GM-VOLT : Chevy Volt Electric Car Site

Today is a bonanza day of vindication and recognition for the little car that could, and all of GM’s relentless development and our unyielding effort and devotion here on GM-Volt.com.  In fact it’s a landslide.

Only a few short hours after Motor Trend magazine announced the Chevrolet Volt was awarded their 2011 Car of the Year award, another leading automotive authority has done the same.

Automobile magazine has named the Chevrolet Volt its winner for 2011 Automobile of the Year.

GM marketing chief Joel Ewanick has accepted the award at the LA Auto Show.

Automobile magazine editors made the following statement:

“This is the most sophisticated, most important vehicle on the road today. It won’t just change what we drive, but also how we drive. Owners will plug in at night, heat or cool their cabin before they leave the garage, and adopt new driving styles to maximize their electric range. Then, when the battery is depleted, they’ll mindlessly motor on; free of the limitations that accompanies pure electric vehicles.”

I can tell you firsthand this is true.  After driving the car nearly a week, there is no doubt the car is a brilliant refined technological tour-de force.

“On its way to becoming AUTOMOBILE Magazine’s 2011 Automobile of the Year, the Chevrolet Volt endured more scrutiny and skepticism than any of the nine other semifinalists,” said Associate Editor Eric Tingwall of the announcement. “It is genuinely an all-new car, in the most simplistic sense as well as in the greater notion that the Volt is unlike any vehicle we have ever driven.”

“We are very grateful for this prestigious recognition from AUTOMOBILE Magazine,” said Ewanick, who drove a Volt 2,394 miles from Detroit to Los Angeles for the show. “Automobile of the Year is a testament to the pioneering technology of the Volt, as well as the talent, intelligence and hard work of everyone at GM who made it a reality.”

You can enjoy the magazine’s detailed analysis of the Volt at the link below:

Source (Automobile Magazine)

Today the Chevrolet Volt was recognized for its  nature as a transformational and disruptive technologically advanced automobile by a leading automotive authority, beating out several other contenders including the Nissan LEAF.

Motor Trend magazine named the Volt the 2011 Car of the Year, and presented the award to GM VP Tom Stephens.

“We expected a science experiment, but this is a moon shot,” Motor Trend editors wrote for the January 2011 issue. “The Volt delivers on the promise of the vehicle concept as originally outlined by GM, combining the smooth, silent, efficient, low-emissions capability of an electric motor with the range and flexibility of an internal combustion engine. It is a fully functional, no-compromise compact automobile that offers consumers real benefits in terms of lower running costs.”

Much of reason the car was chosen for this prestigious award is its groundbreaking propulsion system that allows drivers to enjoy no-compromises pure electric driving for most if not all of their daily needs, while at the same time providing seamless gas-powered range extension for trips of greater than 40 miles.

“Chevrolet is truly honored to receive one of the world’s most coveted
automotive awards,” said Stephens. “The Volt team has worked under
extraordinary circumstances to produce this breakthrough vehicle.”

The Volt beat out the following cars on the short list: Audi A8, Buick Regal, Chevrolet Cruze, Ford Fiesta, Hyundai Sonata/2.0T/Hybrid, Infiniti M37/56, Jaguar XJ, Kia Optima, Mazda Mazda2, Nissan Juke, Nissan Leaf, Volkswagen Jetta, and Volvo S60.

As someone who has followed this car since its inception as a concept in January of 2007 all the was to my garage last week, I congratulate GM for their remarkable achievement with this product, and couldn’t think of a more deserving vehicle.

“The more we think about the Volt, the more convinced we are this vehicle represents a real breakthrough,” said Mackenzie.  “The genius of the Volt’s powertrain is that it is actually capable of operating as a pure EV, a series hybrid, or as a parallel hybrid to deliver the best possible efficiency, depending on the user’s duty cycle. For want of a better technical descriptor, this is world’s first intelligent hybrid. And the investment in the technology that drives this car is also an investment in the long-term future of automaking in America.”

Below is more of Motor Trend’s explanation as to why the Volt was chosen:

Every year, the editorial staff of Motor Trend meets to determine the field of contenders for the Car Year Award.  In a week-long process that includes the full complement of Motor Trend performance tests, track-based ride and handling evaluations, and driving on a real-world loop that includes freeway, regular two-lane highway, and a loose-surface track, the contenders are then evaluated against these criteria:

• Advancement in Design: The Chevy Volt possessed quality execution of exterior and interior styling, including a strong, confident and tastefully upscale front end and a design driven by the pursuit of aerodynamic efficiency. Its interior, though relatively conventional, is equipped with impressive high-resolution and highly interactive instrument and center stack LCD screens. Plastic panels in the front doors allow an effective, low cost means of changing the Volt’s interior colorway.

• Engineering Excellence: With an advanced powertrain that is easily adaptable to other vehicle platforms, the Volt boasts some of the most advanced engineering ever seen in an American automobile. The car can run as an EV, a series hybrid, or a parallel hybrid, depending on how far you drive and how you drive. Plus, the battery maintains maximum efficiency and recharging is easy, via 110-volt portable recharger carried in the trunk that can plug into any household socket.

• Efficiency: In a multi-day, 299-mile test that involved a mixture of normal freeway and stop/start city driving – and recharging the car overnight as most consumers would – the editorial team used a total of 58.6 kW-hr of electrical energy and only 2.36 gallons of gas, an efficiency equivalent to a conventional vehicle returning 72.9 mpg. Editors agreed that the Volt, a vehicle that can pass a standard EPA fuel economy test in full EV mode, surpassed expectations for low energy consumption and carbon footprint.

• Safety: The Volt’s standard passive safety equipment starts with a complement of eight airbags, including dual-stage front bags, kneebags and side-impact bags for the driver and front passenger; also included are roof-rail mounted head curtain bags that protect all four passengers. Active safety features include anti-lock brakes, traction control and stability control.

• Value: Though the Volt is priced at $41,000, consumers can apply for a $7500 federal tax grant, plus state grants where available. In addition, testing suggests that even if drivers regularly went 80 miles between charges, the Volt will likely be significantly cheaper to run than regular hybrids.
• Performance of Intended Function: Editors overall agreed that the Volt delivers on the promise of the vehicle concept as originally outlined by GM, combining the smooth, silent, efficient, low-emissions capability of an electric motor, with the range and flexibility of an internal combustion engine.

You can read the following report from Motor Trend for even more details.

Source (MotorTrend)

GM has just announced it will be releasing the second generation BAS mild hybrid system for the first time in the 2012 LaCrosse.

First available in the summer of next year, the hybrid system will become the standard drivetrain for the vehicle. It will lead to 25% improvement in fuel economy over the current  2.4 L 4-cylinder 6-speed drivetrain and is expected to achieve 37 mpg highway and 25 mpg city. This in a luxury mid-sized vehicle class, and larger than the Ford Fusion hybrid.

GM marketing however, has clearly learned their lesson from the dismal sales of the previous mild hybrids it sold as versions otherwise gas cars like the Saturn VUE and Chevy Malibu.

Instead of calling the new Buick a hybrid they instead refer to the car as having eAssist, a new term.

The drivetrain operates by including a 15 kw electric motor/generator, a 0.5 kw 115-v air-cooled lithium-ion battery pack, and regenerative braking.

The small electric motor can assist the gas engine in a variety of scenarios including in particular, during strong acceleration. It is a mild hybrid in that the car never operates on  the electric motor alone.

When braking the generator recharges the pack.  The engine also shuts off during stops and fuel is cut off  during deceleration.

The driver’s dash provides and ECO feedback display enabling him or her to intelligently modify behavior for the purpose of to improving fuel economy.

As well the design of the vehicle was been tweaked for aerodynamic improvement, and includes grille shutters that close at high speeds.

“The eAssist system is more than just the next-generation BAS system. The ability to integrate regenerative braking with the latest lithium-ion battery technology creates a system that delivers significant fuel-efficiency gains that customers will enjoy,” said Steve Poulos, global chief engineer of the eAssist system. “Being able to provide electric boost to the powertrain system during heavy acceleration and grade driving enables the LaCrosse transmission to operate more efficiently, while the added functionality of engine start-stop and fuel shut-off during deceleration provides added fuel savings.”

Pricing is expected to be close to $30,000.

Source (GM)

After living with the Volt for several days and seeing the reaction of others to it, it seems likely to me GM has a smash hit on their hands.

Certainly there are a group of early adopters who would prefer the purity of a BEV like the LEAF, but the Volt offers the best of both world.  It allows one to drive the majority of the time on electricity yet has strong mainstream appeal.  Though pricing of the first generation is a bit high, at least 7% of the auto buying public is believed to be capable of affording the car, even more at the lease price of $350 per month.

GM has only thus far committed to building 10 to 15,000 Volts in 2011, and 45,000 in 2012 but there are strong indicators both demand and production will outstrip those numbers.

GE’s recent announcement it will buy 12,000 Volts by 2015 will also help spark sales.

GMs Hamtramck plant where the Volt is being built is capable of churning out one volt per minute.  Running 3 lines and 3 shifts, the plant could build 250,000 Volts per year.  Most of the parts of the Volt are readily available, the only component of tight supply is the lithium-ion battery cells.

According to a report in Reuters, however, Volt battery supplier LG Chem say it expect GM will be asking for more cells than initially anticipated.  The Korean manufacture has entered into a 6-year contract with GM to build cells for the Volt.

“(GM said that) its Volt has drawn good response from consumers,” Ham Jae-gynun, LGs senior VP of car batteries told Reuters.  ”GM is likely to order far more batteries than we have previously planned for next year.”  Jae-gynun did not disclose the size fo the order.

“”We expect GM to ask for more batteries,” he added.  ”We hope to supply additional car batteries for Volt.”

LG Chem has the capacity to produce 60 million cells per year in Korea.  They have already begun building a plant in Michigan which it self will be capable of producing 20 million annual cells. That plant will start production in 2012.  20 million cells is about what is needed to produce battery packs for 70,000 Chevy Volts which use 288 cells a peice.

GM has to be able to package cells into the battery packs which include controlling and conditioning systems.  Their Brownstown plans is believed to be capable of at least 60,000 packs per year at present, but has significant potential for expansion if needed.

Besides GM LG Chem has already received a plethora of order from other car makers including Hyundai, Ford, Volvo and Renault.

Due to all the demand LG Chem is planning construction of a second automotive battery plant in the US, as well as other new plants in China and Europe.

Source (Reuters) and (Marketwatch)

For those of you who couldnt make it to our first Chevy Volt Meetup this past weekend, below are video highlights of the event filmed and produced by our own Dave G.

On Saturday the four consumer Chevrolet Volts and their owners met-up at a restaurant parking lot in northern New Jersey. The restaurant is owned by MINI E driver Tom Moloughney, a fellow EV advocate, who hosted the event. Along with me and the other three New York consumer advisory board Volt drivers, a few dozen Volt enthusiasts came out from GM-Volt.com.

It was a terrific event and the strong enthusiasm shared by all were palpable.

Watching people swoon over the cars and think about and ask great questions is never tiring. We also watched as restaurant patrons came back a went slack-jawed at the site of four brand new Volts sitting together in a small parking light, like alien vehicles had landed there from another planet.

We all managed to let the guests take some test drive laps in the roads around the restaurant, a mile or two in length, including Tom himself who had never before driven a Volt.  As usual all were excited and thrilled with the car’s performance. Our own Dave G was there with professional video set-up and soon we shall have that highlights video to share.

“Lyle was kind enough to let me drive his Volt for a while and I was really impressed,” said Moloughney. “I want everybody to know this car lives up to the hype it has generated.”

“It had the feel of a luxury car, while being nimble and responsive like a sports sedan,” he said. “Folks, GM has delivered.”

In terms of my personal driving driving  experience that day, I left home with 36 miles of EV range on the dash, and arrived at the restaurant after 37.4 miles, with 5 miles of EV range remaining. This was a warm 62 degree day at 65-70 MPH highway speeds.

The test drivers tended to gun the pedal and put on about 6 very spirited miles. During one of those test drives the engine came on.

I arrived back home having traversed 66 miles, 36 electric, and having burned .75 gallons of gas. The total overall efficiency for this trip was 88 MPG.  Later in the day, after a charge, I covered an additional 22.5 EV miles.  For the day, I travelled 88.5 miles and fuel economy was 118 MPG.

I also started a new page on GM-Volt.com where I will track my daily driving. You can see it here. Each day I will list the total miles driven, those in EV, and those in CS mode, gas used, and overall fuel economy. The overall totals will appear at the bottom.

As great as this meet-up event was I was struck by one thing for certain, it is just the beginning. For this time next year there will be thousands of Volt drivers meeting up at various places across the nation, and for the first time in history we will finally begin to move the needle away from this country’s dependence on oil.

When I entered my garage for my third day of driving my Chevy Volt, all seemed well. I had plugged the car in the night before after making a quick run about 9PM.

However, when I got in and booted up the car (I still prefer saying that to starting) I was met by a surprise. It still showed only 9 miles of EV range were available. Apparently, I hadn’t pushed the charging coupler in hard enough. Even though there is a green light and horn chirp confirmation when charging commences, I probably ran into the house without waiting for it.

This had happened to me several times during the year I drove the MINI E, and when it did my heart sank each time as I had to take my backup car for the day. But with the Volt, all was well. Though I had to burn gas, going about my day’s driving was not going to be any kind of problem at all.

In fact, I figured I’d use the opportunity to see what kind of gas mileage I could get on my significant highway-mostly drive to work.

After leaving home, the car switched to engine mode after 7 miles, and then I reset the MPG meter. As usual the switchover was silently feathered in.

I arrived at my first destination, 15.7 miles from there with a very respectable 45.5 MPG. This was at 49 degrees using 72 degree cabin ECO conditioning and at mostly highway speeds of around 65 MPH. I drove somewhat conservatively but not extremely so at all.

The next leg back to my office was another 7.4 miles at mixed city and highway conditions. I arrived there having completed a total of 23.1 miles in charge-sustaining mode for a final fuel efficiency of 42.8 MPG (not including the EV miles).

Though I had installed and configured the iPhone app, I hadn’t yet configured the plug-in reminder text alert. Needless to say, after this experience I set that up.

Another first happened. On this particular morning journey a fellow driver on the road finally noticed and acknowledged the car and gave a friendly tap of the horn and wave. I felt a bit of pride. People were recognizing this American car, that I played a role in birthing, as a hero of sorts.

In my office I showed the car to two women who work there, one of our nurses and a billing person. They were completely blown away by the design and the interior, and even more amazed by the iPhone app. One reflected how this was a car like no other, and they didn’t even get a chance to drive it.

Another person in my office parking garage came over while I was taking out the charger to see the car. He knew about it and recognized it, and was very interested and asked a lot of questions. I gave him the little flyer that GM provided a stack of, making us CAB members a sort of a group of traveling salespersons. Not that I mind.

I charged the car at my workplace at 120-v from 9:30AM to 4:30 PM during which time it accrued 25 miles of EV range. My return trip home included a stop to see my daughter in her gymnastics class and a stop at a restaurant for dinner with my family. After 23.6 miles the engine came on and I returned home for a total of 30.3 miles and 168.1 MPG.

For the entirety of this day that I had not gotten an overnight charge, I drove a total of 60.4 miles, 30.6 of which was electric, using 0.72 gallons of gas. Total fuel economy for the day was thus 83.9 MPG.

For the three days I have driven the car 183.2 miles and acheved overall 176 MPG.

Today I will be traveling down to Montclair New Jersey, about 30 miles, to meet up with the other three New York Volt CAB members and any GM-Volt readers who happen to make it to Tom M’s restaurant. Our own Dave G will be coming and will take some good video for us. It should be a lot of fun, I hope you can make it.

Here’s the address:
Naunas’s 148 Valley Road, Montclair, NJ