for the next two years in an effort to trim as much as $1.5 billion in spending. Several planned hybrids are also likely to be victims of the cuts. But the Chevrolet Volt has been spared at this time.
When you imagine plugging an electric or plug-in hybrid car into the wall to recharge, what do you envision in your hand? A standard orange extension cord? Time to change that picture; production electric-drive vehicles will all use a special cord, with a plug and socket on the car end that’s unlike any you’ve seen before. (Photo by Zevotron via flickr creative commons.)
As the current congress scrambles to pass an energy bill before its term expires at the end of the year, some parts of the House version of the legislation should be of note to green car enthusiasts.
The drop in oil prices—more than $50 off the record high price of $147.27 a barrel on July 11—raises questions about how soon auto companies will deliver on exciting plans for “game-changing” alternative vehicles.
Over the past year, GM has teased the public with successive glimpses of more and more of the much-hyped Chevy Volt. Now, the first set of photos of the whole car—shown behind the development team executives—have been “leaked” on several enthusiast websites.
Continuing to tease the public and the media with details on the 2011 Chevrolet Volt, the car’s designer today showed a handful of slides that revealed further details of the car’s design. The entire car won’t be revealed until the Los Angeles Auto Show in November.
If you were to visualize the most enthusiastic supporter of the much-touted Chevrolet Volt—someone who rallies thousands on its behalf, who blogs daily, whose influence and prestige garners invites to speak with top GM brass—what would that person look like? Probably not Lyle Dennis, a mild-mannered suburban neurologist from New Jersey.
The cover story of the current issue of IEEE Spectrum is a profile of Denise Gray, the GM executive in charge of making sure that the Volt’s battery packs are delivered—on time, in adequate quantities, at an acceptable cost. That could be the most critical role for the project.
Kicking off what campaign advisors have dubbed "energy week," Barack Obama today called for an "end to the age of oil in our time." He backed up his trademark optimism with the most dramatic auto technology proposals of the 2008 campaign cycle. Obama said he hopes to see 1 million plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles on the road by 2015.
The American automobile industry is very large and very complex. In a recent conference held in Las Vegas, David Kiley of BusinessWeek and Peter De Lorenzo of Autoextremist.com tried to make sense of it. They talked about cars that run on green beans, vapor and tinsel marketing, and dying roses.
Speaking at the Plug-in 2008 conference in San Jose, Calif., Andy Grove, former Chairman & CEO, Intel Corporation, added his voice to the chorus of government and business leaders calling for electricity-powered vehicles and the mass deployment of plug-in hybrids. HybridCars.com spoke with Jon Lauckner, who is leading General Motors' effort to launch the Chevy Volt, about what it will take to turn such a plan into reality.
General Motors can’t catch a break with its green car plans. As hybrids steadily gained market share in the first half of this decade, the company stayed out of the game. When GM finally stepped forward, it did so with all of the passion of a CPA—all numbers and no guts. Finally, GM executives threw all caution to the wind and conceived the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid—an inspiring vision of what a vehicle could be at the beginning of the post-petroleum age. Unfortunately, GM might have missed the mark again—this time completing tossing out the business planning that it over-applied in the past.
The Chevy Volt concept car has been put out to stud. Its final public appearance was last week, at the Brookings Institute plug-in hybrid conference held in Washington, DC. GM has announced it will no longer be shown in public, and that the styling of the production Volt will be unveiled “soon." So what will the actual Volt look like? It will have to me much more aerodynamic, and from the few glimpses we've had thus far, the body design may just resemble that of the Toyota Prius.
General Motors CEO, Richard Wagoner, announced today that the company will shut down four North American plants in a move designed to shift production away from pickups and SUVs, toward smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles. Wagoner said that the plan comes in response to a rapid change in consumer behavior tied to rising fuel costs, a trend that he did not expect to reverse soon.
Later this month, General Motors will begin real-world testing a fleet of Chevrolet Malibus outfitted with lithium ion battery technology—as part of a push to bring the Chevrolet Volt concept vehicle to market.
It's been more than a year since General Motors unveiled its visionary Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid concept vehicle—and GM executives are showing a level of dedication bordering on zeal. But enthusiasm, and even a big budget, doesn’t ensure GM’s victory against those who might kill the Volt.
Bob Lutz, GM’s vice chairman for product development, told a group of automotive journalists that the feasibility of the Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid concept will be proven by next Easter. By that time, he said that GM will have put the Volt’s electric drive system and lithium batteries in stripped down Chevy Malibu bodies—referred to as “mule” vehicles—and tested the ability of the Volt system to achieve 40 miles of gas-free range. Mr. Lutz made his comments in San Francisco at a meeting of the Western Automotive Journalists association.
