OK, looks like the big time electric cars wars are on for real. Not just Tesla, and not just the Volt or Prius (which are hybrids anyway), but recent news of the Nissan Leaf threw fuel on the fire, and now come word that Honda will be making their own EV that will hit the streets by 2015.

Word out of Japan is that Honda plans to roll out an all-electric automobile in America by 2015. Honda, a company that essentially defined fuel efficiency combined with practicality by the early 80s will move to battery power in order to meet upcoming zero-emission regulations.

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Despite all of the economic turmoil swirling around General Motors these days, they still say everything is on track for the late 2010 debut of the Chevy Volt plug in hybrid. “At this point in time, I know of no reason why we can’t be in production by November of 2010,” said Tom Stephens General Motors’ global product development chief, to a group of journalists on the sidelines of an event at the University of Michigan. He also said that the American automaker is on plan with the development of the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid.

Stephens, the replacement for Maximum Bob Lutz as GM’s vice chairman of global product development, also said that General Motors has yet to make a decision on which of the three remaining GM brands, Cadillac, Buick and GMC, would get a vehicle based on the Volt’s plug-in hybrid drivetrain. As we all know, Pontiac got the axe, and GM is trying to sell off Saturn and Saab as quickly as they can.

“Its best utilized in urban vehicles. We have to consider what is the usage of the person buying the vehicle. For a commuter who drives 40 miles a day and takes it shopping on the weekend, it’s the perfect application,” said Stephens concerning who else would get the advanced hybrid drivetrain.

Many signs point to Buick, a brand that has turned into a surprise hit in China, as being the brand that will get the Volt underpinnings.

Source: CarScoop

Photo from Flickr user Kevin.Ward

Not all the car news is coming out of Geneva these days, there’s big, if low-key news that came out from the auto show in Melbourne Australia. Much has been made about just what GM would do with its highly anticipated Volt hybrid besides selling it in North America. There were rumors of an Opel variant for the Euro market, but other than that, it was a big question mark.

But now GM makes the obvious, yet great move of rebadging the thing as a Holden, a raises the possibility of selling them in the Australian market. The Holden Volt shown at the Melbourne Auto Show is right-hand drive but other than that and the badges, it does not differ in any way from its Chevy counterpart. The Volt, in either GM or Holden form, can travel up to 64 kilometers on electricity before using petrol or producing exhaust pipe emissions, will be launched in Australia in 2012. When compared to similar sized petrol-powered vehicles, the Volt will save Australian motorists up to 1892 liters of fuel a year.

GM Holden Chairman and Managing Director Mark Reuss said, “We think Volt has the potential to change the game in Australian motoring. 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.”

Source: CarScoop

Instead of constructing a whole new factory to make engines for its new Chevrolet Volt electric vehicle, General Motors has decided to build them in an existing facility located in Flint, Michigan.

The Chevy Volt is one of the most anticipated American-made vehicles that has come along in quite some time. You might even say that it’s a make-or-break car for GM. The carmaker is going all out to make the Volt a success and a household name.

People like the general idea of this car, because it’s economical, sporty and green. The Volt will rely on a lithium-ion battery pack that will let commuters travel up to 40 miles on electric power alone. The Volt’s engine kicks in after its battery is drained by about 70 percent to sustain the battery’s remaining charge to keep the car running for several hundred miles.

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Now, this is just a rumor at the moment, but it’s a pretty good one, so why not spread it?

The rumor is that GM, via its Cadillac brand, will be bringing a Volt platform Caddy to this years Detroit show.

This is important. Why? Two reasons:

1 - Car manufacturers have been dropping out of the North American International Auto Show (as the Detroit show is formally known) like flies in a closed up window, so anything to add spice helps the show. And,

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General Motors continues to develop its gas-electric plug-in car called the Volt and unveiled a pre-production model at GM’s 100-year anniversary celebration. Thus far GM’s development team has obtained important development milestones and the car is scheduled for production late 2010.

The Volt will use an existing four-cylinder gas engine to help recharge the car’s batteries. At present, the Volt will go only about 40 miles before gasoline is used to recharge the batteries. The Volt has an extended range of several hundred miles made possible by a gasoline/E85-powered engine generator seamlessly providing electricity to power the Volt’s electric drive unit while simultaneously sustaining the charge of the battery.

The lithium-ion batteries used to power the electric motor are projected to last about 150,000 miles, and the car is expected to have a brisk 0-60 time of 8.5 seconds. The GM team is working hard to simulate 10 years of using the car’s battery into two years of testing.

GM is also working on variations of the Volt including: an E-Flex propulsion system, the original gasoline-electric Volt concept, a hydrogen-electric Volt, and the Opel Flextreme diesel-electric.

At present, plug-in electric vehicles like the Volt fall short in driving range (about 40 miles in complete electric mode) as compared to a family sized fuel-cell vehicle that has a 300 mile range and no emissions. Cost is the sticking point with fuel-cells and even the Volt is expected to cost about $40,000.

Official press release from GM and preliminary specifications of the Volt are below the jump.

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A few months ago we had the opportunity to get a close look at the Chevy Volt Concept and speak with key people surrounding the project. Whenever GM releases news that the Volt is getting closer to its 2010 production date, we get all tingly inside. Basically, GM announced Thursday that it’s going to test lithium-ion batteries, the core of hybrid vehicles, at the end of April. It has already constructed a test vehicle with the battery system to be installed. The battery power alone is predicted to develop the speed of 40 miles.

A little back-story:
To help spur battery research, GM selected two companies to provide advanced lithium-ion batterypacks: Compact Power, which would use cells made by its parent company, LG Chemical, and Continental Automotive Systems, which would use cells made by A123Systems. GM established a more close-knit relationship with A123Systems so that the two companies could co-develop a Volt-specific battery cell. On January 31, 2008, A123 and Continental delivered their first prototype to GM’s European test facilities.

GM executives report that battery technology will have a large impact in determining the success of the car.

General Motors said it will have the Volt on the market in 2010. The initial production run for first year of sales of the Volt is most likely 10,000 vehicles. Lutz has indicated a target retail price of at least $30,000 and more likely something nearer $40,000.

The following is a press release from General Motors:

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Today we have hit a major milestone. 10,000 people have signed up on our waiting list, expressing their desire to buy a Chevy Volt. This site was started on January 12, 2007 in response to GM unveiling the Chevy Volt five days earlier. It was my intent to create a place where like-minded people interested in driving this car could convene to observe and discuss the development and eventually create an ownership community. Read the rest of this entry »

By Kurt Gensheimer

Genius in theory. In reality? We might know by 2010.

For decades, American automakers, Washington politicos, oil companies and consumers alike have been caught up in the lure of cheap gasoline. It’s led to fuel inefficient vehicles, lax legislation, and even more lax energy innovation. But in the end, the root of all these behaviors comes back to the American consumer. The American consumer has always wanted and purchased gasoline-powered products, so that’s what the market delivers. But like repeatedly putting one’s hand on a burning stove, at what point do American consumers conclude the financial pain at the pump has gotten too great? And when do their automobile choices start changing the behavior of automakers, politicians and oil companies? Read the rest of this entry »

On a wet and windy winter morning in California we get a close up view of the Chevrolet Volt. Kurt interviews Clay O. of GM and picks up a few details of the upcoming Chevy Volt and the new E-Flex system.

More details and photos of the Chevrolet Volt can be found in our full article: First Look - Chevrolet Volt Concept Car

GM-VOLT: Chevy Volt Concept Site - Real-time news, information, and discussion about the Chevrolet Volt.