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Archive for May, 2008

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GM and Toyota May be in Talks to Build Priuses Together and is Toyota Really Looking at E-REVs?

May 31st, 2008 | Posted in: Competitors, Original GM-Volt Interviews with 109 Comments

A fundamental theme observed in the inception and development of the Chevy Volt is the competition between General Motors and Toyota. GM vice chair Bob Lutz has admitted GM was wrong in not getting into hybrids at the time Toyota did with their Priuses and has promised not to make the same mistake twice.
Over [...]

Posted by: Lyle with 109 Comments

GM Buys Out 19,000 Workers, Time to Get Lean and Green

May 30th, 2008 | Posted in: Financial with 74 Comments

About one quarter of GM’s blue-collar workforce of 76,000 accepted buyouts to leave their positions, the automaker announced today. These workers who were earning an average $28 per hour could be replaced by new workers starting at half that much. These generally older workers will vacate by July 1st.
The fact that lower wage and [...]

Posted by: Lyle with 74 Comments

Production Chevy Volt to Have a Kammback, Round Front, and Tapered Corners

May 29th, 2008 | Posted in: Design, Efficiency with 123 Comments

We have known for a while that the initial Chevy Volt concept car did poorly in the wind tunnel. GM has advised us that in order to achieve a full 40 mile end of life EV range the car has to have an excellent aerodynamic profile.
Over time we have heard that the production Volt will [...]

Posted by: Lyle with 123 Comments

Remaining Control and Engineering Work in the Chevy Volt’s Development

May 28th, 2008 | Posted in: Engineering with 145 Comments

Below is a discussion I just had with Micky Bly who is GM’s director of hybrid vehicle integration. He is responsible for putting all the parts of the Volt together to produce a smooth and consistent driving experience.
Now that Bob Lutz has said the battery is no longer the issue, what are the issues [...]

Posted by: Lyle with 145 Comments

Chevy Volt on the NBC Nightly News With Brian Williams

May 27th, 2008 | Posted in: Advertising, Public Opinion with 148 Comments

Considering the current national gas and oil price crisis, media outlets can’t seem to discuss the topic enough. This has led to a break for GM and the Chevy Volt. As readers here have pointed out, the Volt was featured on a segment on tonight’s broadcast of the NBC Nightly news.
View it here.
Neilson [...]

Posted by: Lyle with 148 Comments

GM CEO Misquoted About Chevy Volt Price and Timing, Want it For Less?, Get Tax Credits Passed

May 26th, 2008 | Posted in: Financial, Politics with 155 Comments

Last week we experienced quite a bit of buzz about a German publication’s interview with GM CEO Rick Wagoner and his supposed comments that the Volt would come out by 2010 and for less than $30,000.
I remained skeptical about this quote becasue it did not fit well with the information we have been getting from [...]

Posted by: Lyle with 155 Comments

The Chevy Volt and Securing America’s Future

May 26th, 2008 | Posted in: Fuel with 86 Comments

First on this Memorial Day my heartfelt thanks and appreciation to our troops on the battlefield, and my wishes for their safe return, and thanks too to all those veterans who have gone before them, and let us remember those who have lost their lives for our freedom.
When the Volt was first introduced in January [...]

Posted by: Lyle with 86 Comments

Do We Believe the Volt’s Batteries Can’t Deliver on its Promise?

May 25th, 2008 | Posted in: General, PHEV with 74 Comments

An article was recently published in the Sacramento Bee discussing plug-in hybrids. The story emphasized the development of the AFS Trinity which is a plug-in Saturn VUE conversion using lithium-ion batteries and ultracaps which has a 40 mile EV range and range extender.
In a provocative assertion, the author references a UC Davis study noting:
“The [...]

Posted by: Lyle with 74 Comments

No Mad Rush Yet to Buy GM’s Large Hybrid SUVs

May 24th, 2008 | Posted in: Financial, Hybrid with 76 Comments

In following GMs development of the Volt, one cant help but notice the automaker has been developing other higher-fuel economy vehicles.
One effort thats hard to miss is the production of 2-mode hybrid versions of the large SUV Chevy Tahoes and GMC Yukons. These massive trucks have remarkably advanced 2-mode hybrid systems that allow electric-only [...]

Posted by: Lyle with 76 Comments

Full-Scale Fiberglass Production Chevy Volt Model Has Been Completed

May 23rd, 2008 | Posted in: Design with 110 Comments

We have been discussing the concept car, design changes coming to the production version, and the developmental prototpye schedule.
Some issues might need clarification, especially for people new to the site.
First, the concept car we are use to seeing is just a fiberglass shell. The production design will look somewhat different and thus far we’ve [...]

Posted by: Lyle with 110 Comments

GM CEO: Chevy Volt Out Earlier by 2010 and for Less Than $30,000?

May 22nd, 2008 | Posted in: Financial, Release Date with 147 Comments

We have a teaser of an interview that GM CEO Rick Wagoner gave to the German Publication Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung which will be published tomorrow.
He is reportedly quoted as saying two very big things.
1. GM wants to put the Volt out by 2010 as opposed to the end of 2010.
2. They want to [...]

Posted by: Lyle with 147 Comments

GM to be Exclusive Auto Sponsor For Environmental TV Channel

May 22nd, 2008 | Posted in: Advertising with 47 Comments

Discovery Channel’s “Planet Green” is a 24-hour eco-lifestyle channel that is set to launch on June 4th. In their own word’s it aims to be “your user’s guide to living mindfully on this big blue marble we all call home.” Discovery plans it to be a television network with a “robust” online presence.
It [...]

Posted by: Lyle with 47 Comments

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