General Motors had a big presence and demonstration in the Javits Center North Hall at the New York auto show yesterday, but the highlight of the media presentation this time was not electrified vehicles.

To be sure, the Volt and a cutaway Spark EV and whole Spark EV were present, but ear plugs were handed out to media and guests before listening to a talk by Mark Reuss, GM Vice President and President, North America.

The ear plugs were not for Mr. Reuss, who spoke in a normal tone, but for an introductory video celebrating great Chevy performance and racing cars.

In the minutes leading up to the video and the GM media presentation, music had been by Aerosmith; the raw and raucous, in-your-face defiant, “Back in the Saddle.” It set the tone for the pending automotive celebration, and was suggestive of the spirit underlying the company.

As the official presentation began, the volume was seriously cranked up for the brief car film clip shown inside the Bow-Tie-shaped movie screen on center stage. It resonated with GM racing car imagery and sounds to precede Reuss’s presentation and was so overwhelmingly loud as to boom the exhaust note of V8s into one’s eardrums. The ear plugs had been handed out without explanation, but their intent was soon apparent.

It was not unlike being at pit row – with your head at times only eight inches from a barely muffled 427 escalating up the ICE-tone musical scale to 7,000 rpm.

Actually the imagery was of a variety of perspectives viewing exciting racing machines doing what they do best, but it was turned up loud so as to physically pound home the hi-po theme being presented as GM’s heritage still being built upon to this day.

Celebrating its larger-than-life legacy, it was a reveling in GM speed and internal combustion power, and it would seem apparent that car guys and gals are very much running the show at GM.

After the brief video, the stage presentation by Reuss was essentially about recently revealed adrenaline inducers, including the C7 Vettes, the 2014 Camaro, and newly unveiled was GM’s latest Mustang fighter, a track-ready 2014 Z/28 Camaro.

The revived Z/28 features a who-cares-what-the-mpg-is 7.0-liter LS7 V8 engine with 500 horsepower and 470 pounds-feet of torque matched with a six-speed Tremec TR6060 manual transmission.

To be fair, while speaking of the new Corvette, Reuss did mention its new performance cars do better than ever in their EPA numbers – when driven sedately no doubt, not on the boil as they were made to do.

More than a 0-60 ripper, Reuss said GM’s engineers say the new Z/28 has amazing lateral acceleration, and “it is the real deal,” he said of the fast-lapping racer for the street.

Sound deadening on the Z/28 is deleted, there’s no audio entertainment system other than the sound generated by the tuned exhaust, rear window glass is thinner, air-conditioning is optional, and only one speaker inside the Z/28 is for a mandatory warning chime, which Reuss said he wanted to remove, but they had to keep it.

This beast is otherwise stripped for speed and is 300 pounds lighter thus more agile than the even-more-powerful ZL1 Camaro; the Z/28 is a turnkey track-day special, and it was the news of the day.

In the electrified realm, this week GM did also reveal its eAssist 2014 Buick Regal and 2014 LaCosse, and Chevrolets making a presence, but otherwise languishing by comparison in a corner were the Volt and pending Spark EV.

While a mob surrounded the big V8 vehicles on center stage, I went over and snapped some pictures of a Spark EV which GM had cut away revealing normally hidden carbon fiber boxes and orange insulation and other unique hardware for its first EV since the EV1.

No doubt the company says it is committed to electrification, and it is to be a greater part of its future, but Wednesday in New York was more about glorying in the days of thunder past, present, and future, than the sound of electrified silence.

Undoubtedly electrified cars are generating interest also but if this were likened to a culinary feast for the senses, the big iron were the delicious mouth-watering entrees or perhaps wonderful sugary and fattening desserts.

In contrast, electrified cars were the sensible, nutritious vegetables, and lean, trimmed portions that were good for you, and you knew you should eat more of them.

But for anyone with a taste for a healthier and more long-term sustainable automotive diet, in case you’ve not seen these images before, included are several of the cutaway Spark EV that GM had on display. You click on them to enlarge for better viewing.

Enjoy.

By George S. Bower

Some readers may know that we have both a 2012 Volt and a 2008 Toyota Prius. The original plan was to sell the Prius and replace it with the Volt. However, wife refused to give up her Prius so, initially, Volt purchase was put off. Time passed and I decided to get the Volt anyway which works out well because I now have a clean, uncluttered car to use whenever I want. His and her cars are the way to go.

Driving Cycle and Fuel Efficiency

 
My driving cycle is longer than most. I do not fit the typical less-than-40-mile-per-day profile that the Volt was designed around.

November to April we commute from our desert house in Tonto Basin, Ariz. to Payson, Ariz. which is a 68-mile round trip. Payson’s elevation is 5,000 feet so there is a 2,500 foot climb with some 5 percent grades. I have been running this trip in Mountain Mode lately as it allows me to save some pure EV for in-town driving. I just ran this trip yesterday and with our wonderful spring weather I averaged 102 mpg.

Also throw in a couple trips to Phoenix per month which are usually around 150 miles or more total.

May through November we commute from our mountain home in Pine, Ariz to Payson, Ariz. This trip is 38 miles total and is perfect for the Volt. It is very rare that the range extender comes on during this journey so I turn in some pretty impressive mpg numbers in the summer.

Which car do I choose for these routes? The Volt of course for trips between Pine and Payson and between Tonto Basin and Payson … but what about trips to Phoenix? The answer is the Prius. Why: less fuel burn for this route.

Overall mpg comparison is as follows: Lifetime mpg on Volt is 160; lifetime mpg on Prius is 50.

Ride Quality and Handling

 
Comparing the Volt to the Prius in this department is really like comparing a BMW to a Citroen 2CV. In other words, there is no comparison. The Volt handles flat, hugs the road, has great acceleration, and it’s quiet while the Prius goes around corners more like a ’60 Volvo PV544 (we had one) and has an annoying engine sound.

One comparison I like is to open and close the door on the Prius and then compare it to the Volt. The Prius has a rather cheap, tinny sound while the Volt is solid like a Cadillac.

On the flip side, the Prius seat is higher off the floor and for an (almost) old person like myself it has a more upright seating position which is more comfortable on long trips … thus one more reason why the Prius is selected on trips to Phoenix.

Maintenance

 
I don’t do my own maintenance anymore except for changing oil … and that reminds me it is time for the Prius to have its yearly oil change (Yuck). Volt: two years between oil changes so maybe next year.

The Volt has been a very reliable car so far. Since I brought the car home last May it has never had to go to the dealer. That’s pretty good. Usually there will be some minor bug that needs to be fixed on a new car.

Solar Charging

 
This is the part I love. Not only do I not use much gas in the Volt I also get to charge it with FREE electricity from my solar panels (ha ha). My system consists of 14, 210 watt Sanyo HIP panels backed up with Enphase micro inverters (one per panel). This system works great here in Arizona with all our sun. The other nice thing about this system is that during the summer when I am in Pine, my panels just crank out kwh’s into my account at Arizona Public Service. When I return in the fall I have enough kwh’s stored to last me through January.

So Which Car Wins?

 
The Volt of course. However the Prius really is a very cost effective and energy efficient machine and it is favored on longer trips due to its lower fuel consumption and because its seating position is more upright.

By Phillipe Crowe

Will Volvo consider offering its V60 diesel plug-in Hybrid in North America? Many sure hope so and that it will be showing up beginning today at the the New York International Auto Show will have some believing so.

This will be the American debut for the world’s first diesel plug-in hybrid and Volvo hopes it will take center stage.

The plug-in hybrid is one of three remaining candidates for the prestigious 2013 World Green Car of the Year award.

The winning environmental car, which is selected by 66 top motoring journalists from 23 countries around the world, will be announced at the New York International Auto Show on March 28.

The Volvo Car Group press conference in the Jacob Javits Center at 10:30 a.m. on March 28 will also include the world premiere of Volvo’s latest R-Design models as well as the announcement of a new and exciting addition to the North American Volvo model line-up.

The V60 Plug-in Hybrid is the world’s first diesel plug-in hybrid. It includes two complete drive trains and a battery. The driver can select the preferred driving mode via three buttons that give the car three entirely different temperaments: Pure, Hybrid or Power.

“The ingenious on-demand possibility makes the V60 Plug-in Hybrid superior to all other hybrids on the market. Thanks to the Pure, Hybrid and Power modes, the car is the perfect choice for the uncompromising customer who wants to minimize his or her carbon dioxide emissions but maximize driving pleasure,” said Doug Speck, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Sales and Customer Service at Volvo Car Group.

Today at the New York International Auto Show (first media day). (Photo by Jeff Cobb)
 

Per Volvo, pushing the Pure button gives the driver up to 50 kilometers (31 miles) on pure electric power.

In Hybrid mode, the carbon dioxide emissions are 48 g/ kilometers. This corresponds to fuel consumption of just 1.8 l/100 kilometers (NEDC certification driving cycle for hybrids), translating into 130 mpg.

The Power mode releases the combined capacity of the diesel engine and electric motor, creating a veritable driving machine with a total power output of 215+70 horsepower. The electric motor’s lightning-quick torque delivery contributes to the car’s acceleration from 0 to 100 kph (62 mph) in 6.1 seconds.

It must be nice for Tesla Motors to have a list of people numbered in the low five figures waiting for the opportunity to buy a Model S.

As long as this keeps up, and we know of no indication it has tapered off as of yet, the S Models are flying out the door at the rate of 500 per week, according to a recent Inside Tesla enthusiasts’ blog report.

At least, this has been the case for the last three weeks, and the company says it expects to sell on this level again this week, and if so, that equates to 2,000 per month.

If this rate of progress had been the case in February when the Volt’s 1,626 units sold ranked it the top plug-in car among automakers which officially post their monthly numbers, it would have meant Tesla was actually the unofficial leader.

Bear in mind, Tesla’s sales performance is for a car which in the 85-kwh version costs somewhere around $80,00-$120,000 – 2-3 times what the Volt does when factoring all taxes and ancillary costs. Normally, cars at this echelon do not outsell kind-of similar $30,000-$45,000 cars, as the Volt kind of is – depending also on how you do the subsidized or unsubsidized math.

How long can Tesla keep it up? Tesla is not saying. Its self-reporting selectively highlights the most flattering news while not reporting any more than it has to. For instance, it euphemistically mentioned it has had “a great learning experience” since planting its San Jose store two years ago – the first of several NADA-upsetting retail stores without even hinting any negative press or lawsuits had surrounded some of its other locations.

The impressive Model S sales news is due also to the positive fact that Tesla has been at peak production capacity since December, according to George Blankenship, vice president, worldwide sales and ownership experience.

More favorable news Blankenship highlighted in last week’s Tesla enthusiast blog is that on Thursday, Tesla registered its 3,000th Model S in California.

And while that sounds good, it raises a question about its distribution of cars. Isn’t California the top EV state, and where more people are lined up than anywhere else?

It delivered its first Model S June 22, 2012. We know it started with very slow and careful production, but since December it’s been at peak capacity. How long has Tesla been selling close to 2,000 units per month actually? Or even 1,500? And where are these cars going?

No doubt people from all over are getting the Model S. So if Tesla has been sending them out at maybe 300-500 per week since Christmas, only a decent amount are going to California, and many are going elsewhere – including Europe and Asia – and Blankenship did say the car is now a “world car” and test drive fleets are on these continents as well.

Blankenship also divulged that more Supercharger stations, retail stores, and service centers are beginning to dot more spots on the map.

Even so, since Tesla is doing so great, it would be nice if it would change its policy to one of true transparency, and let the world see what its actual numbers are.

Until then, all is good at Tesla, says Tesla, and Blankenship says “we’re just beginning,” while looking forward also to “hitting many new milestones this year.”

And for all anyone knows, this could well be so.

Question now is, will its next milestone be that in March it’s the dominant U.S. seller of electrified cars, even surpassing a certain model known to many of you here, and made by Chevrolet?

Inside Tesla

Why take a ferry across the Baltic Sea to local islands from Estonia when you can drive your Opel Ampera?

But then, you probably knew that. Just don’t try it in your Volt from San Pedro, Calif. to Santa Catalina Island, unless you get a real cold snap.

Amperas left-to-right: white, red and blue. These are good colors, but we’d suggest a more appropriate ordering would be: red, white and blue.

That’s not likely, no doubt, and coming back to reality – a frigid one – Opel wanted to show how over-engineered its Volt variant’s battery thermal management system is by driving on 10-inch thick ice across the frozen salt water.

(That doesn’t sound all that thick to support 4,000 pounds, though, does it?)

Merged with gee-whiz visual imagery, info snippets, and the neato factor of travel not possible in too many places on the globe, it was a good opportunity to assure people in other cold parts that winter driving is no sweat for the Voltc powertrain.

The cars can run in 14 deg F in all-electric mode, and do alright with front-wheel-drive on snow and ice, although surely winter tires would help in really full-time frozen conditions.

Today is the second day of spring, and with even the cold states in America looking forward to an imminent warming up, blooming plant life, and chirping birds, the Volt has made it through another winter.

For those of you who have a Volt or Ampera (outside of America) and had to deal with inclement weather and a severely dipping thermometer, are you impressed with how it does in the cold, snow and ice?

By Phillippe Crowe

On Tuesday this week, BMW AG held its Annual Accounts Press Conference in Munich, giving an idea of where the company is heading and how things are going. Also this week, a report said BMW’s i3 range-extender will be built by Kymco of Taiwan.

As for its green strategy, the BMW Group said it has been tirelessly pursuing its “Strategy Number ONE” with great success since 2007, enabling it to achieve the intended impact of becoming significantly more profitable and competitive.

The group also said this allows it to be extremely well placed to meet future challenges.

“We have now successfully implemented the first third of our strategy. All interim targets have been fully attained,” emphasized Norbert Reithofer, chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG.

Strategy Number ONE has also seen the birth of a host of vehicle concepts – including the BMW i3 – as well as advances in terms of reducing fuel consumption thanks to EfficientDynamics technology.

Reithofer said BMW has now accepted several hundred advance orders for the i3, and electromobility will be very much in the spotlight for the BMW Group in 2013.

“The future belongs to those who dare to venture”, remarked Reithofer. The first pre-series BMW i3 came off the production line in January 2013. This vehicle, which has been specifically designed to run with zero emissions for use in an urban environment, will come onto the market by the end of the year.

“Several hundred advance orders have already been received for the BMW i3”, added Reithofer.

The BMW i3 is designed with a carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) passenger compartment, an aluminum chassis, and BMW said it sets new standards in the field of lightweight construction.

The BMW i3 has an approximate range of 150 kilometers (93.2 miles), which – based on experience gleaned from the MINI E and BMW Active E test fleets – is sufficient in most circumstances.

Customers can also opt to increase this capability with a so-called Range Extender.

Production times are reduced significantly by employing unique production methods and a significantly lower number of assembly parts.

The BMW i3 will require only half the time needed to produce a conventional vehicle.

To have any chance of addressing the growing ecological challenges in the world’s metropolitan areas, there is no getting around the use of zero-emission drive technology. “In the medium term, megacities have no choice but to encourage the use of alternative drive systems”, underlined Reithofer.

Electric vehicles in Beijing, for instance, are already exempt from the allocation procedure for number plates and from fees.

Kymco

The range extending two-cylinder motorcycle-based engine planned for BMW’s pending i3 will be built by Kymco in Taiwan.

Kymco is an existing BMW motorcycle division supplier with main operations in Taiwan, three factories in China and one in Indonesia. In 2008 it was chosen to assemble BMW’s G450X Enduro motorcycle engines and now it will apparently supply its electrified new car.

BMW motorcycle engine photo courtesy bikeweb.com.
 

Prices for the range extender and its specifications were not given by the publication just-auto.com which reported the story Tuesday after speaking with BMW sales and marketing head, Ian Robertson.

What is divulged is a small fuel tank will be used. On electric power alone, the i3 may have around 75-93 miles (120-150 km) on EV power and this could be stretched to 217 miles (350 km) with the small petrol range extender.

As previously reported, the thinking is this is a “range extender” in a stricter sense than found in the Chevy Volt, which in fact has dual power sources, and can run indefinitely on gasoline generator power alone, without ever needing to plug into electricity.

BMW’s range extender is more akin to a true backup, like a spare gas can, or even, if you’ll pardon the analogy, training wheels. Tests with prototype Minis and 1-Series have shown the range extender is only there to build confidence in budding EV drivers learning new habits.

Once they get a feel for their actual range, and learn not to run the batteries out, they do not need the gas backup so much, and learn to plug in as needed. Reports have that it existing EV test drivers are so in the groove already, they do not even plug in every night between daily commutes meaning their EVs have sufficient range for the limited duties they are called to do.

Robertson echoed previous BMW statements that early i3 sales will see more range-extended versions chosen, but this will taper off as the car becomes familiar in the marketplace. Fewer people will want the range extender in time, it is believed.

Kymco started life as a part of Honda, but went on in 1963 to become an independent motorcycle part supplier to Honda, and in 1970 it began designing and building its own range of scooters.