Chevy Volt Battery Temperature Control

The following is a recent exchange I had with Volt vehicle line director Frank Weber concerning battery temperature control in the Chevy Volt.
Does the battery always have some electronics running, even when the car is turned off?
No, there is a real sleep mode.
Did you hear about former CEO Martin Eberhard noting his Tesla Roadster was [...]

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EEStor Gets a Trademark Patent on EESU and Provides Specs for a 24V EESU

Another chapter on the EEStor story has now unfolded, this time in the world of trademark patents.
In October, the secretive Texas company EEStor was granted a trademark for “EESU”, which stands for Electrical Energy Storage Unit and refers to their unique ceramic battery. The battery is purported to be low cost, lightweight, extremely energy [...]

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More Future Volt Competition?: Lotus E-REVs and Solar-Powered Toyotas

Sportscar maker Lotus has just announced its intention to get into the electric car arena. They already make the bodies for the Tesla Roadster, which are based on the Lotus Elise.
Lotus’ CEO Michael Kimberley said “Don’t be surprised to see an electric Lotus shortly, we are working on the technologies that will go behind [...]

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Poll: Which 2010 Hybrid Would You Buy?

This new year will be bringing with it three new hybrid sedan choices for American consumers. Obviously most of us here are waiting for the Chevy Volt but since that wont arrive until late 2010 maybe one of these will have to do for now.
1. Ford Fusion Hybrid

This is a brand new strong [...]

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Happy New Year From GM-Volt.com

The third year of this website will begin on January 12th, the second anniversary of the Volt concept announcement.
It has been a remarkable ride and I look forward to the day the Volt is released.
This seems like a good time to share and look quaintly back at the top 3 posts from 2008 and 2007.
2007:
1. [...]

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10,000 Camaros Have Been Pre-Ordered, How Many Volts Will Be?

GM is now in an improved financial position compared to earlier in the month.  Primarily because of the first installment of federal loans received Monday, they can continue to operate.
In addition, the federal government just gave $5 billion to GMAC, GM’s financial company, and have allowed them to become a bank holding company. With this [...]

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How Will Air Conditioning Affect the Chevy Volt’s Electric Range?

The Chevy Volt has been designed to be able to drive for 40 miles on stored electricity when starting from the point of a fully charged battery. GM has specifically engineered the car around that goal. That range is based on a certain set of assumptions, which includes reasonable driving aggressiveness. Severe [...]

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Volt Chief Designer on the Public Reaction to Chevy Volt Redesign

I recently had the chance to ask Bob Boniface who is the Chevy Volt’s design chief about how he perceived the public’s response to the cars redesign from concept to production form.
How do feel about the public’s response to the unveiling?
It depends which day. When the Transformer photos leaked people went crazy for it, [...]

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US Battery Companies Seek Government Funds to Establish US-Based Lithium-ion Production Capacity

An electric car future is inevitable. Instead of running on gasoline, of course, those cars will be powered by grid-charged lithium-ion batteries, as shall the Volt.
Currently, Asia is already far ahead of the US in lithium-ion battery production, and if that trend continues will assure future US dependence on Asia for batteries to run [...]

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Toyota E-REV? Not

Toyota has recently announced its intentions to unveil an all-electric car at the Detroit Auto Show in January.
The only information Toyota has confirmed is that the car will be a new and original subcompact design and a limited range vehicle meant only for “town” driving, unable to handle longer driving needs.  Reports say it will [...]

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The Chevy Volt Now a Transformer Called Jolt

A few weeks before GM unveiled the production version of the Chevy Volt, some spy shots got leaked from the set of the upcoming film, Transformers 2, which is expected to premier this summer.
It is now apparently confirmed that the Volt will indeed be a transformer by the name of Jolt. Some transformer fan [...]

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Happy Holidays 2008 From GM-Volt.com

On this holiday season of a very dramatic year, I would like to wish everyone and their friends and families peace, joy, and happiness, everywhere in the world.
It is hard to believe its been nearly two years since I started this blog, and better yet less than two years until the Chevy Volt reaches production.
As [...]

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