This week, GM announced it will launch an all-electric vehicle under the Chevrolet brand, the Spark EV. The car is basically an electric version of the Spark mini-car and will be sold in limited quantities in the U.S., including California, starting in 2013.
The company also announced it has started working on its new concept vehicle, the Chevrolet EN-V. → Read More
Auto maker General Motors and LG Group will be working together to design and engineer electric vehicles thanks to a new partnership that expands on LG’s earlier work for GM in lithium-ion batteries. Previously, LG delivered batteries for the Chevrolet Volt, the Opel Ampera, and later for a demo fleet of Chevrolet Cruze electric vehicles.
According to the companies, their goal is to reduce both the cost and the time it takes to build electric cars.
→ Read More
The awards just seem to keep stacking up for the Chevrolet Volt. Yesterday, the Volt was awarded a Gold Medal at the Edison Awards for innovative engineering that resulted in the world’s first extended range electric vehicle.
Also, on the same night, OnStar’s mobile app won a silver medal for Best New Product in Transportation. The OnStar mobile app allows for drivers to view vehicle data, unlock and lock doors, and start their car remotely on any iOS or Android device. For the Volt, the OnStar mobile app has additional features such as charge level readings, electricity rates tables and other EV data.
Press release after the break. → 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
OnStar has made a move out of being a proprietary unit for GM vehicles and into the retail front with their OnStar mirror. This $299 unit (plus $100 for installation) is being named OnStar FMV, or For My Vehicle. The subscriptions start at $18.95 per month or you can get an entire year for $199. → Read More
With all the Volt excitement, we haven’t really talked a lot about what other electric offerings GM has planned. GM has a new hybrid system they think can raise fuel economy about 25% higher. It’s called eAssist and it’s somewhat a mild hybrid modifier for existing vehicles. GM already plans to offer this technology in the 2012 Buick LaCrosse and now, they’ve announced it for the Buick Regal. → Read More
I recently got a chance to speak with Andrew Farah, chief engineer for the Chevrolet Volt. While getting keyed in on the enormous amounts of controls and tech that went into Volt, he mentioned that he had already been chosen as chief engineer for the next EV at GM, stating that, “[my bosses] figured that I had already made mistakes, so I won’t make them again.” Farah, is a very enthusiastic and charismatic engineer, and in fact, reminded me of Ford’s CEO, Alan Mulally. When I asked him what’s up next, he said that “..battery technology will have to get better and smaller..it’s a big energy balance and controls game.” → Read More
Last year at the NAIAS in Detroit, Cadillac introduced the Converj concept, a vehicle based on the Chevrolet Volt. Most of it’s electronics were shared from the Volt, including GM’s new Voltec power system. While it was definitely a cool looking car and was much talked about at the auto show, nothing came of it—most concept cars rarely make it further then the tenure of a GM CEO.
GM’s new CEO Dan Akerson, was in Detroit last Thursday where we heard him say that GM will be offering different versions of the Volt, not specifically a Chevy nor a car. Now the speculation is just what will be coming out. Andrew Farah, the Volt’s chief engineer, has recently stated he has been picked as chief engineer for GM’s next electric vehicle. Just what exactly, we don’t know. → Read More
Duke Energy and ITOCHU Corp. announced a partnership today through which they will evaluate and test new uses for old electric vehicle (EV) batteries. Once they are too spent for life on-the-road, EV batteries could store power and deliver a charge elsewhere, the companies reason.
EV batteries falling below 80 percent of their original capacity when fully charged will be candidates for replacement and reuse. Duke and Itochu promised to begin their project by testing Ener1 lithium-ion batteries extracted from a fleet of 80 EVs in a Duke Energy facility in Indianapolis. → 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
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
With car sales starting to inch higher and the threat of bankruptcy only faintly visible in the rear-view mirror, Ford is loosening its purse strings once again.
On Monday afternoon, the Dearborn, Michigan based company announced that it will invest another $850 million into the development of more fuel efficient cars and technology.
That cash, which is earmarked for 2011 to 2013, is still contingent on whether the Michigan Economic Development Council approves a robust package of incentives (due for consideration later this week). According to reports— if the package gets the greenlight— Ford will benefit from roughly $400 million in state incentives. → Read More
Maybe it’s true after all; GM using its Voltec platform for something other than a compact/midsize sedan, a cargo van named Vivaro. Expected to be unveiled tomorrow at the IAA Commercial Vehicles Fair in Hannover, GM will showcase Vivaro for those interested in low fuel consumption–like a small organic farm that only needs to make small deliveries around the city.
More after the break. → Read More
Back in the 1960′s, GE was developing something called the “Hardiman” – a mechanical exoskeleton designed to move heavy things around. Fast forward to the future. A certain Weyland-Yutani corporation uses pretty much the same technology to haul cargo around a ship’s hold. Coincidence? Or does GE eventually become the evil corporation responsible for the Alien infestation? To see the complete concept drawing, photos, and the full (real) backstory behind the Hardiman, check out the Cybernetic Zoo. [via Makezine] → Read More
It’s safe to say we’ve reached the pinnacle of humanity with this next bit of news: you’ll soon be able to update your Facebook status using OnStar. It’s the first “entertainment-y” option to be offered by OnStar, perhaps designed to cash in on some of the goodwill that has gone Ford’s way with its Sync system. → Read More
There is nothing more American than the Corvette and its front-mounted V8 engine. Nothing. Not even the Mustang, baseball or Las Vegas. The V8 screams freedom of the open road. But that potent formula that’s been in use since the beginning might be getting slightly tweaked. GM’s VP of global engineering, Karl Stracke, mentioned to AutoWeek that the next Corvette might go hybrid to keep up with the rest of the sports car world. Blasphemy? Nope. Awesome. → Read More
The Chevy Volt is slowly and surely creeping towards dealers and GM is set to unveil the price tomorrow. At 12:00 pm ET Joel Ewanick, VP of US marketing, will make the announcement at the Plug-In 2010 Conference in San Jose, California.
Of course a lot has changed in the three year span it has taken the Volt to hit production. Nearly every major car company either already sells a few hybrids or there’s one coming soon. There are even a couple more pure electric vehicles that will compete for the same marketshare now. But saving any major manufacturing hurdle, the Chevy Volt should be the first mass-produced Extended Range Electric Vehicle to hit the streets here in the States when it hits dealers later this year.
The last big question should be answered tomorrow. What’s the price? → Read More
Heads-up displays are far from new. They’ve been around in GM vehicles since the late-80s and they’ve gone from a just displaying a speedometer, to night vision, and soon to augmented reality thanks to lasers, cameras and navigation. → Read More
Good for GM. I don’t just congratulate them on a strict “buy American” level, but the decision to break off from the pack and both design and build the next generation of electric engines is a good one. Of course, there’s the question of whether they’ll be using Panasonic batteries and other Japanese parts. They’re still pretty much cornered in some of those areas. But hey, we’ll take what we can get. → Read More
Ethanol fuel was always a mystery to me. Really, I never took the time to learn about it until I watched this 3:31 video that shows how a Pennsylvania company, Coskata, converts anything that contains carbon into fuel. Yeah, it’s an infomercial for GM, but it always quickly explains the whole waste to fuel conversion process and so it might be worth your time. → Read More
