Volt

LG Chem to start production at Mich. car battery plant in July

1:52 pm U.S. ET | May 6, 2013
South Korean battery maker LG Chem plans to begin commercial production at its Michigan factory in July and will initially supply its products to General Motors' Volt electric vehicles.... Read More »

 

2nd lives for EV batteries could cut prices

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 6, 2013
Lithium ion battery packs that power some electrified vehicles could end up feeding juice into the electrical grid -- a development that could cut EV ownership costs.... Read More »

 

Automakers pitch green cars for saving money, not the planet

8:23 am U.S. ET | April 28, 2013
Nissan is joining General Motors and Tesla Motors, the largest sellers of rechargeable autos in North America, in promoting the money-saving benefits of battery-powered cars over saving the planet.... Read More »

 

Tesla Model S topped Chevy's Volt in Q1 sales

2:59 pm U.S. ET | April 26, 2013
Tesla Motors is North America's rechargeable auto sales leader so far this year as its Model S sedan passed GM's Chevrolet Volt in the first quarter.... Read More »

 

PLUGGING ALONG

Plugging along

12:01 am U.S. ET | March 25, 2013
Are sales of electric-drive vehicles disappointing? No doubt. Has the buzz faded? Undeniably. So are electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids dead? Not really.... Read More »

 

GM targets 20% increase in plug-in hybrid output this year

12:49 pm U.S. ET | Feb. 27, 2013
GM is planning this year to build as many as 36,000 Chevrolet Volt and other plug-in hybrids, 20 percent more than it sold in 2012, two people familiar with the effort said.... Read More »

 

FINAL ASSEMBLY

Nader's EV plan: Lower stickers, batteries come from utilities

12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 11, 2013
Consumer advocate Ralph Nader has long been a thorn in the side of the auto industry, but he is a big supporter of plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles. But he worries that slow sales of EVs will cause automakers to reach a "here we go again" moment, where "they decide it's not profitable, and they dump it."... Read More »

 

Energy department launches program to promote EV charging at work

5:02 pm U.S. ET | Feb. 7, 2013
The U.S. Department of Energy, taking another step to help make electric vehicles more popular, has teamed up with automakers and several other companies to boost the number of office-based charging stations tenfold within the next five years.... Read More »

 

Frigid temps offer first tests for many EVs' range, performance

12:01 am U.S. ET | Jan. 26, 2013
Frigid temperatures cut electrified vehicles' driving range, but automakers say there are ways for owners to maximize efficiency. With the electrified segment's growth in 2012, more people than ever in cold weather states will need to figure out what it takes to get the most juice out of their vehicles.... Read More »

 

Ford launches deals to spur Focus EV sales

3:25 pm U.S. ET | Jan. 25, 2013
Ford, responding to soft sales for the Ford Focus EV and recent moves by rivals, has launched a wave of discounts and special lease deals to spur demand for the alternative-powered compact car.... Read More »

 

AUTOMOTIVE NEWS WORLD CONGRESS

Next-gen Volt will cost 'thousands' less

12:01 am U.S. ET | Jan. 21, 2013
General Motors can take "thousands of dollars" out of the next-generation Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid, GM North America President Mark Reuss said.... Read More »

 

2013 AUTOMOTIVE NEWS WORLD CONGRESS

GM's Reuss: Electric vehicles' day will come

8:20 pm U.S. ET | Jan. 16, 2013
GM's top U.S. executive delivered a staunch defense of electric vehicles and the Chevrolet Volt, noting that the plug-in hybrid's sales tripled in 2012. Mark Reuss, head of GM North America, acknowledged the hurdles to broader adoption of EVs and plug-ins, including high prices. He cited signs that local-government support for green cars might be waning, including the state of Washington's recent decision to charge EV owners a $100 annual fee.... Read More »

 

GE backs off plan for 25,000 EVs, plug-in hybrids

12:01 am U.S. ET | Jan. 14, 2013
General Electric's commitment to buy 25,000 electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids, promoted as the largest such purchase ever when it was announced more than two years ago, is shifting to include other types of alternate-fuel vehicles. The reason: Customers of GE's corporate fleet-services unit wanted more options.... Read More »

 

GE backs off plan to buy 25,000 EVs, plug-in hybrids

12:06 pm U.S. ET | Jan. 7, 2013
General Electric's commitment to buy 25,000 electric autos, promoted as the largest ever when it was announced more than two years ago, is taking a detour. The obstacle: Customers of GE's corporate fleet-services unit wanted more options. So GE has included natural gas-powered pickups and propane-fueled vehicles among about 11,000 autos -- mostly plug-in hybrids and electric cars -- already acquired from makers including Ford and GM.... Read More »

 

NHTSA proposes rules for automakers to add sound to hybrids, EVs

1:29 pm U.S. ET | Jan. 7, 2013
Automakers would need to make hybrids and electric vehicles emit sound under rules that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration proposed today. The rules, ordered by Congress three years ago, are meant to protect pedestrians and bicyclists from vehicles that make little sound when using electric power. NHTSA says that designing the vehicles to make noise at speeds below 18 mph would prevent about 2,800 injuries over the life of each model year of vehicles.... Read More »

 

Some Volt dealers balk at tool tab

12:01 am U.S. ET | Dec. 31, 2012
Some Chevrolet dealers have stopped carrying the Volt after deciding that their sales didn't justify an additional $5,100 for tools to service the plug-in hybrid.... Read More »

 

LINDSAY CHAPPELL

On the mpg front, 2012 had some fizzle

12:01 am U.S. ET | Dec. 28, 2012
This was supposed to be a big year in the push for better auto fuel economy. Electric vehicles and hybrids were supposed to make giant strides in 2012.... Read More »

 

2013 DETROIT AUTO SHOW

Cadillac teases ELR ahead of Detroit intro

2:20 pm U.S. ET | Dec. 18, 2012
The veil is beginning to come off the 2014 Cadillac ELR, the extended-range electric luxury coupe that will make its world debut at the Detroit auto show in January.... Read More »

 

Akerson says cost cuts will help the Volt

12:01 am U.S. ET | Dec. 10, 2012
General Motors CEO Dan Akerson believes GM can cut $5,000 to $10,000 in costs out of the next-generation Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid. Akerson acknowledged that getting there could mean spreading the vehicle's costs over higher volumes, which he didn't quantify.... Read More »

 

2012 LOS ANGELES AUTO SHOW

Ford Fusion wins 2013 Green Car of Year award

3:15 pm U.S. ET | Nov. 29, 2012
Ford, which has emphasized improving the fuel efficiency of its lineup, won a top "green car" award for its Fusion mid-sized sedan, which is offered in gas-powered, hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions.... Read More »

 

Chevy Volt again ranked by Consumer Reports as most-loved car

6:00 am U.S. ET | Nov. 29, 2012
The Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid landed atop Consumer Reports' annual owner-satisfaction ranking for the second straight year. Ninety-two percent of responding Volt owners in a poll of the magazine's subscribers said they definitely would buy a Volt again, tops among 240 models, the magazine said today. Several other fuel-efficient models also scored highly, including Toyota's Camry Hybrid, Prius, and Prius C as well as Nissan's Leaf electric car.... Read More »

 

Spark EV: How GM is leveraging a $1 billion bet

12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 26, 2012
For General Motors to recoup the more than $1 billion it poured into the Chevrolet Volt's development, many observers say, the automaker must use the Voltec system on many other vehicles to amortize those hefty costs. That's true. But the planned launch next summer of an electric version of the Chevy Spark minicar shows how GM can leverage its Volt investment for other electrified vehicles... Read More »

 

FROM THE CURRENT ANE PRINT ISSUE

Gasoline engines poised to gain share in Europe

Nov. 22, 2012 06:01 CET
Despite all the hoopla over electric cars and fuel cells, gasoline-powered vehicles will be the key powertrain for automakers that must meet the European Union's tough emission standards. That's because a lack of government support for crucial infrastructure – such as roadside charging stations – is hampering automakers' efforts to market electric cars.... Read More »

 

GM will focus on plug-ins and EVs, but not hybrids

2:09 pm U.S. ET | Nov. 14, 2012
General Motors' future green-car efforts will focus on plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles, rather than conventional hybrid powertrains, product chief Mary Barra said today.... Read More »

 

Electric vehicle prices must fall for sales to take off, Power study finds

4:01 pm U.S. ET | Nov. 8, 2012
U.S. sales of plug-in electric and hybrid vehicles are rising, but they won't gain real traction until manufacturers lower prices and demonstrate clear economic benefits, market researcher J.D. Power and Associates said in a study released on Thursday.... Read More »