GM-VOLT : Chevy Volt Electric Car Site

GM vehicles offer OnStar technology which allows a satellite to detect the vehicle’s position through GPS and communicate with it.

Because of the Volt’s unique characteristics and GM’s goal for it of maximizing EV range and minimizing petroleum use, there are several opportunity for productive synergy in this regard.

I spoke with Bob Kruse, GMs executive Director of Hybrids, and EVs about this.

He said that GM is just at the beginning of their learning experience on how the Volt could use OnStar, and that there are several new “degrees of freedom” that will be explored over the next two years.

He said intriguingly that “OnStar gives us the opportunity to know more about the environment the driver is driving in,” suggesting that by knowing the car’s terrain, generator management could be optimized based on it.

Bob noted that currently using OnStar’s route planning feature, one could choose a fastest or shortest route navigation as examples. In the Volt, however, he said that “it might be possible for OnStar to plan a a route for maximal electrical efficiency…so you avoid hills (for example).”

We also discussed the idea that Bob Lutz alluded to, that OnStar could tell if you are a few miles from home and charge the battery just enough to get there.

Kruse expanded and clarified that idea in the following way:

As a driver goes beyond 40 miles of EV and the ICE is on, energy will be flowing back into the battery through regenerative braking or other opportunities. If OnStar knows that the driver is a certain distance from home and the car recognizes it has the same amount of battery energy stored to cover that distance electrically, it could cut off the ICE so that the driver arrives home at “as close to zero as practical or possible.” Again, the reason for this is to maximize the amount off energy the car is using off the grid, instead of petroleum.

So since GM is still working out ideas to use OnStar to maximize electric-only driving, do you have any suggestions to share?

On our journey to the Volt, we have to check in regularly on the financials, as we know the Volt depends on GMs survival. Things have been very tough for automakers this year with sales down through the end of August an average of 11%. This from high oil prices and slowing economy, matters are only made worse now by the tightened credit markets and the teetering of the US economy. People with good credit who want to buy a car are now having trouble just getting the loans. And forget about leasing.

GM was expected to announce a sales decline of 24%. Ford reported a decline of 35%, with their expected rate being 25%. Chrysler dropped 33%, Honda dropped 24%, Toyota dropped 32%, and Nissan dropped 37%.

It turns out GM beat the expectations and sales only dropped 15.6%. This was less than the industry overall where sales slumped 20%. As well, GM market share overall increased to 27% which they noted was their highest monthly market share of 2008. Per GM North American VP Mark LaNeve, “September marked the second consecutive month where GM performed extremely well in tough market conditions.”

GM noted particularly that Malibu sales were up 200 percent, and that a total of 1957 hybrid were sold in the month. That hybrid sales numbers included 91 of those 70K + 2-Mode Escalades.

GM mentioned the good publicity that the Volt unveiling has given them as LaNeve noted “the public reveal of the production version of the Chevrolet Volt E-REV as the highlight of our GMnext celebration last month showcases GM’s leadership in advanced propulsion technology and fuel efficiency.”

On a related note, President Bush formally signed $25 billion in loans to US automakers last night, after the provision was passed by Congress.

Source (GM)

[UPDATE: other automakers sales numbers added]

Since the production Chevy Volt was unveiled, GM has begun showing it around the country. It was seen at the Alt Car expo in California, and also was shown last week at a closed media event at Texas Motor Speedway, so-called the heart of NASCAR.

It is of interest that NASCAR fans love the speed, the smells, and the sounds of the racecars. We already know electric cars can be faster off the start due to instant torque. The author of the source article questions though whether NASCAR gearheads will embrace the oderless, non-vibrating, silence of electric cars like the Volt.

GM marketing people say the Volt is attracting the "green crowd" and the "tech crowd," but also note "this car has mass appeal to a broader audience."

One idea is that NASCAR fans will appreciate energy independence.

But some in GM feel the idea of marketing the car as pro-American, as a way of displacing foreign oil, also might have risks. Per Pete Lewis in GM program development "there is a fear that if we position this as a ‘pro-American’ car, it will upset some of the environmentally conscious crowd, and we want it to be embraced by everyone."

In the end it was suspected that NASCAR fans would go for the Volt as long as its fun to drive. I suspect it will be, but we’ll still have to wait to find out.

Source (CNN )