Tag Archives: volt

GM Ups Ante Calls Out Other Automakers on EVs?

The 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV has an EPA-estimated range of 238 miles (383 kM) from its 60-kWh battery pack that is made in Korea. What the future holds depends energy prices, and EV prices – roughly $40,000 or more with options for a Tesla Model 3 or Bolt mid-size car. Continue reading

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Chevy Adds Malibu Hybrid to Lineup in 2016

Price, performance, how smoothly the system changes between modes and deploys regenerative braking, as well as competitive actions are issues that await test drives when the Malibu appears. The Detroit Three have a history of benchmarking the past, maybe GM is looking at the future. Continue reading

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High Voltage! Gen 2 Chevrolet Volt is Significant Redesign

The new Volt has better gas mileage, greater range, faster acceleration, a fifth seat of sorts, and an all-new propulsion system. Pricing, yet to be announced, could be the deciding factor in Volt’s sales future. Former GM CEO Dan Ackerson, a venture capitalist, when he predicted astronomical sales had no idea that this is a long-term ~2030 play. Continue reading

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Cadillac ELR Hybrid Faces Same Tough Market as Chevy Volt

The 2014 Cadillac ELR makes its world public début at the North American International Auto Show this week. Based on the Chevrolet Volt, the hybrid faces the same challenges that have made the $40,000 Volt a mere footnote in U.S. Sales charts since only 24,000 were sold in 2012 or, for one example, only ~10 % of the sales total of the larger, gasoline powered $22,000 Chevrolet Cruze. Continue reading

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Chevrolet Volt Owners Surpass 100 Million Electric Miles

General Motors said today that Chevrolet Volt owners collectively have driven more than 100 million all-electric miles since the hybrid went on sale two years ago this month. The average Volt owner travels more than 65% of the time in pure electric mode, using the gasoline-engine generator for longer trips. Continue reading

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Chevrolet Volt Leads New Owner Satisfaction Report. Again

For the second straight year, virtually all owners of the Chevrolet Volt hybrid said they would buy one again. Fully 92% of respondents who own GM’s Volt – much decried by anti-government extremists – said they would definitely buy it again. This earned the $40,000 four-seat car the distinction of being the top-scoring model in the latest Consumer Reports Owner Satisfaction Survey. Continue reading

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GM China Begins Building and Testing Advanced Batteries

General Motors China is now making and testing prototype battery cells and complete systems at its Advanced Technical Center in Shanghai, potentially creating a huge offshore industry that will build more affordable batteries for customers globally. Continue reading

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Colorado Volt Buyers Eligible for $13,500 in Taxpayer Subsidies

The core environmental problem here is an economic one. The slow selling $40,000 Volt – even with subsidies – remains overpriced and not competitive in the marketplace. No wonder that the Volt plant in Michigan is currently down for five weeks. More troubling is the sales of the smaller Prius c hybrid. In the first three days since the small Prius c went on sale this month it sold 1,201 units, bypassing sales of the much more expensive – two times the price – Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf for the entire month of February. Continue reading

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Focus Electric Approved for $10,000 in Taxpayer Handouts

The California Environmental Protection Agency’s Air Resources Board (CARB) has dictated that owners of the new 2012 Ford Focus Electric can drive in high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes. Owners also will be able to receive up to $10,000 in tax credits between the state’s new $2,500 rebate and a $7,500 federal tax incentive – both funded by taxpayers at a time of soaring deficits. Critics call this socialism for the rich. These subsidies appear to be crucial for sales success of the Focus Electric. Without them, the car lists starting at $39,995. This means a typical payment to buy the compact car – with $4,000 down – is almost $800 per month for 48 months at Ford’s 7% interest rate. The gasoline-fueled Focus starts at just over $17,000. Continue reading

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Volt Production Halted. Workers Laid Off for Five Weeks

The announcement of the setback to employees came Thursday after GM released February sales results that showed 1,023 Volts were sold in the U.S. GM has sold 1,626 Volts so far this year. Earlier in the day, a Chevrolet sales executive claimed that Volt sales would pick up now that it is approved for California HOV lanes and tax credits as a plug-in hybrid. Continue reading

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Chevrolet Volt EVs on Way to California. Volts now Qualify For HOV Lanes and a $1,500 State Taxpayer Subsidy

Chevrolet Volts with a ‘Low Emissions Package,’ which is standard for California Volts, began shipping from the General Motors Detroit-Hamtramck plant this week and will begin arriving at the more than 140 Chevrolet dealerships in California before the end of … Continue reading

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Volt Fire Hearings Pits Ideologues versus Engineers

In the end how you view this low-voltage Congressional short circuit – with lots of smoke but no fires – depends on how you view Obama Administration actions that used taxpayer-funded subsidies to encourage production of the Volt. These include $151.4 million in stimulus funds for LG Chem, which produces lithium-ion polymer battery cells for the Volt, and $105 million given directly to GM, as well as an end-user federal tax credit of up to $7,500 per Volt purchased. Such subsidies will likely be hotly debated for all industries during the election. Continue reading

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GM Changes Chevrolet Volt to Protect Battery to Stop Fires

It was not immediately clear whether NHTSA would require that Chevrolet Volt EVs be recalled or whether the modifications can be done as a customer satisfaction procedure. There remains at this moment an ongoing NHTSA engineering analysis, which could lead to a recall. GM said it was “optimistic” that no recall would be required, a politically sensitive issue since the federal government still holds a large stake in GM. Continue reading

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GM U.S. Sales Up 7% in November – SAAR Booming

Increased sales of pickup trucks and full size vans dominated GM’s results. GM deliveries y-o-y showed a 34% increase in Chevrolet Silverado pickuo truck sales (34,251) and a 22% increase in GMC Sierra pickup sales at 11,971 Continue reading

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Chevrolet Volt Earns 5 Stars in Euro NCAP with No Battery Fires. GM Announces Volt Export Plans to China Next Year

At the same time the National Highway Traffic safety Administration was preparing to announce that a formal investigation had begun over Chevrolet Volt battery fires, the European New Car Assessment Program (Euro NCAP) released its latest results, which gave the Opel Ampera a top 5-star rating. The Ampera is a virtual clone of the Chevrolet Volt.

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