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GM promises to deliver Volt on time no matter what
Things may not be looking all that great for GM at the moment, but the automaker is vowing to meet its promised launch date for the Volt, even it doesn't receive the government aid it's been seeking, and despite the fact that some of the plants that should be making parts for the car are currently closed. According to The Wall Street Journal, while GM isn't saying specifically how it'll get the car built on time, it could possibly make it a top-priority project in the event the company's forced into bankruptcy protection and use what little funding it has left, or it could import the necessary parts from overseas. Needless to say, some folks remain unconvinced, but as AutoblogGreen points out, GM has really gone out on a limb with the Volt, and it can't exactly afford to start backtracking now.[Via AutoblogGreen]
GM chief to drive Chevy Volt in search of $18 billion handout
After arriving at the first Senate hearing by private jet, GM's Rick Wagoner is looking to feign innovation and a commitment to frugality by driving a Chevy Volt prototype to Washington and past the camera crews awaiting his arrival. The obvious stunt meant to reverse public opinion in GM's bid for bailout cash will put Wagoner behind the wheel of the Volt prototype for just a fraction of the 355 mile journey. Good thing too, because without the infrastructure required to support electric vehicles, Wagoner's Volt would only last about 40 miles on battery before the fuel burning engine kicked in to maintain enough charge to drive the powertrain. Instead, the GM exec will begin his journey from Detroit in a hybrid Malibu capable of just 24/32 MPG city/highway. We just hope that the Saturns and dilapidated Chevettes he sees abandoned along America's rust-belt provides the man with ample reminder of GM's previous failures to revolutionize from within. Oh, sorry Rick was that too mean?P.S. The car pictured above is a non-functional 2011 Volt prototype that will be parked in DC upon Wagoner's arrival.[Via Detroit Free Press]
GM's Chevy Volt finally really unveiled, for real
The 2011 Chevy Volt has been officially unveiled this morning and we are pleased to note that the new pictures are much more flattering than the "glamour shots" released a week or so ago. The interior of the Volt features a driver-configurable LCD instrument display, 7-inch touch screen information display (for climate and "infotainment" control), Bluetooth, USB and optional GPS. Of course, what makes this vehicle noteworthy is the sheer plug-in-hybridness of it all: the car runs entirely off of its 16-kWh, lithium-ion battery. For trips up to 40 miles, the battery's initial charge will suffice (granted you remembered to plug it in overnight). After the battery is spent, the gasoline generator provides electricity to the Volt's electric drive unit while simultaneously sustaining the charge of the battery for a range of "several hundred additional miles," according to GM. Hit the read links for far more info. and check out a drool-worthy interior photo and video walkthrough after the break.Read - Autoblog, "Officially Official: 2011 Chevrolet Volt finally revealed!"Read - Autoblog, "Walkthrough of 2011 Chevy Volt interior"
Reconfigurable Performance Display to show off engine stats in select GM cars
We'll be honest -- we still kind of prefer the days when hacking Wiimotes and other household gadgets was the preferred method for extracting more enjoyment from one's vehicle, but we suppose there's no stopping progress. Starting in 2009 (a few years too late for the Fast & Furious crowd), General Motors will begin to offer up a $295 Reconfigurable Performance Display option in the Cobalt and HHR SS. Said display will enable easily distracted drivers to quickly see how many Gs they're pulling, enable / disable Traction Control, Stability Control and Competition Mode, and get a visual on boost, cam phaser angle, spark advance, engine torque, etc. Oh, and it totally adds 10-horsepower when installed alongside a spare NoS sticker.[Via Autoblog]
Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid priced at $40,000
Chevy's Bob Lutz crushed some dreams this morning when he announced that the Volt hybrid electric vehicle will run closer to $40,000 as opposed to the $30,000 he originally implied. To make us feel a little better about that extra $10k, he offered the fact that Chevrolet would be losing money on the first-generation Volt and Congress may offer up at $7,000 tax credit for plug-in hybrids anyway. So, in other words, we should be happy that it's as cheap as $40,000, right? As for the car's release date, 2010 is still looking solid.[Via Autoblog]
Bob Lutz test drives a Volt mule, deems the experience "electrifying"
We already knew that Chevrolet was testing out a fair bit of Volt hardware in modified Malibus, but the time finally arrived for bigwig Bob Lutz to take a test drive in one such vehicle. As General Motors forges ahead with plans to produce the vehicle and have it on the roads by 2010, Lutz was able to get behind the wheel of an "engineering development vehicle" with the 16-kwh Li-ion battery pack system; after cruising about with nary a drop of gasoline to thank, he semi-intentionally coined the experience "electrifying." It seems the version he drove wasn't exactly refined, thus he refrained from commenting (read: blasting) too much about the ins and outs of how it performed. Still, even 'ole Bob missed the "throaty roar of a [traditional] engine." We'll raise our glasses to that.[Via Wired]
GM cranks up battery tests for plug-in Volt
General Motors doesn't have long before everyone and their cousin expects to see at least a few Volts on the road -- and it knows it. In an attempt to make sure the deadline is met, the firm has battery testing going on 'round the clock in Michigan and Germany that will theoretically simulate a decade of use in just two years. Additionally, it's placing batteries in test Malibus in order to get a feel for real-world results. Still, GM has yet to definitively decide on the final engine or which battery supplier it'll end up working with, but as the eleventh hour grows ever closer, we can only hope that the pieces start to come together.[Via CNET, image courtesy of Reuters]
GM mulling battery rentals for the Chevy Volt
Tossing out the idea of renting / leasing the battery of an electric car isn't exactly revolutionary, but it sounds like GM may be hitching a ride on the ever-growing bandwagon. Reportedly, the firm is mulling the idea of allowing Chevy Volt buyers to "rent the vehicle's battery as a way of pricing the automobile at a comparable level to a traditional, petrol-driven family [motorcar]." Apparently, GM is hoping to get ten years of life from the battery packs and to price the Volt like a "traditional mid-market car." Notably, no further information regarding potential contracts or sales strategies were divulged, but considering the launch date for this sucka is just around the corner, we're sure relevant decisions will be made soon enough.[Via AutoblogGreen]
Toyota delays next-gen Prius while GM inks deal with lithium-ion maker
It looks like those waiting for the next generation Prius to hit the road are going to have to hold out a little bit longer. Toyota announced this week that it would be delaying plans to bring its plug-in, lithium-ion-based model to market until 2011, as opposed to 2008, due to safety concerns over the company's chosen battery. In very related news, GM has struck a deal with Massachusetts-based battery developer A123 Systems to produce flat lithium-ion batteries for use in upcoming plug-in electric vehicles, such as the Chevy Volt. With regards to whether Toyota's setback could give GM an edge in the electric car game, Vice Chairman Bob Lutz said, "I think that our No. 1 competitor has some problems with their technology, and I do think that it very definitely opens a window of opportunity for us to be first to market with a genuine plug-in hybrid," which sounds like fightin' words, if you ask us.Read -- Toyota delays next-gen lithium-ion PriusRead -- GM says it could lead electric car race
Chevrolet's 'Scratch Car-d' Captiva-cum-lottery ticket
From the same company that let consumers create their own ads belittling it as an eco-terrorist and worse, comes a new promotional stunt that earns one lucky winner the right to drive home in a vehicle that's been scratched up by several thousand fellow contestants. Billed as the "world's first ever Scratch Car-d," the specific Captiva that Chevrolet gave away in the UK's Covent Garden this morning spent two months getting coated with the same silver latex used to make instant-win lottery tickets, which was then divided up into 16,995 tiny boxes to reflect the Captiva's price in pounds sterling. No word on who ended up with what's bound to be a pretty atrocious-looking vehicle, but we're sure that this one won't be too hard to spot on the streets of London.[Thanks, Omar]
OnStar signs with CDC to beam real-time crash information
While you'd probably agree that having a perfect stranger tracking your car's every move is less than comforting, we certainly wouldn't mind the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention taking a peek at our status in case of a crash. In a recent deal between General Motors and the CDC, the company's OnStar system will soon be working hand-in-hand with the agency by beaming "real-time crash data to help emergency services provide a more targeted response to those injured in a car accident." Basically, the OnStar system would alert emergency responders when one's airbag was deployed, but it would also send crash-specific information concerning the severity of the hit(s), where it was struck, and if it was rolled over. The idea is to provide more accurate information to officials that are required to make critical decisions regarding care, and this new system will purportedly go live sometime in 2008 -- if your OnStar will actually connect, that is.[Via MedGadget]
