Many in motoring are looking forward to an all-electric future, but as long as we’re burning fuel we’ll need to keep incentivizing low emissions. In California, a limited number of low-emissions vehicles are given stickers that let them travel in the HOV lanes, which residents know is a hell of a perk. Now Volt owners can get in on that action.
Chevrolet is making a low-emissions package standard in Californa for the 2012 model (which we’ll be testing soon), making owners eligible to apply for one of the stickers. → Read More
GM makes money from platforms, not just cars. With that thought, Cadillac just announced the ELR Coupe, a sleek sportster built on the Voltec platform that also powers the Volt. The dual-powertrain Caddy has been rumored ever since a concept (pictured here) was shown off at the 2009 North American International Auto Show. Well, friends, it’s on.
The ELR will use the same version of the Voltec that powers the Volt including the same four-cylinder 1.4L generator. This makes the ELR sound nothing more than a reskinned Volt instead of the tuned electric roadster worth of that sexy sheet metal. Nothing says American sports coupe like a 0-to-60 time in eight and half seconds. → Read More
The Chevy Volt might soon have a stateside cousin if a Bloomberg report is correct. The outlet quotes two sources as saying GM is developing a Buick vehicle that uses the Volt’s series hybrid Voltec powertrain with a scheduled 2013 release. Apparently the Buick would be a reworked Opel Ampera, which itself is a modified Chevy Volt for the European market. The new model however would have Buick’s trademark grille and front styling. → Read More
Mr. Chevy Dale Earnhardt Jr. was wrangled into an interview and of course the Chevy Volt was brought up. His take? “I think that the Chevy Volt’s a good product.” Fair enough. He then goes on to gently explain that it’s hard to make a vehicle like the Volt, but “the technology isn’t there yet.” Taken out of context, that sounds like Junior is blasting the Volt. But he’s not. His comments are logical and right on the [sponsorship] money. Developing a car isn’t like building a tablet. Neither is selling one. Video after the jump. → Read More
There’s a lot of buzz out there surrounding EVs; why shouldn’t there be? So far, the mass marketed EVs: the Volt and the Leaf, with the Focus Electric and Tesla Model S on the way, are pretty exciting. The offerings seem to be pretty solid, but as of right now, the cars aren’t selling in huge numbers. Adding to the gloomy forecast, a panel of experts thinks EVs are over-hyped and Obama’s plan to sell 1 million EVs by 2015 might be impossible. → Read More
The Chevy Volt is going national a little bit ahead of schedule. GM just released a statement proclaiming that the “don’t call it a series hybrid” vehicle will be available from dealers in all 50 US states by the end of 2011. Currently the Volt is sold and delivered only in D.C., California, New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Texas. An additional eleven states will have access by the end of the third quarter with the rest of the Union getting access by the end of the year. The press release also adds to the case of the Volt’s important halo status. Harry E. Criswell III, president and owner of Criswell Chevrolet, “The Volt is clearly bringing new customers to 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’s diabolical plan is working. → Read More
It’s official: the automotive press loves General Motor’s Chevy Volt as it walks away from the NAIAS as the North American International Car of the Year. The don’t-call-it-an-extended-range EV essentially sweep 2010′s consumer automotive awards, earning the top spot as Motor Trend’s 2011 Car of the Year, Green Car Journal’s 2011 Green Car of the Year, Automobile’s 2011 Automobile of the Year, and placing among the top ten in both Car and Driver’s and Ward’s AutoWorld’s 10 best of the year. So yeah, GM built a winner with the Volt.
The Chevy Volt’s story started out a short three years ago as a rolling concept and then quickly, it became clear that GM was dead serious about this car. Development timelines were beat and concepts shown-off. They even let us drive one of the engineering test mules in 2009 to show that yes, they had this thing on lock-down. → Read More
Who’s ready for 2010 to expire? Man, we are. It’s not that 2010 was a bad year or anything, but it was all iPad-this, iPhone-that with a bit of Android news bits scattered here and there.
With the products in the following list lined up for release, 2011 is set to be a much more balanced year. Of course Apple will still be a major part of the news cycle, but everyone from Nintendo to HP to even start-up companies like Notion Ink should be able to enjoy a fair share of the spotlight too. → Read More
Ward’s AutoWorld routinely grades vehicle powertrains and this year awarded one of the spots to the Chevy Volt’s 1.4L/111-kW electric drive unit mashup dubbed Voltec. Here’s what Ward’s AutoWorld Editor-In-Chief, Drew Winter, said about the propulsion system. Brave. Inspired. Brilliant. We don’t often use these words in the same sentence as ‘propulsion system,’ but that’s the only way to describe the magic under the hood of the Chevy Volt. General Motors engineers have changed the course of history by creating an electric vehicle with true mass appeal. There you have it. It’s a good engine. At least that’s what Ward’s, Motor Trend, and Car and Driver think. But clearly, Rush Limbaugh, the self-proclaimed All-Knowing, All-Sensing, All-Everything Maha Rushie knows something they don’t. → Read More
Here it is, treehuggers and haters. The EPA’s rating of the Chevy Volt: 93 when on electric, 37 combined city/hwy on gasoline, which works out to a 60 MPG composite . Those combine to give the Volt an average range of 379 miles, although, just like with the Leaf, the total range for EV-only topped off slightly less than what the manufacturer advertises. Those keeping score will also note that the Leaf was rated at 99MPGe earlier this week with a total yearly cost of ownership at $561. So yeah, let the arguing continue. → Read More
The 102-year-old car company General Motors (GM) is set to go public on Thursday after a government-forced bankruptcy and bailout in November 2008. The bailout cost taxpayers about $50 billion. Analysts estimate the stock price would need to hit $53 dollars before the government can recoup its investment. GM plans to sell about half-a-billion shares for $33 each in its IPO. The company stands to raise an estimated $20.1 billion to $23.1 billion.
…In other company news, GM unveiled its 2011 Chevrolet Camaro Convertible at the Los Angeles auto show today. Earlier in the week its new, electric vehicle (EV) the 2011 Chevy Volt won the title of car of the year from two trade magazines, Motor Trend and Automobile magazines. → Read More
Today, General Electric (GE) offered details about its committment to encourage the widespread adoption of all-electric vehicles. The company plans to walk the walk with a purchase of 25,000 electric vehicles by 2015, including an order for 12,000 Chevy Volt vehicles in 2011 from General Motors (GM), a GE business partner.
Within the next three years, GE expects to generate up to $500 million in revenue from the emerging electric vehicles market. GE owns one of the world’s largest vehicle fleets and global fleet management businesses. It also sells consumer and industrial products like the WattStation, an electric vehicle charging station, and circuit protection equipment and transformers. → Read More
Today, General Electric (GE) offered details about its committment to encourage the widespread adoption of all-electric vehicles. The company plans to walk the walk with a purchase of 25,000 electric vehicles by 2015, including an order for 12,000 Chevy Volt vehicles in 2011 from General Motors (GM), a GE business partner.
Within the next three years, GE expects to generate up to $500 million in revenue from the emerging electric vehicles market. GE owns one of the world’s largest vehicle fleets and global fleet management businesses. It also sells consumer and industrial products like the WattStation, an electric vehicle charging station, and circuit protection equipment and transformers. → Read More
The Chevy Volt is fundamentally a new sort of vehicle and so maintenance will be a tad different. Chevy just went public with oil life numbers and it seems that with the proper oil, Volt owners who drive mainly on the battery might only have to change oil every two years. This only makes sense really as the on-board I-4 engine only kicks on to charge the battery and therefore isn’t used if the Volt is drove exclusively in EV mode. → Read More
I had the rare pleasure of driving a brand new Chevy Volt up the Eastern seaboard yesterday, a four hour trip from DC to New York in the driving rain of a dying nor’easter. Organized by beleaguered carmaker GM, the drive was an attempt to reach out to tech geeks and bloggers to drive what amounts to the most high-tech car I’ve ever driven. According to a GM spokesperson, the car’s programming alone is more complex than the code in a F16 fighter jet. How was the ride? Well, first let’s talk a little about the car. The Chevy Volt is an all-electric vehicle with an M. Night Shyamalan twist. The car contains a huge, T-shaped battery that recharges in 10-12 hours, depending on the voltage, and a small 1.4L 80hp internal combustion engine – sorry, generator – that powers the car and charges the battery when you deplete the original charge. The wheels are powered by a high-torque electric motor that is alternatively power either from the battery or the generator. If you drive, say, 30 miles a day there is a very good chance your engine will never kick on, thereby saving you a tankful of gas. If you need to go far you can use the gas generator to push you another 300 miles or so. In this way it is an EV without the problems in range. → Read More
CrunchGear’s Matt Burns recently called the Chevy Volt GM’s “knight in shining chrome and white plastic.” Burns was not citing projected sales numbers, instead he was making the point that the Volt has saved GM by forcing the troubled automaker to “change internally and reinvent nearly ever aspect of how it does business.”
In support of Burns’ thesis, IBM and GM revealed new details on Monday on the car’s electronic backbone and how it came together in 29 months, from concept to finish. → Read More
The Chevy Volt is pretty much here. They’re everywhere here in the Detroit area. I must see one every other day. But they should start hitting dealers in the coming weeks and so, right on cue, the Volt’s TV ad spot appears.
This isn’t the first commercial for the Volt. Oh no, the Volt was shown off through numerous TV commercials since its announcement as more of a PR campaign for GM, rather than the Volt itself. Remember, the Volt was born during President Bush last term when everything was hitting the fan and it was clear GM was going to need some help. This new TV spot is the first to actually showcase the vehicle and its entire extended range philosophy. Anyway, click through for a bit of Chevy marketing goodness. → Read More
The time has come to fiddle around with all the options for your new Chevy Volt. Assuming you’ve got a spare $42K laying around. Yes, it’s not exactly the most affordable vehicle, nor is it, strictly speaking, an electric vehicle, but it is a practical, good-looking, and high-tech car, which is perhaps better.
At any rate, the official configurator is now live, and you can add and subtract trim as you please. → Read More
