GM-VOLT : Chevy Volt Electric Car Site

General Motors CEO Dan Akerson

We have heard before that GM’s newest CEO Dan Akerson is particularly bullish about electric cars. It is clear he feels the Volt is a very significant vehicle for the company and projects that the currently high demand will continue to grow.

Thus far GM has committed to producing 15,000 Volts in 2011 and at least 45,000 in 2012.

There is also evidence the company is developing a crossover Voltec vehicle, a 2-mode plugin Cadillac SUV, and possibly a third Voltec car. The crossover may be called the Chevy Amp and could be unveiled next month at the Detroit Auto Show.

Akerson told reporters previously that GM was studying ways to double or triple electric car capacity. Bloomberg now reports that GM sources say Akerson has asked a team to look for ways to triple or even quadruple 2012 electric car production rates by as early as 2015. These volumes  potentially of 250,000 vehicles would be spread across several different vehilce types and brands.

Spreading the technology across brands and vehicles will help to lower costs. Lower costs are needed to increase sales volume. Only 7% of the US car buying public has been determined able to afford the Chevy Volt at its current price.

Akerson’s production plan aims to make GM the recognized global leader in electric vehicles, and is devised to prepare for higher gas prices in the future.

The new electric vehicles under development for the US will all be larger than the Volt and may include an SUV.

Aside from consumer demand and cost the only other theoretical limitation for increasing production is the availability of the lithium ion batteries.

Volt battery supplier LG Chem, however, has massive production capacity, has already started building one Michigan factory and has a second under development.  In fact, LG Chem Power CEO Prabhakar Patil tells GM-Volt that battery supply isn’t a limiting factor.

“GM will have to speak to their plans for future volumes,” said Patil. “But LG Chem stands ready to support them and does not expect battery capacity to be a constraint.”

Source (Bloomberg)

Cadillac XTS Platinum Plugin Hybrid Concept

There is mounting evidence GM plans to build on the success of the Chevrolet Volt and turn out various electric vehicles in the coming years.  GMs CEO Dan Akerson is a big proponent of vehicular electrification and recently noted GM was already studying ways to double or triple production.

Other reports suggest GM may be planning to unveil an extended range electric crossover Chevy Amp at the Detroit Auto Show in January.

The latest report from Reuters cites anonymous GM sources who say the company is also planning to build a plug-in electric Cadillac crossover based on the SRX.  This vehicle would make use of the two-mode plugin drivetrain that GM had previously been working on for the Saturn VUE which was scrapped with the brand’s demise.

GM-Volt has learned non-plugin 2-mode hybrid version of the SRX is also known to be undergoing testing.

When asked if GM would be spreading Voltec technology to brands other than Chevrolet, CEO Akerson told reporters last week, “you know, I am having a meeting on that tomorrow.”

GM vice chairman Steve Girsky also confirms his company and CEO are determined to push hard on electrification, building on the already established lead of the Voltec foundation.  ”We want to push our lead,” said Girsky. “Akerson is intent on pushing the metal on this thing.”

“GM hasn’t had a leadership vehicle like this in a long time,” he said. “Akerson is insistent that we have that.”

The Volt has begn rolling out to owwners across the nation.  GM plans to build 15,000 total copies of 2011 and 2012 model year versions of the car in the 2011 calendar year, and at least 45,000 in the follwing year.  Just how many they eventualy build annually depends on demand, but GM is looking at many options.

“There is a lot of hand-wringing about whether it should be 60,000 or 120,000, and what if we do this, and what if we do that,” said Girsky. “You can talk yourself out of anything that way, but all that doesn’t take into account the need to have a vision and lead.”

One thing seems certain as thee reports confirm, GM doesn’t plan to rest on its laurels, and will continue to push on with vehicular electrification.

Source (Reuters) and (Autoblog)

Here we are at the beginning of the release of the Chevy Volt to consumers across the country and GM is apparently already looking ahead.

Many of us fans of the Volt have long expressed a desire to have an extended range electric crossover, and a car that could at least seat five.

GM has always listened carefully to this site’s community and many of the decision makers review our comments closely and regularly.

In April, at the Beijing Auto Show, GM unveiled the Volt MPV5 Crossover concept which looked a lot like a taller Chevy Volt. More recently GM’s head of Europe, Nick Reilly, said in an interview that the company had plans to bring such a car to production by 2015, at least in Europe.

Today a new report surfaced in Car and Driver indicating GM may soon be unveiling the US version of the 5-seat Voltec crossover vehilce.

The report notes that GM recently bought the domain names Chevyamp.com and Chevroletamp.com and that the car will thus be called the Chevy Amp.

The report also goes on to suggest GM will reveal the vehicle perhaps in production form at the Detroit Auto Show this coming January.

We have seen other great EREVs show before that never came to be, such as the Cadillac Converj.

But a solidly performing high-tech larger utility sized Voltec vehicle that significantly reduces gas use could certainly sell in volumes though.

I’d add a third row.

Guess we’ll have lots to talk about the next four years.

Source (Car and Driver)

Nick Reilly is the head of GM Europe.  He has historically been known to let the “cats out of the bags” far earlier than his US-based counterparts who tend to stick closer to the “stay tuned” corporate mantra.

In a new interview published in Autocar, Reilly shed a rather detailed light on what appears to be GM’s next plans for extended range electric cars after the Volt.

First he clarified 2015 as the expected year in which the second generation Volt/Ampera would appear.  He admitted GM was already working on developing the vehicle.  Up to that point he expected the cars to be exported from the manufacturing base in Detroit, but that by 2015 believes sales volumes will be so great that they would need to be produced locally in Europe as well.  “At that point it will make business sense to ramp up volumes of the Volt and Ampera, and to have several production sites for the ‘EREV’ model family,” Reilly said. “We will need one of those factories to be in Europe, and I’m very keen for it to be Ellesmere Port.”

In addition to laying out the timeframe for the generation two Volt/Ampera, and it planned volume expansion, Reilly also disclosed that GM expects to release an actual family of extended ranges electric vehicles in that same year, also currently in development.

Besides the Volt/Ampera second generation, there will be two more Voltec vehicles.  These will include a smaller Astra-sized hatchback and a five-seat crossover similar to the Volt MPV5 concept which was previously unveiled.  He also noted that the second generation Volt/Ampera would be slightly larger.

This would create a class which may appear as a sub-brand of three vehicles of increasing size, with the Volt/Ampera situated in the middle.

Reilly anticipates by this second generation, the vehicles will cost less than presently and have even longer all-electric ranges, because of successful efforts to reduce cost and increase efficiency GM is presently working on.

“We’re anticipating a 50 per cent improvement in the cost of the electrical components in the EREV powertrain in time for the second-generation cars,” said Reilly.

Reilly specifically said the 2015 Voltec vehicle’s prices would be roughly $7800 to $12,500 more than an otherwise equivalent gas car.  At that price point he expects government incentives will no longer be needed to propel sales which are projected to hit high global volumes by then, thus creating the need for several global production locations.

Reilly’s comments could be interpreted as to only apply to Europe’s Opel, but considering the global nature and fundamentals of GMs development and operations it seems likely these plans would apply to the US as well.

Source (Autocar)

The Chevrolet Volt’s technical details are now being laid bare for all the world to see. Motor Trend magazine was the first to get a full debriefing on how the Volt’s powertrain functions and according to GM engineers I have just spoken with, have done an excellent job explaining this.

As you are reading this article I am spending a full day driving the Volt more than 100 miles throughout Detroit in both EV and extended range mode and attending technical briefings on the inner working of the car. More on this soon.

Frank Markus of Motor Trend took the car for an extended test drive and found it lived up well to GM’s promises. He also explains the inner workings of the Volt’s transmission for the first time. The previously reported patent application found by our own reader Cab Driver was confirmed as accurate.

Here’s how it works.

The drivetrain has a bit in common with the Prius and Ford hybrids. It consist of a single planetary gearset, two electric motors, and one gas engine. Motor Trend thinks the design is superior and more efficient than Toyota’s, and according to GM engineers with whom I spoke, is on the verge of patented.

There is a large central sun gear turned by the 149 horsepower electric motor at all times. Around it is a planetary carrier which turns the wheels. When the car is in charge depleting mode, an outer ring is locked to the case. The engine and generator are disengaged.

When the car reaches 70 mph the main motor spins too fast to be maximally efficient, and a clutch disengages the ring from the case. This allows the second electric motor to participate and both motors act in parallel to reach speeds of 101 mph with adequate power.

In charge sustaining mode, the gas engine goes on and clutches to the generator causing it to produce electricity to continue powering the main motor.

However of particular interest, when going above 70 mph in charge sustaining mode, and the generator gets coupled to the drivetrain, the gas engine participates in the motive force. GM says the engine never drives the wheels all by itself, but will participate in this particular situation in the name of efficiency, which is improved by 10 to 15 percent.

Markus liked driving the car and he noted he was surprised about the direct mechnical connection.

Motor Trend found 0 to 60 in 8.8 seconds in EV mode and 8.7 seconds in extended range mode. This difference was verified to me by engineers. Noting it to be “no sports car” the Volt still blows the Prius away (9.8 seconds 0 to 60).

Though not specifically tesing it, Markus said drivers should expect fuel effieicny when running on gas from high 30s to low 40s.

He also noted the Volt will flash a dash message “low propulsion power” when going up steep grades in extended range mode and will drop to 40 MPH. This will not happen if mountain mode is engaged ahead of time, which will leave extra energy in the battery, causing the engine to go on sooner.

They found it quiet as well as quick and nippy in traffic.

The brakes were noted to be suprtior to the Prius, and do an excellent job mating and feathering initial regenerative motor braking and eventual disc caliper braking.

Motor Trend also was abe to map the behavior of the Volt’s generator and found it generally followed power demand in the way a customer would expect.

Motor Trends bottom line: If the gas/electric and plug-in sport sedans (Fisker, Tesla) and supercars (Jag, Lotus, Porsche, Ferrari) are as well-engineered as this subcompact, enthusiasts need not fear the 60-mpg future.

Source (Motor Trend) and (Motor Trend)

GM has just revealed an exciting new vehicular application for it’s Voltec extended range electric car propulsion system which is found in the Chevy Volt.

Opel will be exhibiting the new Vivaro e-Concept extended range electric cargo van concept at the IAA Commercial Vehicles Fair in Hannover on September 23rd.

The cargo van is intended for commercial use and for operators who would like to limit petroleum consumption. It has 5 cubic meters of cargo space and can carry a payload up to 750 kg. It is designed for use in inner city transport and delivery.

The lithium ion battery pack is floor-mounted, and the van can travel for up to 60 miles purely on electricity. For drives longer than that, the gas-powered range extender would kick in allowing a maximum range of 400 km (250 miles).

“We would like to test the acceptance of our advanced propulsion technology by showing the Vivaro e-Concept to the commercial vehicle specialists attending the show,” says Chris Lacey, Executive Director, International Operations Opel/Vauxhall Commercial Vehicles. “We are convinced that we will get a fantastic reaction from the people who use such vehicles on a daily basis: Electric mobility will allow them to travel in city areas which are now off-limits to petrol and diesel-powered vehicles and the range-extender technology makes it possible to use an electric van for normal routine business.”

I asked the following questions about the van of GM spokesperson Randal Fox:

Is Vivaro a new brand?
Vivaro is a brand name for Opel and is not new.

Are there working prototypes?
There are no immediate plans to build prototypes. We want to listen to feedback from fair visitors and competitive van users and once the research is completed, we’ll decide what the next steps should be.

How large is the lithium ion battery pack in kwh?
This is a concept vehicle and at this early stage we cannot disclose battery details for competitive reasons. It has similar technology as the Opel Ampera, but now in a commercial application.

Could this come to US?
There are no plans to build this concept vehicle or bring it to the U.S.

Here is a video of the van:

Source (GM)