GM-VOLT : Chevy Volt Electric Car Site

Last week Ford and Toyota announced a partnership that could lead to hybridized F-Series pickups later this decade, but another alliance made last week could see extended-range F-Series conversions using A123 batteries as soon as next year.

In this case, the deal is less a partnership of convenience, and more one of necessity between aftermarket start-up ALTe and A123 Systems which will supply batteries for range-extended electric vehicle (REEV) light-duty truck upgrades (A.K.A. REEP – “P” for “powertrain”).

When we last reported on ALTe, it was looking at testing its fleet application F-150-based mules, and had not disclosed a few of its key suppliers. For the time being, it was using a Ford four-cylinder, and a top-drawer battery maker was hinted at.

ALTe F-150-based test mule. One of many potential permutations.

As of Thursday last week, it was official. The top-drawer battery maker is a reality, as A123 and ALTe have signed a long-term contract for 21.6 kwh – and possibly other – battery packs.

“We believe that ALTe’s innovative powertrain systems will enable organizations to cost-effectively hybridize their fleets of light trucks to realize the significant economic, environmental and operational benefits of electrification,” said Jason Forcier, vice president of A123’s Automotive Solutions Group. “We consider our Nanophosphate lithium ion battery packs to be optimal for this application, and look forward to a long-term relationship with ALTe helping its customers realize the fuel economy improvements and total cost of ownership advantages that electrification offers over trucks with conventional powertrains.”

ALTe’s series hybrid conversions should be a solid package. Its four-cylinder engine supplier has yet to be disclosed, but is thought to be a quality maker, which we will get to momentarily. ALTe is otherwise attempting to build on a strong foundation by starting with one of the most popular trucks sold, and powering it with some of the best batteries made.

“We selected A123 Systems as a primary supplier of lithium ion battery technology because the company’s cost-competitive, high-quality solutions meet the rigorous performance, safety and durability needs of our powertrain platform,” said ALTe CEO John Thomas. “With A123’s battery packs as an integral part of our systems, we will be able to provide a compelling hybrid retrofit solution that can exceed both the power and efficiency demands of the fleet market.”

Rolling chassis explained.

ALTe says the A123 battery pack can be charged within eight hours from a 120-volt outlet or in about four hours from a 240-volt outlet

As is the case with the test mule, the system is expected to provide an initial 30 miles of driving in all-electric mode, and an estimated additional 270 miles in a charge-sustained mode before the vehicle would need to be either refueled or plugged in.

Cargo and towing capacity are not greatly diminished compared to the removed V8, but they are a little.

Since this is an Achilles heel for a work truck that other major manufacturers have had to try and overcome, we asked a few more questions of ALTe’s CEO, John D. Thomas.

Q&A

GM-Volt: How does this EREV system manage to maintain similar towing capacity? Didn’t GM have to go to a two-mode hybrid system and it still reduces capacity?

Thomas: It all comes down to the definition of similar. ALTe has a roughly 1,500 pound reduced towing capacity when compared to the 5.4-liter V8 engine it is replacing. So, we can tow a 6,000 pound trailer up a mountain road with a reasonably full crew cab and payload in the bed at 55 mph up the steepest highway grades in the US. We accomplish this with our hybrid control system management and charge depletion anticipation.

GM-Volt: Originally the talk was of an F-150-based conversion. Will you do Dodge, GM and import conversions as well? How about vans, or larger bodied vehicles? How will prices vary?

Thomas: ALTe will initially be targeting to retrofit Ford branded pickup trucks (F-Series) and full size vans (Econoline), but eventually the company plans to retrofit other brands as well. Longer term, ALTe is involved in discussions with various OEMs regarding the inclusion of an ALTe PHEV powertrain in new vehicle platforms.

Because of the modularity or “plug n play” configuration of the ALTe powertrains, pricing will be very consistent between brands. There will be modest price increases as ALTe powertrains increase in size (e.g., larger engine, more battery, etc.) for larger vehicles (i.e., more content for a 14,000 GVW vehicle compared with an 8,500 lv vehicle).

ALTe will enter the market initially with a common configuration for light trucks/vans up to 14,000 GVW. Eventually, ALTe will offer a larger powertrain for trucks/vans up to 26,000 GVW and also have the ability to offer customers various options that could increase electric miles and/or range and/or other performance specifications.

GM-Volt: Is this system superior?

Thomas: By definition, if we have a higher curb weight and reduced towing capability, we cannot honestly call our system superior. What we have devised is a system that meets the reasonable needs of our customers, not the most extreme 1 percentile cases.

ALTe CEO John D. Thomas.

GM-Volt: How much less is towing and cargo capacity compared to a comparable V8 truck?

Thomas: Essentially answered in first question, but at full GVWR we have a 1,500 pound reduced towing capacity at full payload

GM-Volt: How different is the EREV system from that in the Volt? How does it differ?

Thomas: On the surface, all series PHEV systems are similar in architecture. The differences arise in the specific details of component and system sizing, duty cycle and utilization optimization, power flows, tolerance for limits, thermal management, accessory drives, etc. Beyond that, we would get into some of our intellectual property related to the hybrid control unit, multimodes, battery management system, predictive algorithms, etc., which we are not going to speak about publicly.

GM-Volt: Is level 2 and 3 charging being encouraged?

Thomas: Yes to both

GM-Volt: What specific four-cylinder engine will be used?

Thomas: We have a commercial deal in place with a major automaker where two different engines are available for our use a 2.0 liter and a 2.5 liter. Other deals with other engine manufacturers are in discussion on an international level.

GM-Volt: Isn’t this a rather modest sized battery (21.6 kwh)?

Thomas: It is “right sized” – for the duty cycles our target customers are driving. We scale up or down depending on customers’ different desires for a quantity of plug in derived electric miles.

GM-Volt: How many configurations (2X4, 4X4, club cab, etc.) will be offered?

Thomas: The permutations are dazzling when all factors are considered, but at a high level we will start with 2X4 and all cab versions other than the short wheel base and expand a few months later to offer a 4×4 version.

GM-Volt: As we understand it, the REEP conversion retains the functional transmission (which can even be rebuilt)?

Thomas: ALTe’s original business model and technology assumed that the powertrain conversion would retain the original transmission. During discussions with our Customer Advisory Board, we received overwhelming feedback that fleet customers would much rather pay an additional cost for a new or refurbished transmission that would be included as part of ALTe’s overall powertrain warranty. As ALTe’s technology will be extending the life of a vehicle including a new powertrain system, customers determined that the “weakest link” would be the old transmission so they expressed a strong preference for a new/refurbished one.

GM-Volt: Is this not a unique development – using a conventional automatic (or manual?) transmission – in a series hybrid?

Thomas: Yes, ALTe has indeed created a novel approach on how to salvage and utilize a very robust traditional transmission by incorporating a few external features. We are trying to leverage existing technology where possible for cost and time to market reasons. In the future, we envision a more custom designed solution which we have under development.

GM-Volt: Is the retention of the transmission an advantage? If so, how? (Power delivery, speed, economy, all?)

Thomas: The retention of the transmission has very practical advantages: it already packages and bolts to the vehicle, it has a proven gear set to move the vehicle at full load, it minimizes tooling investment and ultimately is affordable for our customers.

Rolling chassis.

GM-Volt: Are there any intentions to offer this system for automobiles as well?

Thomas: As GM and Fisker know, it is very hard to package all of the elements of two powertrain systems in an automobile without some kind of passenger or cargo volume compromise. We may be offering micro versions of our powertrain in the future for OEMs that will work with us to build the vehicle around the powertrain vs. shoehorning it in an existing platform.

GM-Volt: What will be pricing for the vehicles?

Thomas: The cost of retrofitting a full size pickup to ALTe’s REEV powertrain is projected to be under $30,000 and offset quickly by fuel savings in fleet vehicles that typically are driven many more miles annually when compared with an average individual or retail customer. The “payback” can be as short as one year depending primarily on the number of miles driven and the projected cost of gasoline. The price of the ALTe powertrain is projected to decline significantly over the next several years as demand for lithium ion batteries increases and corresponding battery costs decline.

GM-Volt: In doing the REEP conversions, who keeps the old parts (like the V8 engine, etc.)?

Thomas: As part of the transaction with the fleet customer, ALTe will retain possession of old/removed components. We are working with several companies on the disposal process for these parts, nearly all of which we believe will be able to be recycled or sold to repair/salvage shops and dealers.

High hopes

ALTe has also said it wishes to establish itself as an OEM solutions provider for other established automakers, so no doubt it will attempt to hit the ground running.

The company expects to begin accepting purchase orders by the end of 2011 and plans to start installing its electric powertrain systems in summer 2012.

By CorvetteGuy

A few questions have been asked about what changes have been made to the Chevrolet VOLT for 2012. The documentation sent to the dealerships has everything spelled out in text, but uses the same photos from the 2011 model.

The first 2012 VOLT arrived at our dealership this past Thursday. My customer had ordered a 2011 VOLT on Feb. 20, and sadly we could not get the additional allocation. Thankfully, he was very patient and we rolled it over to a 2012. We scheduled a delivery time for Friday at 5 pm. Our service department and detailers did not finish the pre-delivery inspection and detailing of the car until 4:30, so I had very little time to go over the car myself to see what has actually changed.

Below are a few photos followed by the “Official List” of changes and the “What’s New” pdf that I received.

New passive reflectors this year.

Someone posted the question a few days ago about the tail light having additional white squares on them. This was the first thing I checked out. Using the brakes and the turn signals, I found that these white squares are merely “passive reflectors.”

When the turn signals or brakes are used, the red light shines straight through them. But, when the car is parked and just sitting there, they reflect the light better than the old tail light bezels.

Updated door handle.

Next, is the Standard Keyless Access. The surprising part here is that the new push-button appears on all four doors! That I did not expect. The button is chrome, not body-colored, so it is easy to spot. With the key fob in your pocket or purse, when you approach the car, pushing the button once unlocks the driver’s door. A second time unlocks the remaining doors and the rear hatch.

New icons.

The Driver Display Screen has a couple of new icons. In the bottom-left under the “Total Range” readout is a green icon of a car and the word “READY.”

The documentation sent to us does not explain why this was added, but it was briefly mentioned in a training video that is is there to let you know the car is ready to operate. I do not know if a similar or different-colored icon appears if it were “NOT READY” …

Also, there is a new icon for “Navigation.” Again the documentation does not go into detail about this selection, but it was mentioned in the training video that when the “OnStar Turn-By-Turn-Navigation” is used, selecting this on the driver’s display will show the nav system instructions in that small area of the screen.

Yellow back-lit PRNDL display is new this year.

Another welcome improvement is on the center console next to the gear selector. In addition to the PRNDL that is shown in the upper-right of the driver’s display, there are backlit PRNDL letters in the center console itself. The letters are back lit in yellow for the chosen gear.

Improved clarity here too.

My favorite improvement is to the clarity and size of the text on the touch-panel center stack. The labels are slightly larger and much crisper than on last year’s car. They are very easy to read now and you don’t have to squint at them to read them even in bright daylight. I did not have the chance to check them out at night, but I would guess that there is an improvement there also.

Energy in kWh used is shown.

On the centerstack screen for “Energy Info” the display now shows “kWh used” for this charge. I know that many of you have posted that this calculation is far more informative than “Total Miles”. It still shows “250+ mpg” on the right, and the Lifetime MPG calculation on the bottom-right.

Eco-minded hooligans take note: Could this be an On/Off capability for traction control?

And finally, on the overhead console there is a new button for “Traction Control On/Off.” This may be the most “FUN” addition to the VOLT !!! In the 2011 Owner’s Manual, Page 1-23, it states “The Traction Control System limits wheelspin. The system turns on automatically every time the vehicle is on and cannot be turned off.”

Get ready fans!!! Now you CAN TURN IT OFF, and smoke your tires with the best of them! I do not have a copy of the 2012 owner’s manual yet to fully confirm this, but what other reason would there be to add a button to turn the dang thing off?

Well, that is all I could find in the very short time I had with a 2012 VOLT. In addition to the 11 remaining orders that we have taken so far that need to be filled, we just ordered a Summit White VOLT, with all of the options, to put in our showroom for sale. We hope to have it by Thanksgiving.

Here is the link to the “What’s New Guide” that I have posted.

Enjoy.

What’s New Guide

The next time someone says the Volt is only a pricey “halo” vehicle drawing buyers to Chevrolet’s bread and butter Cruze, you might want to refute them with facts to the contrary.

What facts? How about the truth that depending on miles driven per year and price of fuel, a Cruze could cost from only a few hundred less to significantly more over a five-year period.

At least this is the case if Kiplinger’s number-crunching is correct, and it had better be at least close considering it has also gone on the record with the story in its own September edition and in speaking to a TV news station.

Which costs less to own? (2011 Cruze LTZ and Volt shown because Kiplinger compared 2011s. The same should hold true for 2012 models.)

Jessica Anderson, an associate editor for autos at Kiplinger’s Personal Finance was quoted by a TV news station (and commented today to GM-Volt) about one scenario in which the Volt comes within a few hundred dollars of the Cruze. Similarly, the Nissan LEAF is nearly as close to the Nissan Versa even while factoring significantly higher selling prices for the electric cars.

“While both of them cost about $18,000 more than the gasoline models, the Volt comes within $500 of Cruze’s ownership costs over five years,” Anderson said to KomoNews, “and the Leaf is only $800 more than a Versa over five years because they do save so much.”

In its September article, Kiplinger said the five-year ownership costs were calculated based on info from Vincentric, an automotive data firm. It assumed 15,000 miles per year, and gasoline cost at $3.64 per gallon for regular, and $3.91 per gallon for premium – with a 3.5-percent annual increase for each fuel.

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CORRECTION:

“We will be running a correction in the magazine and online, but I still think that with such a close gap in ownership costs, the Volt is certainly a viable choice for the economically minded,” Anderson said. “My apologies for the confusion and my thanks for helping us to spot a problem. We will be working in the next few days to fix the error on the Volt calculations, but that issue has not affected any of the other models in our calculator. Just another way that Volt is forcing the industry to look at everything differently.”

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After evaluating the Volt’s real costs, Vincentric named it the best value in America 2011 in its new “Eco” classification.

It is also assumed the buyer will take advantage of $7,500 in federal incentives for the Volt.

In this cited example, the differential is slightly in the Cruze’s favor, but depending upon circumstances, the Volt could hypothetically cost far less over five years.

“We figure five years is enough because it’s the typical length of ownership for most people,” Anderson said to KomoNews, “and if you haven’t seen your gas savings by five years, you’re probably going to be very frustrated.”

Actually, Kiplinger’s Green Car Calculator – updated in June – allows one to plug in some key variables and calculates these with a few given factors and assumptions.

One of the assumptions is a 6.46-percent interest rate on a five-year loan on both cars, with 15-percent down payment.

Fuel consumption costs are based on the Environmental Protection Agency’s estimated mileage figures for both highway and city driving. Kiplinger assumes 55 percent city driving and 45 percent highway.

Kiplinger’s Green Car Calculator. (Note, plugging in future gas increases like $5 or $6 per gallon will not work when comparing to the Volt. This calculator is not set up for that, but it is updated monthly for average fuel and electricity rates, so it will be close if you punch in your actual fuel price for a car compared to the Volt.

The calculator also factors in “opportunity cost,” which is the amount of interest that could have been earned in a certificate of deposit if those funds had not been spent owning and operating the vehicle.

When running the numbers for the Volt, it auto-calculates “fuel” price based upon average utility rates and gasoline prices. Changing the price of fuel for the Volt therefore makes no difference to its fuel cost line (see charts).

Since the calculator is not allowing individuals to plug in their actual electricity rate or fuel prices, it looks like there’s some room for variance from real world. What’s more, hypothetical comparisons of 15,000-20,000 miles per year may be difficult to next to impossible – unless one has access to away-from-home charging, and is using the Volt for more than one full charge cycle per day.

This said, the calculator may at least be a good starting point to refine actual costs, or gauge a ballpark estimate.

Based on 15,000 miles driven per year and $4 per gallon gasoline, Kiplinger says the Cruze costs about $1,000 more over five years. (Note, the Volt’s price accuracy may be optimistic because the calculator factors gas costs at “average” rates, not $4 per gallon.)

Today Anderson replied to us via email to further qualify how the Volt’s costs are calculated. She reiterated the calculations are being done by Vincentric, and acknowledged difficulty in pinning down the Volt’s costs to the last dollar, as these are based upon any number of usage models partially using gasoline, partially using electricity.

“With the LEAF and the Volt they had to do some pretty extensive back-end work to calculate what the annual fuel cost would be. You’re absolutely right that the Volt’s cost for fuel will vary with fuel prices, but we could not build that capability into our calculator,” she said. “Thus, Vincentric has calculated using current average gas prices and utility rates and a combination of EV and gas-assisted motoring, an annual fuel cost for Volt. (LEAF’s is obviously just based on the utility costs and charges needed.) Monthly, their data is updated on fuel prices, so that rate will change, but you’ll never see it change with your inputs on the calculator because it’s all being done on their back end.”

The calculator is probably more accurate when showing that life with the Cruze is all about fuel costs and distance traveled. The higher these go, the more it costs to own compared to the Volt.

Difference for 15,000 miles per year and with gas at $5 per gallon. (Note, the Volt’s price accuracy may be optimistic because the calculator factors gas costs at “average” rates, not $5 per gallon.)

Kiplinger’s writers were surprised to discover the Volt and LEAF proved heads-above-better than several hybrid vehicles compared. Hybrids present a mixed bag ranging from financially advantageous to quite costly.

“You can be getting a really great deal like the Mercedes-Benz S400 hybrid. It’s actually the cheapest S-class that you can buy. And you save about $7,000 over five years,” Anderson said, “Conversely, another popular model, the Lexus LS600 hybrid, it costs more than $36,000 more than its gasoline counterpart and you lose all of that. It does not save money over the gasoline engine.”

If Kiplinger’s calculations are even nearly on-target, it is good news for the Volt, and contradicts cost-conscious reviewers who have portrayed the Volt as not making financial sense.

That said, it is worth repeating it is a qualified decision made on a case-by-case basis, and there are plenty of scenarios where the Volt will come out more expensive than a Cruze.

But buying the Volt is potentially more than just a money-based decision, as it also stands to keep more funds in the U.S., reduce gasoline usage, emissions, and provides other benefits, which Anderson touched upon in commenting generally about purchasing green cars.

“If your goal is to be good to the environment, the premium and the savings is not going to be something that is ultimately a make-or-break situation for you,” Anderson said. “But if your goal is to save money, run the numbers, really do as much as you can to find out about the long-term costs because some of the green cars will save you a lot and some of them really won’t.”

Kiplinger, KomoNews.

Lately we have heard about companies partnering to combat mandated efficiency rules, and yesterday another agreement was announced, this time between General Motors and LG Group with the stated goal to jointly design and engineer electric vehicles.

This is the second agreement between GM and a battery supplier reported in recent weeks. Earlier in August, GM similarly announced a large but unspecified deal with A123 Systems.

The GM-LG news also follows on the heels of yesterday’s report of other American-owned automakers’ partnerships or desired collaborations to share the load in the rapidly changing automotive industry climate.

General Motors Chairman and CEO Dan Akerson and Juno Cho, president and COO of LG Corp sign an agreement to collaborate on the design and creation of new electric vehicles yet to be disclosed.

As GM-Volt readers know, LG Chem is the battery supplier for the Volt and Ampera, but that was just the beginning between the two companies, GM said.

“The success of the extended-range propulsion system in the Volt and Ampera led to exploring other collaborations in the electrification of the automobile,” GM said. “Teams of LG and GM engineers will work on key components, as well as vehicle structures and architectures.”

GM said a definitive agreement was signed Wednesday and described it as win-win. GM gets “LG’s proven expertise” and LG gets a feather in its cap by widening its portfolio as a solutions provider.

“Many solutions for tomorrow’s transportation needs may be available more quickly by building on our partnership strategy,” said GM Vice Chairman Steve Girsky. ”Consumers benefit by getting the latest fuel-saving technology faster if we work with the best suppliers and we save time and money in the development process.”

No money has yet changed hands in relation to this partnership, GM said.

The company is also staying mum about specific vehicles that will be born from this new agreement, saying only that more will be announced closer to market readiness.

Speaking of which, the partnership is expected to augment GM Chairman and CEO Dan Akerson’s commitment to stay ahead of competitors in the yet nascent, but rapidly expanding electric vehicle development.

Akerson has also said he would like to lower the Volt’s cost both through efficiencies, and better supplier pricing due to economies of scale.

In making its announcement this week, GM noted this is not the first time LG and GM have collaborated to build a vehicle.

Last year the two companies worked together to build a demonstration fleet of electric Chevy Cruzes. These were used during the G20 summit in Seoul as official vehicles, and GM is still “market testing” these BEVS, GM said.

World conditions are demanding world solutions and cooperation as GM also observed.

“Accelerating the pace of roadworthy technology is more important than ever with the announcement of a number of more stringent emission and fuel consumption regulations around the world, including the recent agreement calling for a U.S. Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) of 54.5 mpg (23.2km/l) by the end of the 2025 model year,” GM said. “Electric vehicles, which have no tailpipe emissions and require no gasoline, are expected to play a major role in reaching the CAFE goal.”

As we noted yesterday regarding a Ford-Toyota deal, automakers are not only concerned with domestic mandates in the U.S., but also with creating global platforms and solutions to minimize barriers to acceptance in other markets.

But at this point, GM would not state where the LG/GM vehicles will be sold, and merely said products resulting from the partnership will be marketed in many countries.

We asked GM also if these new vehicles would include eAssist, BEVS, EREVs, hybrids, or what? While GM has said it and LG would develop “electric vehicles” suggesting BEVs or EREVs, GM would not answer this question.

“We cannot give any information on specific technologies,” said GM spokesman Kevin M. Kelly, “nor on which markets the vehicles will be sold in at this time.”

An old English proverb says, “Adversity makes strange bedfellows,” and so it could be with both Ford and GM-owned Opel/Vauxhall, which are respectively eying alliances with others to more effectively tackle automobile electrification challenges.

In Ford’s case, this week it was reported it and Toyota have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to co-develop a hybrid light-duty truck powertrain this decade.

Fast on the heels of that news, yesterday Automotive News reported that Opel/Vauxhall is also looking for someone to team up with to share development costs for more gasoline-electric cars.

Opel Ampera.

The aforementioned “adversity” now compelling partnerships could be any or all factors adding up to high costs automakers must face as they attempt to prepare for challenging conditions.

What conditions are those? They could include altruistic intentions toward making the world a cleaner, less wasteful place, and helping humanity solve environmental and energy hurdles in light of waning petroleum and increased pollution.

Or, short of voluntary compliance with such noble ideals, the reality is they have to, regardless, as various legislative bodies are tightening the screws on automakers with efficiency mandates.

Yes, the writing is clearly on the wall pushing manufacturers to make expedient business decisions to stay ahead of the curve, if at all possible.

One specific looming incentive for the U.S Ford-Toyota deal is pending CAFE rules that by 2025 will mandate a “54.5 mpg” standard (equal to around 40 mpg on the window sticker).

Ford and Toyota

This week the two companies said they’d been talking for months since a chance meeting took place in an airport between Ford CEO Alan Mulally and Toyota President Akio Toyoda.

The exact airport and date wasn’t reported, but the story has it that they began discussing ideas, exchanged cards, and kept the dialogue going. Now, months later, the two companies are expected to announce a formal agreement next year.

The East-meets-West collaboration could very well see Ford putting something like a Prius drivetrain into its best-selling F-series pickups, and possibly other light-duty trucks. Toyota at the same time will hybridize its own Tundra and Sequoia-sized vehicles, and possibly others.

2012 Harley-Davidson Ford F-150. How would you like to see a hybrid version of this?

“We expect to create exciting and socially beneficial technologies with Ford, and we can do so because our two companies have enough experience to create a synergy effect in hybrid technology,” said Takeshi Uchiyamada, a Toyota executive vice president.

Note that his chosen words included two out of three of the proprietary words Toyota uses to describe its “Hybrid Synergy Drive.”

The timing for a formal Ford-Toyota agreement may be about when the Obama administration settles the details of its proposed doubling of current CAFE mandates.

As it stands, the CAFE plan calls for 5-percent annual increases that won’t immediately affect pickup trucks until 2019, unless a mid-year review to the plan in 2018 changes the mandates for those vehicles.

Whether the rules change mid-way or not, as tentative plans are now written, after 2019 annual efficiency increases would be required for pickups at a rate yet to be determined. By 2022, pickup trucks are expected to be mandated to achieve the same 5-percent annual increases as passenger vehicles will.

The CAFE rules also say light trucks other than full-sized pickups would have to make 3.5 percent increases in mileage standards in the 2017-21 model years and 5 percent annual increases in the 2022-25 model years.

In the months of talks prior to the rules being settled, the major thrust of objections by auto industry stakeholders to the Obama CAFE clamp being tightened was it would cost a fortune, and make their vehicles uncompetitive.

It was also said consumers would bypass potentially expensive-to-make vehicles in favor of what they wanted, further jeopardizing the profitability of automakers forced to improve efficiency for their vehicles.

Ford and Toyota appear to have found a way toward deflecting this threat by splitting development costs.

“By working together we will be able to serve our customers with the very best affordable, advanced powertrains, delivering even better fuel economy,” Ford CEO Alan Mulally said in a statement. “This is the kind of collaborative effort that is required to address the big global challenges of energy independence and environmental sustainability.”

While it is being said Ford F-Series pickups and possibly E-Series vans would be beneficiaries, Automotive News reported the companies did not release financial details or identify which specific vehicles will be involved.

What is known, according to Derrick Kuzak, Ford’s vice president of product development, is that product development teams from Ford and Toyota began meeting on the collaboration in April.

“This agreement brings together the capability of two global leaders in hybrid vehicles and hybrid technology to develop a better solution more quickly and affordably for our customers,” said Kuzak.

If it goes through, the deal looks like it could help Ford a lot, as Toyota knows how to squeak out efficiency. Its 2012 Camry Hybrid, for example, was just announced as gaining a 24-percent improvement in city driving efficiency, now pegged at 43 mpg. Not bad for a mid-size car. Merging that technology, combined with lessons yet to be learned in the next several years into a Ford truck might be just what the doctor ordered.

Incidentally, this will make the second hybrid/plug-in-tech collaboration for Toyota in recent news, as the company has also been working with Tesla in developing solutions, with a one $100 million contract already made, and reports of a $1 billion deal also having been discussed.

The dealings between Toyota – for now still the world’s largest automaker – have definitely been a leg-up for Tesla.

Opel/Vauxhall

There is less to report about this GM-controlled company as it is only now looking for a dance partner – but looking, it is.

“Hybrid technology is becoming increasingly more important. We are not holding any concrete talks but a cooperation would be certainly a good way to cut costs,” Opel CEO Karl-Friedrich Stracke told the national German newspaper, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung yesterday.

In this company’s case, the motivation to partner is essentially the same as it is between Ford and Toyota, but on a different continent, and considering different legislated mandates.

Stracke said European law insists by 2020 carmakers’ offerings must emit no more than 95 grams of CO2 per kilometer.

Note he calls the Apera a “pure electric vehicle.” That’s a bit more bold than trying to call it an “extended-range electric vehicle.”

“We need hybrid technology starting with compact cars and upwards,” Stracke said.

Opel will begin selling the U.S.-made Ampera in November for a pre-grant price of 42,900 euros As we previously reported, the vehicle is already well on its way toward being pre-sold for 10,000 initial units, and the company would like GM to cut loose some more.

“Maybe we even hit 12,000 or more,” Stracke said.

One advantage Europeans have that facilitates acceptance for plug-in vehicles is that ordinary household electric current is 230 volts, instead of the 120 found in the U.S..

This means recharging with the included charger will replenish a Volt or Ampera’s 16-kwh battery in under three hours, according to Vauxhall (see video).

How well the Ampera (and European Volt) does sales-wise will determine whether the company moves forward to begin assembly in Europe.

“We need a business case for maybe 40,000, 50,000, 60,000 vehicles a year, then maybe it makes sense to locally manufacturer it on the Continent or even in the UK,” Stracke said.

In the mean time, Opel/Vauxhall is weighing all options, including doing a deal like Ford and Toyota are working toward and which appears well underway toward settling.

AutoNews, AutoNews, AutoNews.

By Bill Destler

With summer drawing to an end and the cold days of winter just a few months away, I thought it might be a good time to discuss how lower temperatures and winter weather in general affect Volt range and efficiency.

All gas-powered cars get lower gas mileage in cold weather. My Toyota Prius, for example, gets about 48 mpg in the summer but only 38-40 mpg in the cold Rochester, NY, winters. The reasons gas-powered cars get lower gas mileage in cold weather include increased friction from thicker motor oil, transmission fluid, power steering fluid, and differential gear oil and increased rolling resistance as we slog through snow and sleet, especially if we forget to maintain tire pressure between 35-40 psi, since without adding air, tire pressure goes down by 1-2 psi for every 10 degrees the outside temperature goes down. Finally, gasoline engines operate optimally at a specific temperature, and during warm up periods they are simply not as efficient.

Burr! Cold Volt.

Now the Volt is subject to many of these effects, especially when operating in charge-sustaining (gas consuming) mode. But in all-electric mode, several other factors are at play. First, let’s consider battery performance as a function of temperature. If you charge any battery in a heated garage and then take it outside into freezing weather, the temperature of the battery will quickly be reduced to the ambient outside temperature and the electrochemical reactions that provide the current will occur at a slower rate. Thus the battery will seem to have lost capacity since as it is used the current will decline from a lower starting point and the battery will quickly fail to provide enough current at a given voltage to perform its function. Interestingly, if you then move the same battery back into the heated garage, the battery will recover as it warms and you can ultimately draw almost all of the original charge power out of the battery before you have to recharge it. So cold weather doesn’t really reduce battery efficiency in the sense that you put 10 kwh in and get only 6 kwh back. If you warm the battery back up to room temperature, you can get the missing 4 kwh from the battery again, or when you recharge it you will only need to provide 6 kwh to reach full charge again.

Efficiency aside, however, in an electric vehicle a cold battery will deliver less range than a room-temperature battery because of the lower electrochemical reaction rate. GM has addressed this issue in the Volt by using a sophisticated battery temperature control system aimed at keeping the battery at a good operating temperature. I do not know what the acceptable temperature range for the Volt’s battery has been set at, except that it has to be above 32 degrees F and below 100 degrees F to adequately protect any lithium-based battery and extend its life. But everything has a price, and the energy consumed to maintain the battery temperature in cold weather has to come from somewhere, so winter range is reduced. This effect is most severe if you don’t keep your Volt in a garage and don’t plug in the charger when you are not driving the car, since the battery temperature control system needs power from somewhere and if it took the power from the battery then all-electric range would be reduced even further just to keep the battery warm when the car is not being driven. In fact, it appears that GM has chosen to not drain the battery for battery temperature maintenance in cold weather when the car is idle and not connected to a charging station, which means that the system has to consume even more energy once you start driving to get the battery temperature up to a good operating point. At very low temperatures, the Volt will start the gasoline engine to warm up the battery more quickly, but this consumes energy of a different sort.

In fact, many of us have seen all-electric range of between 45-50 miles in the spring and summer reduced to 25-30 miles in the winter. Is that reduction all due to the battery temperature control system? No. A majority of the energy is lost in the human temperature control system, i.e. the cabin heater. In a gas-powered car, much of the energy in the gasoline that could be used to drive the wheels is lost as heat radiating from the engine, so providing heat for passengers is a simple matter of diverting some of that heat into the passenger cabin. An electric drivetrain car is much more efficient than one using a gas-powered drivetrain, so very little heat is generated by the electric motor and heat for passenger comfort has to be provided by passing electrical current from the battery through a heating element as you would in an electric stove. This is not a disadvantage of an electric vehicle, but rather a result of its higher operating efficiency. If we want cabin heat, we must use some of our battery energy to provide it.

These two winter energy consumers, the battery temperature management system and the cabin heater, are the primary reasons for the observed reduced range in cold weather. So is there anything we can do about it? For some of us, the answer is yes.

If we keep our car in a heated garage and keep it plugged into the charger when we are not using it both at home and at work, we will be using home heating systems or grid power to maintain the battery temperature and the cabin temperature while we are not driving. Starting both systems off at the right temperature doesn’t mean we won’t consume battery power to maintain them while we are driving, but it will save battery energy and extend our winter all-electric range. In an unheated garage, you can pre-heat the cabin using grid power by remotely starting the Volt (and the heater) before you leave for work (or from work if you can plug in there). One strategy to consider would be to preheat the cabin while connected to the charging station by setting the climate to “Comfort”, turning off “Auto” temperature control and turning up both the temperature and the fan. Then when you start driving you can turn the system back to “Eco” and “auto” to conserve energy and range. But remember, there is no free lunch. The extended winter range has to be paid for in additional electricity consumption while you are plugged in.

It’s probably a good idea to also limit your use of Sport mode in the winter, especially if your Volt has been standing idle in the cold and not connected to a charging station. And the use of L mode while driving is also a good idea, since it provides added braking under slippery conditions and regenerates power more effectively than D mode.

Volt engineers have found that heated seats use up less energy than does heating the cabin, so using the seats (if you have them) in cold weather and limiting cabin heating to the extent to which you are comfortable is another good idea.

A fleet of frozen Volts.

In charge-sustaining mode, the use of a low-viscosity synthetic motor oil, such as Mobil 1, in the Volt’s gasoline-powered generator would probably improve gas mileage because such oils flow much more easily at low temperatures. Happily, the Volt will divert heat from the gas engine to the cabin in this mode, so passenger heating is not as much of an issue in this mode.

It might be interesting to see if Mountain mode, which operates the gas generator more and therefore makes some gas engine heat available for cabin heating, might also be used intermittently during the winter to extend all-electric range.

I would be interested to hear of other strategies for cold-weather Volt operation. It would also be helpful to get reports from users on what all-electric range they achieve at below-freezing temperatures.