Old Top Gear EV1 Electric [video]

Old Top Gear from 1997 Quentin Willson roadtests the EV1 Electric

This clip was extracted from the episode that was first broadcast on the 24th April 1997

NASCAR Champions on their Volts [video]

Five-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson and four-time champ Jeff Gordon are both proud owners of Chevrolet Volts.

They talk about what they like about their newest cars and how other people respond when they see them driving the extended-range electric vehicle.

GM and LG to Jointly Develop Electric Vehicles

General Motors and LG Group will jointly design and engineer future electric vehicles, expanding a relationship built on LG’s work as the battery cell supplier for the Chevrolet Volt and Opel Ampera extended-range EVs.

The definitive agreement signed Wednesday will help GM expand the number and types of electric vehicles it makes and sells by using LG’s proven expertise in batteries and other systems. For LG, the arrangement represents a widening of its portfolio as an automotive solution provider.

“Many solutions for tomorrow’s transportation needs may be available more quickly by building on our partnership strategy,” said GM Vice Chairman Steve Girsky. ”Consumers benefit by getting the latest fuel-saving technology faster if we work with the best suppliers and we save time and money in the development process.”

The success of the extended-range propulsion system in the Volt and Ampera led to exploring other collaborations in the electrification of the automobile. Teams of LG and GM engineers will work on key components, as well as vehicle structures and architectures. Vehicles resulting from the partnership will be sold in many countries.

The GM-LG relationship that began with LG delivering the cells for the battery pack of the Chevrolet Volt and Opel Ampera expanded last year with work on a demonstration fleet of Chevrolet Cruze electric vehicles. These vehicles were used as official vehicles of the G20 summit in Seoul are now in the phase of market-testing to learn more about capabilities and requirements.

“This is a strategic development for LG and we fully support GM’s goal to lead the industry in the electrification of the automobile,” said Juno Cho, president and chief operating officer of LG Corp.

Accelerating the pace of roadworthy technology is more important than ever with the announcement of a number of more stringent emission and fuel consumption regulations around the world, including the recent agreement calling for a U.S. Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) of 54.5 mpg (23.2km/l) by the end of the 2025 model year. Electric vehicles, which have no tailpipe emissions and require no gasoline, are expected to play a major role in reaching the CAFE goal.

Timing of the launch of the first vehicles resulting from the partnership will be announced closer to market readiness. The agreement does not involve an exchange of equity between the companies.

GM and LG have been running a Chevy Cruz EV demo fleet in Korea for at least the last year!

Cadillac announce ELR Extended Range Electric Vehicle [video]

Cadillac has officially announced plans to build a production version of the Converj concept.

Development of the ELR is just underway, so details on performance, price and timing will be announced later.

The Cadillac ELR will feature an electric propulsion system made up of a T-shaped lithium ion battery, an electric drive unit, and a four-cylinder engine-generator. It uses electricity as its primary source to drive the car without using gasoline or producing tailpipe emissions. When the battery’s energy is low, the ELR seamlessly switches to extended-range mode to enable driving for hundreds of additional miles.

“The concept generated instant enthusiasm,” said Don Butler, vice president-Cadillac Marketing. “Like other milestone Cadillac models of the past, the ELR will offer something not otherwise present – the combination of electric propulsion with striking design and the fun of luxury coupe driving.”

Cadillac selected the name ELR to indicate the car’s electric propulsion technology, in keeping with the brand’s 3-letter international model naming convention.

The Converj Concept sparked the idea of combining the desirability of a grand touring coupe with electrification, said Ed Welburn, GM vice president, Global Design.

“There’s no mistaking it for anything but a Cadillac, an aggressive, forward-leaning profile and proportion showcases a uniquely shaped, modern vision of a personal luxury 2+2,” Welburn said.

Cadillac will reveal another new concept car on Thursday, Aug. 18, at a special event prior to the annual Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Cadillac also recently announced it will add two new vehicles to its product lineup in 2012, the XTS large luxury sedan and an all-new luxury compact sedan codenamed ATS.

GM Does Deal With A123 – Will Launch 1st Pure Battery-EV in 2014

General Motors has inked a deal with U.S. battery supplier A123 – a deal that well-placed sources say confirms the maker’s plans to put at least one battery-electric vehicle into production by 2014.

The maker has a separate deal with LG Chem to produce lithium-ion batteries for its Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid. The Korean maker beat out A123 for that contract and is now in the process of setting up a new factory to produce Volt batteries near Grand Rapids, Michigan. Production of the Volt is now ramping up and, along with the similar Opel Ampera, GM hopes to produce as many as 60,000 plug-ins next year.

The new alliance will focus on an entirely different range of vehicles, GM spokesman Kevin Kelly hinted. “It is not for the Volt or the next-generation Volt. This is for a different application, but we can’t get into what this is for or the timing.”

While Kelly declined to comment, GM sources noted that the maker now hopes to expand into a broad range of “electrified” vehicles, from conventional hybrids to plug-ins and pure battery-electric vehicles, or BEVs. The A123 batteries will be utilized for the latter group.
Precisely what is in store is unclear, though there could be battery-electric models sold through “multiple brands,” according to sources. The first of the BEVs is expected to reach market by 2014.

While a variety of different platforms, large and small, have been under study, it appears the first battery-electric models will be in the small car class and similar to the low-volume demonstration fleets GM has launched in two of the world’s fastest-growing automotive markets. In India, the maker has electrified its compact Chevrolet Beat, while in China it has opted to go with the similarly-sized Sail. In Korea GM have a test fleet of GM Daewoo based Chevrolet Cruze EVs and GM Daewoo Lacetti Premieres.

China, in particular, has been pressing the auto industry to adopt battery power as a way to reduce dependence upon imported oil. It is likely to be one of several initial markets for the new GM battery cars.

GM may also go up-market, suggested another source. Its Cadillac brand has been considering several ways to use battery propulsion, though a plan to develop a luxury version of the Volt was rejected by CEO Dan Akerson who is, however, a corporate cheerleader for alternative propulsion.

The decision to go with A123 – which was the first runner-up in the bidding to supply batteries to Volt – reflects the fact that lithium-ion technology is evolving fast. There are about 14 different “families” of lithium chemistry, each with distinctly different properties. Some hold more energy, others store less but permit power to be drawn down more quickly, so some formulations are good for conventional hybrids, while others work better for battery-electric applications.

The latest version of the A123 nanophosphate chemistry appears particularly well-suited to pure battery-electric vehicles, several GM sources explained. It has a higher energy density – a measure of how much power can be stored in a given mass. And more of the potential capacity of the battery can be used.

With the batteries in the Volt, only about 60% of the total 16 kilowatt-hours of capacity are actually used, day-to-day. With the A123 pack that might top 70% or higher – which means fewer batteries are needed. And with lithium batteries running well north of $500 a kWH, that translates into significant savings.

Perhaps equally important, the A123 packaging is more flexible than LG Chem’s, which makes it easier to squeeze a lot of batteries into the nooks and crannies of a small car, rather than the large, T-shaped pack used in the Volt.

With the planned 2014 launch of its first pure batter car GM will enter into an increasingly crowded market. Nissan launched the first mass market battery car, the Leaf, late last year, shortly after followed by Ford’s Transit Connect Electric. Ford will begin a phased roll-out of its Focus Electric later in 2011, with Toyota, Mitsubishi, Honda and Nissan’s Infiniti among the many major other brands getting into BEV production. Meanwhile, start-up Tesla is one of many automotive wannabes also entering the fray, its Model S sedan due to market next year.

Both LG Chem and A123 are vying to supply those carmakers – as are a variety of other battery producers. The batteries for the GM BEVs will be produced at a plant in Livonia, a suburb of Detroit, where A123 already employs 775 people, a workforce expected to rapidly grow as a result of the new contract.

Opel/Vauxhall to receive 10,000 Amperas from GM next year

General Motors Co. will make 10,000 of its Ampera plug-in hybrid cars available for sale in Europe next year, said GM Europe President Nick Reilly.

The Ampera is a sister model to the Chevrolet Volt and is built alongside the Volt in Hamtramck near Detroit.

Opel will receive 6,000 of the cars from GM's allotment of 60,000 for 2012. The remaining 4,000 cars will be sold by GM's Vauxhall brand in the UK.

The Ampera shares the Volt's technology but has styling changes such as Opel's bold-looking grille. Opel also lists Bose speakers and touchscreen monitors as examples of premium content in the Ampera.

Volt in Europe

GM will launch the Ampera and Volt in Europe in November. GM plans to sell up to 2,000 units of the Volt annually in the region.

Opel will sell the Ampera for 42,900 euros when it goes on sale in November in Europe, more than the $39,995 (28,125 euros) price of a Volt in the United States.

At the Paris auto show last year, Nick Reilly said the Ampera will be aimed at the business fleet market and local government agencies, areas where Opel is strong. The Volt, he said, would be targeted at retail customers in Europe.

GM has already started selling the Volt in the U.S.

The Ampera will be powered by electricity at all times. For the first 40km to 80 km (25 to 50 miles), power for the drivetrain comes from electricity stored in the 16-kilowatt hour lithium ion battery pack and the car has zero emissions. For longer trips a gasoline-fueled engine/generator sustains the battery charge and extends the driving range to 500km (300 miles).

GM engineer gets 3,108 mpg in his Chevy Volt [video]

In a bit of tongue-in-cheek marketing, GM blog has posted a video showing the dash display of a Chevy Volt leased by General Motors Battery Systems Engineer Andy Oury.

Showing the Volt's maintenance mode, which cycle the fuel and lubricate parts of the vehicle if the engine hasn't been used, the dash display also shows the vehicles lifetime MPG numbers of 1554.1 Miles range having used just 0.5 Gallons of gasoline. This is a good illustration of the main advantage of a plug-in as opposed to a non-plug-in hybrid electric vehicle.

Note: The 2011 Chevy Volt has an EPA-estimated 35 miles on a single charge; EPA-est. 93 MPGe [electric]; 35 city, 40 MPG hwy [gas]. Actual range varies with conditions.

Fully Charged Vauxhall Ampera Test Drive [video]

Robert Llewellyn takes a test drive in the Vauxhall Ampera EREV, available in the UK early 2012

LlewBlog

NYPD to Get 50 Chevy Volt Police Cars

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg today unveiled the first of what will be a fleet of 50 Chevrolet Volt NYPD police cruisers, which will hit the treacherous and busy streets of Manhattan this year.

“This is the latest and largest-ever addition of electric vehicles to the City’s fleet, which is already the largest municipal clean-air vehicle fleet in the nation,” Bloomberg said in a statement. “We will continue to lead by example, but we also must provide New Yorkers with tools to make environmentally friendly choices in their own lives.

“When provided with the facts, people become far more likely to choose an electric vehicle. Our job is to ensure the public has the facts, ensure they can make their own decisions and ensure that if they want to drive an electric vehicle, we are providing the infrastructure needed. It’s all part of our PlaNYC agenda to create a greener, greater New York City.”

The Volt is the first fully-electric car to join the NYPD’s ranks. In addition, the New York City Police Department will add 10 Ford Transit Connect electric vehicles and 10 Navi-Star trucks to its fleet.

Opel and Europcar Launch Major Electric Vehicle Cooperation

Opel and Europcar have announced an agreement to introduce the Opel Ampera as a rental car throughout Europe. With the market introduction of the electric Opel Ampera by the end of 2011, Opel will create a new segment in the European automotive market and underline its role as a trendsetter for innovative mobility solutions.

The two companies are joining forces to broaden the range of people that will be able to access electric vehicles, capitalising on the Ampera's launch. The goal is to deploy the first vehicles in Europcar rental outlets in Germany in November of this year, followed soon afterwards by Belgium and the Netherlands. The Opel Ampera will then be rolled out throughout France, Italy, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom from the beginning of 2012.

"Electric cars are among the best long-term solutions to meet society's energy and environmental challenges. The fact that Europcar is going to introduce the Opel Ampera to its day-to-day business is further proof that our extended-range electric vehicle is completely suitable for everyday use – even as a fleet vehicle in the tough rental car business", says Opel/Vauxhall Vice President Sales, Marketing & Aftersales Europe, Alain Visser.

Full introduction to Ampera on handover to rental customers

The Ampera is as easy to drive as any other car. The electric vehicle also offers a number of intelligent functions that help the driver to operate the vehicle highly efficiently. Opel and Europcar have together created a comprehensive introduction to the Ampera to present these features to rental customers. On booking, customers are advised to plan 10-15 minutes for the handover to accommodate this.

Trained Europcar employees will explain a range of topics including battery charging, the range extender, as well as other special functions and features such as the energy consumption and energy efficiency displays. In addition, customers will receive advice on energy-efficient driving in battery operation and how to recuperate energy when braking. Customers will also have the opportunity to give feedback through online chats and questionnaires.

Driverless electric cars to hit London

LONDON'S legacy Olympic Park could become the testing ground for electric driverless cars, which experts believe could be commonplace by the 2030s.

The EN-V - electric networked vehicle - produced by General Motors could help to make the Olympic Park in Stratford, East London, carbon-free in transportation terms.

It is the closest the industry has come to cars driven by artificial intelligence. Driven by next-generation satellite navigation and v2v - vehicle-to-vehicle wireless connectivity with other cars - and carrying an array of built-in sensors, GM claims that the EN-V concept makes collisions impossible, renders traffic lights redundant and, running on an electric charge, eliminates urban congestion and pollution. They can even take children to school and park themselves.

The concept car, developed by GM's Michigan-based British scientist Chris Borroni-Bird, was targeted originally at the cities of the future, such as those being developed in China and the Far East. Mr Borroni-Bird has also considered their use for closed communities such as those for the elderly or for sprawling student or commercial campuses.

However, GM has approached the offices of the Mayor of London Boris Johnson and of the Olympic Park Legacy Company, offering the EN-V as the ideal mode of transport when the area is transformed from 2013 into the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. GM said: "The EN-V has the capability of being the Boris bike of the future."

The legacy Olympic Park envisages 11,000 homes plus businesses being built in five communities connected by nine miles of roads and twenty-two miles of cycle and footpaths. The Olympic Park Legacy Company said that no decisions had been made on transportation but that it "would be keen to support and hugely encourage sustainable schemes". Working models of the EN-V have been in Britain for the first time over the past week. Showcased at last weekend's Goodwood Festival of Speed, the vehicles were also put through their paces at GM's testing grounds at Millbrook in Bedfordshire.

GM has been calling the project the "reinvention of the automobile". Tom Brown, project engineer on the EN-V programme and the vehicle's chief test driver, told The Times: "The EN-V means you have to rethink everything you think about cars and about traffic." He said that the futuristic design of the EN-Vs - drawn to appeal to the Chinese market - had prompted several offers from wealthy car enthusiasts at Goodwood.

GM created the EN-V for the Shanghai Expo as a solution to expected population shifts in the coming decades. It is said that by 2030, 60 per cent of people will be living in urbanised areas. A recent White Paper from the European Commission proposed the abolition of anything other than electric cars from urban areas by 2050.

GM Volt reaches 2 million miles, 1.3 million of them gas-free

Like many Americans, Kory Levoy's weekly routine included shelling out $50 to $60 a week to fill his Audi TT Roadster. In the six months he has owned his Chevrolet Volt, Levoy has driven approximately 7,500 miles and has filled up only three times.

"I was tired of spending roughly $200 plus a month on gas," said Levoy, a manufacturing manager from Yorba Linda, Calif. "The ability to not even consider finding a gas station or worry about fuel pricing is a phenomenal experience."

Like many other Volt owners, Levoy is averaging 40 miles on a single charge of electricity, more range than he needs for his daily commute of 25 miles each way to work.

"At night I charge my Volt at home using my 240-volt home charging station, and am then able to use my 120-volt portable vehicle charge cord to charge during work, meaning I rarely need to use gas," said Levoy.

Levoy estimates his average electric bill to charge his Volt is about $25 a month, or less than a dollar a day. Even with paying for more electricity, Levoy could save close to $2,000 a year in gasoline.

Levoy is not alone in seeing real savings from owning a Volt. Carey Bailey, an electrical engineer from Cottage Grove, Ore., used to spend about $500 a month in gasoline for his 75-mile roundtrip commute. Since purchasing his Volt in January, Bailey he has cut that to about $100 a month and expects it to drop further. He estimates it costs roughly $1.10 a day to charge his Volt.

"Each day, I use about a quarter of a gallon of gas to get to work, which is hardly anything," said Bailey. "Being able to charge at work is an added benefit and I love the fact that I am reducing my carbon footprint by not consuming as much gas."

The Volt's extended-range capability offers a total driving range of up to 379 miles, based on EPA estimates. For the first 35 miles, the Volt can drive gas- and tailpipe emissions-free using a full charge of electricity stored in its 16-kWh lithium-ion battery. When the Volt's battery runs low, a gas-powered engine/generator seamlessly operates to extend the driving range another 344 miles on a full tank.

"About two-thirds of the more than 2 million miles driven by Volt owners to date have been powered by domestically produced electricity," said Cristi Landy, Volt marketing director. "We are hearing from owners like Kory and Carey who are able to charge both at home overnight and at work during the day. These owners are able to maximize driving on electricity alone, seeing real saving at the pump and in their wallets."