• 2011 chevy volt

    Chevy Volt Charging Strategy Redux

    Edmunds Inside Line stirred up kind of a hornets nest yesterday when they reported the Chevy Volt won't use the engine to recharge the battery, spurring a similar story from us. Both of us were told by GM PR we were correct in making that assertion. Turns out the PR team was having the same problems both us and Inside Line were having in understanding how the Volt's engine/battery/motor system will work. GM's VP for Global Program Management, John Lauckner, rebuffing the initial claims, stated, in no uncertain terms, the engine can recharge the battery, but recharging the battery is not its objective. Whatever that means. All we know is engines are most efficient when operated at a steady state — tons of tricks can be implemented to optimize performance at a constant RPM, and that's the plan for the Volt. More »

    4:00 PM on Fri Sep 26 2008
    By Ben Wojdyla
    2,942 views, 39 comments

    Most discussed war2d2: I'm thinking that as long as it returns the rumored fuel economy, people won't care about the drive system. The more »

  • chevy cruze

    GM Officially Announces 1.4-liter Four-Cylinder For Chevy Cruze, Volt To Be Built In Flint, MI

    GM has announced it will invest $370 million in a new 552,000 square-foot plant in Flint, Michigan to produce the 1.4-liter four-cylinder engines intended for duty in the Chevy Cruze and Chevy Volt. The engines will be rolling off those new lines in two flavors — turbocharged with 140 HP and 148 lb-ft of torque for the Cruze, and a non-turbocharged 100 HP version for the Volt. The plans also indicate the 1.4-liter is destined for service in two additional U.S.-bound models expected to debut in the 2011 time frame — helping GM to their planned goal of "one-third of...North American engine volume will be four-cylinders by 2011." Complete details on this huge win for the city of Flint (Won't Michael Moore be proud!) and details on the tech in the engines below the jump. More »

    11:20 AM on Thu Sep 25 2008
    By Ben Wojdyla
    2,444 views, 48 comments

    Most discussed stuntpuppy: The Volt's generator requires a 100 HP engine to turn it? Sounds like overkill to me. But then I'm a more »

  • Chrysler ENVI Program

    How Do The Chrysler Hybrids Match The Volt's EV Range?

    When Chrysler dropped its bevy of extended-range electric vehicles in our laps today as part of the company's new ENVI program, we wondered how coincidental it was that Chrysler was claiming the same all-electric range as the much ballyhooed Chevy Volt. The Volt makes concessions to seating and obsessively maximizes aerodynamics to get its 40 mile range, but the Chrysler EV and the Jeep EV both claim 40 miles as well. No funny-shaped center consoles, no wacky aero-trickery, just batteries and electric motors. So what's the deal? Not surprisingly, it's mainly the batteries that make the difference here. More »
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    4:40 PM on Tue Sep 23 2008
    By Ben Wojdyla
    5,697 views, 59 comments

    Most discussed Citroen_SM: Unfortunately, Chrysler hasn't learned from Toyota what GM has. You not only need a vehicle capable of a good more »

  • chevy volt

    Chevy Volt On Video, With Annoying Alt-Pop Soundtrack

    Thanks to the folks at GM-Volt.com, you can now not only see the Chevy Volt slowly moving on a GM road course, you can see it with a soundtrack! Yes friends, a spaceship-like sedan apparently deserves Coldplay, as its spacey sprocket of an unofficial musical accompaniment. Check it out below the jump and tell us in the comments how long you were able to watch before the music became too annoying to bear any longer. We made it nine seconds. More »

    8:30 AM on Mon Sep 22 2008
    By Ray Wert
    1,153 views, 32 comments

    Most discussed bradyb: Trash the Coldplay and replace with that sweet jive that they play in the Cadillac commercials. You know, the commercials more »

  • hybrid tax credit

    Toyota Cries Foul On Volt Tax Breaks

    As everyone in the automotive media was crawling over the production Volt yesterday, Automotive News reports that Toyota was complaining to congressional leaders about the vehicle. Namely, about pending legislation that seems to benefit the new Chevy plug-in to the detriment of others, particularly the upcoming Prius plug-in. At issue is a tax package that would make tax credits available to plug-ins with at least 6 kilowatt-hours of stored electric power — a level the Volt would reportedly reach but other plug-in hybrids currently planned would not. More »

    1:15 PM on Wed Sep 17 2008
    By Andrew Stoy
    2,239 views, 38 comments

    Most discussed CaractacusP: The only competition Toyota should be concerned with is Honda. There is no way the Volt is going to compete more »

  • chevy volt

    The Top Ten Design Elements Of The Chevy Volt

    Yesterday's reveal of the production Chevy Volt got us thinking we should take a closer look at the design features, both inside and out, that make GM's plug-in hybrid unique. We've picked out five exterior and an equal number of interior design elements we feel are most important, and taken a little deeper look at each. Without further ado, hit the jump for our top ten key design elements that make the Volt so...eclectically electric. More »
    Feature

    12:30 PM on Wed Sep 17 2008
    By Ben Wojdyla
    19,668 views, 82 comments

    Most discussed Ben Wojdyla: "Oh no, don't tell us the details of the biggest product story in the auto world right now, for the more »

  • 2011 chevrolet volt

    Chevy Volt: Five Key Interior Features

    Oh sure, the exterior's hot for a plug-in appliance, but the interior's just as slick. In fact, it's on the inside of the Volt where some of the biggest differences from concept to production were made. We sat down with Volt styling guru Bob Boniface, and let him give us the scoop on all that is interesting on the inside of the car. Here's the top five. More »

    By Ben Wojdyla
    10,195 views, 31 comments

    Most discussed bmoredlj: I think the fact that the center buttons aren't physical is just one in a litany of proof of over-arching more »

  • 2011 chevrolet volt

    Chevy Volt: Five Key Exterior Features

    It's been four years since the world's largest automaker (arguably) began work on reviving the electric car and almost two years after the concept was first revealed on the stage of the Detroit Auto Show, and seeing the Volt's shiny exterior up close we can say, yes, it's nothing like the look of the sleek, low-to-the-ground concept with vented windows we've seen toted out for every show over the past two years. But, that's not to say it's bad. In fact, it's quite a sharp looking extended-range electric vehicle. We sat down with a ruler and compass and here's the five features we want to make sure you take note of. More »

    By Ben Wojdyla
    10,393 views, 21 comments

    Most discussed Oo.et.oO: WTF? you call yourselves car guys? how did the insight "[blaze the trail]" of the lower glass in the hatch? the more »

  • 2011 chevrolet volt

    GM's Lutz: Chevy Volt Will Use GPS To Determine Distance From Home, Adjust Engine Accordingly

    At GM's "blogger town hall" at the end of yesterday's Chevy Volt unveil, the General's Vice Chairman and product czar, "Maximum" Bob Lutz, made mention to a Volt feature we hadn't yet heard about, and is even more techie-cool than the iPod-like interface on the center stack. Apparently, the Volt will "know how far you are from home" using what we're assuming is an on-board GPS system. The plug-in electric extended range hybrid's computer will then use that distance, along with route information, to determine how long the car needs to run the gas engine to charge the on-board battery pack, allowing the vehicle to truly maximize fuel economy. Even if you're not drinking the GM Kool-Aid, you've got to be wow'ed by a system like that — as long as it actually works. Read the full quote from "The" Bob after the galleries and the jump below.

    More »

    8:00 AM on Wed Sep 17 2008
    By Ben Wojdyla
    5,226 views, 69 comments

    Most discussed Deartháir and his eight little drained beers: Here's hoping the GPS is a little more accurate than my TomTom is. Here's where I was trying to go. more »

  • 2011 chevrolet volt

    Chevy Volt, Live And Unplugged!

    The finale of GM's centennial celebration today was the official reveal of the production 2011 Chevrolet Volt, the first official plug-in hybrid production vehicle from a major auto manufacturer. Details are slim, but what we know is this — GM calls it an Extended-Range Electric Vehicle (E-REV), it has a top speed of 100 mph and 40 miles on all-electric based on the EPA city cycle. The rest of what we know, plus the official press release, are below the jump.


    More on the Chevy Volt: More »
    Feature

    12:01 AM on Wed Sep 17 2008
    By Ben Wojdyla
    31,409 views, 216 comments

    Most discussed cgarison: 40 Minutes past the "debut" and no pictures. more »