GM-VOLT : Chevy Volt Electric Car Site

Ford continues to take a conservative stance on the possibility of mass-producing plug-in electric cars.

“We’re clearly at least five years away from starting what I would call the ramp from very small volumes to substantial volumes,” said Nancy Gioia who is Ford’s director of hybrid vehicles.

She describes plug-in development as “a system that really has to come together and it’s not just, ‘Throw some product out there.”‘

She worries about the possibility of batteries not living up to their lifetime potential stating:

“If you build your plug-in hybrid and the battery only lasts five years, how much is your vehicle worth? Nothing. The battery replacement costs will exceed the residual value of the vehicle. We don’t think that’s an acceptable pathway forward.”

For its part Ford is testing 20 plug-ins in Southern California as a research effort with utility companies.

Source (Reuters)

The Toyota Prius has been the undisputed king of green cars so far, selling more than 1 million units worldwide. Indeed GM vice chair Bob Lutz has publicly stated it was in part the Prius’ success that spurred him to launch the Chevy Volt.

The Volt is intended to be a lot of things the Prius is not. It is a sporty, aggressive car, with 40 miles of pure fully dynamic electric drive and an entirely revolutionary drivetrain. As well it has a plug and uses lithium-ion batteries.

Toyota is planning to reveal its next generation Prius at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show, and NextAutos caught some spy photos of it.

These photos confirm previous suggestions that the car would be wider, longer, and more solid looking. These older reports also indicated the car would be more powerful, achieving 160 hp using a 1.8 L up from 1.5 L engine. We have also heard about the solar-panel roof to power the A/C.

But per this new report the plan is to increase the car’s mpg, and to do so, Toyota may actually use lithium-ion as opposed to nickel-metal hydride batteries, despite their earlier pessimism.  There is even talk of a plug.

So while the Volt program and GM’s openness about it has been great for us all so far, it looks like the competition is learning something from our enthusiasm as well.

Source (NextAutos ) via (Autobloggreen )

We have been waiting patiently to see the production redesign of the Chevy Volt concept.  Speculation recently indicated that GM would reveal the car at their Centennial celebration on September 16th.

Today, the Detroit News is reporting that the September 16th revelation will be a sneak peek only for GM workers who will not be allowed to bring in cameras.

Sources within GM told the reporter that the production car won’t actually be shown to the public until the LA Auto Show in November or the Detroit Auto Show in January.

A consumer focus group in California was shown the production version last month and the response was “very positive” per GM spokesperson Karla Coleman.

While we’re waiting anyway, the graphic above shows a fantastic artist rendition of the production Volt created by a group effort in our GM-Volt.com forum, primarilary by Dinosaurus and finished up by Jason C.  You can see more of Dinosaurus’ 3-D modelling here.

Source (Detroit News)

Even though they are not involved in the Chevy Volt project, we follow EEStor on this site because of the remarkable energy storage potential that their technology could represent.

Based on barite, their storage units if shown to perform as they are purported to, could hold several times the energy at a fraction of the cost and weight of lithium-ion batteries, and could have a practically unlimited lifetime.

EEStor is based in Texas and is extremely stealth about their work, although production level storage units are supposed to be delivered by the end of this year to be used in the ZENN electric car.

Today EEStor has broken a long stretch of silence with a press release. They have demonstrated to a third party verification source that they are indeed able to produce their chemical energy storage substrate powder at 99.52% purity. The powder is called CMBT (for ceramic-based barium titanate).

Per the press release, "this level of crystallization provides the path for the possibility of EEStor, Inc. providing the published energy storage for present products and major advancements in energy storage for future products."

It was also verified that the powder could be produced in the 1 micron range with a very limited range distribution, and that the aluminum oxide coating can have a voltage breakdown of 1,100 volts per micron whereas the working target for the EESU is only 350 volts per micron.

ZENN Motor Company has an exclusive licensing agreement with ZENN for use of it in cars and partial ownership.  CEO Ian Clifford said this about today’s announcement:

"We see this as a very positive step forward for EEStor. Our next material milestone with EEStor is the third party verification of permittivity of their production materials and we look forward to that as well."

EEStor officials thus far have not responded to requests for comment.

Source (MarketWatch )

According to new paperwork filed by GM, the 1.4 L 4 cylinder family zero engine that will be the Chevy Volt’s range-extender/generator will be built in a brand new plant in Flint Michigan.

The facility will be 530,000 square feet and cost $326 million. It will also produce the similar engine to be used in the upcoming Chevy Cruze slated to replace the current Cobalt.

The paperwork indicates that Volt engine production is indeed set for 2010.

The Flint city council still needs to approve the plan at a meeting set for August 25th, but clearly the city is exited at the prospects. Long known for building gas guzzling powerful engines, Flint’s turbulent relationship with GM was the subject of the scathing Michael Moore documentary Roger and Me.

The fact that the cutting-edge Volt engine will be built there, 60 miles from the Hamtramck plant where the Volt will be assembled, “strengthens Flint’s competitive position long term,” per Flint City council member Ehren Gonzales.

Source (Mlive)

Since the massive gas price and economy fueled shift started in the North American auto market, all the automakers are scrambling to stop building trucks and start building fuel efficient cars.

The Chevy Beat approved for oversees production seemed like it would be a good fit for this new US market, but couldn’t make it here because it wasn’t built to US crash and safety standards.

Today, Chevy Brand Manager Ed Peper told Automotive News, that GM will be bringing one of the Beat’s two sister cars to North America.

The other two siblings are called Trax and Groove, and per Mr. Peper, "of the triplets, we will get one of those variants." As to which of the two would come he said "I don’t want to say at this point."

To meet US requirements the mini car would have to be a bit longer that the Beat is, and will arrive here "in the next couple of years."

If this car is to replace the Aveo, it will be more stylish says GM VP of design Ed Wellburn.

Source (Automotive News subscription)