GM-VOLT : Chevy Volt Electric Car Site

Th!nk is the Norweigan carmaker that has begun production of a small, low speed electric car called the Think city EV. The company to this point had only announced plans for sales in Europe, beginning in the U.K.

At the Geneva Auto Show they announced a larger 5 seat monocab Think Ox concept, and have received financial backing from GE. Think has also already entered into partnerships with 2 U.S. lithium-ion battery companies as well, A123 and EnerDel.

Today, for the first time, Th!nk announced plans to go into large scale sales of the Think City in the U.S., hoping to get as many as 50,000 cars on the road by late 2009.

The Think city is a 2-seater with a top speed of 62 mph, a 112 mile range, be priced under $25,000 and has already passed U.S. federal safety requirements. Todays announcement also carries the importance of funding by the major U.S. venture cap firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.

The North American operation will be based in Southern California, where the cars will also be assembled.

So will this car give the Volt a run for its money or will it’s money run away? Only time will tell.

Source (Reuters )

70% of respondents of a new international poll believed that world oil production has already peaked, and only 22% believe enough new oil will be found to allow it to remain a primary fuel source.

Steven Kull director of the poll’s publisher WorldPublicOpinion.org said "What’s most striking is there’s such a widespread consensus around the world that oil is running out and governments need to make a real effort to find new sources of energy,"

Also there is a report of an attack Sunday on a Japanese oil tanker off the coast of Yemen, by a rocket fired from a small ship. This helped push the cost of oil to a new record of over $117 per barrel.

Source (Reuters )

At the Beijing Auto Show, GM CEO Rick Wagoner announced plans to bring the Volt to market in China, as automakers are in increasing competition to grab market share of the rapidly growing Chinese auto market.

On the sideline of the show Wagoner told reporters:

"At this point the focus for us 100 percent is getting the Volt produced in the U.S.,"

and

"So far, so good, but it’s going to be right down to the wire to meet the production deadline we’ve set."

He also said GM was moving closer to picking one of the two lithium-ion battery pack-making teams (CPI/LG vs Conti/A123), but indicated the production contract could be given to one side, while a development contract is maintained with the other.

GM representatives also apparently said China would be next to get the Volt after the North American market of U.S. and Canada.

Wagoner encouraged China to move away from oil and towards hydrogen derived from nuclear power. Last years’ Beijing auto show was indeed the location where the fuel-cell E-Flex variant, now considered on a production track, was unveiled.

Wagoner also acknowledged how financially important the China market was for GM, saying " it could be huge," and "the company that gets China right is going to be the dominant player for the next 25 years."

He also notes the economy of scale benefit for the Volt via China, "the sales volume for E-Flex in China could be a huge factor over time for reducing cost’"

Source (Reuters )

I got to spend a little time chatting with CNN auto reporter Peter Valdes-Dapena, as he was researching a new piece he’s written on the production Volt’s design. You will find a couple of quotes from me sprinkled in.

To read more about my interview with Volt chief designer Bob Boniface go here .

The CNN article explains that the production Volt could potentially appear “tamer” than the concept we are used to seeing. The concept is so aggressive appearing, GM insiders apparently used to call it the electric Camaro. Of course, since Bob also did design the new Camaro, this should not be surprising.

We know the production Volt’s wheels will be smaller, and are apparently pulled back, making the front end longer.

The drive shift lever I have seen in the studio, is apparently mechanically -driven to help conserve electricity.

Again reiterated is the fact that the car is a 4 seater.  Perhaps this deserves a little expansion.

For those that are wondering, here is the reason why; the battery pack. The T-shaped pack sits along the center line of the car with the bar of the “T” just behind the rear seats. You can’t sit in the middle in the back because the pack is there. To make 3 seats in the back, everything would have had to sit up higher and the roof would be raised. The design team wanted to keep the low slung roof of the as much as possible, so there went the third seat.

I was quoted in the article as basically saying that in the grand scheme of things, the technology of the car and what it represents is more important than it’s appearance. Also I said, and believe, that despite differences from the concept, it will be pretty cool looking anyway. I haven’t seen the whole thing yet but the gleam in Bob Boniface’s eyes when he speaks about the car is unmistakable.

Some of Peter’s interview with Bob is in the video below. Bob talks about keeping costs down, changes needed for the production car and mentions the plug port.

Source (CNN ).

[flash http://www.youtube.com/v/WwAALvi9Xwk]

The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) are having a conference in Detroit this week. One paper that was presented was written by Toyota and called ‘Study on the Potential Benefits of a Hybrid System”.

The results were summarized by our friend Mike Milikin of Greencarcongress.

In the study Toyota compared the E-REV concept to the PHEV Prius concept. They analyzed each vehicle driving the US06 (aggressive) cycle which they calculated requires 100 kW maximum output.

Toyota argues that the Volt would need to have battery, motor, and electrical system all be capable of creating that 100 kw. For their blended or parallel PHEV, though, electrical output would only have to create 20 kw average and 40 kw maximum, the combustion engine taking care of the rest.

Toyota concludes that because of the cost of batteries large enough to be capable of generating 100 kw, it is primarily more cost effective at the current time to focus on blended PHEVs.

My take: Yes, Toyota, I agree the Prius will be cheaper then the first generation Volts, but we must start somewhere and battery prices will drop over time.

But most of all, is the value of being able to drive entirely without petroleum just about saving money?

Source (Greencarcongress)

As you have seen in our last post, there are pictures of the Chevy Volt mule car in motion circulating on the Internet as spy photos. There has been related conjecture about whats under the hood of that mule. I understood no li-ion pack mules are running yet, but other sites reported the vehicle has an li-ion pack in it.

I always, as is the mantra of this website, try to get the real facts. Per my request, here is the truth per GM EFlex spokesman Rob Peterson:

"We have had E-Flex mule vehicles testing components on our test tracks in Milford for over five months. However, the one being shown is not one of them. The photo circulating on the web is a Volt ride and handling test vehicle. It does not include E-Flex propulsion components – specifically, it does not include the li-ion t-pack."

Note the picture we show here above and below is a real E-Flex mule with the E-Flex drivetrain, but no li-ion pack.