GM Offers Chevy Volt Update

2011 Chevy Volt in Texas.

General Motors is still trying to keep its upcoming Chevrolet Volt in the news even as other models, including the Chevrolet Cruze, take center stage. For most of the past three years GM has used the Volt as its way to convey that the automaker is a smarter, greener and more environmentally responsible car manufacturer. Still, the Volt launch seemed more of a dream than a reality.

Volt Basics

Unless you’re totally disconnected from the news, the Chevy Volt is GM’s latest attempt at vehicle electrification, a car equipped with a lithium-ion battery pack and offering a pure-electric range of 40 miles between charges. That won’t take you far, so GM has also included a 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine with the Volt in a bid to extend its range and to make certain that you are never left stranded.

GM calls it an electric vehicle; you may consider the Chevy Volt as some sort of hybrid. In any case, GM wants to get this car built and in the hands of as many consumers as possible.

Launch Prep

To that end, GM has updated its product release information. The retail launch of the Volt will begin in Austin, Texas and New York City late this year with other markets getting the car in 2011.  The Volt will also be available for sale in California, Michigan, New Jersey, Connecticut and Washington, D.C., markets and with the exception of most of the Golden State are known to have some rough winters.

Indeed, rolling out the Volt where weather can be at its worst demonstrates GM’s confidence that its electric sedan won’t conk out if you hit the road fully charged and encounter a snowstorm. That is important, because not too many people are certain that the Volt will survive, let alone thrive in frigid conditions.

Whitacre Speaks

Speaking to members of the press on July 1 in Austin, Ed Whitacre, General Motors chairman and CEO said, “We can add markets as diverse as Texas and New York because the Chevrolet Volt can handle both urban commuting and longer trips, in Austin summers and Manhattan winters.  The Volt can be your primary vehicle, giving you the freedom to drive gas-free without the stress of planning every trip around the battery’s charge level.”

Expect vehicle range to be GM’s theme with the Volt as it hits the market. While the Nissan Leaf will have the ability to run on pure electric power for approximately 100 miles, it doesn’t have an alternative source of power. Estimates of the Volt’s range vary, but the minimum amount seems to be 340 miles and at least drivers can head to the gas pump if they need to go further.

Chevrolet Volt production will commence later this year at GM’s Detroit-Hamtramck facility.  Pricing has not yet been published.

Source: General Motors

Free Charging Stations for 4,400 Volt Owners

Free chargers in exchange for your personal usage data.

General Motors has announced an important incentive for prospective Chevrolet Volt buyers: the first 4,400 buyers will be eligible for a 240-volt charge station, receiving home installation in certain cases. GM says that this initiative is part of a Department of Energy plan to install 15,000 such units in homes across the United States. ECOtality, Inc. and Coulomb Technologies have been identified as the two suppliers of the home charging stations.

Speaking on behalf of General Motors, Tony DiSalle, Product and Marketing Director for the Chevrolet Volt said, “Many owners will plug their Volt into a normal 120-volt electrical outlet, charge overnight and drive to work in the morning using only battery power. For Volt owners who want to install a faster 240-volt charge station, we expect the Department of Energy project to save $1,000 and $2,000.”

Volt Incentives

This is good news for a product that will also carry a $7500 federal tax rebate and additional rebates of up to $5000 in select states. One of the concerns analysts have had about the Volt is that its costly near $40,000 sticker price would keep customers away.

GM has hinted recently that the Volt’s price may come in lower, but they have yet to confirm same. With a charging station included in the deal, GM is offering yet another incentive for a car that will run mostly on electricity before a back up 1.4L engine is called on to extend its range.

Electric Objectives

GM says that the U.S. Department of Energy projects contain two objectives: installing charging stations in residential, workplace and public areas to encourage consumers to purchase electric vehicles; and studying electric vehicle usage to optimize future electric vehicle charging infrastructure. Yes, that means that the DOE will keep tabs on how you use your unit, allowing federal eyes to see your personal electrification usage at work.

Collected data will include your average charge time, energy usage and the starting and ending time of the charging process. Data will be analyzed by the U.S. Department of Energy to understand how electric vehicles are driven, how and when they are charged, and ultimately what is required for widespread adoption of electric vehicles.

Volt Chargers

All Chevy Volt buyers will receive a portable 120-volt charge cord with their purchase, and will have the option of installing a 240-volt charge station available from Chevrolet. For those buyers living within the program cities, they will be able to apply for a free 240-volt home charging station through the Coulomb or ECOtality programs if they are willing to share their charging information. Additional consumer information on eligibility requirements and the application process will be available when the Volt goes on sale later this year.

Source: General Motors

Nissan Leaf Will Cost Buyers $25K

The 2011 Nissan Leaf

Nissan announced on March 30, 2010, that its Leaf battery electric vehicle will retail for $32,780 when it goes on sale in the US this December. That price will be further reduced by a $7500 federal rebate, meaning a final base cost of $25,280 seems likely. In California and Georgia, additional rebates of $5000 are being offered pushing the price of the Nissan Leaf down to $20,280.

Volt Beater

This news serves notice to competitors that Nissan is serious about the electric vehicle market and will likely cause competitors to weigh their options. General Motors is bringing out its slightly larger Chevy Volt in November, a car that the company has long said will cost about $40,000 before the federal rebate kicks in.

The Volt will enjoy supplemental power from a small 1.4L I4 gas engine to extend its range, but the Nissan Leaf will run on pure electric power only. Indeed, the Japanese automaker has been boasting that the Leaf is a vehicle without a tailpipe, traveling 100 miles between charges.

Leaf Leasing

Nissan will include three years of roadside service with every Leaf order and will also offer three year leases at $349 per month with $1999 down.

Nissan will begin taking orders for the Leaf on April 20 through its website at NissanUSA.com with the first models available in select markets in December. Nissan says that the Leaf will be available nationally in 2011.

Happy Days

Nissan is understandably giddy about the Leaf, recognizing that the vehicle will give the automaker a leg up in the vehicle electrification market. At a related news conference Tuesday Brian Carolin, senior vice president, Sales and Marketing, NNA said, “Imagine the possibility of never needing to go to a gas station again. Or of paying less than $3 for 100 miles behind the wheel. Or of creating zero emissions while driving. Nissan leads the industry by offering the first affordable, zero-emission vehicle for the mass market. Nissan LEAF truly is in a class by itself.”

Other manufacturers are expected to follow Nissan to the market with electric vehicles of their own. Ford is preparing a battery electric version of its Transit Connect van for commercial customers and is planning to welcome a BEV version of its next generation Ford Focus in summer 2012. Other companies are plowing forward with hybrid offerings while MINI is expected to have its own BEV on the streets next year. Zap!

Photo Credit: Nissan USA