GM-VOLT : Chevy Volt Electric Car Site

As we’ve seen with the Volt and other green initiatives, GM is working to promote sustainability with perhaps its latest project being enablement of recharging from renewable energy.

On Monday, OnStar Communications contacted us and announced Volt owners “may soon be able to charge their vehicle using renewable energy.”

The actual time frame is “to be determined,” but the kinks are being worked out by OnStar and a company called PJM Interconnection with 17 Chevrolet Volts operated by Google’s Gfleet.

The way it generally works is OnStar-enabled technology receives a signal from PJM Interconnection showing the percentage of available renewable energy on the grid.

Data from this forecast is downloaded to the OnStar cloud, or Advanced Telematics Operating Management System (ATOMS). OnStar uses this signal to simultaneously manage the charging of many Volts and to match the renewable energy availability.

OnStar says a mobile app could be used to alert customers when renewable energy is available.

Google’s Gfleet is based at the company’s headquarters in Mountain View, Calif., and as many of you know, Google is highly involved in other green projects and automotive experiments that include cars that drive themselves.

At the same time, Google is naturally willing to collaborate with real human drivers, as the species does not yet seem ready to go extinct.

This week, the OnStar-enabled fleet’s technology will be demonstrated at the 2012 DistribuTECH Conference and Exhibition in San Antonio.

The public demo fits with an announcement by Nick Pudar, OnStar vice president of planning and business development, who said it is nearly ready for prime time.

“This demonstration shows that in the near future customers will have a real signal of demand for renewable energy,” said Pudar. “As customers configure their Volts to favor renewable energy for their charging cycle, this real demand signal will influence utilities to tap into renewable sources.”

Note that Pudar says demand will prompt utilities to increase (now limited) renewable energy supply.

We asked Adam Dennison, an OnStar Communications representative who sent the info, “How hopeful are you that this will have a measurable or significant influence that it will push utilities to adopt more renewable energy sources?”

In response, he said “We think that as EVs continue to penetrate the marketplace that customers will drive a variety of demands throughout different industries. Certainly we believe that the energy industry will be one of these. Based on the level of interest a number of utilities have expressed in OnStar’s Smart Grid solutions, we are pretty confident that that they’ll be willing to look to more renewable energy sources.”

At present, peak hours for renewable energy generation from wind is generally between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. according to PJM data.

OnStar says it would therefore be possible for customers to use Smart Grid solutions to further reduce their carbon footprint and – as is already possible regardless of energy source – “save money by charging during these off-peak times.”

“Solutions like this one will ultimately lead to increased renewable energy generation and allow Chevrolet Volt owners to be a key part of that energy transformation,” said Pudar.

If the renewable energy service goes into production, customers interested in using it would need to sign up. Dennison did not say if it would cost extra or be made available with existing OnStar service.

Once signed up, OnStar would regulate customers’ charging using the renewable energy signal.

This video is not directly about the current project, but OnStar says it highlights an app it did for Google’s Gfleet of Volts.

OnStar says this renewable energy technology is the latest addition to its suite of Smart Grid solutions.

For your review, OnStar says it has developed other “intelligent energy management technology solutions,” including:

• Demand response – This solution connects utilities to companies that have intelligent energy management products. These companies can use OnStar to manage energy use for Volt customers who opt in for the service. This future service allows the customer to save money on energy costs while enabling more efficient use of the electric grid.
• Time-of-Use (TOU) rates – OnStar can receive dynamic TOU pricing from utilities and notify Volt owners of the rate plan offers via email. Owners will be able to use OnStar to load the rate plans directly into their vehicle and access them to schedule charging during lower-rate periods.
• Charging data – OnStar also sends and receives EV data that helps utility providers without having to interface with the vehicle’s electric vehicle supply equipment. This includes location-based EV data that identifies charging locations and determines potential load scenarios.

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Dear GM-Volt Readers: We value everyone’s feedback on our daily stories, but – please – don’t post breaking news or other stories that we could be working on as a post here. Doing this will help ensure fresh daily discussions, and will be better for everyone. If you would instead, please e-mail story ideas to jcobb@verticalscope.com Thank you!

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While ongoing CAFE hearings discuss mandating eco-friendly and efficient vehicles, a study by Deloitte says perhaps an even more powerful force in their favor is also in play.

This would be “Generation Y” consumers – those aged 19-31, alternately known as “Millennials” – of which we read last week that GM is already fully catering to, and who say they want electrified vehicles.

Buyers from this demographic – the largest since the baby boomers – have a particular preference for hybrids and in-vehicle connectivity.

Perhaps that is also why GM showed a Volt at the recent Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas with next-generation connectivity.

The main news however is that Deloitte’s survey found 59 percent of respondents want an electrified vehicle.

If this is accurate, it means a profound push toward more gas-electric vehicles by a purchasing constituency numbered at 80-million strong.

What’s more, these are younger aged buyers who are forming these preferences. This means their sensibilities stand to influence – and challenge – the automotive market for decades to come.

Not a hybrid but GM is already jumping through hoops to appeal to Millennials.

“When millenials are ready to buy a vehicle, they consider nearly twice as many vehicles as baby boomers,” said Mark Fields, head of Ford Motor Co.’s Americas unit to Automotive News. “This is a generation of consumers that has to be reckoned with.”

Of Gen Y respondents, 57 percent said they were interested in hybrids, only 2 percent were interested in battery electric vehicles, and 37 percent wanted traditional combustion-powertrain vehicles.

How the Volt would stand with this crowd is in question. The number one reason in favor of electrified vehicles was improved fuel economy.

According to Craig Giffi, automotive practice leader for Deloitte which conducted the survey, respondents were concerned for the environment, but did not want to be inconvenienced with contending with plugging in, he said.

Smart phones on wheels

Joe Vitale, global automotive sector leader for Deloitte’s parent company, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Ltd., said Gen Y consumers would spend more than $3,000 for in-vehicle connectivity.

What features would be worth spending that extra money for? Fifty-nine percent said the most important was in-dash technology, with nearly 75 percent asking for touch screens.

Observers note that automakers have been shown they have an opportunity to capitalize on these preferences, as 77 percent of respondents said they would like to buy more accessories and upgrades on an ongoing basis.

Nearly paradoxical

The U.S. Department of Transportation has for the past few years held “summits” to discuss the “epidemic” of distracted driving.

In short, multitasking behind the wheel has been shown to be a threat or lethal.

The Gen Y respondents to the Deloitte survey are mindful of this reality. They still want a load of in-dash bells and whistles, but also want tech to improve their chances of not having the experience end badly – and are willing to pay up to $2,000 per car extra for it.

A desirable bundle of safety features for these connected hybrids includes collision-avoidance systems, blind-spot detection, and sleep-alert systems.

“It’s almost as if they’re saying ‘I’m going to be distracted, so I want the car to give me protection from myself,’” Giffi said. “The safety technology they want is the next generation of accident-avoidance technology.”

The survey included 250 Gen Y consumers from China, 300 from Western Europe, and 1,500 from the U.S. and is considered a statistically significant data sampling of where today’s Millennials place their priorities.

Automotive News, press release

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Dear GM-Volt Readers: We value everyone’s feedback on our daily stories, but – please – don’t post breaking news or other stories that we could be working on as a post here. Doing this will help ensure fresh daily discussions, and will be better for everyone. If you would instead, please e-mail story ideas to jcobb@verticalscope.com Thank you!

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Last Friday the federal Volt battery investigation was closed even as GM and officials from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration are preparing to face a formal congressional hearing this week.

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing titled, “Volt Vehicle Fire: What did NHTSA know and when did they know it?” is scheduled for Jan. 25.

It will be chaired by Darrell Issa, R-CA, and aims to investigate potential fire risks associated with extensively damaged Volts, and whether officials have – and still are – withholding vital information.

The first post-crash test fire happened this June after NHTSA stored a Volt without its battery being discharged, yet the public did not hear of it until November.

NHTSA administrator David Strickland said that the White House was informed in September, but Republicans have repeatedly asked GM and NHTSA why the delay?

GM has said the first-of-its-kind June fire was not something it felt was a significant safety threat, but did set about assessing and trying to repeat it. Successive attempts failed until November when stand-alone batteries were abused enough to show GM and NHTSA how sparks and flames could happen.

Alleging improprieties, Issa spokesman Ali Ahmad said on Friday that the House committee will demand NHTSA turn over all records related to the Volt’s safety.

“NHTSA has stalled on responding to the committee’s inquiry for six weeks and inexplicably refused to provide any documents,” he said. “The committee expects full compliance with its request and will consider compulsory methods if NHTSA does not immediately change its position.”

While these allegations are specific, observers have otherwise noted the Volt and GM have been a target by opponents to automotive electrification in general and GM in particular.

In part because the now profitable post-bankruptcy GM – recently also acknowledged as the world’s largest automaker – has not yet paid back all the money it received from the federal government as Chrysler did, it has not received much mercy from a variety of critics.

To answer the latest inquiry, GM CEO Dan Akerson will testify before the House committee as will NHTSA’s Strickland.

With perhaps fortuitous timing, on Friday NHTSA officially ended its investigation into issues the House is yet riled about and issued a press release highlighting the outcome:

Opened on November 25, the agency’s investigation has concluded that no discernible defect trend exists and that the vehicle modifications recently developed by General Motors reduce the potential for battery intrusion resulting from side impacts.

NHTSA remains unaware of any real-world crashes that have resulted in a battery-related fire involving the Chevy Volt or any other electric vehicle. NHTSA continues to believe that electric vehicles show great promise as a safe and fuel-efficient option for American drivers.

For its part, GM said NHTSA’s findings were consistent with its own testing and assessments – some of which were done alongside NHTSA investigators.

As a result of the highly publicized concerns, GM announced on Jan 5 it would offer structural enhancements – not due to any implied threat by NHTSA, but GM has said it is entirely a proactive gesture to allay concerns.

“The voluntary action that GM is taking is intended to make a safe vehicle even safer,” GM said. “In fact, the Volt has earned top safety ratings from key 3rd party organizations and is a Top Safety Pick by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.”

The company added it is proud of the Volt’s technological innovations and said it appreciates Volt customers who stood by the car.

“Our overriding commitment will always be to provide our customers with the best ownership experience and peace of mind in the industry and we’re focused on delivering that every day,” GM said.

In recent months, GM as been vindicated in several previous attempts to smear its extended-range electric vehicle.

Its newly won ranking as world’s largest automaker and latest handling of the Volt battery fiasco will undoubtedly embolden GM to hold its head up when scrutinized by the House inquisition.

GM’s reclaiming of its formerly held #1 spot came at the close of calendar year 2011 in which it edged out Toyota and Volkswagen. GM’s global sales of 9.03 million vehicles in 2011 topped Volkswagen’s reported 8.16 million and Toyota’s estimated at 7.9 million.

As were others in the Japanese auto industry, Toyota was set back last March when that country was ravaged by an earthquake and tsunami.

But GM also has been on the rise, rolling out well regarded new economical models and saw its 2011 sales increase by 7.6 percent. Its U.S. sales led the way for Chevrolet with total vehicle deliveries of 1,775,812, up more than 13 percent.

As for the Volt itself, GM ended the year again cresting higher with 1,529 sold in December, nearly 1,000 to retail customers. It did miss its first year goal of 10,000 North American sales, with 7,671 total, but overall GM is now playing from a greater place of strength than it has in many years.

We shall see how it and NHTSA face allegations about its halo car this week.

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Dear GM-Volt Readers: We value everyone’s feedback on our daily stories, but – please – don’t post breaking news or other stories that we could be working on as a post here. Doing this will help ensure fresh daily discussions, and will be better for everyone. If you would instead, please e-mail story ideas to jcobb@verticalscope.com Thank you!

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News from the just-getting-started world of extended-range electric vehicles has been a mix of positive reports as well as some stories for which we’re still awaiting full resolution.

Both General Motors and Fisker share in common a tenacious ability to keep receiving awards, and they also have both had to contend with minor technical concerns.

Aside from this, we’ll mention a couple more briefed stories, including one about KSPG, a company that has shown a compact range-extending engine at the Detroit Auto Show that can be added to a battery electric vehicle.

KSPG

KSPG Automotive (formerly Kolbenschmidt Pierburg) is a German automotive supplier, and a subsidiary of Rheinmetall AG.

It and FEV have co-developed a 30-kw range extender for battery-electric vehicles. The 800cc, four-stroke V-Twin is the size of a motorcycle engine, weighs about 137 pounds, and is combined with two 15-kw generators.

The range extender is designed to drop into a space around the size of a spare tire well, or anywhere else and thus upgrade a BEV into a serial hybrid.

According to AutoblogGreen, KSPG Automotive’s Gerd Kleinert said this is a solution for our time.

“We are convinced that this is a kind of bridge technology from the current combustion engine to electric drive,” he said. “The biggest point in electric cars is still the battery. If someone offers a battery that is the size of a 50-liter [13.2-gallon] gas tank with the same energy content with the same weight that you can recharge it in three minutes, everyone would drive electric.”

Of course unless a battery tech breakthrough happens, EVs with this energy density aren’t available yet.

“That’s the reason we think there is a need for this bridge technology because it guarantees you will get home,” Kleinert said, “even if you run out of electricity. You only need a small battery, which drives the cost down.”

Kleinert said that in recent months KSPG has talked to EV makers to design-in its range extender. To offset the cost of doing this, talk is of specifying a smaller battery pack than would otherwise be called for.

KSPG reportedly began working on the range extender about a year ago, first showed it at Frankfurt, and the company said it is capable of producing 10,000 units per year.

It intends to assemble a working prototype vehicle this summer and said it knows MSRP will be a sensitive issue, and without specifying estimates, said the price will be “acceptable.”

For a more comprehensive review of this range extender concept, check out GreenCarCongress.

Fisker

Just days after Fisker’s recall of 239 six-figure Karmas to fix a loose hose clamp, Fisker is issuing another minor recall and again halting sales until it handles the new bug.

This one is a potential software fault that has produced symptoms including random check-engine lights coming on, and inoperative infotainment systems.

Shoppers passing Harrods department store in Knightsbridge, London can eye the Fisker Karma as they arrive for the Winter Sale. The EVer will take pride of place in the prominent Brompton Road window display until February 4.

Fisker has taken steps to say the issues are nothing to be concerned about, and to really let everyone know it cares about its customers, Henrik Fisker committed to calling Karma owners with a personal apology.

And in other wholly positive news, Fisker has been collecting some awards – as the photo at world-famous Harrods shows – and Fisker issued a press release to elaborate.

“In recent weeks, this has included Top Gear’s Luxury Car of the Year, Automobile’s Design of the Year Award, listing in TIME Magazine’s Top 50 Innovations of 2012, a Global Green Design Award, and noted Swiss magazine Schweizer Illustrierte named the Karma their Most Stylish Car of 2012,” Fisker Automotive said.

Henrik Fisker said he is “happy, humbled and very proud,” and added “We have always had a great deal of faith in the appeal of the cars we create, but to have that recognized by critics so early on in the Karma’s lifespan is really fantastic.”

Volt

General Motors CEO Dan Akerson will make his first appearance on Capitol Hill since September 2010, this time to answer a U.S. House panel next week about battery issues.

“Dan has agreed to testify at the hearing, and he looks forward to doing it,” GM spokesman Greg Martin told The Detroit News.

As GM-Volt readers are aware, the inquiry is about whether safety regulators properly handled reported Volt fire risks.

We’ll note also that this entire process will be viewed by some in the know as nothing more than absurd political theater.

Unfortunately in this election year, there are political opponents who’d like to make certain points, and the Volt has been caught in the middle.

Many observers have noted this whole issue has been overblown, GM has been credited with handling it well so far, but it also has a preemptive ad campaign standing by, if winds of perception fan further flames against it.

“I have a contingency plan. It’s ready to go” said GM’s marketing head Joel Ewanick to USA Today.

The ads are described as “honest and straightforward” and would direct people to a Web site or other technical resource to explain the issues.

The dilemma for GM is timing. It does not want to alarm people about concerns, but only wants to respond if necessary.

Meanwhile, GM is not just busy in Washington, but also in Shanghai.

Stories were re-circulating recently by mainstream sources like USA Today and conservative political bloggers too, that GM signed a deal to co-develop an EV with its joint venture partner SAIC in the Peoples’ Republic.

Reports cited quotes made a few months ago by GM Vice Chairman Steve Girsky hinting the Volt could be made in China one day.

“If we localize, eventually it won’t have a tariff and it will get the subsidy,” he said. “We have made no decision on if, when or where we build Volt in the future.”

Girsky also reiterated assertions that neither SAIC nor the Chinese government have demanded Volt technology.

The Volt at its launch at Auto Guangzhou 2011. From left to right: Ye Yongming, President of Shanghai GM; Chen Hong, President of SAIC Motor; Kevin Wale, President and Managing Director of the GM China Group; and Joseph Liu, Executive Vice President of Shanghai GM).

At the same time, observers note future EVs would draw on lessons and technology learned from the Volt, Spark EV, and other GM research.

For now the $75,500 Chinese Chevrolet must try to appeal having a 25-percent tariff slapped on it, and without qualifying for incentives domestic EVs can get that add up to as much as $19,000.

U.S. lawmakers have said China’s tactics constitute a “shaking down” and violate World Trade Organization rules. It’s also been said that China has a major technology deficit. It is no leader in EVs or hybrids but is alleged to be manipulating GM and others by holding out its massive potential for growth.

We’ve heard these things before, but Girsky’s comment allowing that GM could “localize” Volt production so it could then “get the subsidy” indicates the idea is definitely not off the table.

To further qualify the statement, yesterday GM spokesman Rob Peterson said some have taken Girsky’s comments out of context, and for balance, he said GM would need to see a strong demand for the Volt before building in China.

“We build where we sell,” Peterson said. “If there’s a tremendous amount of market acceptance, yeah we could consider having production capacity there.”

But again, there are no plans, and as we know the Volt is price handicapped, so will a catch-22 keep the Volt away from Chinese production indefinitely?

While this and other Volt issues are still playing out, on the unequivocally good news front, there’s little doubt that the Volt has won a fair number of awards, and is still doing so.

In addition to all the awards it collected last year, the Volt was named “Most Earth Friendly” at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit this month.

Also favorable for the Volt, Peterson observed, is next month California market Volts equipped with a low-emissions package will begin shipping to dealers there.

For the past 3-4 months, GM has been reducing allocations to the Golden State because its Chevrolet dealers in cases are reportedly reducing prices already to clear the way for the pending HOV-lane accessible Volts.

These Volts will also entitle Californians to apply for a $1,500 rebate as CorvetteGuy reported last month, and should help further increase their competitiveness against hybrids that are already HOV legal.

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Dear GM-Volt Readers: We value everyone’s feedback on our daily stories, but – please – don’t post breaking news or other stories that we could be working on as a post here. Doing this will help ensure fresh daily discussions, and will be better for everyone. If you would instead, please e-mail story ideas to jcobb@verticalscope.com Thank you!

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A public hearing in Detroit for the proposed 2017-2025 Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards on Tuesday heard some feisty and impassioned arguments either for or against, and the auto industry is split on the issue.

The deliberations were required by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration prior to finalizing fuel economy standards later this year that would mandate a fleet average of 54.5 miles per gallon (about 40 mpg on sticker) by 2025.

The proposed rules are poised to amend standards already set to rise to 37.5 mpg by 2016, and automakers in favor include General Motors, Toyota and Hyundai, while several others are against, including Volkswagen and Daimler.

GM’s Vice President-Sustainability and Global Regulatory Affairs, Mike Robinson, told Wards Auto that GM would be open to accelerating the pace of fuel-economy improvement if substantial technological advancements are made in coming years.

“If there are breakthroughs in technology that exceed what the assumptions are, it works both ways,” Robinson said.

On the flip side, Don Chambers, chairman of the National Automobile Dealers’ Association (NADA) government relations committee said government projections of the actual cost of forcing fuel savings technologies into place are way low.

According to an NADA study to be released in February, the real costs will be higher by as much as 60 percent, which work out to new vehicle sticker prices rising by as much as $5,000, Chalmers said.

Or sliced another way, he contended that new CAFE rules will jack up monthly payments by $60 to $70 or more, and as others have said, this will result in unsold vehicles.

“I want to sell more fuel-efficient cars,” Chalmers said. “If the customer can’t get financing, it makes no difference.”

The NADA represents 16,000 new-vehicle dealers who operate 32,500 franchises.

And speaking of large-scale representation, for its part the United Auto Workers Union has come out on the side of environmentalists and is in favor of the CAFE rules.

UAW President Bob King said Tuesday that he is convinced the new standards will promote new technologies and thus help to create new American jobs.

“The proposed rules are sensible, achievable, and needed,” King said, adding “the incremental increase in the price of a vehicle will covered by the money consumers will save by using less fuel,” said King, who added the UAW not only wants clean factories, it also wanted clean lakes.

King has previously been quoted saying the UAW needs to reestablish ties to various groups in the environmental movement to improve its place in American society.

“They are good for the auto industry and its workers, good for the broader economy, good for the environment and good for our national security,” said King. “The drive to bring innovative fuel-saving technologies to market is transforming the auto industry in the United States and creating good jobs from the research lab to the factory floor.”

And among those who have spoken directly from the environmental movement, Larry Schweiger, CEO of the National Wildlife Federation was quoted as touting the benefits of the federal enforcement of green goals that is the CAFE standard.

“With these rules in place, there’s a much smaller chance you’ll see ugly pictures of beautiful birds covered in petroleum,” said Schweiger. “We’ll reduce greenhouse gas pollution by 2 billion tons, and cut our consumption of oil by 3.4 million barrels a day. That will reduce the need for risky drilling in fragile habitats,” Schweiger said.

Whether this is true or not, Daimler AG and Volkswagen – which already sell some of the most fuel-efficient vehicles in the U.S. – won’t back the CAFE proposal because there’s no incentive for diesel-fueled vehicles.

And for his part, the head of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, Mitch Bainwol, said at the end of the day, consumer buying habits will ultimately decide whether automakers can actually meet the CAFE rules.

Bainwol proposed a thorough mid-term review of the CAFE policy to see if the rules actually relate to fuel price trends, technological advances and consumer buying habits.

“Looking into the future, consumer purchasing patterns will be the biggest unknown,” he said, adding that in the past CAFE has had a hit-or-miss track record, and looking at past lessons could help portray a clearer picture of what’s to come.

Legislating green

Two more hearings are scheduled: one on January 19 in Philadelphia, another on January 24 in San Francisco.

The federal initiative mirrors goals being set in Europe to regulate greenhouse gases and mandate wiser fuel usage habits.

So what do you think of this? Are carrot-and-stick tactics enforcing green tech a good idea or not?

The auto industry wants to sell cars. The government and environmentalists are mindful of waning petroleum supplies and pollution.

Issues involving money to be made or lost, energy security, technological competitiveness and much more are being decided.

Is the government right in assuming a shepherding role here to coax things in a direction it sees fit? Or is it overbearing and meddling where it ought to let free market forces decide?

Or is the truth somewhere in the middle?

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Dear GM-Volt Readers: We value everyone’s feedback on our daily stories, but – please – don’t post breaking news or other stories that we could be working on as a post here. Doing this will help ensure fresh daily discussions, and will be better for everyone. If you would instead, please e-mail story ideas to jcobb@verticalscope.com Thank you!

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At this year’s New York Auto Show in April, Mercedes-Benz says it will unveil a production-ready version of its extended-range B-Class E-Cell Plus intended for the U.S. market.

This compact debuted as a concept at last year’s Frankfurt show. It was the result of plans announced in 2009 for it and other green cars including a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle.

The Mercedes EREV will be limited production, and part of a greater initiative by M-B to boost U.S. sales by 20 percent starting in 2013.

In question is how close to the concept it will be. Automotive News did not report specifications when it learned of these plans at the Detroit Auto Show during an interview with Mercedes’ global sales chief Joachim Schmidt.

Previous reporting of the E-Cell vehicle’s design describe it as capable of all-electric range of 62 miles, and total range of 373 miles.

The powertrain relies on a Deutsche ACCUmotive lithium-ion battery pack, electric motor and 67-horsepower, 1.0-liter turbocharged three-cylinder gasoline generator.

Total power output is 136 horsepower (100 kw). The gasoline genset reportedly operates at lower vehicle speeds to charge the battery, and at higher road speeds assists the motor in propelling the car.

Acceleration from to 0-62 mph takes about 11 seconds, according to Mercedes-Benz, with top speed of 93 mph.

So it’s no Volt killer, but with that big German star on the front grille, it will certainly offer competition to the humble bowtie.

Exact launch date, volume, prices, and production specs have yet to be announced.

It’s likely M-B is only just putting a horse in the EV/EREV race without betting the farm that it will trump all others.

Or more to the point, last year Daimler’s director of fuel cell and battery drive development, Christian Mohrdieck, explained the company’s belief that the EV movement is shrouded with a lot of “hype.”

In discussing EVs last year with plugincars.com, Mohrdieck’s sensibility sounded close to the opposite side of the spectrum from that of Renault-Nissan’s Carlos Ghosn who forecasts greater market acceptance for electrified vehicles.

“People have very high expectations in terms of quality and reliability of the car,” said Mohrdieck. “There will be an increasing number of battery electric vehicles and fuel cell electric vehicles, but it won’t just jump from zero to 100,000 cars a year.”

Well it better if Ghosn’s projection of 1.5 million Renault and Nissan EVs by 2016 is to come to pass.

In this light, you can see Mercedes’ tone contrasts markedly from EV evangelist Ghosn who in sweeping his gaze across the spectrum of world automakers, said certain competitors are “naively reacting” – bringing electrified offerings perhaps, but not with enough gusto.

Whether Mercedes will be timid, or on target is a question we’ll only know the answer for later. It would be reasonable however to expect slow roll-out and cautious proceeding in M-B’s otherwise ambitious plan to expand sales of B-Class and other classes of combustion-powered cars in the next few years.

We shall learn more about Mercedes’ first extended-range EV this April in New York.

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Dear GM-Volt Readers: We value everyone’s feedback on our daily stories, but – please – don’t post breaking news or other stories that we could be working on as a post here. Doing this will help ensure fresh daily discussions, and will be better for everyone. If you would instead, please e-mail story ideas to jcobb@verticalscope.com Thank you!

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