The Chevy Volt will make the transition from auto shows to American driveways in December. Image: CC stevelyon/Flickr

The Chevy Volt went into production Tuesday following a celebration at the General Motors Detroit-Hamtramck plant. GM plans an initial run of 10,000 Chevy Volts,which will start being seen on U.S. roads in December. Auto analysts say the Volt, which as already won two 2011 Car of the Year awards, could be a game-changer for the electric car industry.

Chevy Volt strikes a balance for GM

GM hopes the Chevy Volt will help rebuild the company’s image after bankruptcy and vault it into the lead among electric automakers. Priced at $41,000 before the generous electric car tax breaks that come along with it, Chevrolet’s Volt is being billed as the electric car for average Americans, instead of eco-conscious celebrities. Analysts are saying that the Volt’s innovative battery-gas engine power train will overcome the “range anxiety” consumers fear from electric cars that rely on battery power only. GM has tried to strike a balance between expensive innovation and conventional economy with the Volt. Company officials have said the Volt will give it an edge in the electric car race because the technology has been designed to be adaptable to other models.

Why the Chevy Volt is different

The first difference noticed about the Chevy Volt is that the four-door sedan doesn’t look like a typical electric car. But what makes it stand apart is the distinctive power train. The Volt’s 150-horsepower electric motor is backed up by a 1.4-liter four cylinder engine. However, the gas engine has no connection to the drive train. When the Volt reaches its battery range of 40 miles, the gas engine generates electricity to drive the electric motor. This “extended-range mode” gives the Chevy volt a range of 344 miles. The 100 percent battery-powered Nissan Leaf introduced in 2010 has an estimated range of 73 miles.

Auto mags love the Volt

As the Chevy Volt enters production, several developments have occurred in its favor. The most significant is the $7,500 tax credit for electric car buyers. Plus, the Volt is getting a lot of great PR. Green Car Journal has named the Volt the 2011 Green Car of the Year — the first electric car the magazine has awarded the honor. Automobile Magazine has named the Volt the 2011 Automobile of the Year, calling it not just a car, but an “idea.”

Sources

AutoMotto

The Detroit News

Automobile Magazine

The Chevy Volt, being driven in this picture by President Obama, is competing with the Nissan Leaf for the most "Car of the Year" awards. Image from Wikimedia Commons.

Various cars are being dubbed Car of the Year by various agencies, foundations and publications. No real consensus actually exists for what constitutes a true car of the year, but that doesn’t stop awards from being bestowed. This year seems heavily tipped in favor of green vehicles.

Volt named Car of the Year

The two most hotly anticipated green vehicles, the Chevrolet Volt and the Nissan Leaf, are both getting attention from various Car of the Year-award-bestowing bodies. The Volt won Car of the Year at the Los Angeles Auto Show, according to Wired. The award is certainly a victory for General Motors. Chevy Volt Car of the Year awards were also given out by Motor Trend and Automobile magazines, which are prestigious in the industry. The judging panel at the Los Angeles Auto Show included Jay Leno and performance guru and automotive legend Carroll Shelby. The Nissan Leaf and the Chevy Volt, both green vehicles, differ in that the Volt is a plug-in hybrid, and the Leaf is totally electric.

Leaf also named Car of the Year

The Nissan Leaf was named the 2011 European Car of the Year, according to The Telegraph. The European Car of the Year is selected by a voting panel from numerous European automotive journals. There were 58 judges from 23 countries. The Nissan Leaf is one of the first all-electric vehicles manufactured on the scale of a major car manufacturer (notwithstanding golf carts), and it has been in a near dead heat with the Chevy Volt in most American Car of the Year vote counts at auto shows. The 2011 Detroit Auto Show promises to be a huge showdown of the two cars.

World award next year

The votes are being compiled for the World Car of the Year, which won’t be announced until spring of 2011. Though serious authorities are weighing in on what will be the best cars in 2011, it seems the best car of a year shouldn’t be picked until years later. The makes and models that last are the cars that should be recognized.

Sources

Wired

The Telegraph

The Chevy Volt price announcement was widely anticipated. JMRosenfeld/Flicker photo.

You can buy a Chevy Volt electric car when it begins production at the end of this year for $41,000. The price of the Chevy Volt is more than the new Nissan Leaf. But Chevrolet said the Volt’s greater range gives it an advantage. And a federal electric car tax credit of $7,500 for electric vehicles brings the Volt’s price down to a more reasonable $33,500. Plus, Volt drivers can opt for a three-year lease at $350 a month after a $2,500 down payment.

Is the Chevy Volt priced to be popular?

The price announcements for the Volt and its electric car rival, the Nissan Leaf, have been highly anticipated. The Washington Post reports that one of the main obstacles to producing affordable electric cars for the mass market has been the cost of making the large, heavy batteries needed to get them down the road. The White House administration has committed billions of dollars to develop electric cars and batteries. During the 2008 presidential campaign, Obama pledged to put 1 million electric cars on the road by 2015. Whether he succeeds could depend on whether the Leaf and the Volt are priced low enough with the help of the electric car tax credit to rapidly achieve popularity.

Chevy Volt outruns Nissan Leaf

Powered by a lithium-ion battery pack, the Volt can travel up to 40 miles on purely electric power. The Nissan Leaf has a range of 70-120 miles before it needs to be parked and plugged in. For driving beyond 40 miles, the Volt’s four-cylinder gasoline engine generates the electricity to power the engine for a total range of about 300 miles without a charge. CNNMoney.com reports that GM recently announced it will guarantee the Volt’s lithium ion battery for eight years or 100,000 miles to put customers at ease about the enormous cost of replacing the Chevy Volt’s battery, which weighs about 400 pounds and will cost thousands of dollars to replace.

“No other automaker offers an electrically driven vehicle that can be your everyday driver, to take you wherever, whenever.”
Joel Ewanick, vice president of U.S. marketing for General Motors

Chevy Volt plugs into the wall socket

Starting later this fall, the Chevy Volt will only be sold in California, New York, Michigan, Connecticut, Texas, New Jersey and the Washington, D.C., area. The Los Angeles Times reports that these are regions of the country where there is a growing power charging infrastructure for electric vehicles, as well as where local and state governments provide extra incentives for electric vehicle purchases. The Volt comes with a kit that will allow drivers to plug the car into a standard electric socket, where it will charge in about 10 hours. Owners who upgrade to 240 volts could charge the Volt in four hours.

General Motors makes $6 billion payment

General Motors wired the final payment Tuesday night on $6.8 billion in installment loans from U.S. and Canadian governments. More than $1 billion went to the Canadian government, and $4.7 billion went to the U.S. Treasury. According to Reuters, the U.S. Treasury has confirmed that General Motors has paid its loan obligation a full five years before the maturity date of the loan.  The loans made to General Motors and Chrysler were part of the TARP program.

General Motors to begin mass production of Chevy Volt

Production has already commenced on the Chevy Volt, the plug in hybrid.  It is being manufactured at the Hamtramck plant near Detroit.  General Motors Chief Executive Ed Whitacre has also, according to CNN, announced they will invest $136 million into the Fairfax, Kansas and $121 million into the Hamtramck, Michigan plants for production of the next generation Malibu. The Fairfax plant also produces the Buick LeSabre, and the Hamtramck plant produces the Buick LaCerne and Cadillac DTS models, among others.

Not out of the woods just yet

The U.S. and Canadian governments are still majority shareholders of General Motors.  Currently, according to this article in The Guardian, the US and Canadian governments collectively hold 73 percent of GM stock, the U.S. holding 60 percent.  General Motors received about $50 billion from the U.S. Treasury in TARP funds, and the plan is that once GM is allowed to go public for stock purchases again, the taxpayers will get back something on their investment. Chrysler is still struggling, though it has begun to make positive steps.  The Wall Street Journal reports that Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner will be meeting with Whitacre soon.

So is it ok to buy GM again?

Many people were dissatisfied with the involvement of the Treasury, and also the fact that one of the largest manufacturers of domestic automobiles slipped so badly.  The car manufacturing industry is also one of the largest employers in the US, and thousands were laid off in the wake of the General Motors and Chrysler bankruptcy.  This is proof that GM is returning to not only solvency, but perhaps to profitability, and with the upcoming release of the Chevy Volt, Detroit may soon see the dawning of a new day.

(Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jm3/ / CC BY-SA 2.0)

(Photo: bharrison.wordpress.com)

The vision of President Obama is that programs like Cash For Clunkers will eliminate all of the gas guzzling monstrosities of rusted metal that populate America’s highways, replacing them with pristine machines with glistening MPG ratings and minimal impact upon the environment. The reality of the situation is that some people can afford the luxury of brand new, fuel-efficient vehicles, but most cannot, even with a $4,500 boost from Cash For Clunkers. In order to make a down payment, or even monthly payments, payday loans and cash advances come into play.

But that won’t stop the automakers

According to ZDNet, Chevrolet is going pedal to the metal down the path toward the perfect electric car with the new Chevy Volt. Despite the limitations that still exist in the battery technology for electric vehicles, Chevrolet still feels that Chevy Volt is going to catch the eye – and the wallets – of the American driving public.

Right up front, the most obvious selling point for the Chevy Volt in this Cash For Clunkers, go green for the Obamavironment  universe is that this electric vehicle will get up to 230 miles per gallon in city driving. How’s that for a mouth-watering number? In terms of electricity costs per 100 miles, it’s only $2.75 by Chevrolet’s estimate. But if you aren’t near a place where it’s convenient to plug in, you’re in for some trouble. You might find that you need a tow for that high tech dead battery chariot, and if you don’t have a tow package or cash on hand, you might consider payday loans or cash advances. You could even apply for them here.

Ready for 2011

Based on the prospect of being free of the gasoline pump and its skyrocketing costs will be a big draw for many consumers. However, people will have to wait before they can get their hands on this vehicle. The Chevy Volt won’t go in to production until late 2010. It will be available as a 2011 model.

Before you sign up to buy a 2011 Chevy Volt, here are a few things you should definitely know:

1. With a single electric charge, the battery of your Chevy Volt can carry you 40 miles under optimal conditions. Thus, this vehicle is an electric/fuel hybrid.
2. Once the standard combustion engine is taken into account, the overall range of the Chevy Volt will be around 300 miles. Plan your trips accordingly and find an electrical outlet you can use.
3. GM recommends that the Chevy Volt be plugged in for recharging at least once per day, but users may need more depending upon usage.
4. Just how much mileage you get on a charged battery will depend upon a number of factors, including how much cargo you’re carrying, whether or not you’re using the air conditioning and just how many passengers you’re dragging along. But don’t literally drag them, please.

Um, I can’t use the AC?

Of course you can use the air conditioning. President Obama’s drive to improve the environment hasn’t cracked down on automobile air conditioning and their evil freon yet. Give it time. But until then, you can use the air conditioner in your Chevy Volt. Just keep in mind that it may decrease the miles you get out of a charge significantly. ZDNet notes that once the Volt’s battery dials down to minimum charge, extended-range mode will automatically kick in. Thus, you won’t stall out while merging onto the freeway. The Chevy Volt will begin to utilize it’s combustion engine to produce electricity that will continue to operate the car. That is cool, but remember to recharge the battery as soon as you’re done with your trip.

Ready for a real jolt?

We’ve talked about the range of the Chevy Volt, which will be a problem for some people. But the real kicker with the Chevy Volt will be the price tag. Most consumers simply won’t be able to afford it at $40,000. I know I won’t, and I believe that will be the case for most consumers who are looking for inventive news ways to stretch their dollar. Monthly car payments on a Chevy Volt aren’t taken into account by any government or dealer discount plan. You simply have to buckle up and try to make it.

At the very least, payday loans and cash advances are good for a down payment…

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