GM Plans to Add Second Shift at Volt Assembly Plant

General Motors Co. will add a second shift at its Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly plant early next year to bolster production of the Chevrolet Volt, according to a newspaper report.

The second shift would add about 900 to 1,000 jobs at the plant, Teri Quigley, plant manager for the Detroit-Hamtramck factory, told the Detroit Free Press today. Laid-off GM workers would get first opportunity to apply. Workers will begin training later this year with full production ramping up in early 2012.

“Detroit Hamtramck has started some of the pre-work related to adding an additional shift at the plant,” spokesman Chris Lee said.

Lee said the plant “wants to be in a position to bring on a shift as quickly as possible when we are asked to increase production to meet market demand.”

“At this point in time, it is too early to tell how many employees would be required or when an additional shift will start -- we are just doing some pre-planning to ensure we can respond quickly to market conditions,” he wrote.

GM has said it wants to build 25,000 Volts this year, up from the original 10,000-unit target. Bloomberg, citing sources familiar with GM's plans, reported in January that the automaker intends to produce 120,000 Volts a year starting in 2012.

The plant will back up GM’s Fairfax, Kan. plant on production of the redesigned Chevrolet Malibu when it debuts next year. The plant currently has 1,048 employees.

The Volt sells for $41,000 with delivery, although a federal tax credit of $7,500 for the first 200,000 units sold reduces the cost. Since its debut in December and through February, GM sold 928 Volts.

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Chevrolet Replaces Malibu in Miracle Story of Survival

Marc Keinath walks away from horrific crash after his 2004 Malibu was destroyed, pinned under a 20-ton tractor trailer

Marc Keinath miraculously survived an icy encounter with a tractor-trailer this week. His 2004 Malibu didn’t, but Chevrolet wrote the next chapter in the amazing story on Friday, presenting Keinath with the keys to a new 2011 Chevrolet Malibu.

“This is an incredible story of survival that shows you just never know what’s going to happen on the road,” said Rick Scheidt, executive director at Chevrolet. “When you look at Marc’s Malibu, you would never expect anyone would ever walk away from it.” 

Keinath, 30, of Millington, Mich., was driving his 2004 Chevrolet Malibu along Interstate 75 in Genesee County, Mich. when he encountered a patch of black ice and spun out.  When he regained control of the car, the tractor trailer hauling 20 tons of sugar smashed into the rear of Keinath’s Malibu before falling on top of it. As parts of the roof of the Malibu began to yield under the tremendous weight of the trailer, Keinath fully reclined his seat to give him more room inside, reached for his cell phone and dialed 911.

He walked away with no serious injuries.

“It’s been a heck of a week for me,” said Keinath. “I want to thank God for giving me a second chance at life, the firefighters and first responders who helped me, and Chevy for making a car that can hold a semi.”

Keinath’s new 2011 Malibu, which was named a “Top Safety Pick” by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety for the 2010 and 2011 model years, will come equipped with two years of lifesaving OnStar technology.  

OnStar has Automatic Crash Response. In the event of a collision, sensors built into the Malibu can automatically alert an OnStar Advisor, who is immediately connected into the vehicle to see if help is needed. Even if the occupant is hurt and can’t respond, the Advisor knows the vehicle’s exact location through GPS technology, and can direct emergency responders to the scene.

Over the past 15 years, OnStar Advisors have responded to more than 148,000 vehicle crashes, unlocked more than 4.8 million doors, provided 2.4 million subscribers with roadside assistance and located more than 51,000 stolen vehicles.

Keinath’s new Malibu also has six air bags, StabiliTrak electronic stability control system, four-wheel antilock brakes, and a high strength steel safety cage including enhanced roof strength as demonstrated by the IIHS roof strength test. All of this equipment is standard.

“Stories like Marc’s reminds us why we design and engineer every Chevrolet to help drivers avoid a crash, protect people in the unfortunate event of a crash, and with OnStar offer immediate help after a crash,” said Scheidt.

The Malibu was presented to Keinath as part of the Detroit Tigers Winter Caravan visit to General Motors’ Flint Engine Operations.

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Michigan Readies as the U.S. Prepares for Electric Vehicles

More than 5,300 home and workplace charging stations to be installed on Michigan

More than 5,300 home and workplace charging stations are planned to be installed in Michigan as the state prepares for the introduction of new electric vehicle technology. General Motors and its partners are teaming up to help give Chevrolet Volt buyers more options for charging their vehicles.

DTE Energy pledges to install 2,500 240V home charging stations for plug-in vehicles, and Consumers Energy is matching that pledge.  The utilities will cover up to $2,500 of the cost of the charging station and installation. GM's Voltec 240 V home charging station is priced at just $490 plus an estimated $1,475 for installation.  The city of Lansing Board of Water and Light will provide an additional 25 charging stations to its customers and by the end of 2011, General Motors plans to have almost 350 charging stations in place for employees at its facilities in Michigan, with more than 100 already installed.

In addition, more than 1,500 Chevrolet dealers across the U.S. plan to install charging stations for use by customers. This number includes nearly 650 dealers that will soon begin selling the Volt in retail launch markets and approximately 900 others across the country that are authorized to provide service.

More important than the total volume of charging stations is where they will be located, according to Tom Stephens, GM vice chairman, Global Product Operations. “Since our homes may soon be our fueling stations of the future we believe the most important way to make communities 'plug-in ready' is by enabling residential charging.”

Most of these stations will be placed in consumers’ garages, carports and driveways.  A few will be strategically located, such as the two GM placed in front of its headquarters at the Renaissance Center at the building’s entrance off of Jefferson Ave in Detroit.  A total of 18 charging stations will be operational in and around the Renaissance Center within the next week.

“We think this opens up doors for those Volt owners who want to charge at work or who don’t have a place at home to charge the car overnight.  They’ll be able to drive electrically when they can, and they can drive on gasoline when they need to,” Stephens said in remarks at the Business of Plugging In Conference in Detroit on Tuesday.  “We see these stations as an incentive to our employees to join the Electric Vehicle movement … and as a demonstration to other businesses to encourage their own employees to drive greener.”

GM-installed charging stations for use by its employees in Michigan will include 34 at the Detroit-Hamtramck assembly center where the Volt is built and 140 in the homes of employees driving early-build models for quality evaluation.

Many of the stations at GM facilities will be powered by renewable solar energy. The Detroit-Hamtramck assembly center already has 10 stations in place powered by photovoltaic systems from SunLogics Inc. Envision Solar International (OTCBB:EVSI) will provide its innovative Solar Tree® with EnvisionTrak™ system  for use at the Warren Technical Center and Milford Proving Ground. 

GM envisioned the need for public and workplace charging stations in 2007 when it formed a collaboration with DTE, Consumers Energy, the Electric Power Research Institute and more than 50 other utilities. Many of those utilities are or will be launching similar programs to help customers prepare for electrification.

Michigan is one of nine regions in the United States identified by the U.S. Department of Energy to lead the electrification movement.  Free home charging stations provided by ECOtality and Coulomb Technologies will be available to 4,400 eligible Volt owners through a program funded by the DOE.

“We’ve put a lot of thought into the best way to enhance the electric vehicle experience,” Stephens said.  “We’ve focused on everything from vehicle-to-grid technical interfaces, codes and standards to leading consumer education and outreach.”

In fact, the Society of Engineers-approved industry standard for charging equipment was led by a GM engineer. And GM’s Opel subsidiary recently announced a vehicle-to-grid experiment in Germany involving a battery electric version of the Opel Meriva.

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