GM-VOLT : Chevy Volt Electric Car Site

GM was the first to bring full hybrid full-sized SUVs to the retail market.  2-Mode hybrid versions of the Chevrolet Tahoe/GMC Yukon first went on sale in 2009.  The Cadillac Escalade and Chevrolet Silverado/GMC Sierra hybrids soon followed.

Sales volumes have remained stunningly low. In 2010 through the end of April, the Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon hybrid had total sales of 1115 units , the Sierra and Silverado sold 506 copies combined, and the hybrid Escalade had sales of only 301. Meanwhile, total US combined hybrid sales through this same four month period was 78, 691 units indicating that as a whole.  Thus GM hybrid trucks accounted for only 2.4% of all hybrid sales this year.

Not surprisingly, Chrysler recently announced it couldn’t find a business case for its similar 2-mode hybrid Ram pickup truck and decided to abandon the segment altogether.

“After closely evaluating the response to hybrid pickups in the marketplace,” Chrysler wrote in a statement. We “could not formulate an appropriate business case” and have “decided to cancel development work.”

Sales figures suggest that hybridized trucks still show no sign of catching on.  Through the end of February sales rates were down 42% for the segment as a whole, even while at the same time overall hybrid sales were up 26.4%.

GM’s hybrid trucks offer a 25% improvement in fuel economy for what amounts to a several thousand dollar price premium.  They get 21 mpg city| 22 mpg highway versus 14 mpg city|19 mpg highway for gas versions.

Despite the dearth of sales and momentum, GM is hanging on to the segment and in fact plans to introduce a more efficient second generation in 2013, and a plug-in version prior to that.  They have also announced a $300 million dollar investment to build an electric motor plant to supply those components as well.

“We’re committed to hybrid technology in our fullsize pickups and SUVs,” spokesman Brian Corbett told Ward’s Auto. “We’re not wavering.”

Source in part (Ward’s Auto, subscription)

Bob Lutz and Jon Lauckner are credited as having devised the Chevy Volt concept in 2006. They charged executive engineers Tony Posawatz, Nick Zielinski and John Bereisa with making it happen.

Though Lutz is retiring, and Bob Kruse, Denise Gray, and Frank Weber have left the program, Lauckner and Posawatz remain deeply involved and committed leaders of the Voltec team.

Recently we heard that GM’s President of North America suspects pure electrics will dominate the market in the long term but believes fully that the Volt will lead the market for the next several years. According to some new information, it seems likely that reflects GMs internal plan going forward.

Lutz in a recent exit interview told the Associated Free Press that GM plans to keep building trucks and SUVs but also expects to hybridize or electrify the majority of them to meet future fuel economy standards.

He also told the reporter that GM is “planning a separate line of all-electric vehicles that won’t have backup gas engines like the Volt does.”

Lauckner made a similar statement to the AP. He said GM plans to spread lithium ion cells across all of its vehicle lines over the next 5 years. The extent to which GM will do so depends on the cost of the technology and fuel prices.

“We certainly understand that the electrification of the vehicle goes beyond just talking about the Chevrolet Volt,” he said. “We need a range of technologies and we have a plan that does that.”

Neither man announced what car will be next, though Lauckner also noted GM plans to put its 2-mode full hybrid drivetrain into sedans. A plugin version has also been demonstrated in the Cadillac XTS concept.

Source (AP)

Outspoken GM vice chairman Bob Lutz turned 78 on Friday and as usual had something to say when he met with reporters in Florida.

He admitted that GM loses and will always continue to lose money on hybrids, including it seems the Volt when it comes to market.

“GM will lose money on hybrids,” he told reporters. “We will continue to build them–they are required by (Corporate Average Fuel Economy regulations)–and the cost will be spread across other cars.”

Lutz also doesn’t think hybrids will ever obtain much market share, blaming their very existence on corporate fuel economy requirements.

“We may see up to 10%, but a lot of it will be driven by fuel-economy regulations,” he said.

I reached out to Mr. Lutz for confirmation and he clarified he was specifically referring to hybrids, PHEVs like the Volt, and pure EVs.

“For the next 10 years, that’s the way we see it!” he replied.  ”That would would be over 1.2 million units per year; at today’s price premium for plug-ins, that’s even an optimistic estimate, I think.”

“If it turns out to be more,” he added.  ”We’re better prepared than anyone else!”

Lutz also went on to declare Toyota having lost its edge due to its recent massive recall of 8 million cars including 270,000 2010 Prius hybrids.

“With one of our competitors that the positive halo is gone, or fading,” he said but added the opposite is true for GM.  ”In our case, the negativism is fading.”

People used to say “only Toyota knows how to do environmentally friendly cars,” said Lutz. “The Volt was one way to change perceptions about Chevrolet and in a larger sense, GM by leapfrogging the then-viewed technology leader, which was Toyota.”

Lutz confirmed GM’s plans to produce 8,000 to 10,000 Volts by the end of 2011, increasing to 50,000 to 60,000 per year as the market demands.

He said a price of near $40,000 before a $7500 federal tax credit was a ” good working figure” but would not confirm it.

Source (Dow Jones) and (Reuters)

Aside from the Chevy Volt which it could be argued isn’t a hybrid, GM has not released any public plans to produce a strong hybrid sedan.

At present the company produces 2-mode hybrid trucks including the Tahoe, Escalade, and Sierra models.  These vehicles have a 25% higher fuel efficiency than their non hybrid counterparts, yet their $10,000 price premiums have resulted in very limited sales.

GM recently announced they were investing in their own dedicated electric motor assembly plant, which would produce the motors for the next generation of 2 mode hybrids.

Vice Chairman Tom Stephens told Automotive News that the next generation would be the first to appear in rear wheel drive sedans.

Though Stephens did not say which models weer slated to get the powertrain, he did say they would utilize a new GM designed electric motor that;s 25% smaller and 20% more powerful than the ones curently found in the 2-mode trucks.

“The new motor will be lighter,” said Stephens. “It will be more affordable.”

These attributes he said would make it better-suited for a sedan.

Automotive analyst named Jim Hall concluded the vehicle most likely to get the new hybrid drivetrain will be the next generation Cadillac CTS and the new upcoming smaller Cadillac ATS .

The ATS is expected to go on sale in 2011, and the next generation CTS is scheduled for 2012.

The new compact and affordable hybrid powertrains won’t appear until 2013.

GM has not yet released images of the ATS which will be about theh same size as a Honda Accord, and share styling cues with the Voltec-powered Converj.

“We’re finalizing the four-door showcar of the ATS first,” a  source told Edmunds Inside Line. “Then we’ll follow quickly after with a wagon, a coupe and a convertible.”

Source (Automotive News)

It was only a matter of time.

On Tuesday the Japanese automaker officially issued a recall of the 2010 3rd generation Prius hybrid for a braking flaw.

A software glitch mishandles the switch between regenerative and friction braking when anti-lock brakes (ABS) are also being activated, leading to a perceived loss of control which for some can be harrowing.

The recall is global and affects over 400,000 Prius and other hybrid cars including 133,000 Prius and 14,500 Lexus HS 250h sold in the US.

Dealers can fix the problem in about 40 minutes.

The recall was announced by Toyota president Akio Toyoda (shown above) who admitted his company was not failure-proof and committed to “redouble our commitment to quality as the lifeline of our company.”

The company denied that the braking flaw was dangerous but was fixing it to allow customers to feel more comfortable.

“We’re committed to doing everything we can – as fast as we can – to restore consumer trust in Toyota, and these recalls are part of this effort,” said Jim Lentz, President and Chief Operating Officer, Toyota Motor Sales. “We regret the inconvenience this recall will cause to Prius and HS 250h owners, and will do our best with the support of our dealers to make sure that it is conducted in the most trouble-free manner possible.”

Source (Toyota)

Toyota long renowned for its quality has been facing some significant issues lately.

Last year they had to recall a world record 3.8 million vehicles due to faulty floor mats that caused accelerators to become stuck, leading to accidents.

Now there are reports that the much lauded third generation Prius hybrid is having some brake problems.

At least 20 cases or more of brake failure have been reported to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.  Drivers are alleging that in some circumstance when they apply the brakes, they disengage and the car feels out of control.

One driver named Robert Becker, 39, of New york told the AFP about his experience.

He was driving toward an intersection and then applied the brakes. Then the car hit a pothole and suddenly Becker experienced a “sensation of losing control,” as he described it.

“It scared the hell out of me. I wasn’t sure I could stop in time,” he said.  He also had the experience several more times since then.

Another driver who reported the problem said  ”initially, I convinced myself I must have been letting up on the brake when I hit the bump, but when this same thing happened three days ago on slippery, icy roads, I knew for 100 percent certain I had not let up on the brake.”

The Prius uses regenerative braking typical of hybrids.  For light to moderate braking, the rotation of a generator gradually slows the car all the while converting the kinetic energy into battery storage.  With more aggressive braking, a standard hydraulic brake comes into play more rapidly stopping the car but losing the kinetic energy.

The reported problem might be that if the car is jostled while the regerative brakes are engaged, they may release, at a time when the driver doesn’t expect or want it to happen.

Toyota admits it is aware of these compalints.

Toyots spokeperson Michael Michels told the AFP  ”We’re investigating those complaints as quickly as possible.”

The third generation Prius has a great many new patents and new technology not found in the older versions and some apply to the regenerative braking system.  If this does lead to a massive recall (100,000 units were sold in 2009) it is an example of the risks GM is up against in mass producing the Volt, a car built on entirely new technology.  If the Volt tuns out to be flawless, it is also a chance for GM to gain on Toyota in more ways than one.

Source (AFP) via (The Detroit Bureau)