GM Says Electric Car Goes 1,000 Miles Between Fill-ups

General Motors said drivers of its Volt electric cars are traveling 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) before they need to fill up, enough to make the vehicles more practical for daily use.

GM’s $41,000 plug-in Volt runs on batteries. When the charge dwindles, it switches to a gasoline-powered electric generator for longer ranges. The Detroit-based manufacturer sold 1,210 units in the U.S. in the first quarter, according to Autodata Corp. of Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.

“A sample of our early Volt customers suggest that they drive 1,000 miles before they fill up the gas tank,” Tony Posawatz, vehicle line director for the Chevrolet Volt, said at a conference in New York today.

The estimates suggest automakers’ dreams of selling viable electric cars are getting closer to reality. President Barack Obama’s administration aims to have 1 million electric vehicles on the road by 2015.

“Demand for the product is very, very high,” Posawatz said. Consumers “can’t get enough of them.”

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has estimated the Volt’s electric-only driving range at 35 miles. Drivers may go another 344 miles on the gasoline generator, reaching a combined range of 379 miles, GM said in November. Consumers who don’t regularly drive very far can plug in the car to recharge and won’t use much fuel.

Nissan’s Leaf

Nissan Motor Co. has sold more than 10,000 of its Leaf electric vehicle globally, Andy Palmer, senior vice president at the Yokohama, Japan-based company, said today at a panel discussion with Posawatz.

The $32,780 Leaf uses only batteries and doesn’t have a gas-powered generator. In fuel economy tests it traveled 73 miles on a fully charged battery, the EPA said in November. The company has estimated the driving range at 62 miles to 138 miles, depending on conditions, before it must be plugged in to recharge. The company has sold 452 Leafs in the U.S. this year, according to Autodata.

Carlos Ghosn, chief executive officer of Yokohama, Japan- based Nissan, has said that 95 percent of drivers travel fewer than 100 miles a day, making the Leaf a practical fit for most people.

Automakers plan to meet growing demand by introducing six plug-in electric vehicles this year, either battery-only models or those with back-up generators, and 14 more next year.

Chevrolet Volt the Subject of New SAE International Book

As one of the automotive engineering industry's most storied vehicles, the Chevrolet Volt has been the subject of hundreds of articles over the last few years as it went from a concept car to a reality. Now, the car is the subject of a new book from SAE International focusing on the incredible story of the vehicle's development.

The 224-page, full-color book, edited by SAE International senior editor Lindsay Brooke, is the premiere compendium of engineering information related to the Chevrolet Volt. It aggregates articles about the Volt from SAE International's Vehicle Electrification website and Automotive Engineering International (AEI) magazine along with SAE International technical papers covering the vehicle's technology development. In addition to this content, it includes interviews with the principal engineers and supplier partners who participated in the Chevrolet Volt project, as well as insights from other technology companies who bring new ideas to the electrified vehicle space.

Vehicle electrification comprises three major system technologies: lithium-based batteries, power control and electric motors. With the launch of the 2011 Chevrolet Volt, GM began a new era in mobility technology—the extended range electric vehicle. AEI has closely followed the Chevrolet Volt's development—from its lithium battery technologies to its aerodynamics, subsystems and vehicle charging strategies. AEI has been deep inside the research and development labs and was the first industry publication to drive a Volt mile and experience the unique propulsion system. That sort of industry-insider access is the very thing that makes this book so important: it demonstrates, in-depth, the design process of electrification to mobility professionals.

The rapid push of automakers towards vehicle electrification demonstrates the need to understand cutting-edge electric vehicle trends. The Chevrolet Volt is certainly on the cutting edge of those trends, filled with groundbreaking engineering and often singled out by industry experts as the leader of vehicle electrification. The EPA recently released their official fuel economy label for the Volt: 93 MPG equivalent in all-electric mode, entirely peerless in the world of traditional gasoline powered cars. The market has reacted very positively to the Volt, and it is Motor Trend's 2011 Car of the Year.

Chevrolet Volt – Development Story of the Pioneering Electrified will be of interest to any automotive engineering professional, but will be of special interest to executives, engineers and mobility professionals who are interested in vehicle electrification development. Suppliers will also find the book useful for positioning their products for electric vehicle adoption. Academics and enthusiasts will enjoy the incredible depth of the book's story of the Chevrolet Volt.

AEI Senior Editor Lindsay Brooke has written extensively about automotive technology, manufacturing, business and history for 30 years for various trade and consumer publications. He was also technology analyst for a major auto industry analysis firm.

- www.sae.org -

Chevrolet Debut Miray AWD Hybrid concept @ Seoul Motor Show

GM Korea has unveiled the Chevrolet Miray (pronounced Mi-ray) concept at the 2011 Seoul Motor Show - a mid-electric hybrid-powered sports model.

The Miray (which means 'future' in Korean) was created to celebrate Chevrolet's centennial anniversary which takes place this year.

The concept's powertrain consists of two front-mounted electric motors, each producing 15 kW (20 bhp / 20 PS) of power for the front axle, coupled with a 1.5 liter four-cylinder turbocharged petrol unit mounted mid-rear which drives the back wheels. Current for the electric motors comes from a 1.6 kWh lithium-ion battery pack that is recharged through regenerative braking.

The Miray is capable of running on electric power alone and the petrol engine kicks in with its quick-shifting dual-clutch gearbox when extra power is needed. Chevrolet did not provide any performance or range figures for the concept.

As for the aesthetics, the design takes some cues from Chevy's heritage and was inspired by such models as the 1963 Monza SS and the 1962 Corvair Super Spyder. There's a split grille for the front fascia and sharp lines over the smooth and slightly rounded surfaces of the car's design. The body also makes use of carbon panels such as for the spoilers. The Miray is also fitted with 20 inch wheels at the front and 21-inchers at the rear.

The 'future' design is also present in the interior with its center console-mounted start button, ambient lighting and dual-cockpit design for both the driver and passenger area.

A Hot Lap of Laguna Seca in a Chevy Volt [video]

The Chevy Volt is completely at home barreling down a race track - in EV mode. The track is Laguna Seca.

Chevy Volt Owners Write Their Own Fuel Economy Stories

Since he took delivery of his 2011 Chevrolet Volt electric car with extended-range capability in December, Mike DiPisa is averaging 231 miles per gallon of gasoline. It's because his 26-mile daily commute allows him to run almost gas free.

"I haven't filled up my Volt since I took delivery," the Lyndhurst, N.J. resident said. Of the 1,485 miles DiPisa put on his Volt, 1,391 have used using grid electricity.

DiPisa's fuel economy is on the high end of real-life experiences of early Volt owners, but it isn't that unusual.

Matt Stehouwer of Lansing, Mich., says he's getting 62 MPG after putting more than 1,500 miles on his Volt, including a drive from New York, where he took delivery of his car. He commutes about 32 miles daily from his home to his job as Technical Manager at Michigan State University's College of Natural Science.

Mike McCarver, a retiree from Los Altos, Calif., has traveled nearly 800 miles since he bought his Volt on Jan. 28, and he's averaging 93 mpg. McCarver uses his Volt to travel around town, to the local country club, and occasionally to his vacation home in Carmel about 80 miles away.

Three Volts. Three distinct fuel economy stories. Unlike most cars, where mileage differences vary slightly from driver to driver, the Volt defies conventional MPG measures because it runs approximately 35 miles on a single charge of electricity to its 16 kWh battery, and then can travel another 344 miles on an onboard gasoline-powered electric generator that seamlessly kicks in when the battery is drained.

By recharging their Volt regularly, owners are easily surpassing the 93 miles per gallon equivalence, or MPGe, on full electric operation and an overall 60 MPGe composite fuel economy during extended-range operation. The EPA ratings make the Volt the most energy efficient compact car on the market today.

"I really believe that over the long-term we have to have technology that is going to get us off fossil fuels and the Volt does that – I have the option of never buying gas again," McCarver said.

Said Volt marketing director Cristi Landy: "The Volt is great for any lifestyle and can handle the driving demands of daily life. The majority of Volt customers are finding that by recharging their cars daily they are seeing exceptional real-world fuel economy. "

Special Gas Tank Caters to All-Electric Chevy Volt Drivers [video]

Ben Short isn’t complaining about the rising price of gasoline. In fact, the Chevrolet Volt owner from Rochester, N.Y., doesn’t pay attention to the rising prices since he’s only used about a half a tank of gas in the last three weeks.

Short is an early Volt purchaser whose idea of an electric car with extended range is that it is an electric car first and foremost. Like the typical Volt driver, Short counts on the Volt’s 16 kWh lithium-ion battery to take him about 35 miles between charges. Interviewed recently by WHAM-TV, Short said he remembered gas was “floating just above $3 a gallon” when he last bought it.

If he gets really good at going without gas, Short will find his Volt telling him the engine generator needs to start every so often, while the Volt’s specially engineered fuel tank makes sure the gas inside stays fresh.

“Gasoline readily evaporates at normal ambient temperatures and it also degrades over time from oxygenation and condensation, “said Jon Stec, fuel system integration engineer for the Volt. In order to ensure that the gasoline in the tank doesn’t hurt the Volt’s performance or emissions when it is needed, engineers pressure sealed the 9.3 gallon steel fuel tank to contain the gasoline vapors.

“Using a sealed tank limits this evaporation when the engine is off,” Stec said.

For the last several decades, new vehicles have been equipped with charcoal canisters to trap evaporating gasoline and then feed it back to the engine. Since the Volt’s engine may not fire up for extended periods, hydrocarbons potentially could build up in the canister, so the sealed tank contains the vapor. The extra pressure meant that a lightweight steel tank had to replace the lightweight plastic tanks used in most modern vehicles.

Volt engineers and supplier Spectra Premium Inc. developed the tank from 1.4 millimeter thick hot-dip tin-zinc coated steel to resist corrosion from both inside and outside. Despite the strength of the tank, it has a mechanical pressure relief valve that begins opening at 3.5 psi and a vacuum relief that opens at -2.3 psi, levels that are rarely exceeded.

Even with a tank that resists fuel vapors escaping or humidity getting in, the gas inside still needs to be used up and replenished periodically. That’s where the Volt’s “maintenance mode” comes in. If the engine hasn’t started after six weeks, the powertrain controller sends a message to the driver telling him the engine needs to run for maintenance.

Volt drivers can defer the engine maintenance mode for up to 24 hours, after which the engine will run for a while on its own to use up some of the gas and keep the internals lubricated and ready for use. If a driver manages to go a full year between fill-ups, the fuel maintenance mode will run the engine until the old gas is used up or the driver adds fresh fuel.

“For the driver who starts the year with a full tank of 9.3 gallons and runs 15,000 miles on electricity, the maintenance mode will use just enough gas to average a very respectable 1,613 miles per gallon,” Stec said.

A 20 mile Volt in the works?

According to Consumer Reports the Chevy Volt isn’t a very cost-effective car, and according to the Green Car Book, it’s not very green either. Nevertheless, the Volt makes a lot of sense, at least from a marketing perspective. Moreover, for those wanting to reduce, or even end, their personal foreign oil dependence, the Volt is almost priceless.

For the average consumer, however, it’s all about costs. Therefore, the Volt has to become significantly cheaper in order to entice the average Joe and Jane. And, according to insiders at GM, that can be done.

“And we’re there,” a source close to the Volt claimed about GM’s ability to shave off $10,000 off the price of the Chevy Volt either through re-engineering, production increases, a new battery – or some combination of all of the above.

Unfortunately, the details regarding how GM could reduce the price of the Volt are lacking. Is it all theoretical? Does it mean cutting EV range in half? Does it mean such a strip-down that the Volt feels like a plug-in Yugo? Is this just another hype-driven talking point?

If there is any possibility this is the real deal, why not capitalize right now? Thus far, GM is only rolling out a few hundred Volts every month. Isn’t this the perfect time to tweak production if such a game-changing breakthrough has been achieved?

Add in federal tax credit and a $30,000 Volt is far more cost-effective than a Toyota Prius, and such a vehicle would easily outsell the Prius as well.

So, where is the buzz coming out of GM if a $30,000 Volt is now viable? Does GM just want game changing hype, or to be an actual game-changer?

Chevrolet is 'selling as many Volts as it can build'

With gas price climbing, the Chevrolet Volt wonder car is the most in-demand car that General Motors sells, the automaker said today.

That's partly because affluent customers want one of the $41,000 extended-range electric cars. And it's partly because there are so few to go around.

With Volt on sale for three months, GM says it sold 982 Volts through Feb. 28. Sounds paltry so far as far as car sales go, but the numbers will grow as the year wears on.

"Chevrolet is selling as many Volts as it can build, and the automaker expects to continue selling them as soon as they come off the assembly line. Some 10,000 cars are anticipated to be made this year with a ramp-up in production in subsequent years", GM said.

The Volt, North American Car of the Year, can be plugged-in to charge batteries good for 25 to 50 miles of driving. After that, a gas engine kicks in to recharge the batteries so the Volt has no electric-car range limitation.

Chevrolet Volt to go on sale in Europe against Opel Ampera

The Chevrolet Volt, will be offered for sale in Germany up against the Opel Ampera for a price of €41,950 (including VAT) in Germany. Similar prices can be expected for other euro markets.

European Chevrolet customers will have the same standard eight-year/160,000 km warranty as U.S. customers on the Voltec powertrain and the advanced lithium-ion battery.

"We believe Volt is the best solution on the planet today for worry-free electric driving", says Wayne Brannon, President and Managing Director of Chevrolet Europe. "Our price in Europe is based on the U.S. Volt price adjusted for transportation cost, import duties, exchange rates and homologation."

Since late 2010, the Volt has been on sale in the first seven U.S. launch markets (California, Connecticut, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Texas, and Washington, DC). Thanks to the high demand, it was decided to speed up the national rollout so the Volt will be sold in the remaining U.S. states by the end of 2011. The Volt will reach European Chevrolet showrooms in November of 2011, just in time for Chevrolet’s 100th birthday.

Chevrolet plans to produce 10,000 Volts by the end of the 2011 calendar year, and an additional 45,000 Volts during the 2012 calendar year. The Chevrolet Volt is produced at GM’s Detroit Hamtramck plant in Michigan, U.S.A. The state-of-the-art lithium-ion battery is produced at GM’s Brownstone Township plant, also located in Michigan.

Opel touts the 'silent' advantages of having an all-electric police cruiser

Opel touts the electric Ampera police cruiser as a good car for silent, undercover work.

The German automaker, keen to begin selling the Ampera to police forces in Germany, has dressed the Ampera in police blue and proclaimed its advantages as a patrol car.

The Opel Ampera will have a range of between 40 and 80 km (25 to 50 miles) running solely on electric power, reliable for patrolling city neighborhoods. A 1.4 liter gasoline engine then kicks in and can extend its range to around 500 km (310 miles), which means a police chase doesn't have to end embarrassingly for the good guys. It's healthy 370 Nm of torque helps it do the 0 to 100 km/h sprint in an okay 9.0 seconds and the Ampera can reach a top speed of 160 km/h (99 mph).

The Ampera is powered by a 16-kWh lithium-ion battery feeding current to an electric motor that produces 111 kW (150 hp / 152 PS) and 370 Nm (273 lb-ft) of torque. The battery can be recharged using a 230 V outlet in around 4 hours.

The Opel Ampera is priced at €42,900 in Germany with a net cost of €36,050 to buyers when including government tax-credits.

It is available for order now with deliveries set to start at the end of the year (2011).

Source: Opel

GM Invest $7M in start-up to double Li-ion battery energy density

General Motors Ventures LLC invested $7 million in Envia Systems to provide GM’s battery engineering team with access to advanced lithium-ion cathode technology that delivers higher cell energy density and lower cost. In a separate agreement, GM has secured the right to use Envia’s advanced cathode material for future GM electrically driven vehicles.

"Skeptics have suggested it would probably be many years before lithium-ion batteries with significantly lower cost and higher capability are available, potentially limiting sales of electric vehicles for the foreseeable future," said Jon Lauckner, President of GM Ventures. "In fact, our announcement today demonstrates that major improvements are already on the horizon."

Other participating investors in Envia are Asahi Kasei and Asahi Glass; as well as current investors Bay Partners, Redpoint and Panagea Ventures. The funding of the investor group totaled $17 million.

"With our high-capacity manganese rich cathode material, Envia is addressing two key issues in the next-generation battery cells – higher capability and lower cost," said Atul Kapadia, founding investor, chairman and CEO of Envia Systems. "The investments announced today from GM and the two new strategic investors, demonstrate the excitement around our technology, as well as the importance of the challenge.

"We believe our battery materials have taken the technology lead that will help lower price points and unlock the market potential for our customers," Kapadia said. "With our technology and products, we believe that Envia is best-positioned to win a significant portion of this very large battery materials market."

Envia’s advanced cathode technology uses inexpensive materials that store more energy per unit of mass than current cathode materials. Since the cathode is a key driver for the overall battery cost, the more energy the cathode delivers, the lower the battery cost because fewer cells are needed.

"Our test results on small-format cells show that Envia’s high-capacity composite cathode material can increase the energy density of lithium-ion cells by up to one-third, at an equivalent level of reliability, safety and durability," said Micky Bly, GM Executive Director for Electrical and Battery Systems. "We estimate this improvement in cell energy density and less expensive material will drive a substantial reduction in cell cost, leading to lower cost battery packs like the one in the Chevy Volt." Envia’s cathode technology also will offer benefits for other devices and applications where low-cost, high-energy density storage solutions are needed."

Currently, Sinkula says, Envia's best lab results are showing over 300 watt-hours per kilogram. Ultimately Envia's goal is to build a battery that has a capacity of 400 watt-hours per kilogram

The Chevy Volt Super Bowl Ad [video]

During Sunday's game, you'll see a new ad for the 2011 Chevy Volt called "Discovery."

You can watch a preview above.

Chevy Volt To Be Available Nationwide By The End Of 2011

Chevrolet is stepping up the national rollout of the Volt to match customer interest.

“We’re accelerating our launch plan to have Volts in all participating Chevrolet dealerships in every single state in the union by the end of this year,” said Rick Scheidt, U.S. vice president, Chevrolet Marketing. “This is the right thing to do for our customers and our dealers who are seeing increased traffic onto their showroom floors.”

Chevrolet Volts have been delivered to customers in the Washington D.C. area, as well as California, New York, Connecticut, New Jersey and Texas. Customer deliveries in Michigan begin this spring.

Customers nationwide will be able to order Volts with participating dealers beginning in the second quarter. Deliveries will begin in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Oregon, Washington and Hawaii in the third quarter.

During the fourth quarter, Chevrolet expects to deliver Volts in all 50 states.

The decision to accelerate the national rollout was influenced by Chevrolet dealers like Criswell Chevrolet in Gaithersburg, Md., which has seen a surge of consumers interested in the Volt.

“The Volt is clearly bringing new customers to Chevrolet," said Harry E. Criswell III, president and owner of Criswell Chevrolet "We are seeing 10 to 15 customers a week who are seriously considering buying a Volt. Many of them own competitive brands and now have a Chevy on their shopping list because of the Volt."

GM Says “No Thanks” To More Government Loans

General Motors Co. is announcing today it will end its request for as much as $14.4 billion in loans from the Energy Department's $25 billion retooling program.

GM had applied for $14.4 billion in loans to retool plants and build more fuel-efficient vehicles, including about $4.4 billion in applications by operations that were reacquired from Delphi, its former auto supplier.

"This decision is based on our confidence in GM's overall progress and strong, global business performance," said GM chief financial officer Chris Liddell. "Withdrawing our DOE loan application is consistent with our goal to carry minimal debt on our balance sheet."

Liddell said the decision won't delay any of its product planning. It "will not slow our aggressive plans to bring more new vehicles and technologies to the market as quickly as we can."

GM has more than $20 billion in liquidity on its balance sheet and is in a much stronger position in the wake of its bankruptcy restructuring. GM is confident it can pay for the programs on its own.

GM's been debating dropping the request -- which it first made in late 2008 -- for months. Last week, the company's board of directors approved the decision to withdraw the application.
The move means that the Energy Department will have about $10 billion left in its program to award to other applications.

Stephanie Mueller, an Energy spokeswoman, said the decision was a sign of GM's health," she said.

"GM's decision to produce the next generation of efficient vehicles without a government loan is yet another milestone in the turnaround of America's auto industry," Mueller said.
GM's withdrawal will allow the government "to support a number of other innovative automobile technologies."

To date, the Energy Department has awarded about $8.5 billion, including $5.9 billion to Ford Motor Co. and $1.4 billion to Nissan Motor Co. Two start-up electric vehicle firms, Tesla Motors and Fisker Automotive, each received around $500 million.

"You are seeing the fruits of the program," said Ziad Ojakli, Ford's group vice president of government and community relations, pointing to the Ford Focus electric vehicle that's coming out later this year. "We used the DOE to speed production and move forward on fuel economy."
More than 100 companies initially sought $42.7 billion when the program was launched in late 2008, but many in Congress have criticized the slow pace of awards.

The only supplier to receive approval for a loan, Tenneco, also withdrew from the program after it had spent nearly six months working to close its loan.

Auburn Hills-based Chrysler Group LLC initially sought $8.55 billion, but has pared its request to around $3 billion.

Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne said he hopes to receive the funds by the end of March. The automaker is going ahead with fuel-efficiency projects, expecting it will receive the loan to help pay for them.

"I can't stop the machine," Marchionne said recently. "So far, I have been able to manage it (without the loan), but there will come a point in time when I have to go into the kitty and use other cash for this."

Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Lansing, said Chrysler's request would help protect 10,000 jobs in nine plants in four states, including Michigan.

The projects on which it is working "would save 520 million gallons of gasoline between 2011 and 2016," Stabenow said. "This is all about innovation and increasing fuel efficiency and technology." The low-cost retooling loan would allow Chrysler to reduce the $1 billion in annual interest it is paying on its federal bailout.

Ahead of its initial public offering in September, GM put its request on hold. GM officials have been signaling for months the loans weren't a top concern.

Then GM-CEO Edward Whitacre Jr. said in August that the loans were a "priority, but not a super priority."

President George W. Bush approved funding for the program in September 2008. GM and Chrysler urged Democrats to tap the program for a bailout and the House agreed in December 2008, but the Senate failed to act.

Bush opted to use the Troubled Asset Relief Program to rescue GM, Chrysler and their finance arms with about $25 billion.

The Obama administration put GM and Chrysler through bankruptcy and added about $60 billion to the bailout.

GM looking to double Chevy Volt production to 120,000 by 2012

General Motors Co. Chief Executive Officer Dan Akerson plans to double the 2012 production capacity for the Chevrolet Volt to 120,000 as he works to boost the plug- in hybrid’s sales, said two people familiar with the matter.

Volt output this year may increase to 25,000 from an original plan of 10,000, Akerson said earlier this month. GM now is working with suppliers to raise 2012 capacity from an earlier target of 60,000. It may not build that many if parts aren’t available or demand isn’t strong enough, said the people, who didn’t want to be named because the plans are private.

Akerson, who became CEO in September, wants to sell more of the $41,000 Volt and is pushing to use its Voltec gasoline- electric drive system for models sold by other GM brands. Akerson has said he wants GM to have more fuel-efficient models ready for a possible increase in oil prices to $120 a barrel.

“We want to stay sharply focused on technology,” Akerson told analysts at Deutsche Bank’s Auto Industry Conference in Detroit on Jan. 11. “We don’t want to be caught flat-footed as we were in 2008.”

Crude oil that year climbed to more than $140 a barrel and average gasoline prices topped $4 a gallon. Sales of trucks and cars with large engines plummeted, contributing to GM’s $30.9 billion loss that year.

Randy Fox, a GM spokesman, declined to comment on production plans. He said he didn’t know how many people have ordered a Volt or how long they will have to wait.

Volt Goals

Akerson told his executive team in early December that he wanted to boost Volt production and explore adding its drive system to several models with a goal of at least tripling sales of vehicles with that technology by mid-decade from the 2012 target, people familiar with the matter said at the time.

After exploring its options, the team settled on doubling capacity for the Volt next year, they said. GM is still evaluating the Volt’s technology for other models.

Higher output will allow GM to reduce the cost of the Volt’s drive and battery systems, helping it lower the car’s cost in future years, said Jim Hall, principal of 2953 Analytics Inc., an automotive consulting firm in Birmingham, Michigan.

GM should be able to sell all of its Volt production as long as the government’s $7,500 tax incentive is in place, Hall said. The incentive expires after GM sells 200,000 of the car.

“The only way they will get cost down is with more production,” Hall said. “They are in a race to get costs down concurrent with selling 200,000 Volts.”

GM may announce the production increase at the Washington auto show next week, one of the people said.

The Volt can travel about 35 miles on a fully charged battery before the gasoline engine kicks in, giving the vehicle an additional 340 miles of range on a full tank of gas, GM said on its website.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimated the Volt’s energy use as the equivalent of 93 mpg in electric-only mode. In combined gasoline-electric driving, the EPA estimated the Volt would average 60 mpg, GM said. In gasoline-only mode, when the battery was drained, the car would get 37 mpg, GM said.

Source: Bloomberg

Demand For Chevrolet Volt Sky High

Following numerous awards, one would imagine that the demand for General Motors’ new golden vehicle, the Chevrolet Volt, would be sky high. It fact, that seems to be true, despite the fact that the new electric car has yet to arrive in showrooms.

Last year, the Volt was launched in seven markets, Washington DC, Michigan, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, California and Austin, Texas. The latter of those seven markets was given 20 examples of the Volt, all of which were sold, according to the Houston Chronicle.

Of course, more Volt’s will arrive in the great state of Texas in late February or early March, but chances are those will sell out quite quickly as well. General Motors plans on upping production of the fuel-efficient electric vehicle to 25,000 cars this year to meet the demand and 45,000 in 2012.

So far, up to 50,000 people have signed up for the “want list” on GM-Volt.com. This is more than double the number at the Volt’s launch.

Of course, this demand was started thanks to a brilliant marketing campaign and numerous automotive publications featuring the Chevrolet Volt. In fact, the Volt won the Car of the Year award from Motor Trend and Automobile magazine. While there are people out there that don’t read these publications, awards are always welcome in the advertisers world.

Besides winning prestigious awards that were once handed out to vehicles such as the Chrysler Cirrus, content customers are fantastic for sales as well. One Texan, Don Heihn from San Antonio got his Volt last year and so far so good. Not only are the Spurs one of the best teams in the NBA, but also his sedan has only used 5.6 gallons of fuel during 1,000 miles of driving.

Needless to say, that is fantastic mileage, considering the fact that the Volt’s tank only holds nine gallons.

For those of that you that have been living in a hole for the past few months, let’s just go over the Volt’s specs. The electric-vehicle packs a 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine that helps charge the lithium-ion batteries. The engine can also power the wheels if needed. The car can travel up to 35 miles on battery power alone before the engine kicks in, raising the car’s range to 350 miles.

While the engine charges the Volt’s batteries once the car is moving, the vehicle must be plugged in and can take up to 10 hours to get a full charge on a normal 120-volt line, or four hours if one has a 240-volt line.

Now, the Volt comes at a steep price, $41,000 to be in fact. Yet, one can get a $7,500 tax credit to help that purchase price a tad. Still, it might be worth it if driving is something that needs to be done every single day.

Source: Houston Chronicle

Chevy Volt Test Drive!

Jill Fehrenbacher from the Inhabitat team test-drives the Chevy Volt electric vehicle and comes away impressed!

GM Chairman Says Voltec Minivan and Hatchback Are Planned

General Motors Chairman and CEO Dan Akerson surprised reporters following a speech today at the 2011 Automotive News World Congress by saying that the automaker intends to come out with a minivan and a hatchback featuring the powertrain technology found in the Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid and that a plug-in version of the Cadillac SRX luxury crossover is likely in the next few years.

"We have been pleased and a bit surprised with the initial demands, initial orders for Volts," Akerson said. "We don't want to miss the opportunity."

Word of the Voltec powertrain appearing in future models isn't new. What is new is word, especially from someone as well-placed in the company as Akerson, that the next vehicles to receive the advanced plug-in hybrid system found in the Volt would be a minivan and a hatchback, and that the plug-in hybrid van would come out "in the next few years."

Akerson did not mention when the Volt-like hatchback would come out. That the Voltec powertrain would appear in a hatchback soon after the minivan is interesting, because the Volt is itself a hatchback. Perhaps Akerson meant a compact hatchback. Spokesmen could not or would not confirm.

Indeed, GM spokesman Rob Peterson tried to downplay the chairman's comments, saying that a minivan fitted with the Voltec system was under consideration and not a done deal.

GM Licenses Technology to Double Battery Performance

General Motors Co. is licensing technology from the U.S. Energy Department that promises to cut in half the size of batteries, potentially reducing the cost of electric vehicles or extending their range.

A new plant being constructed in Holland, Mich., by LG Chem Ltd. will begin using elements of the advanced lithium-ion battery technology when it opens in 2012. The intent is to have it fully ready for the next generation of Chevrolet Volt electric car that GM began selling last month.

None of the parties would disclose the terms of the licensing agreement.

The Volt goes 25 to 50 miles on battery power before a gasoline generator kicks on and sends electricity through the electric motor, extending the range to more than 300 miles.

The Argonne National Laboratory technology that GM has licensed "improves the energy density of lithium-ion cells and that moves us closer to what we need to be competitive" with gasoline as a fuel, said Jon Lauckner, the president of GM Ventures, which licensed the technology.

"This improved energy density can be used to either offer vehicles with the same number of cells and offer greater range or reduce the number of cells to reduce cost or some combination of both," he said.

Argonne developed a new cathode—the part of a battery through which electricity flows into the cell—that it says allows for the performance improvement. The other elements in a battery are the anode and the electrolyte, other areas that could be improved to produce better performance.

Argonne says the makeup of the new cathode also makes lithium-ion batteries safer. There have been incidents of batteries in laptop computers igniting and causing fires. Argonne said it has licensed the technology to other companies.

The chief roadblocks to electric vehicles are their limited range and high cost of batteries. The battery technology developed by Argonne could address both issues because the batteries might hold twice as much energy by weight compared to the current state of the art, said Eric Isaacs, Argonne's director and president.

Battery costs are usually reported in terms cost per kilowatt hour and experts estimate the current range is $500 to $1,000 per kilowatt hour. The battery in the Volt holds 16.5 kilowatt hours.

GM has never said what its battery costs, but the Volt starts at $41,000 and the vehicle is roughly the same size as a $16,300 Chevrolet Cruze.

Volt and Leaf Year-End Sales Deliveries

• GM delivered 326 Chevrolet Volts in December.
• Nissan delivered 19 Leafs during the same month.
• Both new models went on sale last month.

General Motors Corp. says it delivered 326 of its Chevrolet Volt extended-range plug-in hybrid sedans, while Nissan Motor Co. tells us it delivered 19 of its groundbreaking battery-electric Leaf hatchbacks to U.S. buyers.

The automakers say that production and deliveries will ramp up now, with GM promising 25,000 Volt deliveries in the U.S. by the end of the year and Nissan shooting for about 15,000 in the U.S. and 25,000 globally by years' end.

GM got the jump on Nissan in terms of December sales volume because it is building the Volt at home, in its Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant, while Nissan must ship all Leafs from Japan until the Leaf assembly facility it is building at its Smyrna, Tennessee, manufacturing campus comes on line in 2012.