At a preview of GM's 2009 model year lineup yesterday in Jolliet IL, Bob Lutz revealed that the production supplier for the Chevy Volt battery has been selected. Unfortunately, the GM Vice Chairman would not say which of the development suppliers had been selected. Two partnerships have been supplying prototype batteries to GM for the E-Flex program since late in 2007. LG Chem and its U.S. subsidiary Compact Power Inc have long been considered to be the leaders in the race to supply the most critical component of the Volt.

Continental and A123 have also been providing batteries but they ran behind CPI in initial pack deliveries. Lutz reiterated that a test fleet of production-intent Volts would be on the road being field tested by late 2009 ahead of a November 2010 retail launch.

[Source: Detroit Free Press]

Click to enlarge

Is the vehicle pictured above the production Chevy Volt? It sure looks like it. It has the right greenhouse profile and judging from the head and tail-lights it looks an awful lot like the teaser shots that GM has been releasing lately. Perhaps the most telling detail though is the visible at the base of the A-pillar right in front of the mirror. The letters on that badge sure appear to spell out VOLT!. The car in this photo was shot during filming of Transformers 2 somewhere in Long Beach. So far calls to our contacts at GM are going unanswered but let you know as soon as we hear something. Thanks to Tony for the tip!

UPDATE: This is indeed the Volt! A video of the shoot has turned up that shows the car from above and clearly shows the rear end with a Chevy bowtie badge and prominent Volt logo. You can check out the video here and screen caps in the gallery below.


[Source: Transformers Live Action Blog]

Click above for high-res gallery of the 2011 Chevy Cruze

Chevrolet has just released official photos of the first car to be based on the company's next generation Delta platform, also known officially as the Global Compact Car platform. The Chevy Cruze will get its official debut at the Paris Motor Show in October and will be available globally starting in Europe next March. The U.S. market should get the Cruze about a year later with initial sales alongside the existing Cobalt, though eventually the Cobalt goes away in favor of the Cruze. At its European launch the Cruze will have 1.6L and 1.8L gas four-cylinders with variable valve timing and a new 2.0L diesel good for 150 hp. The U.S. market Cruze is expected to debut with the new 1.4L direct injected turbo four that will be built in Flint, MI. Cruzes for North American drivers will be built at GM's Lordstown, OH plant alongside the Cobalt.

The Cruze platform will ultimately spawn a whole plethora of small vehicles in the GM family, including the next generation Astra and a compact MPV to replace the Zafira. That MPV is planned to be built in Detroit alongside another member of the Delta family, something called the Volt. The Volt will have different styling and a hatchback body style along with a normally aspirated version of the 1.4L to charge its lithium ion battery pack. The Volt will also share many under-body components with the Cruze. More details on the Cruze are after the jump.


[Source: General Motors]

Veteran interviewer Charlie Rose has done a two-part look at General Motors in the wake of the company's recent losses and its pending centennial celebration. In the first part, Rose sits down with Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner to discuss all manner of issues surrounding the ailing automaker, including the Volt. Aside from reiterating that the engineering teams are making excellent progress on the Volt and are on track to meet the late 2010 Job 1 date, Wagoner was asked about price. He replied that they haven't worked out final pricing yet but expects the initial cars to come out in the mid to upper 30s. That's clearly more than they would have liked but it is the reality of battery costs. Wagoner said the company hopes that the government will implement tax incentives that make the end price more palatable to consumers. On the subject of incentives he said that GM doesn't expect the government to pay for the development of vehicles like the Volt, but would like to see the government encourage the demand side to help build volume. That would be a combination of incentives to buy, and also allowing fuel prices not to drop too much. The company is already realigning its production capacity to the reality of high gas prices and they would hate to see a reversal in demand for trucks at this point. You can check out the video after the jump. A second part, featuring an interview with Bob Lutz, hasn't been posted online yet.

[Source: Charlie Rose]

Just last week we found out that lithium ion battery maker A123 Systems had filed the first batch of paperwork required for it to make an initial public stock sale. Having tried to read through a few of these kinds of filings in the past, we took a pass this time around. Fortunately our friends at GreenTechMedia waded into these waters and noticed some interesting items. Since companies have to disclose all sorts of information about risks and benefits they face when going public, A123 discussed sales. Until now, A123's biggest customer has been Black and Decker, although A123 also has two separate development contracts with General Motors for the Saturn VUE PHEV and something called the Volt. The S-1 filling only mentions reduced revenue from its most significant customer without explaining which of the two companies that is. This could mean a number of things. It could mean that A123 is on the losing end of one or both of the GM production contracts which would definitely be a bad thing for A123. The other and perhaps more likely possibility is Black and Decker. Black and Decker uses A123 batteries in its premium DeWalt line of power-tools. DeWalt tools are more commonly used by contractors and other professionals while general consumers typically opt for the cheaper Black and Decker brand. The same collapse of the housing market that has killed sales of full-size pickup trucks over the past year could be having an impact here. If new homes aren't being built, contractors don't need new tools to put in the new trucks they aren't buying either. A123 can't really say anything specific right now because of the legally mandated quiet period, but GM should be making an announcement in the next few months about the Volt battery supplier. Thanks to Rick for the tip!

[Source: GreenTechMedia]

Bob Boniface the director of the E-Flex design studio at GM is in Traverse City MI this week for the Management Briefing Seminars. We already saw the new teaser shots of the Volt released yesterday and Green Fuels Forecast had a chance to speak with Boniface following his presentation. Boniface elaborated on some of the design changes that have brought the Volt to where it will be for production. The slim packaging of the battery pack down the center tunnel and the re-shaping of the body have not only reduced the drag but also increased interior volume. As we've heard before, the drag reduction was key to helping achieve the 40 mile electric range target for the Volt. GM has also posted a new wind tunnel video that gives a further hint about the overall shape of the Volt that you can check out after the jump.

Update: There's an extra video added after the jump of the Boniface presentation from MBS that includes additional images.


[Source: Green Fuels Forecast]

Click for high res images

ABC news has just posted another video discussing the Chevy Volt. As expected, it's basically a puff piece with nothing particularly earth shattering being revealed as far as technical details. Car and Driver editor Csaba Csere expresses his skepticism that GM can make the Volt happen on target. However GM exterior design executive director Michael Simcoe does peal back the cover off the latest production styling buck and reveals some new details. Compared to the version that we saw in the studio back in December, the current version doesn't appear dramatically different but GM has refined some details. The shape of the lower edge of the headlight cluster has changed with a step up in the middle and the trailing section with the turn signals now being narrower and stretching further back. In a side view, it's clear that the whole nose is now far more sharply swept back than the concept. As we saw in December the whole Chevrolet signature grille area is now closed off with all air coming through the opening below the bumper. There is also a prominent splitter that didn't exist on the concept. Even with the cover on the buck, it's apparent that the car retains the up-swept belt line and high rear deck of the concept but the green house is significantly taller. The increased rake of the windshield compared to the concept is also apparent in the side view as are the more subdued fender flares. We'll be getting our definitive view of the Volt soon enough but for now we'll just have to keep settling for these teases. You can check out the video after the jump. Thanks to Jacob for the tip!


[Source: ABC News]

During the recent British Motor Show, GM Europe boss was expecting to get deluged with questions about the precarious financial situation at the home office in Detroit. To his surprise he found that the subject most of the European media were interested in was the status of E-Flex in Europe. For those just joining the conversation, E-flex is the extended range electric drive power-train architecture GM is developing for the Chevrolet Volt. Forster provides responses to some of the most common questions in a post on the GM Europe Blog, Driving Conversations today. Our friends across the pond will get their first chance to sample E-Flex vehicles about a year after the US launch. An Opel/Vauxhall branded E-Flex vehicle will be the first to appear in late 2011. Since Opel and Vauxhall in the UK are GM's volume divisions there, they will get the first ER-EVs while a Chevrolet branded vehicle will arrive a few months later. Those first Opel ER-EVs will be exported from the Detroit plant that is building the Volt but as production ramps up, additional capacity will be added in Europe. What Forster doesn't discuss is whether the Opel ER-EV will have the same styling as the Volt or a unique body, perhaps looking like the Flextreme concept that appeared at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show. Forster also didn't discuss the range extender which we have been told will be the same 1.4L gas engine that will appear in the production Volt. Clearly GM is counting heavily on E-Flex to help it meet future EU carbon dioxide emissions limits.


[Source: General Motors]

In an interview with Design News, GM Vice President for R&D and Strategic Planning Larry Burns reiterated the company's intention to have the lithium ion battery pack last essentially the life of the car. Since early on the program, GM officials have set the target lifespan of the battery pack as 10 years and 150,000 miles. Since the battery is such an integral part of making the car work, the company needs to ensure its durability. In his response Burns indicated that the battery would be covered under warranty for that time frame although at this point it far too early to know what the details of such a warranty might be. Regular 12V car batteries typically have pro-rated warranties that that cover less as the age of the battery increases. With only a three year development time for the Volt GM will have a tough time validating the durability of the battery although a lot of accelerated testing is happening. The pack itself will have 200-300 cells inside and will have to be carefully manufactured so that all the connections are robust. Beyond the Volt, Burns expects all of GM's cars to eventually be electrically driven either with batteries or fuel cells. He indicated that a commercial fuel cell market should be going by about 2012-14 although that depends on the expansion of fuel availability.

[Source: Design News]

Is it possible that we'll see a Ford Volt at some time in the not to distant future? If a story in the Detroit News is to be believed, yes! Ford and General Motors are apparently in talks to share the E-Flex powertrain technology that underpins the Volt. It wouldn't be the first time that Ford and GM have collaborated. The front wheel drive 6-speed automatic transmissions used in the larger cars and crossovers (Flex, Taurus, Acadia, etc) was jointly developed by the two companies. GM has also collaborated with Daimler, Chrysler and BMW on the Two-Mode hybrid system.

Sharing the E-Flex hardware would allow GM to more rapidly ramp up production volumes and drive down costs. At the same time Ford would be able to pick up an advanced powertrain that they are currently lacking. GM reportedly approached Ford and the Dearborn board of directors approved negotiations. Several meetings have been held but nothing has been agreed to yet. At the same 2007 Detroit Auto Show where the Volt Concept debuted, Ford showed its own Airstream concept with a plug-in fuel cell series hybrid powertrain. Ford has had a prototype Edge running with that powertrain since November 2006 and could provide some controls and system integration experience to the collaboration. GM is likely well ahead of Ford on the battery development side at this point.

[Source: Detroit News]

Back in June when GM CEO Rick Wagoner outlined product realignment decisions at the company's annual meeting, the Flint engine plant was identified as the home of a new family of small engines. GM has now filed paperwork with the city of Flint indicating that the new Family 0 engines would be built at the facility. The Family 0 engines will include three and four cylinder powerplants ranging from 1.0-1.4L in displacement. Among the first engines will be a turbocharged 1.4L that will go into the new Chevrolet Cruze. Last week GM's Larry Nitz identified the normally aspirated 1.4L will be used to drive the range extender in the Chevy Volt ER-EV. A new factory will be built adjacent to an existing engine plant and truck plant. The $326 million facility will cover 530,000 sq ft when it launches production in 2010.

[Source: Flint Journal]

The man in charge of hybrid powertrain development at GM Larry Nitz has confirmed that the E-Flex team has made the decision to switch engines for the range extender in the upcoming Chevy Volt. The original concept was to use a turbocharged 1.0L three cylinder engine to drive the generator. Instead they have decided to use a 1.4L normally aspirated version of the engine that will power the upcoming Chevy Cruze in turbo form. Nitz also discussed the issue of why performance of the Volt won't be degraded when running in charge sustaining mode, the status of the Plug-in Vue and expansion of Two-Mode hybrid availability. Full explanations are available in the Green Fuels Forecast interview.

[Source: Green Fuels Forecast]

Over at the old gray lady, Joe Nocera has cast a jaundiced eye upon the phenomenon that is Tesla Motors and comes away with the conclusion that the Chevy Volt will come away as the winner. In fact Nocera seems very skeptical that pure battery electric cars will be a viable mainstream prospect anytime soon. Certainly based solely on the example of Tesla, it does not seem likely that a start-up will succeed in producing an EV for the masses profitably anytime soon. As I've said here many times building an affordable mass market car is actually a lot harder than building a high-dollar sports car, and Tesla has clearly shown that even that is no easy feat. Tesla hopes to build the Model S sedan in about two years at a cost starting at $60,000. The model S is unlikely to match the nominal range of the Roadster at the base price, especially when you consider that it will be a much larger heavier car made of aluminum rather than carbon fiber (over an aluminum structure). Even the Roadster only achieves a little more than half its nominal range of 227 miles when driven hard. Contrary to Elon Musk who thinks hybrids and ER-EVs are a red herring, Nocera feels that the Volt is a far more viable candidate for success.

What Nocera doesn't touch on is the small Japanese EVs that are coming from the likes of Mitsubishi, Subaru and Nissan. Mitsubishi in particular seems extremely confident about the iMiEV. Only time will tell.

[Source: New York Times]

While it seems the public must wait until September to get a glimpse of the final production version of the Chevy Volt, GM is letting John McCain cut to the front of the line to take a good look at the architecture that the company hopes will propel them into the next decade. The presumptive Republican presidential nominee was given a tour of the GM Design Center Dome at Warren, MI today where he later held a Town Hall meeting with hundreds of GM employees. We guess they're not holding that "Some of the jobs that have left the state of Michigan are not coming back," line from the primaries against him.

McCain seems not to caved to the auto industry's wishes on national emissions standards on this visit. Though last month he told the Detroit News that he would like a national standard that would make state standards unnecessary, today he clarified his position by saying, "I guess at the end of the day, I support the states being able to do that,[set their own standards]." He also recounted his earlier ideas for helping the industry get its groove back by giving $5,000 tax credits to low-emission vehicle purchasers and, of course, his $300 million battery challenge.

[Source: Detroit Free Press / The Detroit News via GM-Volt.com]

Click on the image above for more shots of Lutz and the Vectrix

Bob Lutz, GM's formost Volt-pusher, loves himself some electric vehicles. As the owner of four (that's right... dude's got four!) Segways and a Vectrix Scooter, he's surely gotten used to the charging ritual. Still, accidents happen, and Mr. Lutz apparently found himself stranded after a faulty charge gauge left him thinking he had nearly twenty miles left before his batteries were dead. A few miles later, though, the Vectrix rolled to a stop and would move no further.

"When you are out in the middle of nowhere with an electric vehicle, and you have no back-up powerplant, you are truly, truly screwed. You can't go to the nearest wall outlet and bring back five gallons of electricity," Lutz says. Of course, with the Chevy Volt, the driver would need to both run his batteries dry and continue to run his gas tank dry before being stranded, though that distance may come a bit quicker than was initially planned.



[Source: Auto Observer]