Demand for fuel efficiency sparks Volt production rise

GM to build 1,000 more than planned in '11, 15,000 extra in '12

General Motors Co. has made it official: It's boosting production of its electric Chevrolet Volt.

The Detroit automaker said Wednesday it will build 1,000 more Volts than planned this year — about 16,000 in total — and increase production to 60,000 cars in 2012, up from the 45,000 previously targeted.

GM officials said they're upping production — long expected — to meet strong demand for the battery-powered car, which comes with a backup gas engine. With gas prices hovering around $4 a gallon, GM and other automakers are eager to capitalize on the car-buying public's new lust for fuel efficiency.

GM will shut down its Detroit-Hamtramck plant, where it makes the Volt and its export version, the Opel Ampera, for four weeks starting in June to retool for added production. The carmaker will also build its next-generation 2013 Chevrolet Malibu at the plant, starting late next year.

The production hiatus will further constrain Volt supplies at dealers heading into the summer months, GM warned, but will better prepare the company for the 2012 Volt's nationwide rollout in the second half of this year, said Cristi Landy, directory of Chevrolet Volt Marketing. GM initially launched the 2011 Volt in a handful of markets, including New York, California and Washington, D.C., in December.

"By taking the time to reconfigure the plant, we will be better able to meet the tremendous consumer demand," Landy said.

GM's CEO Dan Akerson has pressed for more Volts "faster" and set production goals higher with hopes of eventually building more than 100,000 a year. Akerson also has challenged the Volt team to investigate ways to cut $10,000 in costs out of the high-tech vehicle. The car retails for $41,000, minus $7,500 in tax incentives.

Of the 16,000 Volts planned for this year, about 2,500 will go to dealer demonstration fleets, and another 3,500 will be built for export to China, Canada and Europe, GM officials said. The remaining 10,000 Volts will be sold in the United States — that hasn't changed, GM said.

Of the 60,000 Volts GM will build for 2012, about 45,000 will go on sale at U.S. dealers.

So far this year, GM has sold about 1,700 Volts, including 493 last month, according to tracking firm AutoData Corp. But while GM has been ahead — it was the first to bring this hybrid-style plug-in to market.

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Volt Visits Frankfort Car Club and Joliet West High School

Phillips Chevrolet visited Frankfort Car Club's meeting last Wednesday to show off the new 2011 Chevrolet Volt. Many Car Club members test drove the Volt.

Phillips Chevrolet's Sales Consultant, Daniel Bachert, stands beside the 2011 Chevrolet Volt along with a few auto students at Joliet West High School on May 13, 2011. The students and faculty had a chance to learn all about the future car.

Phillips Chevrolet has Illinois’ Largest Chevy Inventory! We have an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau, and are one of the Largest Chevy Dealers in the United States. Visit us at www.phillipschevy.com. View our specials! Follow Phillips Chevrolet on Facebook and Twitter to receive coupons, special offers and prizes!

Volt goes 1,000 miles between fill-ups, says GM

The electric-powered Chevrolet Volt is averaging 1,000 miles on each tankful of gas, according to General Motors.

The Volt's gas tank holds 9.3 gallons, so that means drivers are averaging about 111 miles per gallon. As a result, Volt drivers are stopping to fill their gas tanks only about once a month, GM said.


GM collected the fuel economy and fill-up data through the vehicles' OnStar system, spokesman Rob Peterson said.

The Volt can travel about 35 miles on a fully charged battery, according to EPA estimates. If the battery becomes depleted, a gasoline engine comes on to generate electricity for continued driving.

Electricity generally costs less, per unit of energy, than gasoline. For example, the Environmental Protection Agency estimates it would cost $2.75, on average, to drive a Chevrolet Volt 25 miles on gasoline but just 99 cents to drive that far on electricity.

What do women want? Above all, a caBut real-world fuel economy figures like this could help GM's marketing efforts by helping consumers understand its benefits. Up to now, there has never been a simple, straightforward fuel economy figure for the Volt as there is for almost every other car.


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Chevrolet Volt Rollout Speeds Up: Available Nationwide By End of 2011

Chevrolet is stepping up the national rollout of the Volt to match customer interest.

“We’re accelerating our launch plan to have Volts in all participating Chevrolet dealerships in every single state in the union by the end of this year,” said Rick Scheidt, U.S. vice president, Chevrolet Marketing. “This is the right thing to do for our customers and our dealers who are seeing increased traffic onto their showroom floors.”  

Chevrolet Volts have been delivered to customers in the Washington D.C. area, as well as California, New York, Connecticut, New Jersey and Texas.  Customer deliveries in Michigan begin this spring.

Customers nationwide will be able to order Volts with participating dealers beginning in the second quarter.  Deliveries will begin in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Oregon, Washington and Hawaii in the third quarter.

During the fourth quarter, Chevrolet expects to deliver Volts in all 50 states.

The decision to accelerate the national rollout was influenced by Chevrolet dealers like Criswell Chevrolet in Gaithersburg, Md., which has seen a surge of consumers interested in the Volt.

“The Volt is clearly bringing new customers to Chevrolet," said Harry E. Criswell III, president and owner of Criswell Chevrolet "We are seeing 10 to 15 customers a week who are seriously considering buying a Volt. Many of them own competitive brands and now have a Chevy on their shopping list because of the Volt."

Some of that consumer interest has been fueled by prestigious industry awards and recognitions for the Volt, including:

- 2011 North American Car of the Year
- Motor Trend 2011 Car of the Year
- Green Car Journal 2011 Green Car of the Year
- Car and Driver 10 Best for 2011
- Ward’s AutoWorld 10 Best Engines for 2011
- AUTOMOBILE Magazine 2011 Automobile of the Year
- 2010 Breakthrough Technology, by Popular Mechanics

“Such recognition provides customers with credible, expert endorsement of new models, which is important for vehicles like the Volt that feature significant new technologies,” said Scheidt. “Based on the awards the Volt has received, and the number of consumers expressing interest in the technology, we believe the Volt is the right car at the right time.”

The Volt is an electric vehicle that 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.

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Chevrolet Volts Begin Shipping to Dealerships

First Customers Should Get Extended-Range Electric Cars Within Days

The first Chevrolet Volts left the Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Plant on Monday destined for initial retail launch markets.  Customers in California, Texas, Washington D.C. and New York could receive the world’s first-and-only electric vehicle with extended-range capability in the next few days. 

These are the first of an expected 160 vehicles to be shipped this week.

“Today is a historic milestone for Chevrolet,” said Tony DiSalle, Volt marketing director. “We have redefined automotive transportation with the Volt, and soon the first customers will be able to experience gas-free commuting with the freedom to take an extended trip whenever or wherever they want.”

The heart of the Volt is its Voltec electric propulsion system, which combines battery-only electric driving with an efficient, gas-powered engine giving the Volt up to 379 total miles of driving before having to recharge the battery or fill up the small gas tank.  The Volt is the only mass produced U.S.-built electric vehicle.

Earlier this year, Chevrolet shipped 15 pre-production Volts to technology enthusiasts and electric vehicle advocates whom were the first consumers to experience the Volt every day under real-world conditions during a 90-day vehicle and charging evaluation program.

MotorTrend, Automobile and Green Car Journal each recently selected the Volt as their Car of the Year.

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Chevrolet Volt Named 2011 Green Car of the Year

The 2011 Chevrolet Volt electric car with extended-range capability today was named Green Car Journal’s Green Car of the Year®. The Volt is the first electric vehicle to win the award.

“This has been a long time coming,” said Ron Cogan, editor and publisher of Green Car Journal and editor of GreenCar.com.  “The electric vehicles that were test marketed in the 1990s tantalized us, but were without a solid business case.  What a difference a decade makes.” 

The Volt runs purely on electricity for 25 to 50 miles on a single charge before a 1.4-liter gasoline engine/generator seamlessly engages to create electricity to drive the wheels for an additional 300 miles on a full tank of gas. The Volt’s extended-range capability addresses the range anxiety concerns associated with battery-only electric vehicles.

"The Green Car of the Year® award validates the Chevrolet team's promise to deliver a practical electric vehicle," said Joel Ewanick, General Motors vice president, U.S. Marketing, who drove a Volt 2,394 miles from Detroit to the Los Angeles International Auto Show, where he accepted the award Thursday. "The Volt's a transformational technology that will lead our industry into a new age of vehicle electrification."

Other finalists for Green Car honors were: the Ford Fiesta, Hyundai Sonata Hybrid, Lincoln MKZ Hybrid, and Nissan LEAF. The Green Car of the Year® jury was comprised of six environmental and automotive experts along with Green Car Journal editors.

The Chevrolet Tahoe 2-Mode Hybrid is a previous winner of the Green Car award.

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Chevy Volt production has started

Chevrolet Volt production for customers is under way at General Motors’ Detroit-Hamtramck plant, putting customers one step closer to receiving the first mass-marketed plug-in vehicle for the U.S.

GM's vehicle tracking system says the first Volt extended-range electric vehicle allocated to a Chevrolet dealership near Los Angeles was finished on Nov. 9, said the dealership’s customer relations and inventory manager. That Volt was purchased through the store’s fleet department.

And the tracking system says the first Volt due to a Chevrolet dealership in Austin, Texas, was finished on Nov. 10, said the store’s new car sales manager. His store held a drawing to choose the first customer from a waiting list, and the winner fit the profile of a “green” driver.

“The main customer is going to be those engineer, technically savvy types of people,” the new car sales manager from Austin, Texas, said. But that fits with Austin’s hip reputation. “You know, ‘Keep Austin weird.’”

Teri Quigley, plant manager at Detroit-Hamtramck, told the Free Press GM started building Volts earlier this month for customers to purchase. She spoke on the sidelines of a ceremony to honor the Volt’s Motor Trend Car of the Year award and declined to say how many Volts are finished.

The automaker has yet to ship any Volts from the plant, but customers should get the first Volts in early December, spokesman Chris Lee said Monday.

GM's tracking system shows delivery is the next step for the Volts for the LA and Austin dealerships, but neither car has received a target delivery date. Sales managers at other dealerships said production dates for their first Volts are scheduled throughout November and December.

Current Volt production is for customers in California, Austin, New York City and Washington, D.C. This spring, GM plans to expand sales to Michigan, Connecticut, New Jersey and the rest of New York and Texas.

The Volt runs on battery power for 25 to 50 miles before using a gasoline-powered generator.

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Chevy Volt named Motor Trend Car of the Year

The 2011 Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric vehicle has been named Car of the Year by Motor Trend magazine, for General Motors’ second title in four years.

The Volt beat out contenders that include the Ford Fiesta, Hyundai Sonata, Lincoln MKZ hybrid, BMW 5 Series, Jaguar XJ, Infiniti M and Audi A8.

One of the Detroit 3 won the award every year from 1986 to 2002, until the Infiniti G35 broke that trend in 2003. Since then, domestic and foreign automakers’ models have split the award evenly, with the 2010 Ford Fusion midsized sedan winning last year.

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GE Announces Largest Single Electric Vehicle Commitment, Commits to Convert Half of Global Fleet by 2015

GE (NYSE: GE) announced today it will purchase 25,000 electric vehicles by 2015 for its own fleet and through its Capital Fleet Services business - the largest-ever single electric vehicle commitment. 

GE will convert at least half of its 30,000 global fleet and will partner with fleet customers to deploy a total of 25,000 electric vehicles by 2015.  GE will initially purchase 12,000 GM vehicles, beginning with the Chevrolet Volt in 2011, and will add other vehicles as manufacturers expand their electric vehicle portfolios.  GE and its partners will use a mix of electric vehicle technologies to meet their respective needs.  Chevrolet Volts will roll off production lines this month and other automakers are bringing electric vehicles to market. As this occurs, GE is in a strong position to help deploy the supporting infrastructure to help its 65,000 global fleet customers convert and manage their fleets.

GE owns one of the world’s largest fleets, operates a leading global fleet management business, and offers a portfolio of product solutions including charging stations, circuit protection equipment and transformers that touch every part of electric vehicle infrastructure development. This enables GE to lead wide-scale electric vehicle adoption and generate growth for its businesses.

“Electric vehicle technology is real and ready for deployment and we are embracing the transformation with partners like GM and our fleet customers,” said GE Chairman and CEO Jeff Immelt. “By electrifying our own fleet, we will accelerate the adoption curve, drive scale, and move electric vehicles from anticipation to action.

“We make technology that touches every point of the electric vehicle infrastructure and are leading the transformation to a smarter electrical grid,” Immelt said.  “This transformation will be good for our businesses and for our shareowners. Wide-scale adoption of electric vehicles will also drive clean energy innovation, strengthen energy security and deliver economic value.”

GE businesses including Capital Fleet Services, Energy and Licensing & Trading will benefit from an emerging electric vehicle market that could deliver up to $500 million in GE revenue over the next three years. This includes rapidly developing markets for GE’s charging station, the WattStation.

GM CEO Dan Akerson said, “GE’s commitment reflects confidence that electric vehicles are a real-world technology that can reduce both emissions and our dependence on oil.  It is also a vote of confidence in the Chevrolet Volt, which we will begin delivering to retail customers by the end of this year.  We are pleased that the Volt will play a major role in this program, which will spur innovation and benefit our companies, our customers, and society as a whole.”

FedEx Chairman, President and CEO, and Electrification Coalition member Fred Smith said, “With more than 16.3 million vehicles in operation in 2009, the nation’s fleet can drive initial ramp-up scale in the battery industry and OEM supply chains. By buying these vehicles, GE is helping ramp up production which will help lower the price of vehicles and their components and make electric vehicles more visible and acceptable to the public at large. This is good for GE, good for our economy, and good for our nation.”

GE also announced today two electric vehicle customer experience and learning centers to provide customers, employees and researchers first-hand access to electric vehicles and developing technologies. One will be located outside of Detroit, in Van Buren Township, Michigan, as part of GE’s Advanced Manufacturing and Software Technology Center. The other will be located at GE Capital’s Fleet Services business headquarters in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, with several other centers to be announced in 2011. The centers will monitor and evaluate vehicle performance and charging behaviors, driver experiences, service requirements, and operational efficiencies, while also affording the opportunity to experience a variety of manufacturers and models, and gain insights on electric vehicle deployment.

GE is launching this comprehensive electric vehicle program as part of its ecomagination business strategy to accelerate the development and deployment of clean energy technology though innovation and R&D investment. In support of the announcement today, an electric vehicle readiness toolkit has been launched on ecomagination.com to help municipalities, customers, and individuals prepare for wide-scale electric vehicle deployment.

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GM Extends EV Development with Demo Fleet of Electric Chevrolet Cruzes

General Motors today announced a demonstration project to explore market needs and customer acceptance of battery electric vehicles in Korea. The project involves a fleet of electric vehicles based on the successful Chevrolet Cruze. The result of shared development with GM Daewoo, LG Chem and LG Electronics, the electric Cruzes will be part of a demo fleet that will operate in South Korea's capital, Seoul.

The project is aimed at benefiting GM's core vehicle electrification competencies, which include batteries, electric motors, power controls and charging. It will provide real-world data on customer acceptance of battery electric vehicles, studying driving patterns and charging behavior while sharing costs and resources. This is a key initiative in GM's global battery and electric vehicle development strategy. The demo project is expected to launch by the end of October. GM demonstration fleets with other partners are also being launched in other urban markets later this year.

The Cruze EV demo fleet will be the first full-size sedan electric vehicles to hit the road and will be powered by batteries from LG Chem and propulsion systems (motor/inverter) from LG Electronics. GM's EV demo fleet in South Korea will consist of Chevrolet Cruzes and GM Daewoo Lacetti Premieres. GM currently markets the vehicle under the local brand in South Korea.

"This Cruze EV demonstration project reinforces GM's commitment to being a leader in the development of electric vehicles and green technologies, building on our portfolio of hybrids and the Chevrolet Volt," said Karl Stracke, Vice President, GM Global Vehicle Engineering. "We'll apply the learnings from this and our other demo projects to help us deliver the world's best vehicles for our customers."

The Cruze EV is equipped with a 31-kWh battery that generates maximum power of 150 kW. The demonstration fleet will be monitored closely to determine the amount of real-world range achievable by a vehicle of its size. On specific test schedules conducted by LG Chem, the demonstration vehicles may achieve a range of up to 160 km (100 miles). The vehicles can go from 0 to 100 km/h (60 miles per hour) in 8.2 seconds with a maximum speed of 165 km/h (102.5 miles per hour).

On a standard household 220-volt outlet, the Cruze EV can be fully recharged in 8 to 10 hours. Part of the demonstration fleet's task is to test a "quick charge" application that could reduce the charge time significantly.

"Although there is much more work to be done, our ability to develop this vehicle in less than a year offers a peek at the very promising plans we have for our customers in Korea and around the world," said Mike Arcamone, GM Daewoo President and CEO.

While battery packs often occupy trunk space, the Cruze EV's battery pack is mounted on the underbody. This gives the Cruze EV the same trunk space as conventional vehicles with gasoline engines.

"Expanding the domestic electric vehicle market carries significant meaning for collaboration between GM Daewoo and LG Chem," said Peter Bahnsuk Kim, Vice Chairman and CEO of LG Chem. "Over the past two years, we have forged a strong partnership with GM, and now we look forward to doing the same with GM Daewoo in our home country."

Since 2008, GM has been working with LG Chemical, which is the exclusive supplier of battery cells for the Chevrolet Volt electric vehicle with extended range. The Volt enters the U.S. market later this year. The development of the Chevrolet Cruze EV demo fleet will expand this collaboration.
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Chevrolet Fuel Cell Equinox Joins Expo 2010 VIP Fleet

Demonstrate Promise of Electric Vehicles

Two Chevrolet Fuel Cell Equinox vehicles were presented today to the Shanghai World Expo Bureau for use in the VIP fleet at World Expo 2010 Shanghai.
The two vehicles will shuttle special guests at Shanghai's Expo Park while introducing GM's vision of sustainable mobility to government officials, industry leaders and members of the academic community, stimulating dialogue on the future of urban transportation.

Equipped with GM's most-advanced fuel cell propulsion system to date, the Fuel Cell Equinox is a fully functional crossover vehicle. It generates no greenhouse gases and its only tailpipe emission is water vapor.

"The Fuel Cell Equinox will demonstrate the promise of fuel cell vehicles and provide a window into GM's vision of a future that is free from petroleum and emissions," said Kevin Wale, President and Managing Director of the GM China Group. "Fuel cell vehicles offer one of the best solutions for the transportation challenges facing our society today.

"They represent a building block for the electrification technology that is part of GM's vision of future urban transportation, which is being introduced at our Expo 2010 pavilion," Wale said. "It also demonstrates GM's commitment to World Expo 2010 Shanghai as a global automobile partner."

The Fuel Cell Equinoxes join the Chevrolet Volt electric vehicle with extended-range capability, which earlier this month joined the Expo 2010 VIP fleet, as well as the 350 Buick LaCrosse Eco-Hybrid cars, which are part of the official Expo 2010 taxi fleet showing visitors from around the world the possibilities that exist today regarding electric vehicles.

Since 2007, GM has deployed more than 100 Fuel Cell Equinoxes on the road in the U.S., Europe and Asia through Project Driveway. More than 80,000 people in New York, Washington, D.C., and Greater Los Angeles have volunteered to drive the vehicles. The vehicles have already covered more than 1.4 million miles. The program is providing valuable feedback on the real-world application of fuel cell vehicles.

The Fuel Cell Equinox, Volt and LaCrosse Eco-Hybrid also joined GM's EN-V concept vehicle at the SAIC-GM Pavilion. They represent GM's commitment to electrification and pursuing multiple pathways to sustainable urban mobility.

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'Green' Cruze to debut at New York auto show

General Motors Co. will unveil a high-efficiency version of the Chevrolet Cruze at this week's New York International Auto Show.

The 2011 Chevrolet Cruze Eco model, available in the fourth quarter of this year and powered by a 1.4-liter Ecotec turbocharged engine, will get an estimated 40 miles per gallon on the highway with a six-speed transmission.

The Cruze has been labeled by GM executives as the Detroit automaker's most important new launch vehicle aimed at boosting fuel efficiency and meeting tougher federal regulations. The Cruze is a bet by GM that customers will want a small car in large volumes at a time when crossovers and full-size sport-utility vehicles remain popular in the U.S. marketplace.

"The Cruze Eco delivers hybrid-like efficiency without the price tag," said Jim Campbell, U.S. vice president of Chevrolet marketing.

GM already has added a third shift of production, and is adding 1,200 workers at its Lordstown plant in Ohio to produce the Cruze. GM also is investing $350 million to retool the plant and install new manufacturing equipment.

"This investment helps secure the best possible manufacturing footprint to react to market demand and deliver vehicles faster to our customers," Campbell said.

The Cruze also will be available in a sportier version, equipped with unique fascias, rocker moldings, a rear spoiler and fog lamps.

The Cruze Eco model, meanwhile, will get greater fuel economy thanks to several features that enhance aerodynamics, reduce the vehicle's weight and rolling resistance.

"Anything you can do these days to get extra mileage out of a vehicle is going to be a benefit," said auto analyst Erich Merkle of Autoconomy.com in Grand Rapids.

"Not just from a sales perspective, but also from the overall perceived image of the brand. When you're talking about 40 plus miles per gallon out of a compact car, you really start to beat your competition, such as the Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic."

The Cruze is one of two major launches this year that could help burnish the Chevrolet brand. The Volt, an extended-range electric car, follows late this year and will let commuters travel up to 40 miles on electric power.

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.

"For a company like Chevrolet that is thought to be a real lagger in fuel efficiency, they represent leadership in terms of overall fuel efficiency performance," Merkle said.