General Motors has secured its largest ever order of compressed natural gas vehicles – after mobile phone giant AT&T ordered 1,200 Chevrolet Express CNG vans for its cargo vans across the USA.

According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, CNG vans can reduce CO2 emissions by as much as 25 per cent – and the Chevrolet Express compressed natural gas vans certainly have impressive statistics as they are powered by a Vortec 6.0litre V8 engine. They boast intake and exhaust valve seats that help to improve wear resistance; as well as hardened exhaust valves. It also comes with two storage systems: a three-tank system with a range up to 200miles; and a four-tank system with a range up to 300miles.

Each van comes with General Motors’ three-year, 36,000miles warranty and its five-year 100,000mile limited powertrain warranty.

AT&T has made a significant commitment to alternative fuel vehicles having announced plans to invest up to $565million and deploy around 15,000 of the vehicles before 2018. They will primarily be used for maintenance, communications, high-speed internet and television services. It follows on from the news last week that it had deployed its 5,000^th alternative fuel vehicle.

Chevrolet vehicles sold in the USA will soon boast an ecologic environmental label – allowing drivers to see how each vehicle rates environmentally in terms of manufacturing, driving and recycling.

Starting with the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic, ecologic labels will be included on the rear driver-side window of Chevrolet cars. They will communicate a number of environmental features, including:

-         Before the road: Environmental aspects relating to the vehicle’s manufacturing and assembly. 

-         On the road: Highlights fuel saving features, including: lightweight components, low-rolling resistance tyres, and advanced engine technologies.

-         After the road: Looks at how up to 85 per cent of the weight of the vehicle can be recycled after its lifespan.

According to Eileen Claussen, the president of the Centre for Climate and Energy Solutions, the goal from Chevrolet is to invest millions in energy efficiency, renewable energy and other low carbon projects. The label will give consumers easy access to this information, while highlighting the company’s commitment to the environment.

To ensure the labels are fair, each one will be audited by Two Tomorrows, which is an independent third party sustainability agency.

The Chevrolet Volt may have become a ‘political punchbag’ (see story) in its native US but over here in the UK, Chevrolet dealers are expecting that demand will far outstrip supply.

According to Headlineauto.co.uk, Chevrolet UK has already been contacted by over 2,500 people interested in the Volt, before the model has even arrived on UK shores.

In an effort to meet demand, the UK arm of car maker is ‘fighting for production every month’ Chevrolet UK’s boss Mark Terry told the news agency.

The Volt goes on sale this spring, alongside its twin, the Vauxhall Ampera, but will have some different specifications and pricing than its sibling range-extended model. Terry said that people ‘who just won’t buy a Vauxhall’ but want the innovative petrol-electric technology, will turn to Chevrolet.

He is encouraged also by evidence that the famous US brand still has a cachet for UK buyers. "To put a Chevy on your drive is saying something," he said citing evidence that people downsizing from premium brands will chose Chevrolet over South Korean rivals Hyundai and Kia because "they want to go for a brand that says something."

Despite that evidence, Terry admits that the brand still needs some work. "Customers are beginning to understand it but there’s still a lot of work to do to show them it’s not a US gas guzzler."

Capable of recharging from mains electricity for emission-free electric-only driving, the Volt also features a petrol engine which can generate power for the battery, to extend the vehicle’s range to over 300 miles.

‘No customer was ever in danger’, GM CEO Dan Akerson asserted yesterday as he faced a US Congress sub-committee yesterday morning following an investigation into the safety of the firm’s Chevrolet Volt model.

According to the GM chief, the safety tests the range-extended Volt was put through would have been near impossible to recreate in the real world and proved that the model was safe. He said that the model seemed to be under attack for ‘political reasons’ as much as for practical ones.

"We did not design the Volt to become a political punching bag and that’s what it’s become," bemoaned Akerson.

A safety investigation into the model, conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) closed this week as the organisation concluded the model was indeed safe. The investigation was first opened back in November after an early crash test conducted last June resulted in a battery fire three weeks later.

The committee was opened to ascertain whether the safety investigation into the model had been delayed to avoid embarrassment to the Obama administration; which part-owns GM. A new report entitled ‘Volt Vehicle Fire: What did NHTSA Know and When Did They Know It?’ from the Republican staff of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform prepared for the hearing, questioned whether political pressures played a part in the handling of the safety investigation.

However both Akerson and NHTSA’s chief administrator, David Strickland who both appeared before the committee asserted that the car hand been tested to the strictest standards.

European safety authority Euro NCAP has rated the petrol-electric car with a five star safety score.

GM has since incorporated a number of safety enhancements to further protect the Volt’s lithium-ion batteries in event of a crash.

A US House of Representatives committee is to address concerns that investigation into the safety of the Chevrolet Volt may have been delayed because of a conflict-of-interest that arose out of the US Government’s partial ownership of General Motors (GM).

A new report entitled ‘Volt Vehicle Fire: What did NHTSA Know and When Did They Know It?’ from the Republican staff of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform prepared for the hearing questions whether the result of crash tests concerning the Volt were delayed to avoid embarrassment to the Obama administration. Much of the criticism seeming to be focussing on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) handling of the situation, after the Administration opened an investigation back in November, recently closing it, concluding that the Volt was safe (see story).

The committee intends to ascertain whether the news of the fire in a Volt model the NHTSA was testing was deliberately withheld and whether the organisation should have acted quicker to open a full investigation after the battery pack caught fire back in June.

The hearing continues, we’ll bring you further news of the result of the hearing as it concludes.

Yesterday we reported on the news that the Chevrolet Volt has been deemed safe after an investigation by the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (see article) – and now it appears that charging the vehicle could be easier than ever.

That’s because Google has teamed up with OnStar to create a new service to manage the charging of Chevrolet Volt range-extended vehicles with renewable energy.

Using 17 Chevrolet Volts at Google’s GFleet at the company’s headquarters, the technology sees OnStar receive a signal that shows the percentage of renewable energy on the grid. This data is then downloaded to the OnStar cloud and is used to manage the charging of Volts while matching the renewable energy availability. It is also possible that a mobile app will be created to allow customers to see how much renewable energy is available.

According to Nick Pudar, the OnStar vice president of planning and business development, the demonstration highlights that customers will have a real signal of demand for renewable energy – and this may influence utilities to tap into renewable sources.

In addition, OnStar has developed several other energy management technology solutions. These include “demand response”, which connects utilities to companies with intelligent energy management products – they can then use OnStar to manage energy for Volt customers, potentially helping customers to save money and enjoy more efficient use of the grid.

Another concept is “time-of-use rates”, which will notify Volt owners of a rate plan via email – allowing them to recharge during lower rate periods. It will also offer “charging data” that sends and receives electric vehicle data to help utility providers without having to interact with the electric vehicle supply equipment.

An investigation into the safety of a range-extended electric car, the Chevrolet Volt has been closed after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) ruled that the car is no more likely to burst into flames after a crash than its combustion rivals.

The news is being welcomed by GM which is preparing to launch the Volt and its clone, the Opel/Vauxhall Ampera, in Europe this spring. Order books for both models are already open.

NHTSA began its investigation back in November, after a previous lab test on the model’s battery pack resulted in an electrical fire six days later. The test was conducted to reproduce a coolant leak that occurred in a full-scale vehicle crash test last May that resulted in an electrical fire three weeks later.

Since then GM has integrated a number of safety enhancements to ensure that the range-extended model’s battery pack is protected in event of a crash. It has now strengthened an existing portion of the Volt’s vehicle safety structure, added a sensor in the reservoir of the battery coolant system to monitor coolant levels and added a tamper-resistant bracket to the top of the battery coolant reservoir to help prevent potential coolant overfill. The changes will also be retro-fitted to existing models, with the car maker already contacting existing owners in the States o make the safety enhancements.

Despite the controversy the Volt has won a number of safety awards and is rated with a full five stars from EuroNCAP.

Closing the investigation NHTSA stated that it remains unaware of any real-world crashes of the Volt-or any other electric vehicle- that have resulted in a battery-related fire. Furthermore in a press release statement, the authority said that it ‘continues to believe that electric vehicles show great promise as a safe and fuel-efficient option for American drivers’.

The North American International Auto Show may be ongoing, but the 11^th Auto Expo inNew Delhi is not to be forgotten either.

General Motors used the event to unveil the first two products from its joint Indian venture with SAIC – a Chevrolet Sail premium hatchback and a Chevrolet MPV Concept.

The Chevrolet Sail hatchback comes with the latest Smartech engines – both petrol and diesel models. It also features a number of safety enhancements such as safety cage body construction; steel beam-rolling ribs to protect the fuel tank; and high strength steel. It is expected to go on sale later this year and has been built specifically with emerging markets in mind, with Chevrolet hoping it will meet the needs of Indian car buyers.

Meanwhile, the Chevrolet MPV Concept has been engineered for the MPV B segment in India with flexi-seating and a choice of seven or eight seats. It places a strong emphasis on safety too with ultra-high-strength steel used in the body; and it boasts an improved chassis thanks to a unique collaboration with British carmaker Lotus which worked at the GM Technical Centre for more than a year and a half.

Remember when General Motors was on the brink of bankruptcy? Well now the company is back with a bang, with its Chevrolet brand topping the sales charts in the USA for 2011.

The brand posted its largest year-on-year retail sales increase in the last 35 years thanks in part to the success of the Chevrolet Cruze compact saloon car.

Overall, Chevrolet sold more than 763,000 passenger cars in 2011 – nearly doubling its figures for 2010. This includes sales of the Chevrolet Sonic, the Chevrolet Cruze, Chevrolet Volt, Chevrolet Malibu, Chevrolet Malibu, Chevrolet Impala, Chevrolet Camaro and the Chevrolet Corvette.

Sales of the Chevrolet Cruze reached 231,732 in 2011; while the Sonic sub-compact saw its sales increase 52 per cent year-on-year to 15,778 units. The Chevrolet Camaro increased its sales by eight per cent to more than 88,000 units in 2011.

Now General Motors will be hoping the success story continues into the New Year with models lined up including the new Chevrolet Malibu and the Chevrolet Spark mini-car.

General Motors has announced series of enhancements to the range-extended Volt model following an investigation into battery fires by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Two previous tests of the Volt by the NHTSA resulted in battery fires, promoting the US safety authority to launch an investigation into the possibility of crash-induced battery fires.

The electric-and-petrol powered Volt has yet to arrive in the UK, but is already making deliveries to customers in the US, where it went on sale earlier this year. Now, in order to stem concerns over the safety of its innovative range-extended model, the car giant has announced that it will strengthen an existing portion of the Volt’s vehicle safety structure, add a sensor in the reservoir of the battery coolant system to monitor coolant levels and add a tamper-resistant bracket to the top of the battery coolant reservoir to help prevent potential coolant overfill.

NHTSA opened a preliminary evaluation of the Volt’s safety on November 25, 2011 after a previous lab test on a battery pack resulted in an electrical fire six days later. The test was conducted to reproduce a coolant leak that occurred in a full-scale vehicle crash test last May that resulted in an electrical fire three weeks later.

Despite the current controversy, the Volt has been awarded a host of safety accolades including being named a Top Safety Pick by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

“The Volt has always been safe to drive. Now, we will go the extra mile to ensure our customers’ peace of mind in the days and weeks following a severe crash,” said Mary Barra, GM senior vice president of Global Product Development.

The car maker conducted four successful crash tests between December 9 and 21 of Volts with the structural enhancement, with the new enhancement reported to have ‘performed as intended’. There was no intrusion into the battery pack and no coolant leakage in any of the tests.

The safety changes will  be included on all newly built Volt models, while the owners of those already on the road are expected to be individually notified soon when the modifications are available for their vehicle. The modifications and enhancements will be applied to all Volts, including vehicles sold in Europe, where the model is due to launch.  European safety authority, EuroNCAP  rates the Chevrolet Volt with a top five-star safety rating.