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Archive for February, 2009

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Opel to Split From GM, Germany Ready to Bail Them Out

February 28th, 2009 | Posted in: Financial, Opel with 53 Comments

After the fall of Saab, now independent from GM, in court supervised restructuring, and having shut down all production, the next domino to fall is Opel.
The Germany-based division of GM has developed a restructuring plan that they plan to present to the German government and four other European countries on Monday . The division needs [...]

Posted by: Lyle with 53 Comments

GM Says Production of Volt Engines in December 2010 Does Not Delay November Volt Launch

February 27th, 2009 | Posted in: Generator, Production with 89 Comments

This week GM announced that they will be building Chevy Volt engines in a re-tooled existing plant rather than building a new plant which had been the previous plan.
Within that announcement GM indicated the first of these engines would begin being assembled in December 2010. This led some to speculate that GM would somehow [...]

Posted by: Lyle with 89 Comments

Study: Cost of Chevy Volt Limits its Value to Drivers

February 26th, 2009 | Posted in: Efficiency with 156 Comments

In a case of kick em while they’re down, Bloomberg has just published an article about an upcoming report out of Carnegie Mellon University.
The study suggests that a rechargeable auto with the Volt’s target range of 40 miles is “not cost effective in any scenario.”
According to Jeremy Michalek the engineering professor who led the study, [...]

Posted by: Lyle with 156 Comments

GM Releases 4th Quarter 2008 Results: Loses $9.6 Billion and Burns $6.2 Billion in Cash

February 26th, 2009 | Posted in: Financial with 150 Comments

The beleaguered automaker announced that in the last 3 months of 2008 they lost $9.6 billion for a net loss of $30.9 billion for the year.
The noted that “cash, marketable securities and readily available assets of the Voluntary Employees Beneficiary Association (VEBA) trust totaled $14.0 billion as of Dec. 31, 2008, down from $27.3 billion [...]

Posted by: Lyle with 150 Comments

Project Get Ready to Help Develop Community Plug-in Car Readiness

February 25th, 2009 | Posted in: Charging, Grid, Politics with 88 Comments

Yesterday the Rocky Mountain Institute announced something they are calling Project Get Ready. The goal of the initiative is “to help communities prepare for and welcome plug-in vehicles including full battery electric, plug-in hybrid electric, and converted hybrid or internal combustion vehicles.”
This involves facilitating the engagement of advocates, utility companies, local government and other [...]

Posted by: Lyle with 88 Comments

President Obama Addresses Plug-in Car Batteries and US Auto Industry in Upcoming Budget and References the Volt

February 25th, 2009 | Posted in: Financial, Politics with 122 Comments

In his first Presidential Address to the Congress, President Obama gave clues to his upcoming budget and how it will address the US auto industry and the plug-in car battery industry.
He stated that “the budget I submit will invest in the three areas that are absolutely critical to our economic future: energy, health care, and [...]

Posted by: Lyle with 122 Comments

GM Announces Chevy Volt Engines to be Built at Existing Flint Michigan Plant

February 24th, 2009 | Posted in: Generator, Production with 69 Comments

In recent weeks we heard that construction at the Flint Michigan engine plant where the Chevy Volt and Cruze engines were to be built had been put on hold due to cash flow difficulties. This plant had initially been earmarked for the Family Zero engines back in September.
Now the automaker has announced it will [...]

Posted by: Lyle with 69 Comments

Is BYD Auto Considering Purchasing Saturn? Tell Them What You Think

February 24th, 2009 | Posted in: Competitors with 141 Comments

One of GM’s restructuring tasks is to shed or possibly spin off Saturn. A potential candidate to take over the Saturn brand is BYD (Build Your Dream) Autos. This is a Chinese company that has already begun the mass production and sale of their F3DM dual mode electric car in China for the [...]

Posted by: Lyle with 141 Comments

GM-Volt.com Exclusive Tesla Roadster Electric Car One Day Test Drive With Video

February 23rd, 2009 | Posted in: Competitors, Test drive, Video with 217 Comments

I had one of the greatest indulgent pleasures of my life the other day. For one day, Tesla Motors gave me a Tesla Roadster to do with what I wish. This was a 2008 prototype model in red.
From simply setting up a blog about the Volt concept two years ago, unbelievably I was [...]

Posted by: Lyle with 217 Comments

CEO of Compact Power Inc, Subsidiary of LG Chem and Current Maker of Volt Battery Pack Discusses Volt and EV Battery Issues

February 22nd, 2009 | Posted in: Battery with 130 Comments

Compact Power Inc. is a subsidiary of Korea-based LG Chem, the company that was chosen to make the lithium-ion battery cells GM will use in the first generation Chevy Volts.  GM will take over the pack assembly but Compact Power paved the way building the initial early prototypes and will continue to act as a [...]

Posted by: Lyle with 130 Comments

GM Remains Committed to the Plug-in Saturn VUE Program

February 21st, 2009 | Posted in: Brand, Financial, PHEV with 108 Comments

One of the provisions of GMs restructuring plan was to reduce its brands and focus on its core. As we heard yesterday, Saab was set free to attempt restructuring in Sweden’s courts. Hummer will be terminated or sold by the end of March, and Pontiac will be reduced to a niche brand.
Saturn too shall soon [...]

Posted by: Lyle with 108 Comments

Saab Becomes Independent from GM and Declares Bankruptcy

February 20th, 2009 | Posted in: Brand, Financial, Politics with 180 Comments

Swedish carmaker Saab has been a division of General Motors ever since the automaker purchased a 50% stake in 1990 and the rest in 2000. With the collapse of the auto market, it has become a particularly weak division, selling less than 94,000 cars last year, down from a peak of 133,000 in 2006.
GM [...]

Posted by: Lyle with 180 Comments

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