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.
Share on Facebook
The latest electric vehicle concepts from General Motors were given a trial run outside the SAIC-GM Pavilion at Shanghai’s Expo Park yesterday.
Known as the EN-V models – consisting of Miao (Magic), Jiao (Pride) and Xiao (Laugh) – they are known for their ability to react quickly to unforeseen obstacles and changes in driving conditions, something they demonstrated both with and without occupants on a closed driving course with curved and straight roads.
Each vehicle boasts excellent manoeuvrability and agility thanks to dynamic stablisation technology; and they can even help users stay connected to their social networks with wireless communication and a global positioning system, as well as vehicle-to-vehicle communications and vehicle-based sensors.
All of the EN-V vehicles use a 3.2kWh lithium-ion phosphate battery pack as well as an 18kW motor with range estimated to be 25miles.
Share on Facebook
It may have been in financial ruin just a year ago, but the new General Motors is bouncing back from the mire in style.
The company announced second quarter 2010 results with revenue of $33.2billion and net income attributable to common stockholders of $1.3billion. This means that earning per share reached $2.55 and second quarter earnings before interest and tax were $2.0billion.
Business on its home turf of North America was particularly prosperous with second quarter figures of $1.6billion up from $1.2billion in quarter one. GM Europe meanwhile suffered a loss before interest and tax of $0.2billion, although this was a slight improvement on its loss of $0.3billion in quarter one.
Its cash flow reached $3.9billion from operating activities with free cash flow at $2.8billion.
Share on Facebook
From Renault and Nissan to Toyota and Tesla, some of the world’s leading car makers are joining forces for this new, green era – and now you can add another partnership to the list.
General Motors has agreed to pursue a strategic relationship with Bright Automotive, the developer of the purpose-built, plug-in hybrid IDEA. GM will provide funding to the Indiana automaker that will allow Bright to ramp up the development and production programme for the IDEA in the third quarter of this year while Bright will continue to pursue a low-interest loan from the Department of Energy.
A memorandum of understanding was originally signed last month with funding provided to Bright this week and the two companies expected to tie up formal agreements later this year. This will see General Motors Ventures take a minority stake in Bright Automotive with Bright gaining access to GM’s technologies, advanced engine and transmission systems.
According to Jon Lauckner, the president of GM Ventures, GM hopes to gain a competitive advantage by funding early stage start-up companies. Reuben Munger meanwhile, the Bright Automotive chairman and CEO, commented that the relationship is an “important step forward for Bright” and a “strong endorsement” of the company’s automotive team and vehicle. He believes the funding will help put the IDEA on the fast track to mass production.
The IDEA is able to operate in electric mode for 40miles before switching to a 36mpg hybrid mode, meaning it offers 100+mpg based on daily driving behaviour.
Share on Facebook
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.
Share on Facebook
General Motors will establish battery electric vehicle demonstration fleets as part of its attempts to increase competitiveness in vehicle electrification.
The announcement was made as part of the Electrification – Plugging into the Future Forum at the SAIC-GM Pavilion at World Expo 2010 in Shanghai. GM Vice President of Global Vehicle Engineering Karl Stracke declared that the demo fleets will appear in different regions around the world and use different vehicles.
It is hoped that the fleets will provide GM with real-world data looking into battery charging, market needs, driving patterns and customer acceptance.
So far GM has not announced is partners but no other car manufacturers are currently involved. We’ll bring you further details as soon as they are announced.
Share on Facebook
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.
Share on Facebook
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.
Share on Facebook
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.
Share on Facebook
Having gone from strength to strength in the rapidly developing automotive market in China, General Motors (GM) is now building a new facility there.
The GM China Advanced Technical Centre broke ground earlier this week and when complete will develop advanced vehicle designs and technology solutions for the company on both a domestic and global basis.
Though it will boast 62 test labs and nine research labs, there are four key areas.
The first is the China Science Lab, which was launched in 2009, and focuses on research and technology development such as advanced propulsion system research, manufacturing process research, megacity smart traffic research and customer-driven advanced vehicle development.
Next is the Vehicle Engineering Lab which will localise technology for the Chinese market as well as carrying out testing and developing of electric vehicles and research into alternative energy vehicles.
The Advanced Powertrain Engineering Lab looks into development work on advanced propulsion systems such as electrification technology, while also focusing on alternatives to petrol-based fuels in conventional powertrains.
Finally, the Advanced Design Centre is expected to play a significant role in supporting the company’s global design resources by focusing on meeting local needs. It will gather information on design trends in the Chinese and regional markets to support development.
It is expected that construction of the centre will be complete by the end of 2011 with around 300 employees predicted to be on board.
Share on Facebook
