GM-VOLT : Chevy Volt Electric Car Site

Although an official conclusion has yet to be made, the chief fire investigator in Fort Bend, Texas has said that a Fisker Karma was the source of a house fire there.

“Yes, the Karma was the origin of the fire,” said Chief Robert Baker to Autoweek about the incident that took place last week, “but what exactly caused that we don’t know at this time.”

The car was burned to the frame, and also damaged its garage mates – an Acura NSX and Mercedes-Benz SUV – and burned also the garage and a second floor. No injuries were reported.

Autoweek reported there were fireworks near the vehicle and in an interview yesterday, Fisker spokesman Roger Ormisher told us Fisker had not ruled out the possibility of nearby combustible sources other than the car itself. Numerous engineers and investigators have been working on the case.

Baker had also told Autoweek the Karma was not plugged in when the fire apparently began less than three minutes after the owner pulled it into the garage. The owner reported smelling burning rubber immediately before the flames began and quickly engulfed the car.

“The car was brand-new,” said Baker. “He still had paper tags on it, so it was 60 days old at [most].”

The vehicle had also been through a Fisker service update, but again, what actually caused the fire is still unknown.

Fisker has also issued the following statement:

Last week, Fisker Automotive was made aware of a garage fire involving three vehicles, including a Karma sedan, that were parked at a newly-constructed residence in Sugar Land, Texas. There were no injuries.

There are conflicting reports and uncertainty surrounding this particular incident. The cause of the fire is not yet known and is being investigated.

We have not yet seen any written report form the Fort Bend fire department and believe that their investigation is continuing. As of now, multiple insurance investigators are involved, and we have not ruled out possible fraud or malicious intent. We are aware that fireworks were found in the garage in or around the vehicles. Also, an electrical panel located in the garage next to the vehicles is also being examined by the investigators as well as fire department officials. Based on initial observations and inspections, the Karma’s lithium ion battery pack was not being charged at the time and is still intact and does not appear to have been a contributing factor in this incident.

Fisker will continue to participate fully in the investigation but will not be commenting further until all the facts are established.

Ormisher’s comments to us were basically in line with this, and no doubt the company is hoping to have its car cleared.

We’ll note also, it’s almost like a case of deja vu all over again – as GM-Volt readers know Volts were involved in house fires last year, but were cleared.

It also may bear repeating that internal combustion vehicles have been catching fire since their inception, and have maimed and killed many people – and while that is tragic and not in itself acceptable – society has accepted motor vehicles as a worthwhile risk.

Last year alone, over 200,000 internal combustion vehicles were reportedly involved in fires, but today’s social/political climate has been observed to have heightened demands for perceived safety, and has demonstrated skittishness about new technology.

So a fire – while always bad news – has been something the electrified vehicle industry has particularly wanted to avoid so early on.

As for Fisker, the company has had more than its share of so-so to outright negative news, and surely did not need this incident now.

We will report again when we learn more.

Autoweek

Chevrolet’s Volt has been named to a laundry list of awards and accolades, but a recent dubious distinction is its being named to Cars.com’s list of Top 10 Underappreciated Cars and Trucks.

Hey that’s not bad right? Sort of like an honorable mention with implications that it is just waiting to be discovered?

Not sure, but here’s what Cars.com’s Executive Editor Joe Wiesenfelder wrote about the Volt as republished in the Chicago Tribune:

All plug-in cars are expensive, but so are luxury vehicles, and the reasons for driving both prove to be surprisingly similar. As owners, we know the Volt has downsides, as all cars do, and we accept that they’re deal-breakers for some shoppers. But Volt resistance seems to be more about partisan pretzel logic and safety misperceptions than about the car itself. GM’s sales expectations were too high, but the Volt definitely deserves more success than it’s seen so far.

Many people have said the Volt deserves more success than it’s seen so far, but it still has detractors throwing mud at it.

If you’re interested, the complete list of vehicles Americans have not appreciated enough are:

1. Ford Flex–This seven-seat gem is terrific, yet it’s outsold five-to-one by the Ford Explorer.
2. Suzuki Kizashi–An efficient sedan that’s fun to drive and has a stunningly high-quality interior.
3. Mazdas (all models)–These fun-to-drive vehicles are just as good as the competition but lag competitors, sometimes drastically, in sales.
4. Kia Optima–With its handsome exterior, high-quality interior and generous standard-equipment endowment, there’s no question why the Optima was chosen as Cars.com’s Best of 2011.
5. Hyundai Genesis–It was awarded our top honor when introduced in 2009, and has only improved since.
6. Nissan Quest–With a troubled past, the new, competitive, high-quality Quest has yet to build a name for itself.
7. Dodge Challenger– Voted Cars.com’s Shoppers’ Choice Award winner in 2012, it is roomier and far more comfortable than virtually all of its direct, better-selling competitors.
8. Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen–A surprisingly versatile, fun car that beats many of its trendy crossover competitors.
9. Chevrolet Avalanche–It does the work, serves as a five-seat SUV or full-length pickup truck, and comes from a trusted truck brand.
10. Chevrolet Volt–Though GM’s sales expectations were too high, the Volt definitely deserves more success than it’s seen.

Of all of them, Mazda can say the loudest “ouch!” Its entire lineup is considered underappreciated, but Cars.com says there is sort of a silver lining to it all.

“Good products usually sell themselves, but that’s not always the reality,” said Wiesenfelder. “There are so many great options on the market and these 10 vehicles are no exception. Our editors recommend that car shoppers research and test drive these models if they’re already shopping for similar cars. They might even get a good deal because these are not moving off lots as fast as some of their competitors.”

So, being named to the 10th car listed on Cars.com’s write-up of 10 underappreciated vehicles is not meant to say the Volt is bad. On the contrary, the publication says it is a good car, but not enough people are catching on in a timely manner.

Since we all know it is a great car, perhaps the question that persists is: what’s it going to take?

GM is committed to proliferating the Volt in China, and recently posted a Faces of GM video featuring Kevin Kelly, Manager of Battery and Hybrid Technology Communications, who was there for three months to help assist with a proper follow through to its launch.

“The Volt makes perfect sense for China,” Kelly said describing Chinese media response, and after having shared his knowledge and enthusiasm for the extended-range car.

While there, Kelly relied on other technology like his iPhone which has apps to overcome the language barrier. He said traveling was still do-able, and it sounds like he had quite an adventure.

Priced at $79,000 (RMB 498,00) in China, the Volt is not an inexpensive proposition, but it does sidestep the lack of public charging barrier that battery electric vehicles have yet to overcome.

What’s more, GM says it expects China to account for half of all luxury purchases by 2020 – including vehicles and all categories of consumer goods – so while the Volt is pricey, it won’t be like people there still can’t buy it if they want to.

China is one of the first global markets where the Volt will be sold through 13 dealerships in Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Suzhou, Wuxi, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Foshan.

We will continue to watch with interest how China sales go in coming months.

Is the Chevy Volt way too expensive – a car for well-meaning but well-heeled greenies to make themselves feel good? Or, is it so frugal to own and drive that you cannot afford not to get one?

Those are two extreme views aren’t they? We’ve heard from critics – who often have never even driven one – and who’ve tried to paint negative views, and more recently we heard from Jason King, who says his Volt fits the latter scenario, and is paying him back fast.

King is a writer and photographer living in Maui who figures his driving will soon be effectively “free” due to low-cost solar panels he had installed to keep his car charged.

The cost of solar has come way down in recent years, but we know where gas is going, don’t we?

“Gas prices are only going up,” King said. “Gas here is around $5 a gallon, and I drive by just laughing, you know?”

What’s more, King says his Volt is the best automotive value he’s yet had despite not having recouped any federal or state subsidies when he bought it. Being eager to get one early, he bought his Volt in California just two months after GM began production, and shipped it for about $1,000 to Hawaii.

His cost for installing nine extra solar panels to his pre-existing solar array was $5,000, plus he paid $500 for an optional fast charger.

If you have no solar now, you would also need a DC-to-AC inverter and related hardware, so it could be up to double or more compared to what King paid, but this is an investment that would last for many years that would effectively wipe out your gasoline bill, and you may even be able to sell unused electricity back to your local utility.

As for King, he says buying a Volt and solar charging is a good deal even though he forfeited eligibility for a $4,500 Hawaiian state subsidy now available, and the $7,500 federal subsidy.

To others, he says it should also make good financial sense, as they more likely will qualify for federal and state subsidies – for the car, and possible for the solar installation.

King’s estimation that charging costs will soon be no charge takes into consideration what he formerly spent monthly on gas for a Honda CR-V. In nine more months, his Volt will have paid off its lifetime cost to solar recharge, then every electric mile he drives thereafter is effectively free.

Not having a particular affinity for the undesirable effects petroleum has had on the environment and society, King has set up his house to live autonomously yet with high quality of life.

“I was previously spending at least $2,500 a year on gasoline so that means in two years the solar panels have paid for themselves, compared to what I previously spent on gas,” King said. “You know – in terms of the cost of the solar panels to power it. That means in two years my driving is not only pollution free, it’s free.”

The deal was especially sweet where Maui electric rates can hover around 30 cents per kilowatt-hour or more.

King acknowledges everyone’s situation is different, and living entirely off the grid as he does, his environmental commitment is deep, but having researched solar, he does not understand why more people are not doing it – particularly when a less-involved approach of grid tie-in is more financially feasible than ever.

Nor is he alone.

Jay Friedland, legislative director for Plug In America says a growing number of people are discovering what it is like to cut or eliminate the electric bill – and even be able to sell energy back to their local utility for a very satisfying turning of the tables.

State-by-state subsidies are available, as is a 30-percent federal tax credit, and so are loans if needed.

Friedland cited others who have realized – like King – that all of a sudden having effectively free kilowatts on hand, they would benefit from buying or leasing an electric vehicle.

Naturally, beyond the cost-benefit analysis, every individual’s motivation is unique. People’s rationales can include preferring their energy to be domestically sourced, and it’s satisfying knowing the money stays at home, instead of paying domestic or foreign oil suppliers. Others point to what it costs in wars and military expense and lives to keep the oil flowing here. Others point to cutting greenhouse gas emissions. Others point to being self-reliant and not having to pay for ever-increasing gasoline expense. You can take your pick, or empathize with some or all of the above.

King’s off-the-grid living is made possible through readily available technology.

But consumers who are not as ideologically driven want to know they are not paying extra just to support a cause. There are those who want to able to simply justify the outlay, and see a return on investment.

That ultimately depends on a host of variables for your local circumstances, but the good news, says Friedland – and King – is that solar recharging can pay back out-of-pocket costs to switch to solar.

King says his solar power system includes 24 deep-cycle batteries for storage, and a diesel generator backup – which he rarely if ever uses, and he looks forward to when the Volt can be used in a smart grid application as his backup.

Twenty four deep-cycle marine batteries last maybe seven years or so. The rest of the system is much more robust. Battery backup is optional, and not required for more ordinary grid-tied systems.

In any event, his solar panels recharge 100 percent even on a cloudy day, and about the only time he may not generate power is in a torrential downpour.

If anyone thinks solar is only for sunbelt states though, you’d be mistaken. They just need a clear exposure to the sun, and Friedland notes the second largest solar energy usage outside of California is in New Jersey. King observes also that Germany leads the world in solar proliferation.

As for justifying whether it would be worth it for solar electric car recharging, one major factor to consider is how much you spend on gasoline and electricity per year, and factoring the Volt’s electric range and money saved can make a compelling case.

In King’s moderate climate, his Volt’s all-electric range is much better than the EPA-stated 35 miles, and he averages 45-48 miles on a charge. All this to him will soon be effectively free, as he is not even paying a utility for the kilowatt-hours or a gas station.

His reasoning extends also to other electric vehicles with longer ranges, such as the Nissan Leaf, Mitsubushi i, and other available or soon-to-be models like the Ford Focus Electric or Tesla Model S, and others.

Going well beyond creating enough juice for their car, Norma and Alan Williamson power their California home with photovoltaic panels. We’re including this photo to show an example of a more ordinary residence with solar system potentially tied to the grid. This is one of Plug In America’s case examples mentioned.

If the vehicle to be charged has a larger battery as pure EVs do, you’d need enough solar energy daily, and a 240-volt level 2 charger, but the math can still work out – while giving a hedge against inflationary gasoline prices.

For his part, King says the Volt makes the most sense because its range meets his daily driving needs – and statistically, those of most Americans – and has gasoline backup when needed. Thus far, he estimates he’s only used about four gallons, and has effectively driven the Volt at 2,000 miles per gallon – with his electricity soon to be paid off as well.

“It’s not just a hype – the lack of range anxiety that I feel having that backup, you know? I mean if it was just pouring rain for few days and I needed to use the electric that my panels were generating for my house; I didn’t want to charge the car,” King said. “So yeah, I can still drive. You know, if I need to drive 100 miles in a day because I have friends visiting and I’m taking them all over the island, no problem, so I’ll drive 100 miles and I’ll use a gallon of gas.”

To determine what state-by-state incentives are available, the Energy Department has an interactive map. You can think also about leasing solar from a company like Sungevity, or others, and as you know the cost of a Volt can also be offset by a presently reasonable lease rates – and this might make sense especially if you do not fully qualify for incentives.

For more information on solar power in general, you can contact a non-profit like the American Solar Energy Society, and the Energy Department has further info worth perusing as well.

Besides these resources, there are many others, but they ought to get you started in the right direction.

Calculating cost for solar would also mean factoring in amortization, as the solar array will not last forever, but they are known to last many years even decades.

But if you ask Jason King, he says he has the formula dialed and even if your daily mileage goes a bit over the Volt’s electric range, it still is an elegant solution with no downside.

“The point I want to drive home to people is most people think that they can’t afford to do it,” he said. “I’m living proof that you know what, you can’t afford not to do it. I only have nine months to go until all my driving is free and powered by the sun with no pollution.”

The world’s first production ready extended-range electric aircraft known as the GT4 is designed with more than a few similarities to the Chevy Volt.

Its Oregon-based maker – coincidentally called Volta Volare – aims to begin building by year’s end, is taking orders now, and yesterday its visionary founder and CEO Paul Peterson told us the carbon-fiber constructed, series hybrid airplane is a bridge leading to all-electric flight.

The four seater – which could squeeze one more small person in if needed – relies on either a Rotax or Yamaha SHO 6-cylinder, 1.5-liter supercharged gasoline engine as the generator. The personal watercraft-sourced powerplant augments twin electric motors capable of a maximum 600 horsepower equivalent – with 400 horsepower of sustainable driving force – that turns a single rear-mounted, four-blade push prop made of carbon composite.

It will take off and cruise using only batteries.

Batteries are a 236-cell Dow Kokam lithium polymer array weighing 900 pounds, delivering 55 kilowatt-hours, and capable of take-off, climbing and cruising up to 300 miles on EV power alone.

In an interview yesterday, Peterson said the Canard-style airframe was selected as a well-proven design to push the envelope of his company’s powertrain design work intended to make a safer and better airplane.

“We think that it’s about time that someone introduced a hybrid general aviation aircraft. Current GA powerplants and design are … simply … ancient and dogmatic… and soon to be obsolete given what is being developed in China and Europe,” Peterson said. “So, as part of our mission being to help revitalize the American General Aviation industry (second only to producing the safest private aircraft on or above the earth), we figured we might as well be the ones to do it.”

The Canard pusher design is proven to be sleek and fast, and it is a configuration said to be much less likely to stall or spin.

Furthermore, the airframe utilizes a three-wing design that let Volta Volare’s engineers strategically place batteries for optimal weight distribution.

This is one place to avoid range anxiety.

Peterson said personal watercraft engines cost less than some purpose-made aircraft engines, while meeting engineering criteria. For example, a personal watercraft must operate under a high hydrodynamic load, he said, and often sees usage at either idle or full throttle, and engines built for such abuse would be better than, for example, a superbike engine.

Once the battery controller kicks on the range extender – at 25 percent battery depletion – unlike the Volt in charge-sustaining mode, it will recharge the airborne battery pack to full charge.

On the ground, charging is more conventional Peterson says.

“With each aircraft we are offering a Level II charging station (with J1772 interface) for installation in the aircraft owners’ hangars, and are currently developing a terrestrial FBO-based public charging station to be deployed at GA airports,” he said. “Since aircraft hangar rooftops are basic in their architecture and woefully underutilized, we are also developing a hangar solar package for our customers to not only charge their aircraft from, but also to sell power back to the grid through. With a Level II charger, EViators can expect to charge the ESS to full within 8 hours.”

The GT4’s two radial-gap electric motors share the same shaft and are redundant in part for safety, Peterson said.

Volta Volare further says the GT4′s “EViation Drive system” is one of the safest ever devised for general aviation. In theory, it has one moving part – if one discounts the range extender.

“Our EViation Drive and ESS [energy storage system] delivers more torque and horsepower than any 20th century ICE,” the company says on its Web site. “That it does so silently and with near-zero emissions is just the beginning. With one moving part, the hybrid electric EViation Drive requires minimal maintenance and offers TBO times up to ten X of an ICE.”

Electric motors turn the prop. Volta Volare says its design saves 20 percent in ownership costs, 80 percent in operational costs, and 80 percent in drive maintenance costs.

The aircraft – custom hand made – will cost $495,000 and is not a starter plane.

“She is far and away the most technologically advanced private aircraft available anywhere on earth,” the company says.

Top speed is around 350 mph, optimal cruising speed is a bit under 200 mph, and the airframe is engineered to sustain a 9g positive load, and 7g negative load.

Its total range is 600 nautical miles with 23 gallons of regular unleaded gas on board and fully charged batteries.

Maximum operational ceiling is around 18,000 feet, Peterson said, although you’d need oxygen by FAA rules above 12,000 feet.

Ideally, the GT4 works at an altitude similar to other personal aircraft of 10,000-15,000 feet.

Peterson said maintenance is intended to be much lower than with other common designs – many of which are derived from 1940s technology – and above all, safety is the priority.

“Our primary mission is to increase the safety of pilots and passengers,” Peterson said. “Period, and end of story.

Second priority, he said, is to reduce cost of operation and maintenance.

As one example, a 200-mile jaunt could cost maybe $20 in electricity versus $80 in leaded high-octane aviation gas – which this plane doesn’t use even in the generator.

Popular Science also wrote about this aircraft a few days aqo, reiterating the company’s talk of a “largely maintenance-free” design for the “electric” aircraft, but we asked what about the supercharged range extender?

Engine maintenance would be required, Peterson agreed, but he anticipates lower costs here as well.

Further, he said the sleek looking airplane is intended to be an “ultimate test bed,” and showcase for E-REV technology leading to full EV.

VoltaVolare is also co-developing a fully electric powertrain, and the GT4 is designed to accept a retrofit at a later date assuming more powerful energy storage becomes available.

With respect for those in the aviation business already building battery electric planes, Peterson said they are not ready for prime time due to insufficient battery energy density, but he intends to be there when the technology moves to the next level.

Meanwhile, Peterson said he searches the world for the latest on battery tech, has friendships with leaders in the battery research field, and his up-close and personal perspective is next-gen batteries could be ready in as soon as five years, if not a little longer.

If all this sounds neat, and you are not yet licensed to fly, you could be for maybe $4-6,000 and a few months study, if you’re “a good stick” and talented, said Peterson, a former Air Force pilot, but alas, Volta Volare does not intend to make a starter plane.

The touch-screen glass cockpit boasts full synthetic vision (an optional HUD is available). Passengers can take in movies, music and games, or get work done with multiple A/V jacks, power plugs, USB ports, fold-down screens and slide-out table tops.

Thus far interest in the GT4 has been expressed by experienced pilots who are high-net worth, technophiles, including some who are celebrities that prefer to remain anonymous, he said.

And if you are wondering, the company’s funding does not rely on venture capital or government money, Peterson said.

“We are a private, closely-held company, and we have been very, very careful to remain out of the limelight until now. We expect to remain private until such time as our customers demand further production capacity, and even then we’ll likely avoid the old-timey VC process and go with the up-and-coming crowd sourcing method of funding,” he said. “Ultimately we intend to provide fleet management / membership services to the masses, in much the same way that fractional ownership / jet leasing services operate, and it just makes sense to me that everyone is better off if we share the company’s financial upside with the people that use and benefit from this technology and service offering.”

The goal, he said, is to ultimately benefit society by advancing personal aviation with a more environmentally sound solution intended to eventually go full-electric.

“One of our fundamental tenets from day one has been: If we can deliver a safe, high performance aircraft that people want to be seen in, one which costs substantially less per hour / passenger mile to operate, we will have created a paradigm shift wherein many more of us than just the 1 percent can enjoy the luxury and convenience of private air travel,” Peterson said. “So why should only they reap the benefit of this nascent industry’s growth?”

In time also, Peterson said, the company will look to build 6- and 8-seater and larger planes leading to transcontinental designs – as far in the future as that may sound to some now.

Volta Volare’s aspiration are both literally and figuratively sky high, but its technological path, and perhaps other ideals as well, are not far off from those of the Chevy Volt.

With April Volt sales numbers in, GM reported 1,462 units sold in a month with three fewer selling days than March.

This total is down from the Volt’s second-highest sales figures in December, in which 1,529 were sold, and down also from the March record of 2,289.

Last month we had heard some from GM say they were not expecting April Volt sales to exceed March, although CEO Dan Akerson has been quoted as saying he’d like to see somewhere between 2,000-3,000 month after month going forward.

Some industry watchers have speculated also that GM’s California Volts are still in a transition period of changing over to solo-HOV-lane eligible Electric Advanced Technology Partial Zero-Emissions Vehicle (eAT-PZEV) versions, and this could have put a crimp in the progress.

But if GM sold fewer than some hoped for, Nissan could be said to be looking worse, with just 370 battery electric Leafs sold in April. This is down from 579 units in March and 478 in February. In fact 370 is lower than the 573 Leafs Nissan delivered in April 2011. The Leaf’s best sales month was June, 2011 with 1,708 sold.

Nonetheless, ever-optimistic Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn said industry watchers should not let a few mediocre months influence their perspective. He is keeping a long-term view, unwaveringly saying BEVS will comprise 10 percent of the market by decade’s end.

Things ought to pick up also, he said, as Nissan begins building the Leaf in Tennessee in late 2012, and the UK in early 2013.

As for the Volt, it was not a bad month, and being lower than the last month which happened to be a record does not add up to a negative trend.

Indeed, GM is doing what it said it would in building to meet demand, and has been producing them in decent numbers.

Further facts of interest are that for the 2012 calendar year to date, Detroit-Hamtramck has built 5,095 Volts and 3,382 Opel Amperas.

For 2012 model year to date, the assembly plant has so far turned out 16,336 Volts and 5,987 Amperas.

Ampera sales reported for April were 557 total units.