Rumor Control: Chevy Volt To Become A Cadillac?

During the GM and UAW strike, Todd Lassa of the Motor Trend Blog looked at some leaked GM information. This information covered information such as which cars will be built where, and models, etc. While many cars of the list had a brand name (i.e. Chevy, Saturn), the Volt did not. It was listed as Global Delta Volt.

What could this mean? Does the Volt cause too much to be a Chevy and therefore is being moved up to a Cadillac where GM can charge more for the car? Unlikely because Bob Lutz (GM Representative) has said that the Volt will be under $30,000 and marketing has shown it as a Chevy, at least in the United States it should be.

Autobloggreen Link

Volt Will Cost GM About $750 Million To Develop

In a plan General Motors submitted to Congress recently, we found out that the Volt will cost them about $750 million to develop before it is finally completed. Developing a hybrid, electric, or in the Volt's case an extended range electric vehicle (fancy for plug in hybrid), is very costly. The Volt uses a new engine platform, plus the batteries have to be developed and go through extensive testing. Making things worse for GM, the Volt will not be profitable for the first few years.

Link: AutoblogGreen

Chevy Volt Is Meeting Expectations

The Chevy Volt, which we have talked about before, has been meeting or exceeding the battery range GM wants it to, or 40 miles per charge. GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz says:

It is reliably meeting its objectives. Even with a rough calibration, even with the wrong drive unit, the wrong body, etc. etc., it has been hitting its 40 miles on electric power.

The article, from GM-Volt.com, says that Lutz is more confident in the November 2010 deadline they have for the Volt to be in showrooms. The full article can be found below.


Link: GM-Volt

Recap: Subaru Launches EV Production, GM Says Volt On Track

Subaru Stella EV

Subaru, not to be out done by their Japanese competitor Mitsubishi, has launched production of their Stella EV. Although Subaru is not producing as many EV's as Mitsubishi, it is still a great start. Deliveries of the $47,600 (converted from Japanese Yen, not including tax credit from Japanese government) car will start next month in Japan. It will have a range of about 55 miles and a top speed of 62 miles per hour. As of now, it is unclear if this vehicle will see the light of day on U.S. shores.

In other news, GM has said that even though they are struggling financially, the Volt is still on schedule for a 2010 launch. From GM:

Yes. GM will continue to make a significant investment in future products and new technologies. The New GM will have a number of key vehicle launches in 2009 and 2010, including:

• Chevrolet Camaro, a dramatic, moderately priced sport coupe with highway fuel economy of up to 29 mpg
• An all-new Buick LaCrosse premium midsize sedan
• The luxury midsize Cadillac SRX crossover and CTS Sport Wagon
• The Chevy Equinox and GMC Terrain, midsize crossovers with class-leading highway fuel economy of 32 mpg
• The Chevy Cruze, GM's new global compact car
• The revolutionary Chevy Volt, an extended-range electric vehicle that can travel up to 40 miles on battery power alone

We look forward to seeing both of these vehicles soon.


AutoblogGreen: Stella EV
AutoblogGreen: GM Volt

Chevy Volt Made Of Sand

Someone obviously had too much time on their hands. Look at the picture above. Does it resemble something familiar, say the GM Chevrolet Volt Concept (For more information on the Chevy Volt Concept, click the link below to go to a past Electric Cars Now! post with more information). If that's what you were thinking, you were right! It was built by "World Champion Sand Sculptor Peter Vogelaar", so why did he do it? Autobloggreen has the answer:

"What better way to commemorate such an important vehicle and environmental sustainability than by creating a tribute out of sand" asks Peter."

The sculpture is located at Kitsilano Beach in Vancouver where is will be on display for the rest of the day.

Autobloggreen Link
Link to Electric Cars Now! Post On Chevy Volt Concept

Car Profile - (Concept) Chevrolet Volt

The Chevy Volt is a concept car. General Motors announced it in January 2007 at the Los Angeles Auto Show. If built, which hopefully it will be, it will have standard safety features such as airbags and stability control. One thing unique to it is that it can run on pure electricity. Here are some specs:

• The lithium-ion battery can be recharged in a standard 110 volt outlet.
  
• The battery can go 40 miles on sole electricity
• With the range extender, you can use gasoline, E85, or biodiesel to recharge the battery as needed giving you a 150 m.p.g. equivalent
• For long trips, you will be able to get a 50 m.p.g equivalent

For the detailed specifications, click here to visit the official Volt website.

Cadillac Converj, An Upper Class Chevy Volt

The car you see above is the Cadillac Converj. It was introduced at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show and features the same platform as the Chevy Volt, but with a distinct Cadillac design. The car has the same 40 mile all electric range as the Chevy Volt, and it also has a range extending gas engine. With GM's current financial situation, it is unclear when you will find this car in your local dealership.

Link: AutoblogGreen

Everything Chevy Volt - News Roundup From The Past Month

You might have noticed that during the past month there were no posts, so we thought we would do a few summary posts, to inform you what you missed while we were away.

1. AutoblogGreen reports that the gas tank on the plug-in hybrid Chevy Volt will be less than originally announced 18 months ago. The car originally had a 12 gallon gas tank with a total of 640 mile range, now it is expected to have an 8 gallon tank with a 300-360 mile range. Click here for link.
2. GM announced that the price of $30,000 originally expected for the Volt won't be a reality, unless there are major tax breaks. Click here for link.
   

Sorry for not posting the past month, but were back in business!

No Volt For Under $30k (Probably, That Is)

You may have read our story the other day about an electric car from GM, possibly the Volt, that was supposed to available for under $30,000 and before 2010. Well, we hate to be the party poopers, but it isn't going to happen, at least not without Congress's help.

AutoblogGreen reports that to make the car "less financially painful" for the automaker and the customer, a tax break from Congress would be needed. Ideally, the tax break would need to be about $7,000. There has been a debate for a while to make a tax credit for plug in hybrids, and just last week the House Of Representatives passed a plug in hybrid tax credit bill, but the White House is expected to veto. Hopefully, something will happen when there is a new President next year.


Link: AutoblogGreen

Chevy Volt To Be Under $30,000 By 2010?

Forbes is reporting that:

General Motors Corp. aims to start selling electric cars for less than $30,000 each by 2010, earlier than planned, chief executive Rick Wagoner told Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung in an interview.

AutoblogGreen points out that this might not be talking about the Volt. Although it is possible it is, GM is also planning to release a plug-in version of their Saturn branded VUE, a small SUV. It is unclear which car is meant.

Link: Forbes via AutoblogGreen

GM: Rent The Battery For Your Volt

The Volt looks like it could be a big hit. It can run on pure electricity. It has an extender for long trips. But how much could the (possibly) perfect car cost? Well it costs enough that GM wants to rent you the battery pack. They plan on having you pay weekly payments that would end up costing about the same as gas today. Autobloggreen has these comments from Nick Reilly, the president of General Motors Asia Pacific:

• "It looks as if it is going to cost a lot more to buy a car like this, however the fuel economy is enormous"
• "People won't buy a full car. They will buy a car and rent or lease the battery and the cost of leasing the battery will be the same as, or less than, the cost they're paying today for petrol. So the motoring costs of an electric vehicle don't necessarily have to be much higher than the cost of today's vehicles"
• "Before we were saying it will be an awfully long time before we can get the costs down so people can afford it, but actually if you offset the fuel costs, people can afford it."

Autobloggreen Link

60,000 Chevy Volt's In It's First Year?

An inside source from General Motors suggests that they hope to have 60,000 Chevy Volts out in it's first year of production. Could this really happen? Lets take a look....

• The Toyota Prius only sold 30,000 units in it's first year. Although gas prices, are twice as high now...
• A123 Systems, the supplier GM chose to make the batteries, has no experience in producing high volumes of batteries.
• Many might spring for the car to avoid pain at the pump.
• The under $30,000 price tag is inviting

So what do you think? Can the Chevy Volt make it into production? Can it sell 60,000 units in one year? You're the consumer. It's your call.

This post was make possible with the following links:

Autobloggreen Link
Jalopnik Link

GM Already Advertising Volt

General Motors is already advertising the Concept Chevy Volt, at least 3 years before production. These ads include videos (see the Youtube video above) and building ads (see the picture. Both the video and the picture are from Autobloggreen). I think this is a great way to get people excited about the future of transportation. What do you think? Is this a good way to promote the car? Leave your opinion in the comments.

Autobloggreen Link

Chrysler Electric Car 3 To 5 Years Away

Dodge Zeo Concept

Chrysler might not have had the best first quarter this year, with sales plummeting 22%, but here is some good news. Nick Cappa, a Chrysler spokesperson, said in an e-mail to the Detroit Free Press that they are "...planning on product within three to five years," and that product being an electric car. This comes at a time when GM hopes to have their Chevy Volt on the road in 2 years, Toyota working on a plug-in version of their Prius hybrid, and a variety of small electric car makers such as Tesla and Miles are working on their own electric sedans.

Nick Cappa also said; "If you want to go ahead and make everything a full hybrid system, fine, but what if you can turn everything into a range-extended vehicle and take it beyond the 2020 campaign for 35 miles per gallon? The new technology ENVI is developing could do that." ENVI is Chrysler's unit working on developing electric drivetrain.


Link: AutoblogGreen

"Revenge Of The Electric Car" WIll Eventually Becoming To A Theatre Near You

Hopefully you have seen the movie "Who Killed The Electric Car?", if you haven't hopefully you have read our page about it. Well, Chris Paine, the director of that movie, is preparing his sequel, tentatively title "Revenge Of The Electric Car". The movie right now is scheduled for a 2009 release.

It is not clear what it will the movie will focus on. "Who Killed The Electric Car?" focused on the death of GM's EV1, so it is possible the new movie will focus on Chevy's Volt.


Link: AutoblogGreen

Plug-In SUV: "2009-Ish"

GM's Jill Lajdziak

GM is on a roll with all their advancements in plug-in hybrids. Not only do they hope to have the Concept Chevy Volt on the road around 2010, they also hope to have a plug-in Saturn VUE on the road in "2009-ish". The VUE is Saturn's 5 seater SUV. Currently the VUE comes in a regular hybrid form. It also recently got a complete face lift for the 2008 model year.

From Autobloggreen: "The Detroit Free Press' Mark Phelan is now reporting that Jill Lajdziak told him in Frankfurt this week that the plug-in Vue is coming "very quickly ... in 2009-ish."

Autobloggreen Link

Blast From The Past

Is today's car hybrid technology a blast from the past? It very well could be according to Autobloggreen via a 1969 issue of Popular Science. The article talks about a 1969 GM concept car, the XP-883. This car could go all electric when driving under 10 m.p.h. It also was able to switch to all electric mode. So why did this car never go into production? GM officials never gave it a go.

From the Popular Science article:

• "Wouldn't it be great to have a car that changed from electric drive for use around town to gasoline power for highway driving? Impossible? Impractical? No-GM has built one, and it makes so much sense that we feel they're missing a bet if they don't put it into production."
• "You may think this little hybrid is pretty far advanced, but the fact is, it can be built today. It's not held up because engineers are searching for a breakthrough."
• "You can run the XP-883 either as an all-electric, or with hybrid drive. Even if you select the hybrid, it will run on electric power alone up to 10 m.p.h."
• "In case your batteries run down, the car is equipped with an on-board charger that can be connected to an external 115-volt AC source."
• "But whether, and when, you'll drive one is something GM chiefs haven't made up their minds about yet."

I wonder what our world would be like today if everyone had used this car instead of a regular sedan. Cheaper gas? Less pollution? Less lung problems? Maybe. We will never know because of GM.

Autobloggreen Link

Sadly Predictable: GM May Not Have Enough Money To Make Converj

The recently announced Cadillac Converj, which we covered yesterday, may never find your local dealership. With the financial mess at GM, they're is a chance that there won't be enough research and development money to go around (the Volt is getting top priority). GM's Bob Lutz has said that a final decision has not been made.


Link: AutoblogGreen

China's Biggest Battery Maker Unveils a Plug In Hybrid

BYD is China's biggest battery maker, but has recently entered the auto market. If you have a cellphone or MP3 player, you probably have a BYD battery.

There first move into the auto world, is the F6DM plug in hybrid. The mid-size sedan can go 62 miles alone on electricity and 267 miles when the gas engine kicks in. The F6DM should be available the second half of this year, with a fully electric F6E in 2009.

Treehugger has some more info about the batteries:

What makes the F6DM and F6E special is the battery pack: the lithium iron phosphate battery is said to be safer, less expensive, without heavy metals, completely recyclable and should be rechargeable to 70% in 10-minute at special charging stations. It can also be recharged more slowly with a home charging station, of course.Currently BYD has no plans to sell the car outside of China.

Will the F6DM beat GM's Chevy Volt as the first production plug in hybrid? Only time will tell.

Link: Treehugger

Zap! Unveils New Low Speed Electric Van

Zap!, the electric car maker best known for the Xebra (the three wheeled electric car), has introduced a new electric van. The Zap! Shuttle is a neighborhood electric vehicle (NEV) which means that it can only go low speeds. For $14,700 you will receive a 5 passenger van with 108 cubic feet of storage and the ability to carry up to 900 pounds. It has a six hour charge time from a standard 110 volt outlet that will take you 30 miles. The car will be on display starting Saturday at the National Automobile Dealers Association conference. Also at the conference Zap! will unveil the Alias, their highway capable electric car. More details on the Alias will be released at the conference.


Link: AutoblogGreen