My Question to GM’s CFO Ray Young

GM just received last night an additional $5.4 billion in government loans bringing the total so far to $9.4 billion. They are expected to receive an addition $4 billion on February 17th.
While in Detroit, I had a chance to ask one question to Ray Young who is GM’s CFO. Ray noted that GM [...]

GM Volt Battery Plant to Cost $30 Million, Will Open in 2010, and Will be Converted From Existing Facility

At the Detroit Auto Show GM finally announced that they awarded the Chevy Volt lithium-ion battery contract to LG Chem of Korea. They also shocked us with the revelation that GM itself would assume the role of pack-maker.
In so doing, they would have to build a free-standing advanced automotive battery pack plant, the first [...]

Chevy Spark and Orlando on Way to US, Will Orlando Get a Voltec Drivetrain?

At the Detroit Auto Show GM finally announced plans to bring two concept cars to reality, and bring them to the USA.
The Chevy Spark is the production name that will be given to the mini-car previously known as the Chevy Beat. Over the months we heard it was coming then that it might not. [...]

My Question to GM CEO Rick Wagoner

While at the Detroit Auto Show I had the chance to meet GM’s CEO Rick Wagoner in a group discussion with about ten journalists. It sort of reminded me of the film Roger and Me, here I am some bumbling Michael Moore-type winding my way through months of effort to finally stand next to [...]

POLL: E-REV or RE-EV? Time For a Decision

As we know, GM has coined a term to describe the specialized architecture of the Chevy Volt and its Voltec drivetrain. It is important to make the point that the car is first and foremost an electric car. But in addition that has a gas generator to allow the car to continue past [...]

GM VP Asks For Public Assistance Making the Electric Car a Mainstream Reality

Larry Burns is GM’s VP of R&D. After the Converj unveiling, he wrote a post asking the public to help GM make the Voltec drivetrain a widespread reality.
He indicates there are challenges to do so.
His solution is to create a partnership between automakers, suppliers, utilities companies, and the government to ensure electric transformation of [...]

Engineering the Cadillac Converj

Nick Zielinki is a Voltec engineer who is charge of advanced engineering at GM. He is responsible for designing their future cars including the Cadillac Converj, and future Chevy Volt generations. I spoke with him at length while in Detroit.
Did you engineer the Converj?
Yeah, my job is advanced system integration I did [...]

Video: Exclusive GM-Volt.com Interview with GM vice-chairman Bob Lutz

I had the special opportunity for a one on one exclusive interview with GM vice chairman Bob Lutz. I apologize for the sound quality as we had to go to a place where the mobs of reporters wouldn’t besiege him, and there was a lot of background noise. You may have to [...]

GM-Volt.com Ford Focus BEV Test Drive

The 2009 Detroit Auto Show marked a truly profound inflection point in the history of the automobile, as nearly every major automaker has either revealed electric cars or plans to build them.
Ford made an especially strong jump on the scene announcing that they will begin mass production of a battery-electric vehicle, yet unnamed, in 2011.
I [...]

More Cadillac Converj Details Emerj

Sorry for the play on words.

The Cadillac Converj concept GM just unveiled is clearly a striking design. GM vice chair Lutz said it shows how “luxury meets electric.”  I had the chance to soak in and review and photogrpah the vehicle with members of the interior and exterior design team and some of the [...]

GM Chooses LG Chem to Supply Chevy Volt’s Lithium-ion Batteries and Will Build the Packs Themselves

GM first announced in the summer of 07 that they had chosen two supplier teams to compete against one another to build the Chevy Volt’s battery packs. From an initial field of 27 applicants, LG Chem and Compact Power Inc were one team and A123 Systems/Continental were the other.
We began hearing rumors as early as [...]

Chrysler E-REV Sedan Unveiled: 200C EV Concept

Chrysler surprised the world Sunday with the unveiling of its very own Chevy Volt-fighter. The automaker had previously shown extended-range electric vehicle concepts of a minivan, a Jeep Wrangler (and now Patriot), as well as a sportscar EV that has been updated with the name Circuit.
However, unexpected was the unveiling of a newly-designed small [...]