GM Rumored to Debut New Plug-in Hybrid Crossover at 2012 Detroit Motor Show

At a recent event called “Charged 2011 – EV Symposium Silicon Valley”, General Motors’ western region group manager for environment and energy communications, Dave Barthmuss, told Brad Berman from Plugincars that the company may surprise us at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show with a new model, hinting at a plug-in hybrid crossover. Read more »

Ghosn Says Nissan will Sell Record Number of Leaf EVs in the US this June

The battle for sales supremacy in the eco-friendly segment between Nissan’s pure electric Leaf and GM’s extended range Chevrolet Volt is really heating up lately, with the two models separated by only 17 cars in U.S. sales figures so far this year.

And while GM is betting on the introduction of a slightly lower priced base model as well as the extended availability of the Volt in all 50 states to win this battle, Nissan is counting on increasing output to ease customer delays after production was disrupted by the Japan’s earthquake and tsunami on March 11.

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Nissan Leaf vs Chevrolet Volt: Who will Win the Sales Battle?

Even though the new Nissan Leaf and the Chevrolet Volt are two very different cars when it comes to details, they do have a common denominator: they are the most technologically advanced eco-friendly vehicles that are mass-produced and readily available in the U.S. market. That said, it’s interesting to see how they’re doing in sales this year.

Believe it or not, it’s a fierce neck-to-neck sales battle so far in 2011 with only 17 cars separating the Leaf from the Volt. Nissan has delivered 2,184 examples of the pure-electric Leaf from January to the end of May, while GM has sold 2,167 units of Chevrolet’s extended range electric vehicle in the same period.

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2012 Chevy Volt Launched in all 50 States, Base Price Drops More than $1,000

This morning, General Motors announced pricing information for the 2012 model year Chevrolet Volt, which is now available for order in all 50 states. The 2011 Volt was offered in just seven states and the District of Columbia. The good news for buyers is that GM has dropped the base price for its extended range electric vehicle by a little over $1,000 to $39,995, which includes an $850 destination freight charge but excludes tax, title and license fees. Those that qualify for a full federal tax credit of $7,500 will see the price dropping to $32,496. Read more »

Chevrolet Volt Hybrid Electric Cars

Chevrolet Volt Hybrid Electric Cars

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Chevrolet Volt Hybrid Cars

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* Looks like: A sporty, squinty-eyed concept car
* Defining characteristics: 150 mpg, clear plastic roof and side windows, 3-D gauges
* Ridiculous features: Partner General Electric contributed ... plastic
* Chance of being mass-produced: The Volt is in question, but count on a series hybrid


The four-seat Chevrolet Volt concept is more than just another in a long line of hybrid experiments to come out of the auto industry, and more than just another promise from GM. Actually, it is just a promise at this time, but it's one of the most significant hybrid developments to date. The Volt is a plug-in hybrid, but its E-flex drivetrain uses only an electric motor under battery power to propel itself. What makes it different from a pure battery/electric car is an onboard generator powered by a small gasoline engine.

Two things make the Volt significant. The first is that it can be plugged into a household electric socket and charged fully within about six hours, allowing it to drive roughly 40 miles on electricity alone. GM points out that more than 75 percent of Americans live within 20 miles of where they work, which makes the Volt an all-electric, zero-emissions commuter car. If the battery does run down, the 1.0-liter, three-cylinder gas engine charges the battery and provides power to keep on driving up to 600 additional miles. E-flex is what's called a series hybrid, as opposed to the many Hondas, Toyotas and other hybrids sold now, which are parallel hybrids.

We know from covering early hybrids that most people assumed they were plug-in electric cars that drove in all-electric mode until the charge depleted, and then switched to gas power. Hybrid manufacturers have spent untold marketing money explaining to Americans that hybrids don't need to be plugged in and that they operate just like any other car. Research had shown that having to plug in a car was seen as a deterrent.

The Volt is exactly what many people originally thought hybrids were — and feared. What has changed? Gas prices have skyrocketed and current hybrids have earned widespread acceptance. When in electric mode, Chevy says, the Volt operates at about 2 cents per mile. (Even at today's cost per gallon of gas, a car that gets 25 mpg costs about 8 cents per mile.) Unlike GM's first electric car, the controversial EV-1, the Volt doesn't require a special charging station. Any 110-volt outlet will do.

Chevy says the Volt gets 50 mpg with the generator running in what's called range-extender mode. In a 60-mile round trip, with the last 20 miles in this mode, the car burns enough gas to result in a 150 mpg equivalent for the trip. When running on E85, which is 15 percent gas, you could travel 525 miles before burning a gallon's worth of gasoline. Though the ethanol component still produces pollution and carbon dioxide, at least it is a domestic renewable fuel, not foreign petroleum.

The second significant aspect is that the gasoline-driven generator, which also runs on E85, could be replaced by any other engine type — diesel, biodiesel, pure ethanol — or a hydrogen fuel cell. No single alternative fuel could replace petroleum; it will take multiple sources to even make a dent. The E-flex principle would allow people to chose their engine based on fuel availability and prices in their region.

The Volt is extremely clean. When in battery/electric mode, it produces no emissions. Aside from the fact that it runs less often, the Volt's gas engine is small, and it produces less carbon dioxide when it's running. It operates from 1,500 rpm to 3,000 rpm when generating electricity, with 1,800 rpm the nominal speed. It's much easier for engineers to control pollution emissions over such a narrow range of engine speeds. Though household electricity doesn't often come from clean sources, the E-flex drivetrain itself would reduce emissions in smog-prone areas like Los Angeles. And electricity comes from domestic sources like coal and natural gas.

It shouldn't surprise anyone that the Volt concept is a sporty-looking number. The EV-1 was sporty, if odd-looking. With their prodigious power (torque, actually) at low rpm, electric motors put even diesels to shame. The Volt, while not a rocket, is claimed to do zero to 60 mph in 8 to 8.5 seconds, with a top speed of 125 mph. How long it might be before we see a car like the Volt is tough to predict. GM says the lithium-ion battery technology required for the performance specified won't be mature enough until 2010 to 2012, though it could easily take as long to develop the car itself. The more common nickel-metal-hydride battery available today would weigh about 40 percent more, and weight reduction is critical. Though the battery pack weighs almost 400 pounds, the gas engine and fuel tank are smaller and lighter. Overall, the drivetrain's weight isn't dramatically different from a conventional one, but the Volt concept makes extensive use of plastics and composites from GE to keep the weight down to its 3,140 pounds. There's plenty of work yet to do.

Geneva Show: Opel Ampera EV - European Sales start in 2011

The recently revealed Chevrolet Volt extended range electric hybrid will find its way into Europe as the Opel Ampera while it will also be offered with right-hand drive in the United Kingdom by Opel's sister-brand, Vauxhall. Scheduled to go on sale in Europe in the second half of 2011, the Ampera features a unique front and rear design that incorporates several styling cues from Opel's Flextreme and GTC Concept show cars. Other than that, the Ampera is virtually identical to the Volt.

The five-door Ampera can seat four passengers offering a luggage capacity of 301 litres. The car's interior features a Jet Black cabin combined with 'Spice Red' accents and Dark Argent Metallic paint on the instrument panel's centre stack.

The Ampera is equipped with an electric motor that powers the car and a conventional petrol engine that kicks in to produce electricity once the batteries are depleted. GM says that for journeys up to 60 km (approx. 40 miles), it runs on electricity stored in the 16-kWh, lithium-ion battery, and emits zero CO2. When the battery's energy is used up, electricity from the petrol engine-generator extends the Ampera's range to more than 500 km.

The electric drive unit delivers 370 Nm of instant torque, the equivalent of 150 horsepower offering the Ampera a zero to 100 km/h (62mph) acceleration time of around nine seconds, and a top speed of 161 km/h (100mph).

Melbourne Show: Chevy Volt Rebadged as a Holden

Following the announcement on the Opel Ampera, GM has released details on the third variant of its Chevrolet Volt extended range electric vehicle, this time adorned with the Holden badge. Unlike the subtly restyled Ampera, the Holden Volt that was revealed in right-hand drive form at the Melbourne Auto Show today, does not differ in any way from its Chevy counterpart. The Volt, which can travel up to 64 kilometres on electricity before using petrol or producing exhaust pipe emissions, will be launched in Australia in 2012.

"We think Volt has the potential to change the game in Australian motoring," said GM Holden Chairman and Managing Director Mark Reuss. "Since we announced our plans to introduce Volt to Australia, we have been overwhelmed by public interest in the car and the technology that makes it work. At Holden, we believe Volt will play an incredibly important role in our efforts to make motoring better for the environment," he said.

According to GM's estimates, when compared to similar sized petrol-powered vehicles, the Volt will save motorists up to 1892 litres of fuel a year. This calculation is based on US research that identifies 75 percent of commuters travel an average daily distance of less than 40 miles or 64 kilometres.