GM-VOLT : Chevy Volt Electric Car Site

Lobbyists
During the bankruptcy process last year, GM internalized its lobbying activities, or rather more specifically, they canned a significant portion their $10 million+ external lobby operation. It was unclear at the time if this was just part of the streamlining of the whole company, or simply a move to avoid a public black eye over a potential conflict.

Since then however, we have received news that GM has rehired the firms of Greenberg Traurig and the Duberstein Group, while also bringing onboard GrayLoeffler, and is continuing its relationship with the Washington Tax Group. Between these four noted firms, they have 18 lobbyists registered to represent GM.

The main job of these lobby groups is to win favors for GM in the form of tax breaks, special allowances and subsidies/grants over and above the $50-odd billion GM has already received.

Executive Reshuffle
The news on the external lobbying came to light at a time when GM itself was reshuffling its executive…again. This time in the form of its internal lobbying division. It would seem that Ed Whitacre’s message of a ‘calming of the storm’ at the executive level at GM after the ousting of then CEO Fritz Henderson, is not becoming a reality, as the purge continues.

Last week, GM announced the replacement of its head lobbyist/vice president of government relations, Ken Cole for two of Ed Whitacre’s poker playing buddies ex-employees at AT&T, namely John T. Montford, who is now senior advisor to the GM Chairman and CEO (of which, Mr. Whitacre seems to currently have a whole legion of ‘advisors’ at his disposal), and Robert E. Ferguson, who takes over the role of vice president of Government Relations.

On a personal note, I am all for a good shakeup. I met the news of the dismissal of Brent Dewar from the head of Chevrolet with a smile, and I confess to uttering a ‘huzzah’ or two when GM’s glorious disaster in charge of marketing that was Mark LaNeve left the building.

However, firing Ken Cole, who oversaw (and some say was the architect) of the whole ‘lets go to the government and get some ‘interm’ money, then go back again and get more ‘interm’ money, then tell them to look at all the money they foolishly gave us and get them to protect that money with more money…and then have them rinse us through bankruptcy, while telling them to forget all that ‘interm’ money they just gave us…and also throw us a whole bunch more ‘new’ money as we come out of bankruptcy so we are ‘viable’ for years to come’ plan seems like firing Michael Jordan off your team because you know a couple guys that used to play ball with you back in the day that were pretty good.

/just saying

CEO Rumor Du Jour
Not sure how this rumor got started (Okay, actually I do) but how it got picked up around the interwebs as legitimate is beyond me.

Basically, the story goes like this; GM wants to get a high profile, competent CEO installed at some point to not only lead the company into the future, but sell ‘the tar’ out of the upcoming (at some point) IPO. Enter current COO of Apple, Tim Cook. /tada, mission accomplished

Where it all breaks down is when you look at accountability…and reason. For starters, the source is some random ‘tipster’ that has indicated that he has a ‘inside’ source at a third party head hunter firm that says Cook is a top candidate for GM…and that he would be willing to leave Apple now that Steve Jobs is back running the show.

Beside the obvious ‘dubious’ source of a know a guy, who knows a guy. Why would Tim Cook leave his role as COO at Apple? He has been running the day to day operations there since Jobs when down with a rare form of pancreatic cancer in 2004, and even temporarily took over as the interm CEO roll while the rest of the world was under a ‘Steve Jobs/Apple Deathwatch.’ Needless to say, neither happened, and he led the company out from a multi-year low around $80 right back up to $140, well on its way to a all-time high this past December. At this point I am unsure that Tim Cook is not more Apple than Steve Jobs is.

And for his trouble keeping Jobs seat warm, Mr. Cook has gotten paid…and with a capital ‘P’.  He has raked in tens of millions the last couple years, and just looking at his disclosures over his tenure, he has earned/sold over $100 million in Apple stock since his arrival. Not to mention he looks to have a lock on someday owning the ‘official’ CEO title. How long can/will Steve jobs really keep that seat filled?

Is GM willing to pay Cook $30 million a year, with a Nardelli-esque severance package? Would Cook even take that? Would Apple match any exorbitant price to keep him in house? Does Cook, who has only ever worked in the tech sector, even have the skill set to make a troubled automaker fly?

If somehow lightning did strike the Renaissance Center (like a dozen times) and Cook came onboard, GM certainly could boast having a who’s who of powerhouse executives, with Microsoft’s ex-CFO (Liddell), Apple’s ex-COO as CEO, and AT&T’s ex-chief Whitacre serving as President.

/but those three in the same room would surely cause the universe to implode.

Toyota long renowned for its quality has been facing some significant issues lately.

Last year they had to recall a world record 3.8 million vehicles due to faulty floor mats that caused accelerators to become stuck, leading to accidents.

Now there are reports that the much lauded third generation Prius hybrid is having some brake problems.

At least 20 cases or more of brake failure have been reported to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.  Drivers are alleging that in some circumstance when they apply the brakes, they disengage and the car feels out of control.

One driver named Robert Becker, 39, of New york told the AFP about his experience.

He was driving toward an intersection and then applied the brakes. Then the car hit a pothole and suddenly Becker experienced a “sensation of losing control,” as he described it.

“It scared the hell out of me. I wasn’t sure I could stop in time,” he said.  He also had the experience several more times since then.

Another driver who reported the problem said  ”initially, I convinced myself I must have been letting up on the brake when I hit the bump, but when this same thing happened three days ago on slippery, icy roads, I knew for 100 percent certain I had not let up on the brake.”

The Prius uses regenerative braking typical of hybrids.  For light to moderate braking, the rotation of a generator gradually slows the car all the while converting the kinetic energy into battery storage.  With more aggressive braking, a standard hydraulic brake comes into play more rapidly stopping the car but losing the kinetic energy.

The reported problem might be that if the car is jostled while the regerative brakes are engaged, they may release, at a time when the driver doesn’t expect or want it to happen.

Toyota admits it is aware of these compalints.

Toyots spokeperson Michael Michels told the AFP  ”We’re investigating those complaints as quickly as possible.”

The third generation Prius has a great many new patents and new technology not found in the older versions and some apply to the regenerative braking system.  If this does lead to a massive recall (100,000 units were sold in 2009) it is an example of the risks GM is up against in mass producing the Volt, a car built on entirely new technology.  If the Volt tuns out to be flawless, it is also a chance for GM to gain on Toyota in more ways than one.

Source (AFP) via (The Detroit Bureau)

Seems like reaching the last leg of a marathon, but we finally made it to 2010, the year of the Volt.

The Volt concept was first devised as the “iCar” in a GM meeting hall in the middle of 2006.  It was the brainchild of Bob Lutz as a car to leapfrog the Toyota Prius.

It was introduced to the world at the Detroit Auto Show on January 7th 2007.  Neurologist Lyle Dennis, no particular car guy, happened to see the news on the Internet.  So moved and inspired, he obtained the domain name GM-Volt.com and launched this site on January 12th 2007.

Three years and 1300 articles later we are finally here.

GM first announced the November 2010 Chevy Volt target launch date in November 2007 at the LA Auto Show, a few weeks after receiving the first working prototype lithium ion battery pack from LG Chem.  We have been waiting ever since (and incidentally that pack still runs on a cycler in GM’s battery lab).

There is no doubt 2010 will prove to be a truly pivotal year in the history of human transportation.  When man began his move from gas to electricity as a primary transportation fuel source.  A transition point that the Volt and hopefully in some way this site and all of us played a significant role in.

This year ahead will be rich with news and exciting developments.

Next week we should hear about the first mass-produced Chevy Volt battery pack being assembled in GM’s brand new dedicated Michigan battery assembly plant.

In March, the first pre-production Chevy Volts should roll off the line at the Detroit-Hamtramck plant,  a facility capable of producing from 60,000 to 200,000 per year.

Early test fleets will be emerging through the Spring and Summer.

And on that chosen day in November the first consumer will get his or her own Volt keyfob, and drive off into the future of our society.

And one less barrel of oil will be bought by this country.

I’m sure a million other unexpected and amazing things will happen too this year with respect to GM, the auto industry, and in the world.  We’ll be here watching, discussing, learning, and contributing.

Have a Happy Volt Year!