Volt-Lite: Bright Automotive Building an E-REV

Those who have followed the Volt story long enough will remember that the consulting firm Rocky Mountain Institute has spun off its own start-up car company called Bright Automotive. The CEO of this fledgling automaker is John Waters, an engineer who it turns out used to work for GM on the EV-1.
Waters came out [...]

How GM Decided on the Term E-REV to Describe the Volt

Last week we held a poll here indicating support of readers to using the term E-REV for extended-range electric vehicle to describe the Chevy Volt, versus REEV as some automakers are using.
The poll (summarized above) showed that of 986 respondants, 70% preferred E-REV versus 10% preferring REEV.  15% felt the term didn’t matter, and 5% [...]

POLL: E-REV or RE-EV? Time For a Decision

As we know, GM has coined a term to describe the specialized architecture of the Chevy Volt and its Voltec drivetrain. It is important to make the point that the car is first and foremost an electric car. But in addition that has a gas generator to allow the car to continue past [...]

More Cadillac Converj Details Emerj

Sorry for the play on words.

The Cadillac Converj concept GM just unveiled is clearly a striking design. GM vice chair Lutz said it shows how “luxury meets electric.”  I had the chance to soak in and review and photogrpah the vehicle with members of the interior and exterior design team and some of the [...]

Chrysler E-REV Sedan Unveiled: 200C EV Concept

Chrysler surprised the world Sunday with the unveiling of its very own Chevy Volt-fighter. The automaker had previously shown extended-range electric vehicle concepts of a minivan, a Jeep Wrangler (and now Patriot), as well as a sportscar EV that has been updated with the name Circuit.
However, unexpected was the unveiling of a newly-designed small [...]

Cadillac Converj Extended-Range Electric Vehicle

Today GM unveiled its newest extended-range electric vehicle. This time the E-Flex technology, which has been given a new name called Voltec, has been married to a luxury coupe.
The car is beautifully styled, sleek, and clearly aerodynamic. It has been designed this time from square one to have the appropriate aerodynamics to allow [...]

The 2009 Detroit Auto Show Should be Electrifying

The Chevy Volt has started a revolution.  Not just for GM, but really for the entire automotive industry.  Perhaps the credit might go to Tesla, but certainly the widespread Volt marketing message has convinced nearly all the automakers that electric cars are the way to go.  Maybe our effort here had a little something to [...]

More Future Volt Competition?: Lotus E-REVs and Solar-Powered Toyotas

Sportscar maker Lotus has just announced its intention to get into the electric car arena. They already make the bodies for the Tesla Roadster, which are based on the Lotus Elise.
Lotus’ CEO Michael Kimberley said “Don’t be surprised to see an electric Lotus shortly, we are working on the technologies that will go behind [...]

Toyota E-REV? Not

Toyota has recently announced its intentions to unveil an all-electric car at the Detroit Auto Show in January.
The only information Toyota has confirmed is that the car will be a new and original subcompact design and a limited range vehicle meant only for “town” driving, unable to handle longer driving needs.  Reports say it will [...]

The Chevy Volt’s E-REV Competition Builds Globally

Here on the verge of GMs collapse and despite the collapse of oil and gas prices, the drumbeat of competition continues to march upon the Volt.
As many have heard, Chinese auto company BYD announced its launch of the world’s first mass-produced extended-range electric car called the BYD F3DM in China on Monday.  The vehicle uses [...]

Mercedes-Benz BlueZero E-Cell Plus, E-REV or PHEV?

Several automotive sites have reported on a story written in German. The story indicates that Mercedes-Benz plans to unveil a series of three electric concept cars at the Detroit Auto Show in January.
The luxury carmaker has given a nod to the Chevy Volt by emulating the range-extender concept as well, although keeping it in parallel.
The [...]

Flextreme Concept Wins Prestigious Design Award, Still Not Production Intent

In late 2007, GM unveiled the Opel Flextreme concept car and later showed it rebadged as Saturn.
The vehicle has a unique monocab design, but importantly, like the Chevy Volt, is also an E-Flex vehicle. It is meant to demonstrate how the range-extender could also be diesel and how the E-Flex E-REV drivetrain could be [...]