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Chevrolet Volt Test Drive: Video of Driving GM’s Electric Car
Posted in July 9th, 2009
by Clayton B. Cornell in Chevy Volt, electric cars, Electric Cars (EVs), electric vehicles, EV War, GM, hybrids, PHEVs, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, Plug-in hybrid EVs, prius, Tesla Motors, Tesla Roadster, Toyota
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Editor’s Note: This is a 4-part series covering my trip to Michigan to test-drive the Chevy Volt. See also: 1. LiveBlogging from the opening of GM’s New Battery Lab, 2. Chevy Volt Test Drive: How GM’s Electric Car Works 3. Tour of GM’s New Battery Lab. Disclaimer: GM flew me out for this event.
“Remarkably Unremarkable” has been the phrase of choice when describing how the Chevy Volt prototype drives.
And that’s really a compliment, since the car was engineered for consumers who won’t accept compromise, even for a an electric car.
I got a chance to drive the Chevy Volt prototype on June 8th, and although the test model was still housed under a Chevrolet Cruze skin, it gave me a good feeling for what the final version will be like.
Chevy Volt Test Drive
The interior of the Cruze doesn’t do the car justice, at least in terms of space and aesthetics. The center divider seemed poorly fitted for the Volt’s T-shaped battery pack that runs the length of the car (which also precludes a 5th seat in the prototype and final versions). Frank Weber, who accompanied me on the the 45-minute drive, said that everything about the interior would change for production.
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Gas 2.0 Launches “EV War” Website: ElectricCarRace.org
Posted in July 9th, 2009
by Clayton B. Cornell in Coulomb, electric cars, Electric Cars (EVs), electriccarrace.org, EV War, Events, EVs, Frank Weber, gas2.org, GM, PHEVs, Plug-in hybrid EVs, Politics, Portland, Portland General Electric, Richard Lowenthal, San Francisco, Uncategorized
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SAN FRANCISCO – Yesterday, Gas 2.0 (gas2.org) launched ElectricCarRace.org, a site challenging cities across the nation to be first to develop city-wide electric vehicle infrastructure. A two-minute video featuring the Mayors of Portland and San Francisco kicked off the competition, along with posts written by Mayor Newsom, Portland General Electric, and the CEO of Coulomb Technologies Richard Lowenthal.
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Reinvention: Tour of GM’s New Electric Vehicle Battery Testing Facility [+pictures]
Posted in June 17th, 2009
by Gas 2.0 in Advanced Batteries, Batteries, Chevy Volt, electric cars, Electric Cars (EVs), EV War, General Motors, GM, lithium-ion batteries, Michigan, nickel-metal hydride, PHEVs, Plug-in hybrid EVs, plug-in hybrids, research, Technology
Editor’s Note: This is a 4-part series covering my trip to Michigan to test-drive the Chevy Volt. See post 1. LiveBlogging from the opening of GM’s New Battery Lab, and 2. Chevy Volt Test Drive: How GM’s Electric Car Works. Disclaimer: GM flew me out for this event. This post is in no way affiliated with the GM ads that appear at the margins.
The real reason we were in Warren, MI wasn’t to test-drive the Volt, but to be on hand for the grand opening of GM’s new battery testing facility. The $25 million Global Battery Systems lab is now the largest battery testing facility in the United States, and is four times larger than the company’s old lab.
GM made a strategic decision to keep battery development in-house, because it will likely be a key competitive advantage in the race to commercialize electric vehicles. The lab already employs 1,000 engineers who work on advanced battery systems like the one found the the Chevy Volt.
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US Adds $30 Million in Funding to Develop Next Generation EV Batteries
Posted in June 17th, 2009
by Gas 2.0 in Advanced Batteries, Batteries, battery, Department of Energy, DOE, funding, PHEV, PHEVs, Plug-in hybrid EVs, projects, research
The United States Department of Energy (DOE) announced yesterday that over the next three years it is ploughing $11 million into research projects to develop advanced batteries for electric cars. The projects are also in line to benefit from a whopping $19 million in further support from the private sector.
A total of seven cutting-edge projects will focus on improving battery material performance and developing the manufacturing processes to produce them. The ultimate aim is to reduce the cost of batteries for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), one of the main financial barriers to more widespread uptake.
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