Quick background story: The CEO of Tesla, Elon Musk, and David Letterman bashed the Chevy Volt on a previous show. Letterman thought the Volt’s maximum range was 40 miles; it’s not. So GM’s resident bulldog and VP of Product Development, Bob Lutz, went on the show yesterday to set Dave straight. He also revealed that GM’s target price is now $40, 000 minus the $7,500 US Government tax credit. That’s a bit of info he wouldn’t reveal to us just two days ago when we drove a Volt test mule. Better hurry up and watch the video after the jump before it gets pulled. → Read More
GM has declared that the Chevrolet Volt is the company’s future, and we can see why after spending a good amount of time behind the wheel of an early test mule. The experience met every expectation we had about the extended-range electric vehicle. It was electric-quick, had instant torque, and was strikingly quiet. The test mule shows great promise that the Volt will be everything GM’s savior should be.
Bob Lutz, Vice Chairman of Global Product Development and an all-around man’s man, along with Frank Weber, the Volt’s chief engineer, chatted with us a bit before we got behind the wheel. It’s clear that these high-up GM suits feel very strongly that the Volt is something special. Many, including myself, have called out GM for largely ignoring consumer diesels and hybrids, but I finally understand their positive outlook after our drive. → Read More
Here’s a quick video I took on my BlackBerry of the PUMA in action. To recap – the PUMA is a two-wheeled Segway that can drive up to 35 miles on a single charge (35 cents per charge) and is capable of going up to 35MPH. Oh, I just overheard one of the higher ups say that PUMA will have a beefed up suspension to handle rough terrain like NYC’s pothole riddled streets. Check back later for a video of our very own test drive. I fear for my life. Heh.
Update: We now have two videos up of the PUMA. → Read More
UPDATE: Check out our test drive… General Motors and Segway have teamed up on Project PUMA (Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility), a two-wheeled city vehicle capable of reaching speeds up to 35 miles per hour, and going 35 miles on a single charge at a cost of 35 cents per charge. → Read More
There is talk around the ol’ internet watercooler that General Motors and Citigroup are about to be kicked off the Dow Jones Industrial Average due to their lackluster performance and long term outlook. Both of the companies stocks are trading around a $1 with Citigroup taking the title of the first stock to be traded on the index as a penny stock. Since the Dow follows 30 of the largest and most widely held public companies in the United States, would Apple (AAPL) and Google (GOOG) take GM and Citigroup’s place if they are removed?
General Motors is the longest continuous fund on the Dow Jones with a 1925 induction date, but the stock has never traded this low related to the overall market; even after the Dow Jones saw mini-crash in 1988. Citigroup was added in 1997 under the name Travelers Group but more recently been part of the US meltdown. While both companies probably represent Americans’ financial outlook accurately, the two companies simply do not meet the basic guidelines for a Dow Jones stock. → Read More
The original Transformers movie was obnoxiously filled with shiny General Motor’s rides and it seems that theme will continue in the sequel. The latest GM wunderkind, the Chevy Volt, was apparently forced onto the writers at the latest minute ‘ccording to a web chat with the film’s head writer. Who knows how much GM is padding the producers pockets but at least we get to watch our tax dollars in work this coming summer. → Read More
Battery pack on the left belongs to the Chevy Volt and the one on the right, to the ’97 Chevy EV1. The Volt’s battery utilized lithium-ion cells to produce the same 16kWhrs as the older, and 800 lbs heavy, EV1 lead acid unit. Next up: glovebox-sized units that you can swap out like a power drill pack. Okay, I just made that up, but that be sweet. Flickr via OhGizmo → Read More
Reuters is reporting that General Motors may be unveiling a “showroom-ready model” of its electric car, the Volt, in September. It was previously thought that the Volt wouldn’t be released until 2010, but “a deepening slump in sales” has apparently pushed GM to get the Volt on the market ahead of schedule. September’s a good time for GM to unveil the new car, too, as it’ll mark the company’s 100-year anniversary. The Chevy Volt will be powered by conventional lithium ion batteries and can be recharged using a standard 110-volt household electrical socket. The car can only go 40 miles on battery power alone but uses regenerative braking and other “range-extending onboard power sources” like gasoline or ethanol for longer trips, according to Chevrolet’s web site. → Read More
GM is currently holding the Challenge X competition and today it rolled into NYC. Unfortunately, I’m on my deathbed and was unable to make it to Central Park this morning, but thanks to YouTube I can give you a glimpse of what’s going on. Challenge X is an engineering competition that has 17 North American universities competing against one another to rebuild a Chevy Equinox to make it more energy efficient and environmentally friendly. The above video is from a track day held in New Jersey at the Old Bridge Township Raceway Park. I’ll post video from today’s event once it’s up. It’s good to see an American automotive company caring about the future while they’ve been helping to pollute it for the last 50 years. Heh. Full list of teams after the jump. → Read More
Honda will be leasing a limited number of its FCX Clarity sedans in California this upcoming summer. The cars use hydrogen fuel cells that’ll be topped off via a "home fueling station that uses a home’s existing natural gas supply to produce hydrogen." → Read More
Allow my inner treehugger to take over for a few moments. And allow me to talk about cars because we don’t often do that. GM is launching Project Driveway in NY, LA, and Washington, D.C. that will allow over 100 eco-conscious individuals the opportunity to test-drive the Chevy Equinox Fuel Cell electric SUV for three to 30 months. Yesterday in Westchester, NY (White Plains to be exact) the first of six hydrogen vehicle refueling stations was opened and the facility will manufacture and store 30 kilograms of gaseous hydrogen from water using CO 2-free hydropower that’s being supplied by the NY Power Authority. Awesome. → Read More
This time next year, you may find yourself listening to NWA or Ice Cube and hearing something about a “hot jack move”. Whatever you do, don’t pull a “hot jack move” on a GM vehicle, because the company is improving its OnStar service vastly. 2009 vehicles with OnStar will come with a new feature called Stolen Vehicle Slowdown, which will remotely slow down a vehicle once its been reported stolen and located via a GPS receiver. So again, let’s review: -”Hot jack move” in 2007: OK -”Hot jack move” in 2008: Not OK Glad we’re clear on things. Now go back to sippin’ your gin and juice. GM and OnStar Create Technology to Help Save Lives [Street Insider] → Read More
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