Chevy To Shut Down Volt Plant For Upgrades

If you’re patiently waiting for dealer inventory of the 2011 Chevy Volt to build up before buying one, you may have to wait a little bit longer. Chevrolet has announced a four-week shutdown of their Detroit-Hamtramck plant, beginning in June, to ramp up for increased production of Chevy Volt and Opel Ampera models. The plant will receive new tools, updated equipment and an overhead conveyor system that’s expected to increase productivity. The Hamtramck plant is expected to have the capacity to produce 60,000 Volt and Ampera models in 2012, some 45,000 of which will be destined for the United States. The 2013 Chevy Malibu will also be produced in the plant, alongside the other GM models. Read more

Mitsubishi Joins The Electric Car Party In The U.S.

Mitsubishi has been been selling their i MiEv (for Mitsubishi innovative Electric Vehicle) in Japan since July of 2009, and in 2010 the oddly-styled urban commuter went on sale in Hong Kong, Australia and Germany. The United Kingdom joined the distribution network in January of 2011, and the U.S. is slated to get the car (called the Mitsubishi i on these shores) around the beginning of 2012. Like the Nissan Leaf, the Mitsubishi i will be powered by batteries and an electric motor only; unlike the Leaf, it will have a range of less than 100 miles under ideal conditions. In fact, current projected range is said to be 75 miles based on U.S testing standards. Where will the Mitsubishi i shine against the Leaf? In pricing, for one. Read more

Will Buick Get Their Own Extended Range EV?

The U.S. market Chevy Volt is sold in the E.U. as the Opel Ampera. Aside from the name change, the exterior styling of the European version is different (and sharper, if you ask me), and I’m absolutely certain that Euros can’t opt for the Volt’s dysentery-green interior. That’s a good thing, since the green interior was the most hideous thing I’ve seen on a production automobile since the 1970s. Mechanically, the two are identical twins, once you factor in the differing safety requirements by market. Volt sales in the United States have yet to hit GM’s forecasted levels, so the automaker is considering options to expand the car’s appeal. One of the things on the table, according to Autoblog, is a Buick branded version of the Opel Ampera. Read more

An Opel Ampera… Police Car?

The above image comes courtesy of Opel Germany, who thinks it may be a good idea to produce the Opel Ampera (the EU’s Chevy Volt) in a police version. Starting at a price just below $58,000, that’s going to be a tough sell even in Green-obsessed Germany. As much as I was impressed by my time with the Volt, I’m pretty sure that it would have too many limitations to be a functional police cruiser, even if you used it exclusively in urban environments. First there’s the issue of the Ampera’s range; if the standard car’s range is impacted by using things like the radio, climate control and headlights, how do you think a version equipped with strobes, a light bar, more (high wattage) radios, electronics and siren would fare? Would an EV range of 20 miles be acceptable to police agencies, even if the car could still be driven via the gasoline generator? When do police cars at busy departments get enough down time to effectively charge the batteries? Read more

Chevy Volt What? – Nissan Leaf EV Gets 367 MPG

Could it be that the EV race is on? Will other automotive manufacturers such as Toyota, Honda and Nissan battle it out with GM’s Chevrolet to better the new Chevy Volts claimed 230 Miles Per Gallon estimate? It would appear to be that way because according to the NissanEV’s Twitter account, the new Nissan EV will sport a 367 mpg figure which was derived using the Department of Energy formula. Funny, because the Nissan EV has no tail-pipe and does not use gasoline… so what gives?

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100 Mile Per Gallon Hummer – The Chevy Volt’s Daddy

Who said Hummers are one of the most gas guzzling and uneconomical SUV’s around? I actually use to say that all the time until now. A Utah company, Raser Technologies, has converted a Hummer H3 into a 100mpg extended range vehicle good for about 40 miles.

Today posted on Wired.com’s blog is a write-up about this new mammoth that was one of the most criticized vehicles when it comes to fuel efficiency. Raser Technologies says this vehicle should push 90mph and still have off-road capabilities. It has a lithium ion battery that can be charged in 3 hours. The company has also said they will be converting upwards of 2000 of these big SUV’s by the end of the year.

 

 

So why start with a Hummer in making it an EV or extended range electric vehicle?

Below is a short excerpt from wired.com’s blog answering that very question:

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Tesla Model S Uncovered Images – Sort Of

The guys at Autopia have a great imagination just as other gear-heads who post off-the-wall automotive stuff online. A new rendering of the Tesla S has taken it to a new level. They have rendered what the Tesla S may actually look like found in their post, “Behold the Tesla Model S“.

They basically took a combination of a few teaser images that have already been circulating over the internet on various automotive sites and automotive blogs. If you ask me, it looks pretty convincing and I am willing to bet the actual Tesla Model S to look very similar to the photoshop job below. Can we call it a photoshop job? Is that still the correct lingo?

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NAIAS 2009: Toyota Will Debut Battery Electric Vehicle Concept at 2009 North American International Auto Show

As we approach the utopia of “a world without gas powered vehicles”, all of the big dogs are rolling out their own version of an all electric vehicle. Toyota, who has had some experience with this in the past with the RAV-4 Electric Vehicle, is going to debut a battery electric vehicle concept at the upcoming 2009 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. 

We knew Toyota would be jumping into this game, it was only a matter of time especially from the #1 seller of Hybrid vehicles.

We are not sure if they will be using a current Toyota chassis for the new battery electric Toyota but if we were to guess it would be based off of one of their smaller vehicles ie: Toyota Prius, Corolla or any Scion.

This tip comes in from a press released just issued today:

Toyota Will Debut Battery Electric Vehicle Concept at 2009 North American International Auto Show

TORRANCE, Calif., Dec. 22 /PRNewswire/ — Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. will display a battery electric vehicle concept at the 2009 North American International Auto Show. This display marks the world debut of this concept vehicle.

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