OnStar is hoping to boost the development of Smart Grid solutions by encouraging energy companies and tech firms to use its application programming (API).

The subsidiary of General Motors hopes to broaden the potential of electric cars, including the Chevrolet Volt, after announcing plans to give developers access to a proprietary API that can create mobile applications to interact with OnStar services. 

Its services use an Advanced Telematics Operating Management System – a cloud application platform that connects to six million OnStar customers.

The APIs will work with a host of OnStar solutions including:

-         Demand response: This connects utilities to companies with intelligent energy management products. For example, companies could use OnStar to manage energy use for Volt customers.

-         Time of use rates: Will offer Volt owners rate plan deals via email.

-         Charging data: OnStar has the capability to send and receive electric vehicle data that helps utility providers to interface with the supply equipment – including location-based data that identifies charging locations and determines potential load scenarios.

-         Aggregated services: This, with the customer’s consent, allows electric service providers to manage the charging of vehicles in a specific area.

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.

Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is no longer a fuel for the future – it’s very much a fuel for now, according to General Motors’ European brand Opel.

It has decided to expand its LPG offerings with the Astra Sports Tourer, Meriva and Astra five-door hatchback all to be made available with a new 1.4litre LPG turbo ecoFLEX engine.

The engine is capable of operating in both LPG and petrol modes and offers two power versions: 103kW/140hp with 200Nm of torque in the Astra models; and 88kW/120hp with 175Nm of torque in the Meriva. Carbon dioxide emissions are as low as 124g/km in the Meriva; 129g/km in the Astra five-door; and 132g/km in the Astra Sports Tourer. 

It is not the first time that Opel has offered LPG versions of its established vehicles. Last summer it introduced the Corsa LPG 1.2 ecoFLEX in both a three-door and five-door model which has emissions of 110g/km of CO2. In addition, Opel plans to expand its line-up further in the autumn with 1.4litre turbo LPG ecoFLEX versions of the Zafira Tourer and the Insignia.

Opel also has additional alternative propulsion systems with CNG (compressed natural gas) models available – it offers a Zafira 1.6 Turbo, a Zafira Tourer 1.6 CNG Turbo and a Combo 1.4 CNG Turbo.

LPG models are believed to offer massive benefits to consumers – with fuel cost savings in the region of 40 per cent; and tax incentives available in some countries.

As part of the North American International Auto Show, General Motors’ brand Buick introduced a brand new version of its Encore vehicle – powered by an Ecotec 1.4litre turbo engine.

Generating an estimated 140hp and 148lb-ft of torque between 1,850rpm and 4,900rpm, the new Buick Encore delivers a better than expected driving experience and performance.

The turbocharger is integrated within the exhaust manifold, offering reduced weight and greater packaging flexibility – while a reinforced crankshaft and forged connecting rods come with extra strength that further support the engine’s power and torque.

Additional features of the Ecotec engine include: a high efficiency alternator; an electronically controlled returnless fuel system; a deceleration fuel cut-off; and a regulated voltage control. They assist other elements of the vehicle such as low rolling resistance tyres and variable effort power steering, to help improve efficiency.

The engine is accompanied by a hydra-matic 6T40 six-speed automatic transmission that has a unique design with its planetary gearsets positioned on the same axis as the engine crankshaft centre line – this helps boost overall vehicle length, increase interior space and enhance the crush zones.

The Buick Encore will be made available at dealerships from the first quarter of 2013.

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.

It’s not often we talk about luxury sports cars here at TheGreenCarWebsite.co.uk – but the latest offering from Cadillac promises to be more fuel efficient than ever before.

The company has introduced the 2013 Cadillac ATS, which is a rear-drive compact luxury sports saloon car that has been built on an all-new, lightweight vehicle architecture. It is capable of achieving fuel economy of more than 30mpg.

These impressive figures don’t come at the expense of its performance, either. In fact, GM is offering a choice of three power-dense engines, including two new four-cylinder units. These include a standard 2.5litre four-cylinder; a 2.0litre turbocharged four-cylinder; and a new 318hp 3.6litre V6 that is currently available in the 2012 Cadillac GTS. It is expected that a diesel engine will be introduced to the line-up at a later date.

Each of the four-cylinder engines boasts increased efficiency thanks partly to lower engine friction – GM has reduced this by as much as 16 per cent largely through the use of technologies such as a variable displacement oil pump and an actively controlled thermostat.

Looking specifically at the new 2.0litre turbocharged engine, it offers 270hp with peak torque achieved from 1,500rpm-5,800rpm. Its turbocharger can generate up to 20lbs of boost, while its twin-scroll design optimises the usable power from the engine and helps to all but eliminate turbo lag. There is also a number of durability and technological features included, such as a low-friction hydraulic roller-finger valve and electronic throttle.

Weight has also been a key focus for engineers of the Cadillac ATS – and it is one of the lightest cars in the compact luxury segment. It has a curb weight of less than 3,400lbs with features including an aluminium bonnet (hood); magnesium engine mount brackets; and a natural fibre door trim panels. 

It is expected that the new Cadillac ATS will go on sale in the second half of 2012.

Berlin Airport will take centre stage in the latest market trial of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles by General Motors’ European brand, Opel.

Its HydroGen4 vehicle will head to Berlin Brandenburg Airport, which Opel Vice President of Government Relations, Volker Hoff, has dubbed an “ideal partner” as it possesses the world’s first carbon dioxide neutral gas station, which offers green hydrogen produced from wind energy.

The new airport will become operational on June 3, 2012, and will replace the old airports at Tegel and Schonefeld.

It’s not the first time that Opel has run a market trial on fuel cell vehicles – in fact it started them back in 2008 and has involved a number of companies including the likes of ADAC, Allianz, Axel Springer AG/Bild, Coca-Cola, Hilton, Linde, Pace, Schindler, Veolia and the NH Hotel Friedrichstraße, all of which have tested the Opel HydroGen4.

As for the vehicle itself, it features a fuel cell stack with 440 series-connected cells. Its 73kW/100hp engine can accelerate from 0-100km/h in just 12 seconds and has a top speed of 99mph. It also has an operating range of 199miles thanks to a high pressure tank made from carbon fibre composite material that can hold up to 4.2kg of hydrogen.

General Motors is making a concerted effort to go green that stretches far beyond simply the emissions of its vehicles.

Thirty of its North American plants have reduced their energy density by an average of 25 – that’s the equivalent to the emissions produced by 97,000 homes in the USA– as it met the US Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR Challenge for Industry.

According to the report, its manufacturing facilities have managed to avoid more than 778,380 metric tons of greenhouse gases, saving an impressive $50million in energy costs.

Under the terms of the EPA’s programme, manufacturing companies must reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by improving energy efficiency by at least 10 per cent within five years. The GM plant established a 10 per cent improvement goal and employed a number of energy efficiency projects, including: benchmarking energy use through the use of energy management systems; automating equipment shut-downs; and upgrading to energy efficiency lighting.

Now GM’s 30 plants make up one third of all sites that have achieved the ENERGY STAR Challenge for Industry – around 86 of the 386 manufacturing sites have taken the challenge to date.

It is high praise indeed – but the Ecotec 2.0litre turbo I-4 engine that is used to power the 2012 Buick Regal GS has now been shortlisted in the “10 Best Engines” for North America list by WardsAuto.

Producing 270hp, the 2.0litre Ecotec engine has the highest specific output of any GM production engine and is also the most power dense engine certified by the Society of Automotive Engineers.

It features all-aluminium, dual overhead cam, four-valve design that includes forged steel connecting rods. Its aluminium cylinder head is cast with a rotocast process that reduces machining and improves port flow. Meanwhile, the twin-scroll design increases power as each of the two scrolls on the turbine are fed by a separate exhaust passage which gives the engine immediate throttle response.

There are now two different 2.0litre turbo engines in the General Motors’ line-up: the award-winning turbo in the Regal GS; and the new 2.0litre turbo for the Cadillac ATS. GM has also confirmed that the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu will include a 2.0litre turbo engine.

General Motors believes its light electrification system – eAssist – may be the solution for two motoring issues. Not only could it boost vehicle efficiency, but it could also be beneficial for driving dynamics.

EAssist was initially introduced in the Buick line, but has since jumped across to Chevrolet with the introduction of the new Malibu Eco. When applied in the Malibu Eco, it boasts many improved components compared to earlier versions.

At the heart of the system is a 32-cell, 115V, 0.5kW lithium-ion battery pack that uses cylindrical optimised cells fromHitachi. There is also an electric motor-generator that provides 15kW of maximum generating power at 1,570-3,180rpm; 110lb-ft maximum electric motor torque; and 79lb-ft maximum electric motor torque at 1,000-2,200rpm. It is mounted to an Ecotec 2.4litre four-cylinder engine that provides motor assist and electric-generating functions.

It offers support to the Chevrolet Malibu Eco in four main ways: auto stop, with very smooth engine stops and restarts; up to 15hp of electric assist that puts the engine in a more efficient operating position; stored energy in the battery pack that offsets use of fuel; and very aggressive use of deceleration fuel cut-off.

Thanks in part to the eAssist the Malibu Eco achieves 12 per cent greater highway fuel economy than current models equipped with the 2.4litre engine. General Motors estimates fuel economy at 25mpg city and 37mpg highway.