GM-VOLT : Chevy Volt Electric Car Site

On Tuesday, hot on the heels of receiving a 86 million SEK ($12 million-ish USD) grant a week earlier, the Saab ‘coalition’ debuted the 2010 ZE Saab 9-3 electric car. It is a shame it will likely never see the light of day.

The ZE Saab (ZE stands for zero emissions) had twin electric motors putting out 335 HP, propelling it to 62 MPH in around 6.5 seconds. The car was estimated to have a range of 150 km (93 miles) on a 26 kWh battery supplied by Boston Power, with additional/larger batteries reported to be in the works for the future.

The Saab coalition had announced 100 units to be produced in 2010, and predicted up to 10 billion 60,000 by 2020.

Unfortunately for the ZE 9-3, the wheels fell off the bus at Saab on Friday, with the announcement that GM’s replacement suitor for Koenigsegg, namely Spyker cars, could not come to a agreement to buy the beleaguered brand. GM Europe President, Nick Reilly made this statement:

“We regret that we were not able to complete this transaction with Spyker Cars. We will work closely with the Saab organization to wind down the business in an orderly and responsible manner.”

GM did further explain the failure of the deal by saying, “Despite the best efforts of all involved, it has become very clear that the due diligence required to complete this complex transaction could not be executed in a reasonable time. In order to maintain operations, Saab needed a quick resolution.”

I basically interpret this to mean that GM is once again paranoid (see Opel deal) about giving up control of newer/future platforms (and the intellectual property that goes with them) to a small shell company, that is backed by a huge Russian banking group (this time the Konvers Group)…which as far as I can tell is controlled by the mob (or something not too dissimilar to it).

A fellow by the name of Alexander Antonov controls the Konvers group, whose business practices just happened to make him the recent target of a assassination attempt this year on Moscow streets. (He was shot half dozen or so times…no death) Reuters reports the attempt was a result of his, “professional activities.” Probably not the best partner.

/good call GM

In a way Saab will still live on. Chinese auto maker BAIC acquired the rights to three current/old generation Saab vehicle platforms. The salvageable parts of the technology will move from Sweden to Beijing for integration into BAIC’s lineup. BAIC expects new products from Saab technology as soon as 2011. The new models on this platform will not be marketed as Saabs.

Most exciting promotional video of a upcoming electric car ever (it is like they knew):

We are well aware GM is developing and launching the Chevy Volt.

They also possess  non-plugin hybrid technology.  The mild hybrid version of the Malibu didn’t fare too well as it added little fuel efficiency, and was discontinued.  A next -generation version of this technology using lithium-ion batteries is set to appear next year likely in the new Buick Regal.

The automaker also has 2-mode hybrid technology which is used in the large trucks such as the Chevy Tahoe, GMC Yukon, and Cadillac Escalade.  These are selling at low volume.

Back in July, I had asked then Chevrolet Chief Ed Peper if GM was also developing its own non-plugin strong hybrid sedan, and he confirmed it.

“What we are trying to work towards is ‘Yes,’ we will have other hybrid vehicles (besides the Volt) but we are trying to work towards a dedicated hybrid,” said Peper at the time. “We think that’s probably a better way for us to go longer term.”

According to a new report in Business week, GM has just shut down this program:

General Motors, for one, is reviewing its entire hybrid strategy. In late November, GM shelved plans for a 53-mpg Prius fighter for its bread-and-butter Chevrolet brand. GM product planners are starting to think they would be better off focusing on next-generation plug-in hybrids and electric cars such as the Chevrolet Volt, which is due next year. Even if those vehicles can’t beat Toyota’s Prius in the short term, they earn GM green-tech bragging rights. Given Honda’s experience, GM may have the right idea.

This article’s emphasis was on Honda’s trouble with its 41 MPG Insight launched to fight the Prius, but which has wound up being outsold by the Toyota 6 to 1.

Honda tried to price the Insight below the 50 MPG Prius as a value proposition, calling it “the hybrid for everyone,” but US sales in 2009 have only been about 20,000, far less than the 100,000 units initially projected. Honda has found out that hybrid buyers are actually more affluent and are looking for a roomier, sportier, comfortable and more powerful car, which the Prius is, and at a base price that is a mere $700 more than a fully loaded Insight.

Maybe as Businessweek notes “Given Honda’s experience, GM may have the right idea.”

Do you agree?

Source (Business Week)

BMWs current MINI E lease program is the first step in what BMW calls its MegaCity Project i, the goal of which is to develop a mass-production electric car within the next five years.

The company has just unveiled the next step in the program.  It is a vehicle that will be revealed in next month’s Detroit Auto Show and is called the BMW Concept ActiveE which evolves the MINIE to the next level.

This is a 4-door 4 seat compact sedan which borrows its stylish shell from the current 1 series.

It uses a a 170 hp (125 kw) electric motor which is mounted to the rear axle, making the car rear-wheel drive.  BMW says this “guarantees the characteristic sheer driving pleasure which is typical of BMW.”

It is a pure electric car and will derive power from a newly designed and engineered lithium-ion battery pack produced in cooperation with partner SB LiMotive. The car will have a 100 mile “real-world” electric range, 8.5 second 0 to 60 time, and electronically limited top speed of 90 MPH.  The newly crafted electric power unit is unlike asynchronous electric motors and is specially designed to deliver high torque not only at the start but at higher speeds, more closely simulating a combustion engine. 184 lb-ft of torque is available at the start.

The lithium ion pack appears to be 44.4 kwh of which 35.5 kwh is useable.

The battery system uses a liquid-cooled “intelligent battery management system” which allows the car to achieve its stated range regardless of outdoor climate conditions.  The current MINI E range drops significantly in cold weather.

The battery pack is housed in separate modules which are placed where the normal car’s combustion engine and fuel tank would be. The car will have a curb weight of 3900 pounds and 50-50 weight distribution.  This differs considerably from the bulky pack taking up the rear seat location in the current MINI E.

The vehicle will continue to offer high intensity regenerative braking that will occur as soon as the accelerator is released, similar to what is seen in the current MINI E, allowing single pedal driving in almost all situations.

The interior is tastefully designed utilizing liquid white and blue highlights.  Gone are the spartan accoutrements of the MINI E, replaced with high tech more sophisticated driver interface.  A 7 cubic foot luggage space is also provided.

The power electronic unit, prone to failure in the MINI E, will instead be “reliable and safe.”

Charging can be done at 240 volts and 32 amps in 4.5 hours.  A specialized electric HVAC system has also been designed which can be remotely programmed to acclimatize the car using grid energy before the driver actually takes off.  This can be triggered via a mobile phone application as well, and limits use of on-board energy to attain passenger comfort. The mobile application will also provide charging status information.

BMW states they have already begun building these vehicles and will introduce them into a new field test involving consumers and utilities in the US and Europe.  The current MINI E fleet of 450 cars are due to be returned in the summer of 2010, and these cars will likely replace them and be offers in siginificantly higher volumes.  Pricing and lease details have not been announced.

Source (BMW)

OK I know, you may be getting a little tired of discussing the infamous Chevy Volt Dance by now, but attention to it continues as it speaks to possible bigger marketing problems at GM.

We know GM has recognized it hasn’t done a great job in recent years at marketing which was one of the reasons ex-CEO Fritz Henderson put Bob Lutz in charge, only to be removed from his position by Henderson’s ouster Ed Whitacre.  Lutz was replaced by Susan Docherty who as new head of sales and marketing at GM wasn’t even aware of the Volt Dance phenomenon until a blogger emailed her.

Automotive journalist John Voelcker did some investigating and discovered that Lutz actually wanted to license the song “Electric Car” by “They Might be Giants” for the Volt (see video below).  Lutz was ignored and instead the current Volt song was created and released to the world.  The intention was to aim for the school-aged crowd as an educational tool.

If you think this was all a creative trick to bring attention to the Volt, it wasn’t.  I wasn’t a secret accomplice and didn’t know the video would go viral.

Docherty apparently isn’t very happy about the reaction either. She gave the following response in an email to a blogger:

Just viewed it (the video) a few seconds ago. My thoughts are that we (as a team) can do much better – the Volt is a game changer not only for Chevrolet, but for GM and for our industry. Our Chevrolet Volt advertising, marketing and go to market strategy will be as innovative as the car. We may have missed on this one, but we won’t going forward.

GM’s VP of Communications Chris Preuss seems to be taking it more lightly.

“CIA now using Volt dance video to crack terrorists,” he tweeted.

Source (GreenCarReports) and (GMSource)

On Monday I posted a video called the Chevy Volt Dance on YouTube and wrote about it here. It was a clip of four dancers dancing to the Chevy Volt theme song called “Chevy Volt and Me” that was performed every hour at the LA Auto Show.

I thought the thing was kind of silly really and made me laugh. What I didn’t know at the time, and which is one of the more fascinating things about the Internet, is that the video would “go viral.”

As of this morning the clip has been viewed over 100,000 times, and has received 717 YouTube comments. It was yesterday’s most popular video in the auto section and has been covered by Autoblog, Jalopnik, Engadget, and CrunchGear and even made it to the front page of Fox News. It has also been covered on countless smaller sites.

This must be a good thing right?

Maybe not. The coverage has been uniformly negative, and often venomous.

Fox put the words “your tax $$ at work” as the caption, for example. The users comments on YouTube have been extreme as well, and for a very popular video to have an average rating of one star shows it is being enjoyed for its badness.

Here are some typical comments from YouTube:

…Chevy: Why would you do this? I have only driven Chevy trucks for my entire driving life. Not anymore. I’m buying a Kia. P.S. Fire the marketing department.

…I have never written, typed or said this in my entire life. I didn’t realize I was saving it for just this occasion…OMG!

…If you think we are impressed, we are. Impressed with the ignorance to stage such a juvenile presentation and the arrogance to do it with our bailout money. Can’t blame this waste on the unions!

…I was 90% sure I’d never buy a chevy volt, now I’m 100% sure.

Now to be fair, GM claims they never intended this to be a widespread commercial about the Volt.

“The Volt song and dance was meant to entertain and educate families about Volt.” said Volt spokesperson Dave Darovitz. “It takes a complex idea in Volt and boils it down in an understandable and fun way targeted at kids and families who attend the show.”

“It was intended to draw people into the stand and create excitement,” he added.

Newly minted chief of GM marketing and sales Susan Docherty claimed “I have not yet seen the Chevrolet Volt song and dance but it sounds like I need to spend some time tonight on the web viewing this.”  By now I’m sure she did.  I wonder what she thought.

Part of the video’s failure is the fact that it was taken out of context.  In fact, the person who filmed it and sent it to me wrote back “we didn’t think the video would get some of the negative reaction it’s been getting.”  She added “It’s a pity people can’t see the whole thing in context, I mean, it was an auto show, not an evening at the Met.”

Anyway, it does seem like GM might be going about Volt marketing in a less than ideal way.  It is a shame to see such a high-tech, groundbreaking and important product trivialized and turned into a laughing stock, but then again maybe all publicity is good publicity.

I’ll close with the excellent Volt commercial GM aired at the 2008 Olympics.  Lets stick to this kind of stuff from now on GM, what do you say?

The Chevy Volt’s gasoline engine/generator has a unique role in this car. It doesn’t operate as do gas engines in conventional cars in that it does not turn the driveshaft. The Volt is first and foremost an EV and the engine’s only job is to spin a generator to make electricity whenever the battery reaches its low point.

We have learned that the generator will operate through an ideal RPM range anywhere from around 1400 to 4000 RPMs. The RPM and the engine load are varied by the car’s power electronics based on the need for power, which is assessed and adjusted continuously once the pure EV range is depleted.

Combustion engines run at one of two four-stroke cyles. The most commonly used is the Otto cyle. The Atkinson cycle is more efficient as it allows all four strokes (intake, compression, power and exhaust) to occur in a single turn of the crankshaft. This allows the power stroke to be longer than the compression stroke thereby generating more work for the same  amount of energy.

Toyota, for example, uses an Atkinson cycle engine in its Prius to maximize efficiency and thus fuel economy.  Atkinson cycle engines tend to be lower power and therefore slower off the start, though that is offset in hybrids by electric motor supplementation.

Many people have therefore asked whether GM will use the Atkinson cycle for the Volt’s generator.

GM-Volt has learned from reliable sources it will not. The generation one Volt engine is an Otto engine.

We have no more information than that or the reasoning why, but feel free to speculate in the comment section.

Keep in mind, GM of course has access to Atkinson engines as they are used in their 2-mode hybrid trucks currently on the market.  The Volt generator will also be used as a common part as it will also be the powerplant for the high volume Chevy Cruze.