GM-VOLT : Chevy Volt Electric Car Site

By Philippe Crowe

Many of you are aware GM has been researching vehicle electrification for several years.

GM’s well-known electric vehicle effort in the 90′s was the EV1, but this was not the only application of the manufacturer’s research. Another electric product was launched in 1997, with a lot less public visibility: the Chevrolet Electric S10 pickup truck.
 

We are not talking here about one of those home-built conversions we sometimes hear of. The Chevrolet Electric S10, often referred to as the S10EV, was a two years effort – 1997 and 1998 – and was a fleet exclusive. Like the EV1, these were mostly offered as a lease, but up to 60 units were sold outright.

 
We stumbled upon one of them in Chambersburg, PA on this government auction site. Act quickly if you always dreamed of owning one as the auction closes March 22 at 5 p.m.

This electric S10 is powered by an 85-kw, 3-phase, liquid cooled AC electric motor coupled to a lead acid battery pack. Manufactured by Delco Electronics, the 1,400-pound pack groups 27 batteries, with one being designated as an “auxiliary” cell.

Charge time is approximately 2.5 hours according to the auction site, and the S10 range is around 45 miles.

Adapting the EV1 technology to this vehicle meant GM had to convert this pickup truck to front wheel drive, not keeping the original rear-wheel-drive layout of the gas-powered S10.

By Huw Evans

In the past, it was more common to hear of military personnel who’d served overseas and couldn’t wait to get home and spend their hard-earned money on a new car. However in many cases, said car was often something sporty and perhaps a bit frivolous. Tales abound of returning GIs from Vietnam forking out on brand new V8 muscle cars like the Chevy Chevelle SS, Dodge Charger R/T or Pontiac GTO. Even a generation later, after the first Gulf War, many were still drawn to the notion of buying a Camaro, Corvette or Mustang after their tour of duty was up.

Today however, things are arguably different. With many of us having to deal with tighter budgets, saving our precious money has become more of a priority. Not only that, more of us are also increasingly energy conscious and that includes those who serve.

A good example of this, is Bob Tanner of Toms River, NJ. After returning stateside following his second tour in Iraq, Bob decided to buy a new car; only it wasn’t a Camaro or Mustang, but rather a 2012 Chevy Volt.

“Having fought overseas twice, I have strong opinions on oil and its effects on international politics and policies. A [big] decision to drive an electric vehicle was the fact I’d be using less gas,” said Tanner, whose first day of Marine boot camp was Sept. 11, 2001.

Since acquiring his new Volt, Tanner – who has completed his bachelor’s and MBA degrees and now works as a civilian product manager at the Army Contract Command in Fort Dix, NJ – says that he’s able to get 640 miles to the tank and only needs to fill up twice a month. By contrast, he says in his old car he was filling up every four days. As a result he’s gone from spending approximately $300 per month on commuting costs to just $90, which includes charging the Volt every night.

Reducing costs is one thing, but Tanner also sees driving the Volt as part of a bigger picture, namely conserving energy and reducing emissions. “It’s one of the same reasons I [originally] joined the Marines. Every contribution I make counts toward the overall mission.”

In follow-up to the latest of several PR embarrassments narrowly and arguably sidestepped, Fisker Automotive says its extended-range electric Karma tested recently by Consumer Reports went into shut down mode to protect itself.

The widely read consumer magazine had purchased the luxury sedan for $107,850, then the car repeatedly died during speed calibration testing, but as reported by Reuters, Fisker’s CEO said this was normal.

“The Karma performed exactly as it was designed to,” said Tom LaSorda to customers in a letter. “The onboard diagnostics detected a fault and entered a protection mode that shut the car down to protect other components. We are sorry for the inconvenience this caused the customer.”

Automotive News reported further that LaSorda said last week he has put in place a “SWAT team” of 50 engineers and other consultants to identify any problems or other issues experienced by Karma owners. He said new software has been developed and installed in a large number of cars that were being tested “round the clock.”

As we’ve previously reported, Fisker recalled over 200 Karmas for a defective hose clamp, has raised prices since the concept was unveiled and pricing was first projected, and it was delayed in getting through certification by the U.S. EPA.

The company has been under the microscope by conservatives and others who are leery also about a $529 million low interest loan originally promised to help refit a former GM assembly plant in Wilmington, Del.

That plant is to build extended-range electric 2013 Project Nina variants, but the money was frozen after about one-third of it was disbursed because Karmas did not reach certain agreed upon production goals.

As for the Consumer Reports incident, the publication said the dealer determined the problem was “duplicated repeatedly” and a fault was found in the car’s battery and inverter cable.

“We now have a brand-new lithium-ion drive battery pack provided under warranty, though likely costing as much as a small, fuel-efficient car,” said Consumer Reports, which added it will complete its testing of the luxury car.

I was initially left perplexed, wondering: How does Fisker’s CEO say the car performed as expected, and the dealer said it was a warranty issue? Was it a defect or not?

According to Fisker spokesman Roger Ormisher in a phone interview on Friday, exactly what was the specific cause was unknown, but customer service policy is always to err on the safe side and get the customer back out on the road without delay.

Previously with the hose clamp issue, the same tact was taken. In some cases, the company was swapping out batteries just to solve a faulty hose clamp rather than add any time to an already existing delay.

This attitude, plus a 24-hour customer hotline and now the team of engineers ready to deal with any cough or hiccup are seen as needed to allay concerns in this climate in which Fisker says it finds itself.

Its executives have made clear they know they are still in a place where they have to prove themselves, and Henrik Fisker and now Tom LaSorda have been willing to personally contact customers and make any perceived issues right.

The Karma was penned by Henrik Fisker who has previously designed Aston Martins, among other luxury marques, and it has been otherwise well received as a beautiful car with solid performance capable of running economically as well.

The Karma has garnered a number of awards so far as well, and has made a high-profile splash in a very demanding economic environment while fighting regulatory hurdles and customer expectations never dreamed of in previous decades by American automotive startups.

While some in the media and critics have taken an exceptionally sharp view, Fisker says it will keep doing what it takes to show it is serious and bumps in the road aside, will grow into a fully fledged American advanced-tech car manufacturer.

Automotive News (subscr. req’d)

This week automotive data and analysis firm, Vincentric gave Chevrolet “best value” awards in four truck categories and the Volt won the “Electric/Plug-in Hybrid Car” category.

The Volt’s receipt of a Vincentric Best Value in America makes for a short but meaningful trend, as this is the second year out of the two model years for which the Volt has been in production.

Last year the Chevrolet’s extended-range electric vehicle beat the battery electric Nissan Leaf in the new “Eco” category Vincentric made for them, and this year the Volt edged out the Leaf and newcomer Toyota Prius plug-in hybrid in the same catchall vehicle class now called by a revised category title.

The Vincentric awards have been an annual event for eight years running now. To win a category means doing better overall after Vincentric has evaluated a vehicle in eight different cost factors. Criteria evaluated are: depreciation, fees & taxes, financing, fuel, insurance, maintenance, opportunity cost, and repairs. Using a statistical model, the company identified the winners by measuring which vehicles had lower than expected ownership costs given their market segment and price.

Chevrolet won “best” in the following truck categories as well: “Truck Brand” was taken as a category by the whole Chevy truck line, “SUV/Large went to the Tahoe, “Full Size Pickup,Heavy Duty 3/4 Ton” was awarded to the Silverado 2500, and “Full Size Pickup, Heavy Duty 1 Ton” was found to be the Silverado 3500.

Toyota-owned brands also did quite well in the hybrid segment. As for specifically Toyota-badged cars, the “Compact Hybrid” category was won by the Prius Liftback, “Mid-Size, Sedan, Hybrid” went to the Camry Hybrid, “Crossover, Hybrid” was taken by the Highlander Hybrid. Regarding Lexus-baded cars, “Mid-Size, Sedan, Premium, Hybrid was won by the GS 250h.

More about the award and results for other brands can be found on its Web site, or here is the winners list

The Volt also won a comprehensive range of awards and accolades, and now that it has repeated its performance for Vincentric, we will not be surprised to learn of more honors bestowed at home and abroad.

Note: Below Huw reports on an opinion piece about a book. I edited what follows, posted it also to HybridCars.com, and thought it could spur some discussion here. I now want to get the book (linked below plus here as an audiobook) and dig further. -Jeff

By Huw Evans

If a certain view of history is to be believed, then the 40th President of United States, was a linchpin in the push toward sustainable motoring leading right up to the advent of today’s growing electric car segment.

And, if so, it’s quite ironic considering Reagan – who served as president from 1981-89 – is largely held up as a champion of Republican ideals, and many sympathetic to said ideals have demonized cars like the Chevy Volt as symbolic of government policies gone wrong.

But how is Reagan tied into the whole idea of green motoring? Well back when he was governor of California – 1967-75 – Reagan signed legislation that led to the creation of the California Air Resources Board (CARB) – and then consistently defended its right to set de facto policy for autos sold in the U.S.

CARB is largely credited for introducing rules mandating the sale of Zero Emissions Vehicles (ZEVs) in the Golden State (in other words, electric cars). And it’s largely from CARB’s stance that electric cars have been able to flourish in a manner not seen since the early 1900s.

At least this is the thrust of an argument presented by Pulitzer-prize winning author Daniel Yergin’s book, titled, The Quest: Energy, Security and the Remaking of the Modern World.

In it, he observes that Arie Haagen-Smit, a former Caltech chemistry professor, who is recognized as the “Father of Smog” (research), was appointed by Reagan’s office as CARB’s first chairman in 1968.

As Yergin wrote, Haagen-Smit began seeking ways to combat a problem he’d been dismayed by since the mid-1950s, when he observed, “a dense blue-gray haze … settled over and suffocated the Los Angeles Basin.” In the worst of those days, LAX would be closed, the author wrote, and kids’ phys-ed and recess periods would be canceled.

On the flip side, Reagan has also been cast as a key antagonist to sustainable mobility, with critics frequently citing the relaxation of Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standards and the de-regulation of the U.S. oil industry during his tenure in the White House.

According to an opinion piece based around Yergin’s thesis in The Daily Caller, Reagan serves as a sort of Rorschach test as to whether he was a hero or villain – but there remain plenty of indicators that he was also a key advocate for cleaner air in the early days as well.

“Reagan was definitely strong on environmental protection as governor of California in ways that are often forgotten,” remarked James Strock, who was the first secretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency and later, a White House official during Reagan’s term. “He was always protective as president of CARB’s right to set stricter standards than federal [guidelines]. The automakers had hoped they could get [Reagan] to override [CARB] authority. They were out of luck.”

But to counterbalance the view again, the prospect of subsidies – these and government bailouts have been called serious wrongheadedness by EV opponents more recently – may have been more of a sticking point even to Reagan, according to The Daily Caller. Fairly enough, it noted Strock also said Ronald Reagan, “would be very skeptical of having the government subsidizing making a car – and then subsidizing buying it.”

However, current smearing against the move toward electrification aside, the main point is that electrified powertrains, although yet a budding technology, are morally and ethically neutral. They therefore do not deserve to be castigated as a “political punching bag” as GM CEO Dan Akerson recently told a Republican subcommittee regarding the Volt.

Further, the underlying premise of “energy independence” and “green cars” as represented by electrified vehicles would have still been seen as defensible, even by the now-lionized Ronald Reagan.

So there you have it: Ronald Reagan, like Barack Obama, would have been pro-EV. Still up for debate are the many finer points of how to get there from here.

Source: The Daily Caller via Green Car Reports.

This performance test review of two economical cars may leave a few details out, and provides a questionable lateral acceleration test performed with a hand-held iPhone app that said the Volt was approaching 1 G, but some might say it makes for decent entertainment.

It was also a bit sketchy in that they drag raced the Volt not in its electric-only mode, and made a parody of the acceleration when the Chevy’s known 0-60 mph in around 8 seconds is not really that slow at all.

After not mentioning the efficiency of either car (their actual purpose), the two hosts took opposite sides on which car they’d buy.

Extended-range Rolls-Royce?

Note: Massive V12s and their ilk face a questionable future in light of legislation on the horizon both in the U.S. and Europe. Lotus designed the experimental Rolls-Royce BEV powertrain last year that’s good for around 120 miles range. While it was not said, Lotus Engineering could also supply a range extender suitable for the massive car. It already has a couple production versions intended as drop-in solutions for EVs. The naturally aspirated 1.3-liter version is rated at 47 horsepower at 3500 rpm, and 67 horsepower for the supercharged version. A car as heavy as the Phantom would need bigger, but no doubt Lotus could do it.

By Philippe Crowe

Were you dreaming of driving an electric Rolls-Royce such as the 102EX experimental prototype Phantom the company has been showcasing since last year? Don’t expect to be able to order one anytime soon, but a plug-in series hybrid may still be a contender says the luxury carmaker.

In a discussion with Car and Driver, Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös explained the silence and power of the electric Rolls-Royce impressed potential customers, but range anxiety and time needed to recharge were issues deemed unacceptable.

But do not despair, the promise of a ride for Rolls vehicles as quiet as Chevy Volt owners have already been raving about is still a possibility. Müller-Ötvös said that a gasoline plus electric range-extender solution – in line with what GM chose for the Volt – could be considered.

Unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in 2011, the Rolls-Royce Phantom Experimental Electric – 102EX was based on a Phantom but featured a fully electric powertrain.

The 102EX featured the Phantom’s aluminum spaceframe which the company has said is groundbreaking and vital to the car’s dynamic prowess, as well for imparting a sense of calm and tranquility to the occupants. However, the naturally aspirated 6.75-liter V12 petrol engine and 6-speed gearbox have been replaced by a lithium-ion battery pack and two electric motors mounted on the rear sub-frame. These motors are connected to a single-speed transmission with integrated differential. Each motor is power rated to 145 kw.

Since it was first shown, it has stimulated debate on whether electric motoring can deliver a true Rolls-Royce experience, and provided the company with insights from customers, thought-leaders and media.

Media attention was also garnered last year when the 102EX went on a tour around the globe and was used as a test bed that allowed Rolls-Royce to collect data and customer feedback needed to make an informed decision on alternative powertrains.

Market research is now being collated and the company will publish its findings in the first quarter of 2012.

Will Rolls Royce now copy Chevrolet’s halo car to improve its already legendary hush ride? Stay tuned.