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Component shortage may threaten GM hybrid plan

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 07:45:00 +0000

In its viability plan submitted to the U.S. Treasury, General Motors promised to boost the number of hybrids in the company’s lineup to 26 models by 2014, up from eight today. Although there are no concerns that the technology would be ready, there could be shortage of certain parts. According to what Tom Stephens, GM executive vice president of global powertrain and global quality, told Automotive News : “There are a lot of ifs, ands and buts associated with that. We will have all of this developed, but depending on component availability, we may do one thing or the other.” Parts that could be in shortage include lithium-ion batteries, and some yet-to be developed electric motors. The Saturn Vue Two Mode hybrid, for example, has been delayed already. Nevertheless, GM plans three versions of its hybrid powertrains: mild hybrids like those used in the current Vue and Malibu hybrids, and two iterations of the Two Mode hybrid, one for rear drive cars and the other for front drive vehicles; the latter could also come with plug-in capabilities. [Source: Automotive News (subs. req'd)] Auto Blog: Hybrid , GM , Legislation and Policy , USA Component shortage may threaten GM hybrid plan originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 03 Mar 2009 08:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green

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Component shortage may threaten GM hybrid plan

Is the Saturn Vue Two-Mode hybrid DOA? Not yet

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 07:01:00 +0000

Click above to view high-res gallery of the Saturn VUE 2 Mode Hybrid We got a comment from a reader the other day on a post we published back in December indicating that the Saturn Vue 2-mode hybrid had been canceled. Our reader had placed an order for one of the new hybrid crossovers last summer but received a call from his dealer this week. The aspiring Vue driver was informed that the vehicles would not be built. Since Saturn had not made any official announcements about the fate of the Vue, we contacted spokesman Brian Corbett. It turns out that what the dealer said was only partly true. According to Corbett, “due to a variety of factors including decreases in consumer spending, demand for vehicles and demand for hybrid vehicles in particular, the decision has been made to begin production of the Vue 2-Mode for the 2010 model year. It will hit the market this summer. ” So there won’t be any 2009 Saturn Vue 2-mode hybrids built. At this point of course, it’s impossible to predict what will happen between now and summer. All of GM’s product plans remain in flux, as does the future of Saturn. If things continue to get worse for GM, it’s possible this vehicle will never be produced. The most likely scenario may in fact be that GM will simply install the Vue’s hybrid system in the new Chevy Equinox instead and call it a day. Gallery: First Drive: 2009 Saturn VUE 2 Mode Hybrid All Photos Copyright (C) 2008 Alex Núñez / Weblogs, Inc. [Source: General Motors] Auto Blog: Hybrid , Saturn Is the Saturn Vue Two-Mode hybrid DOA? Not yet originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 26 Feb 2009 08:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green

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Is the Saturn Vue Two-Mode hybrid DOA? Not yet

Chevy Volt wins environmental prize at Festival Automobile International

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 07:01:00 +0000

A jury at the Festival International Automobile has selected the Chevrolet Volt for the 2009 Environmental Grand Prize. The jury at the French festival is comprised of artists, media and auto industry representatives and selected winners in multiple categories including the new Alfa Romeo MiTo mini car which chosen as the most beautiful car of 2008. The festival this year looked at the car in light of the current economic environment and festival president Remi Depoix said “Designers, engineers and marketing people in the automotive business will have to come up with new valid responses to this new paradox: to conceive an automobile answering new expectations and new requirements without compromising on charm.” Whether or not the Volt meets that no-compromises charm target is still debatable, but it certainly has the potential to break new ground in the technical department. The real question will be whether it can succeed on a commercial level whether the economy turns around or not. Only time will tell the answer to that question. Gallery: 2011 Chevy Volt [Source: General Motors ] Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in , Hybrid , GM Chevy Volt wins environmental prize at Festival Automobile International originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 20 Feb 2009 08:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green

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Chevy Volt wins environmental prize at Festival Automobile International

Opel Ampera caught undisguised in Germany

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 16:00:00 +0000

Sources suggest that General Motors is readying the Opel Ampera for an expected debut at the Geneva Motor Show next month. The Ampera will be the first production vehicle in Europe using the Voltec powertrain that should make its first appearance in the Chevy Volt in 2010. We got an early sneak peek at the general shape of the Ampera earlier this week from the European Office for Harmonization of the Internal Market, aka the patent office. Now, some sleuthy spy shooters in Germany have managed to catch the car completely naked while posing at an unnamed German facility. We can clearly see that this car will share most of its sheetmetal with its sibling from America, with most of the changes being most apparent in the Cylon-like front fascia. Underneath that skin, we are not expecting to see any real changes to the specifications outlined by the Chevy Volt, which means an electric-only range of 40 miles that’s augmented by a small 1.4-liter four cylinder engine. Thanks for the tip, Mehdi ! [Source: Autocar ] Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in , Hybrid , Geneva Motor Show , Opel , Europe/EU , Spy Shots Opel Ampera caught undisguised in Germany originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 19 Feb 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green

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Opel Ampera caught undisguised in Germany

Hybrids account for 2.3% of January auto sales

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 15:17:00 +0000

Click above for high-res image gallery of the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid Although the global and U.S. automotive markets are suffering a huge setback in sales, it’s not impossible for automakers to find a few positive trends to hang their hats on, and one of them centers around hybrids. On the surface, it seems that now may not the best time to be charging extra for fuel saving options, especially since gas prices have fallen mightily from their precipitous highs last summer. Regardless, hybrid vehicles managed to carve out a bit more market share last month, with the official figure standing at 2.3 percent. The fact is that automakers sold fewer hybrids last month than they did a year earlier, but that rate of decline is actually better than what’s being seen in other segments. It may be a shallow victory, but it’s a possible ray of good news in an overall negative climate. There’s reason to believe things will continue to improve on the hybrid sales front with the upcoming introductions of volume sellers like the new 2009 Honda Insight , 2010 Toyota Prius and 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid . Gallery: First Drive: 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid [Source: TerraPass ] Auto Blog: Hybrid , USA Hybrids account for 2.3% of January auto sales originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 19 Feb 2009 16:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green

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Hybrids account for 2.3% of January auto sales

Chery unveils the S18, its first electric car

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 14:32:00 +0000

China’s largest independent automaker, Chery , has “unveiled” their first electric car. Called the S18, the small 4 door appears to be the a battery-operated version of the S18/QQ2 first shown to the world at last year’s Beijing Auto Show . The in-house design features lithium iron phosphate ( LiFePO 4 ) batteries with enough range to roll up to 150 km (93 miles), while its 336 volt system can allow the 40 kW (53.64 hp) motor to take it up to the dizzying speed of 120 kph (75 mph). Plugged into a 220V outlet, it can charge in 4 to 6 hours or hooked up to a “fast-charger” it can fill to 85 per cent of its capacity in 30 minutes. As to whether it will actually go into production, Chery hasn’t yet said but it wouldn’t surprise us. BYD , its well known competitor, will begin selling its all-electric E6 later this year. [Source: Reuters / Chery via Green Car Congress ] Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in , China Chery unveils the S18, its first electric car originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 19 Feb 2009 15:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green

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Argentina motorbike manufacturer launches CNG bike

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 13:48:00 +0000

Argentina’s most important motorbike manufacturer, Zanella, has announced its first factory-installed CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) powered bike. The bike, which is a converted RX150 model, has 150 cc displacement and the conversion adds two tanks of gas for a range of approximately 200 kilometers (120 miles). The tanks can store 1.4 m 3 of natural gas and are located in the same place as the fuel tank. Interestingly, a small reservoir that holds 3.5 liters of gasoline remains on board for emergencies. The CNG option costs 1,000 pesos (about $285) and the conversion kit is supplied by local manufacturer Ecopos, based in Santa Fe, Argentina. [Source: NGV ] Auto Blog: Natural Gas , On Two Wheels , South/Latin America Argentina motorbike manufacturer launches CNG bike originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 19 Feb 2009 14:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green

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PG&E to purchase 2 plug-in hybrid SUVs from Raser Technologies

Wed, 11 Feb 2009 08:32:00 +0000

Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in , Hybrid We learned of Raser Technologies’ extended range electric vehicle architecture that it had developed for larger truck applications at last year’s SAE World Congress . The company has received an order from Pacific Gas and Electric for two SUVs equipped with its drivetrain. PG&E becomes the first buyer of plug-in technology from Raser and will use the vehicles for evaluation and demonstration purposes. Based on the expected duty cycle for the vehicles they may achieve as much 100 mpg and cut operating costs by 75 percent. The Raser drivetrain is designed to provide 40 miles of electric range from the lithium ion battery pack before the engine starts up to maintain the battery charge. At its initial announcement, Raser indicated that it was collaborating with an automotive OEM but has yet to reveal who that company is. However, given that renderings on the company’s site and as well as a video, it seem that company might be General Motors. The video shows the first Hummer H3 test vehicle under construction with a 200 kW drive motor and an EcoTec four cylinder driving the 100 kW generator. That first prototype is expected to be road tested by the end of March. [Source: Raser Technologies ] Continue reading PG&E to purchase 2 plug-in hybrid SUVs from Raser Technologies PG&E to purchase 2 plug-in hybrid SUVs from Raser Technologies originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 11 Feb 2009 09:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green

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Toyota enters biofuel territory with cellulosic ethanol plan

Wed, 11 Feb 2009 07:44:00 +0000

Auto Blog: Ethanol , Toyota , Japan Not many posts have been written on our little blog here that use both of the following two words: “Toyota,” “ethanol.” Until now, the Japanese automaker has mostly steered clear of the biofuel (with a few exceptions ), unlike the domestic brands that can’t seem to get enough . New reports from Reuters say that ToMoCo, along with other Japanse firms, will work to develop low-cost cellulosic ethanol. Go figure. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Toray Industries Inc, Kajima Corp, Nippon Oil Corp. and Sapporo Engineering Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sapporo Breweries, are all joining the automaker in the project, which might use plant and timber waste as a biofuel feedstock. The group’s goal is to produce 1.6 million barrels a year by 2014; by 2015 they hope to drive the cost down to $70 a barrel (there are 42 gallons of fuel in a barrel, and compare here ). Anyone who’s been to the future should please post in theCar Blog Green what the price of oil will be in 2015. Thanks. [Source: Reuters via Domestic Fuel ] Toyota enters biofuel territory with cellulosic ethanol plan originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 11 Feb 2009 08:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green

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Bob Lutz to retire at the end of 2009

Mon, 09 Feb 2009 11:51:00 +0000

Auto Blog: GM Automotive journalists the world over are saddened and General Motors communications staff are breathing a sigh of relief today: Bob Lutz is retiring. For journalists, the loss of perhaps the most quotable executive since Hank the Duece means they will have to dig a little harder for stories. For the PR staff, it means a little less scrambling to spin the story whenever Lutz goes off script. Lutz has been Vice Chairman for Global Product Development at GM since 2001. Over his 45-year automotive career, Lutz has worked at Opel, BMW, Ford and Chrysler as well as a stint running Exide batteries. During his current stint at General Motors, Lutz has been a vocal champion for the newest generation of products ranging from the Cadillac CTS to the Chevrolet Volt . Lutz has also made himself a target as one of the executives behind the decision to kill the EV1 and hisCar Blog Green about man-made global warming being “a crock of …” As of April 1, Lutz will move to a senior advisor role and Tom Stephens will move over running global powertrain operations to overseeing all of product development. Lutz will officially leave GM at the end of the year. Thanks to everyone who sent this in. [Source: General Motors] Continue reading Bob Lutz to retire at the end of 2009 Bob Lutz to retire at the end of 2009 originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 09 Feb 2009 12:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green

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Bob Lutz to retire at the end of 2009