A variable displacement oil pump that features in the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze is able to deliver the precise amount of oil needed during all driving conditions meaning the engine can work less and save fuel.

The oil pump is a standard feature of the Cruze’s 1.4l Ecotec turbocharged engine. It reduces displacement during the engine warm up process and also during high speed conditions with the volume of oil from the pump varying along with the revs per minute by changing the displacement through a pivoting control chamber mechanism.

According to Mike Katerberg, the assistant chief engineer for the 1.4l Cruze engine, it is by lowering the volume of oil that the engine is able to reduce energy. He described it as a simple, durable and maintenance free design that has been used in the company’s transmissions for years and is also employed in its hybrid vehicles.

The 1.4l Ecotec turbo is standard on Eco, LT and LTZ models and helps the Cruze achieve an expected segment leading 40mpg.

In addition, the vehicle benefits from a front grill where an automatic air shutter system allows the car to change shape and cut through the air more smoothly. It uses sensors to feel and sense wind and temperature conditions and when the shutters are closed at high speeds, wind drag is reduced.

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As it furthers its commitment to green technology, General Motors (GM) has poured a whopping $20million into its Bay City, Michigan, powertrain operations.

The additional funding will be used to produce camshafts for the next generation Ecotec engine. The engine is GM’s highest volume and most advanced four cylinder programme – it already features in models including the GMC Terrain, the Chevrolet Malibu and Equinox and the Buick LaCrosse and new Regal.

Total investment in the plant has now reached £62.5million this year as GM aims to be at the forefront of delivering advanced technology. This includes variable valve timing, turbo-charging and direct injection – the latter of which has been present in many Ecotec engines since 2007.

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With strong public interest in the Chevrolet Volt, General Motors (GM) has decided to ramp up production of the range extended electric vehicle.

The company is expected to increase production capacity by 50 per cent – from 30,000 units to 45,000 units – in 2012.

The news broke as part of US President Barack Obama’s visit to the Detroit-Hamtramck facility where the Volt is being produced. The site received $336million in new investment to prepare for production of the Volt.

Dealerships this week began to take customer orders following the release of retail and lease pricing (see article) with GM also announcing it would increase the number of US launch markets from three to seven.

According to reports, more than 25,000 people have joined the Chevrolet Volt enthusiast list in the last few weeks alone.

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It seems like we have been talking about the Chevrolet Volt for years here at TheGreenCarWebsite.co.uk – but now it is edging closer to its debut and General Motors has released some vital information about the vehicle.

The extended range electric vehicle will have a starting MSRP of $41,000 and after the Federal income tax credit of $7,500 is applied it will drop to $33,500. There will also be a lease programme made available with monthly payments beginning at just $350 for 36 months, with $2,500 due at the lease signing. 

Initially, there will be seven launch markets – those in California, Connecticut, New Jersey, Texas, New York, Michigan and Washington, DC. Customer deliveries will begin later this year.

The Volt’s driving range has been confirmed at around 340miles and for up to the first 40miles the vehicle can run on electricity only. When the battery runs low, the petrol powered range extender provides an additional driving range of 300miles based on a full tank of fuel.

In addition, the vehicle will come with an eight year, 100,000 mile warranty on its battery pack. GM is also keen to emphasise the additional value that comes with the Volt such as five years of OnStar directions and connections services and safety features such as eight air bags and electronic stability control with traction control.

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With its North American release in September, the Chevrolet Cruze is celebrating an encouraging start to life in global markets.

During the first six months of 2010, customers have bought 140,000 models making a total of 270,000 since it was launched in Europe during the spring of 2009. Indeed sales are rising at an average rate of 18 per cent per month.

Part of the appeal of the Chevrolet Cruze is its impressive engine line-up. The 2011 model is powered by a new generation of small displacement four-cylinder engines which include an Ecotec 1.4l turbo engine and an Ecotec 1.8l.

The Ecotec 1.4l helps the Cruze achieve an estimated 40mpg and is expected to offer the best fuel economy of any vehicle in the compact car segment when it launches in the US. Despite this achievement it delivers 138horsepower and 148lb-ft of torque between 1,850rpm and 4,900rpm.

The 1.8l Ecotec model meanwhile, features a variable intake manifold for optimal performance across the rpm range. It is rated at 136hp with 123lb-ft of torque.

When launched in the US, the Chevrolet Cruze will be produced in Lordstown, Ohio, making it one of the few compact cars actually built in the US for that model year. The models will have a retail price starting at $16,995, while the eco models start at $18,895.

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General Motors will hope to boost the environmental performance of models across all its brands – including Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac – with a new air conditioning refrigerant.

The HFO-1234yf refrigerant, supplied by Honeywell, breaks down in the atmosphere faster than the refrigerant currently used – R-134a. On average, R-134a has an atmospheric life of more than 13 years meaning a global warming potential of more than 1,400. However, by contrast, the new refrigerant has a global warming potential of just four with an atmospheric life of just 11 days. This means its global warming potential is 99.7 per cent below that of the existing refrigerant. 

The move to the new refrigerant will help General Motors to meet the overall requirements of the US Environmental Protection Agency’s new motor vehicle greenhouse gas regulations. At the moment, the new regulation requires an overall improvement of 40 per cent in US fleet average fuel economy by 2016.

Indeed the new refrigerant has received strong backing. A two-year co-operative research programme conducted by SAE International declared that HFO-1234yf could be the global replacement refrigerant in future air conditioning systems and it can safely be accommodated through established industry standards for design, engineering and manufacturing.

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Potential owners of the new Chevrolet Volt have been boosted with the news that the lithium-ion battery pack will come with a standard eight-year/100,000 mile warranty.

The extended warranty far surpasses that from the Tesla Roadster which comes with a three-year, 36,000mile warranty although the company does also offer an extended battery replacement warranty for an extra $12,000 which is basically prepaying for a replacement battery at a discount. There are no details yet of the warranty on the Nissan LEAF.

However, with the Chevrolet Volt, the warranty is transferrable at no cost to other vehicle owners and it covers all 161 battery pack components and the thermal management system, electric drive components and the charging system.

According to Micky Bly, GM executive director of global electrical systems, the Chevrolet Volt’s batteries have exceeded performance targets and are ready to hit the road. The Volt can operate under a full range of climates and driving conditions without limitations or concerns about battery depletion and it has a range of around 340miles with up to 40miles powered solely by electricity using no fuel and producing no emissions.

The battery packs have already undergone more than one million miles and four million hours of validation testing. This includes short circuit, impact, water submersion, crush, penetration, extreme temperature and corrosion testing.

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It is one of the most talked about vehicles in generations – but just how quickly will the Chevrolet Volt reach the average consumer?

According to new information from the company, Chevrolet plans to produce 10,000 Volt extended range electric vehicles by the end of 2011 with an additional 30,000 Volts to be produced during 2012.

Marketing director Tony DiSalle made the announcement during a live video webcast and confirmed that the first Volts available for retail sales will be sold in Washington, DC; Austin, Texas; the New York City metropolitan area; and California later this year. From there, Volts will expand to dealerships in Michigan, New York, Texas, New Jersey and Connecticut during the first quarter of 2011.

In a separate announcement, GM Chairman and CEO Ed Whitacre declared that Chevrolet will add five Texas electric utilities and five Northeast utilities to a Department of Energy development and demonstration programme that will provide Volts and charging stations. This allows the utilities to study charging station installation processes, as well as vehicle charging and customer feedback. The Texas utilities will include: Austin Energy, CenterPoint Energy, CPS Energy, Oncor, and American Electric Power; while in the Northeast, Chevrolet is partnering with Con Edison, New York Power Authority, Northeast Utilities, National Grid, and Public Service Electric and Gas.

Dealers will also be required to complete specialised sales and service training and install 240V charging stations at their dealership before receiving the vehicle for retail sales. Chevrolet then expects a nationwide service coverage to be available during the 12-18month national rollout.

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The remarkable success story that is General Motors in China continued at a rapid pace last month.

The company, along with its joint ventures, posted record sales in May buoyed by strong demand for the Chevrolet brand.

Its sales in the first five months of the year in China have now reached 1,032,665 units – that’s a 53.9 per cent increase compared to the first five months of 2009 and a new record. By comparison, on its home turf in the USA, GM sales reached 885,141 units during the first five months of the year – that in itself, representing a 13.8 per cent increase compared to the prior year.

Chevrolet has been the dominant force with sales jumping 103.6 per cent. There has been strong demand for the Cruze lower-medium saloon car, which saw sales jump 112.5 per cent to 14,524 units; while the Epica intermediate saloon car also enjoyed sales growth of 114.6 per cent to 5,764 units. Meanwhile, during just its fifth month on the market, the New Sail small car registered sales of 7,616 units.

Sales of Buick models jumped 22.0 per cent on an annual basis with the Excelle lower-medium family, the new LaCROSSE and New Regal enjoying combined sales of around 40,000 units. Demand for Cadillac products meanwhile grew by a whopping 98.1 per cent.

Elsewhere, joint venture Shanghai GM saw sales reach 83,302 units – an increase of 48.7 per cent; while SAIC-GM-Wuling sales rose by 5.2 per cent to 105,395 units. FAW-GM products totalled 6,773 units during the joint venture’s first May reporting sales; while even the import brand Opel enjoyed a resurgence in demand of 214.1 per cent.

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While Mitsubishi and MINI might have been busy testing their electric cars in very cold conditions (see story), GM is doing the opposition by testing the performance of its Chevrolet Volt in extreme heat.

The Volt-also known as the Vauxhall/Opel Ampera-has been proving itself in the baking heat of GM’S desert proving grounds in Arizona this week. The range-extended car set to go on sale in the US by the end of the year, has been proving its mettle during a Hot Soak Evaluation test, where temperatures inside the cabin reach highs of up to 175 degrees F (around 80 degrees Celsius).

Engineers “bake” the Volt in the sun for several hours, then open everything in the car, cycle all of the electric accessories and then take the car down the ride handling track to check for squeaks and rattles.  Additionally, they check to make sure the door seals continue to close off the cabin to the hot air as they cool the Volt down using its air conditioning system.

“The car performed well,” said senior durability test engineer Steve Pratt. “The air conditioner cooled things off from our interior temperature of 138 degrees down to a nice comfortable temperature for driving.”

And if that doesn’t sound tough enough, the Volt – which won’t be equipped to handle towing- has nonetheless proved its pulling power as the engineering team regularly put it through some weight training via Grade Load testing. Engineers use a towing dynamometer – which simulates endless hill and mountain climbing anywhere from a 2 to 10 percent grade – to put stress and strain on the Volt’s engine and chassis to determine how well it will perform while climbing a mountain at temperatures above 100 degrees F (38 degrees Celsius). 

If this is being to sound anything like SAS training, then you it won’t surprise you that the trials don’t stop there. In addition, the Volt undergoes routine City Cycle testing two to three times each day. In this test, the battery receives added heat from the electrical energy generated by the steering, air conditioning, accessories and components under repetitive, cumulative use.  The engineers are making sure there are no heat-related issues. The Volt has yet to disappoint during real-world city driving cycles.

In fact, the Volt has performed very well under the stress and strain of all these tests, but the rigorous testing and validation continues because its carmaker wants to ensure the Volt is an electric vehicle for all temperatures and seasons.

You can follow the Volt’s trials on http://chevrolet.posterous.com and http://twitter.com/chevyvolt for updates on this week’s activities.

The Volt uses lithium-ion batteries, and can drive for up to 40 miles on electric power alone. It has a back-up combustion engine to boost the range to around 350 miles. Fully rechargeable, the Volt has a top speed of 120mph and a charge time of around three hours. The European model Ampera is expected to be introduced in 2012.

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