GM-VOLT : Chevy Volt Electric Car Site

In the AutoTECHCAST^SM study, 27% of U.S. vehicle owners said they were likely (13%), very likely (8%) or extremely likely (6%) to make a PHEV their next vehicle.
When told there would be a $3,200 price premium, the consideration rate dropped to a total of 16%.

Males and females were equally likely to include the technology in their next vehicle, while entry SUV owners (45%) showed the most interest in plug-in hybrid technology compared to other vehicle type owners.

The data was collected via the Internet from June 28 to July 18, 2007 and included nearly 10,000 U.S. vehicle owners.

On the flip side of this study, it was demonstrated that a full 47% of respondents were not at all familiar with the PHEV technology, this was true for 40% of males and 56% of females.

For those who were at least likely to purchase a plug-in, 84% said they would prefer plugging in the car in overnight, whereas only 7% said they would prefer a once-a-week gas fill-up.

You can review the details of of the study results yourself here: (HARRIS POLL)

It is interesting that only a minority of people see the value of this technology, and that nearly half the population have no idea about it.

We need to get the word out. Any thoughts, ideas?

Lithium-ion battery powered plug-in electric cars like the Volt are the next phase in the history of automotive transportation. The cars are not really here yet, but on the very verge of widespread and massive production with the plug-in Saturn VUE and the Chevy Volt leading the way.

The U.S. government supports this transition, and is eager to help the country move away from its oil addiction.

To that end, the U.S. Department of Energy has announced it will award nearly 20 million dollars in funding to five companies capable of making automotive lithium-ion battery systems. Consider these five companies the cream of the crop, in descending order of grant size:

1. A123 (Watertown, MA) – $6.25 million to develop doped iron phosphate chemistry batteries for 10 and 40 mile range PHEVs

2. Compact Power (Troy, MI) – $4.45 million to develop Manganese-spinel batteries for a 10 mile PHEV

3. Johnson Controls/Saft ( Milwaukee, WI) – $4.1 million to develop nickelate/layered chemistry for 10 and 40 mile PHEVs4. EnerDel (Indianapolis, IN) – $1.25 million to develop lithium titanate anode, nickel-manganese cathode cells for 10 and 40 mile PHEVs

4.  EnerDel (Indianapolis, IN) – $1.25 million to develop  cells for 10- and 40-mile range PHEVs using nano-phase lithium titanate coupled with a high voltage Nickel-Manganese cathode material;
5. 3M (St. Paul, MN) – $1.14 million to screen nickel/manganese/cobalt cathode materials for small plug-in cars

It is important to point out that these funds will be matched by industry funds from of the USABC (U.S. Advanced Battery Consortium) whose constituent members include the big 3: GM, Ford, and Chrysler.

Two million dollars will also go to the University of Michigan to do a study on PHEVs environmental and electric grid impact, preliminay results expectd at the Jan 08 Detroit Auto Show.

As for release dates..”DOE goals include making PHEVs cost-competitive by 2014 and ready for commercialization by 2016.” Yikes.

Anyway I think this shows us how important the PHEV revolution is for the U.S., and it also tells us who the important battery producers are likely to be in this new era. Also note how the top 3 are already working directly with GM.

DOE RELEASE

Apparently GM invited a group of bloggers to a round-table sit down with GM Vice-Chairman Bob Lutz. Some of the interview is reported on Jalopnik (link) and includes some Volt-talk.

I wasn’t invited, but since it took place on the West Coast and I’m on the East Coast, perhaps that is why? Maybe next time.

Here’s what Jalopnik (who was represented there) quoted Mr. Lutz saying about the Volt:

“The beginning of the next year, we’ll take some cut up old Malibus, slap the battery packs in…we’ll invite you people [auto journalists / bloggers / random people on the street] out there, so you’ll know when we’re testing them [the Volt], because we want the entire development process to be transparent.”

I am particularly struck by this statement for two reasons.

The first is that Mr. Lutz indicates his desire to keep the process of Volt development transparent. Indeed that is among the reasons for this website, to help keep the transparency publicly available for all to see.  This has been true all along, and so it seems will continue to be.  They are making up for EV-1 mistakes.
Second issue is mention of the fact that the Volt mules will be old Malibus. We have previously heard the idea floated of making an E-Flex Malibu as the first car, instead of moving the Volt from concept to production.(see previous post)

We also discussed and agreed that the Volt name and new design were important for the success of the car.

I remain hopeful the old Malibus will just be used as the mules, but when E-Flex hits the street it will be in the form of a production Volt.

I’ve asked if GM will show us the mules. According to Tony Posawatz they are already in existence, running in some preliminary tests and without a production battery pack inside. So far, no images provided..but time will tell.

Today has been a very productive one when it comes to news about the Chevy Volt. I had the opportunity to discuss these and other issues with Mr. Nick Zielinski who is the Vehicle Chief Engineer for the Chevy Volt. The full audio podcast follows below.

First of all, Mr. Zielinksi was able to help clarify what the new A123 contract represents. GM is continuing to work with both A123/Continental and CPI/LG. The “horse race” as he calls it to make the better battery pack is still on. One system has not yet been chosen over the other, and the winner is still expected to be announced in June 2008. What is new is that GM will now work as a much closer partner with A123, and be more intimately involved in Li-ion cell engineering. This partnership will allow GM to have proprietary access to the cells and their engineering, allowing for better final production of electric cars.

Mr. Zielinksi told me that an actual working model of the Volt is currently being built and tested in the laboratory. He agreed that working battery pack prototypes will be coming from both battery teams this fall. Interestingly, it is expected that different test versions of the Volt will be built, each with different battery packs from the two manufacturing teams. He also told me that a decision has been made to use liquid cooling (and not air) systems for the packs.

In terms of road testable models..expect the first ones before the end of this year!

He noted that GM if very pleased with the public appeal the car has and will try to keep the final production model as true to form to the prototype as is possible. He cant be sure of the name staying the Volt, but notes that he’s not the one to ask! The goal of a full mass-produced production car in late 2010 is solid.

We also discussed the issues of heating and AC and how they may affect battery life. Mr. Zielinksi indicates that thermal regulation as its known will be a significant challenge, and that the 40 mile range is predicted with the A/C off. 40 miles remains the current target for all-electric driving, but future versions will likely have more range.

All in all this car is happening at a breathtaking pace. Keep posted here for all the latest, right from the source news, as always.

Yesterday the Electric Power Research Institute and the National Resources Defense Council released a comprehensive assessment which found that widespread use of plug-in electric vehicles (PHEV) could be expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve ambient air quality.

The 3 key findings:

1. By 2050, 450 million tons less greenhouse gas would be produced.
2. The power grid can handle it: assuming a 60% market share of these vehicles, they will only use 7 – 8% of the grid’s power
3. By 2050, 3-4 million barrels per day less oil will be consumed

Here is the official press release.

Comprehensive Greenhouse Gas report is here.

The event in Washington, was attended by Tony Pozawatz, GM Volt Vehicle Line Chief.  He confirmed GM’s commitment to building the Volt, but was still vague on release date and cost.

It is this author’s opinion that this study is extremely important, because of concerns that using cars like the Volt would simply shift CO2 generation from the car to the electric power plants, and simply shift the burning of fossil fuels form the point of he vehicle to those same power plants. The study however indicates that it will not simply be a shift, but an overall major net benefit.

Once again it is clear we are at a major inflection point in automotive history, and the history of humankind.

Special kudos to GM-Volt.com user ‘pwhiseheart’ who broke this story on our forum yesterday.