2010 Nissan Leaf

As I have mentioned in some of my previous posts.....a number of companies are developing hybrids, plus-in hybrids, and electric cars. Today's post is on the 2010 Nissan Leaf which is scheduled to delivered to dealers in the fall of 2010. It is an electric car that is scheduled to be sold in the United States, Europe and Japan.

The Leaf uses a front mounted electric motor driving the front wheels....with 80 kws of power and 280 nm of torque. It is powered by a 23 kwh lithium ion battery. Nissan estimates that the crusing range if 100 miles before the batteries will need to be recharged.

The Leaf has no engine to recharge the batteries so after 100 miles the Leaf will need to stop at a recharging station. The somewhat similar Chevrolet Volt will travel 40 miles on battery only before the gasoline motor turns on to recharge the battery....but it has an estimated range of 300 miles before it will need to be refueled.

The Leaf has a top speed of approximately 90mph (145 kmh). A special quick charger option can recharge in battery up to 80% capacity in approximately 30 minutes.

Pricing has not been announced but it is anticipated that the Leaf will sell for approximately $30,000 USD plus options. Nissan will probably receive U.S. government approval for the $7500 income tax credit.

The Leaf has an interesting feature that will allow the owner to remotely turn on the air conditioning or heating.

SUMMARY:

It appears that electric revolution in automobiles has started....the first salvos are being fired.

Can You Believe This Car Gets 230 Miles Per Gallon?

I have done a couple of posts on this ground breaking green vehicle! Unfortunately, it has been one of the least popular posts that I have done with this blog. GM announced today that the mileage estimate for the new 2011 Volt will be an estimated 230 mpg in the city. The mileage for the new Chevrolet Volt is 4.8 times the city mileage for the 2010 Toyota Prius which gets 48 mpg. This is truly a paradigm shift in fuel economy if this turns out to be correct!

The Volt is a true plug in vehicle......it is a totally different vehicle than the Toyota Prius which is a gasoline-hybrid. The Volt actually runs on electricity all the time.....the gasoline motor actually runs to recharge the batteries normally during highway driving conditions. The Toyota Prius does use electricity to run at lower speeds but the gasoline engine turns on to propel the car much of the time. GM also noted that the highway miles per gallon will also be in the triple digits.

The Volt was designed with an objective of running 40 miles on electric power without the engine turning on. According to a survey by the U.S. Department of Transportation, nearly 80 percent of U.S. drivers commute 40 miles or less daily.

GM estimates that the Chevy Volt will save about 500 gallons (1,892 liters) of gasoline based on 40 miles of daily driving and 15,000 miles annually. For drivers that commute 60 miles (96 km) per day or 21,000 miles annually, about 550 gallons (2,081 liters) of gasoline could be saved.

Pricing for the Volt is estimated at $40,000 USD plus options. The Volt would be eligible for a $7500 federal tax credit. It is anticipated that the price would drop for future generations of the Volt as GM when production ramps up.

SUMMARY:

The most technologically advanced car that GM has ever produced! The race will be on to see who comes to market first with the first plug in vehicle. Chrysler, Ford and Mercedes and Toyota are all developing plug-ins and electric cars.

2011 Chevrolet Volt

Chevrolet Volt is a game changer from General Motors (GM), in fact this could be one of the vehicles to save the venerable brand. The Volt is a plug in hybrid to be produced by GM, unlike current available hybrids like the Toyota Prius, the propulsion of the Volt is accomplished by the electric motors, it has a regular gas engine which recharges the batteries, but the gas engine does not power the wheels.

It's lithium-ion batteries have a range up to 40 miles (64 km), which exceeds the daily commute of 75% of Americans, which is an average of 33 miles (53 km). A small 4 cylinder gasoline engine drives a generator to provide a longer range. This effectively extends the Volt's potential range to as much as 640 miles (1,030 km) on a single tank of fuel, but the range could be extended indefinitely by refueling the vehicle. The Volt's lithium-ion battery pack can also be fully charged by plugging the car into a 120-240VAC residential electrical outlet.

Since the current Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) definition of a hybrid vehicle states the vehicle shall have "two or more energy storage systems both of which must provide propulsion power, either together or independently", the company has avoided the use of the term "hybrid" when describing its non-conforming Voltec designs. Instead GM has described the Volt as an electric vehicle equipped with a "range extending" gasoline powered internal combustion engine. However, the combination of an internal combustion engine and electric motors in such a configuration is most often referred to as a series hybrid.

An optional feature will be a a thermovoltaic solar power roof, allowing the owner to charge the battery by leaving the vehicle in sunlight. GM has decided on a new descriptive terminology to distinguish it from traditional hybrids. They are calling the Volt an E-REV, for extended-range electric vehicle, although it still qualifies as a hybrid.

The estimated production plans are 10,000 first year with a ramp up to 60,000 units in the second year. Production in the U.S will be done at GM's Detroit/Hamtramck Assembly. GM is considering building all of the Volts for the European market, branded Chevrolet, Opel and Vauxhall, at their Vauxhall plant in Ellesmere Port in the United Kingdom. GM indicated that the Volt would be available for sale in Europe in 2011, then available in Australia by 2012.

General Motors was reportedly in disagreement with the United States Environmental Protection Agency regarding how the Volt should be tested to determine its official fuel economy rating. The EPA reportedly wants to alter the method of testing currently used for all other hybrid vehicles. If tested with the same EPA tests used by other hybrids, the Volt's ability to use the energy stored in the batteries would result in it achieving a fuel economy rating of over 100 mpg, which would make the Volt the first mass-produced automobile to achieve such a rating. Currently, the 2010 Toyota Prius has a combined city/highway rating of 50 mpg.

Pricing for the Volt in the U.S. is estimated at $40K plus, with a government tax incentive rebate of $7500 bringing the price to around $32.5K. Pricing in the U.K. market would be estimated at GBP£20K, less a government tax incentive rebate.

SUMMARY:

My take on this vehicle is that the Chevrolet Volt will be a game changer in a number of different ways. First, it will help to get GM sales and image back on track after the government sponsored bankruptcy, second it is a mass market vehicle that can change the hybrid landscape, which Toyota dominates presently. Third it will be a major milestone on the way to American energy independence!

Shown below is the original Volt concept vehicle!

Information via Wikipedia!

New GM To Emerge

Today is a milestone of American history......General Motors (GM) is about to exit bankruptcy. This is one of the largest and the fastest bankruptcy in American history! The bankruptcy judge Robert Gerber has ruled that GM will be allowed to sell the bulk of the good assets to the new GM. This is the final procedure that will allow the automaker to emerge from bankruptcy protection.

The old GM will be renamed Motors Liquidation Co....and those assets not transferred to the new GM will remain and be liquidated. This process may take up to 2-3 years to finalize. The GM stock is still traded in the over the counter market....but is virtually worthless.

The speed of the bankruptcy was initiated due to the Obama administration requirement otherwise the government would refuse to provide GM with additional funds unless it was out of bankruptcy court by July 10th.

"As nobody can seriously dispute, the only alternative to an immediate sale is liquidation — a disastrous result for GM's creditors, its employees, the suppliers who depend on GM for their own existence, and the communities in which GM operates," a comment out of the Gerber ruling.

There will be a number of appeals....some are by people that are suing GM citing liable in several auto accident cases. Other are GM's bondholders, unions and consumer groups indicating that their needs were disregarded in bankruptcy. A group of the Chrysler bondholders took their objections to the Supreme Court last month, which delayed Chrysler's exit from bankruptcy....but the court failed to hear their case.

The bankruptcy will allow GM to significantly reduce their debt....along with a renegotiated United Auto Workers(UAW) contract. GM will shed its non-profitable divisions Saturn, Pontiac, Hummer, Saab and Opel.

The new GM has an image problem.... baggage from the old GM....they are perceived as a auto company that is out of touch with the needs to the American public. GM grew fat and bloated and thought that whatever they built would be bought by the public.

Unfortunately, the public has some incredible choices....so the new GM will have to bring some dynamic vehicles to market. Then it will take a few years to change the public perceptions. Some of the cars that GM was building lately are actually very good cars....unfortunately most people have the old perception that GM cars stink!

The Chevy Cruze is an excellent choice as a compact car but GM will have serious competition from the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, and the Ford Fiesta. The challenge that GM will have is regaining the trust of Americans that have purchased foreign brands and are content with their choices.

When the bankruptcy is completed, GM will receive about $50 billion tax dollars. The government will own 61% of GM. The Obama administration has indicated that they will be hands off owner....but they have already selected AT&T Inc. CEO Ed Whitacre to chair the board. Whiteacre rebuilt AT&T after they were substantially down in market share and profits after the government sponsored breakup of AT&T.

SUMMARY:

GM will be a better company after this reorganization! I had predicted that this would be the solution back in my February 16th post...Time GM To Pay The Piper. GM will not have the substantial debt to service, the UAW has made substantial concessions to reduce the man hour cost. They have eliminated much of the dead weight that had accumulated over the years.

In the past, I had been very critical of the GM board. They should have replaced the CEO and President Rick Wagner since GM continued with substantial losses and declines in market share. As a shareholder, I would have been extremely upset.

Since, Ed Whitacre will be chairman of the board, expect positive things to happen. He knows how to run a large business and make it successful. The new GM will be a much better company....with products and service to match.

2011 Chevrolet Volt

Chevrolet Volt is a game changer from General Motors (GM), in fact this could be one of the vehicles to save the venerable brand. The Volt is a plug in hybrid to be produced by GM, unlike current available hybrids like the Toyota Prius, the propulsion of the Volt is accomplished by the electric motors, it has a regular gas engine which recharges the batteries, but the gas engine does not power the wheels.
It's lithium-ion batteries have a range up to 40 miles (64 km), which exceeds the daily commute of 75% of Americans, which is an average of 33 miles (53 km). A small 4 cylinder gasoline engine drives a generator to provide a longer range. This effectively extends the Volt's potential range to as much as 640 miles (1,030 km) on a single tank of fuel, but the range could be extended indefinitely by refueling the vehicle. The Volt's lithium-ion battery pack can also be fully charged by plugging the car into a 120-240VAC residential electrical outlet.

Since the current Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) definition of a hybrid vehicle states the vehicle shall have "two or more energy storage systems both of which must provide propulsion power, either together or independently", the company has avoided the use of the term "hybrid" when describing its non-conforming Voltec designs. Instead GM has described the Volt as an electric vehicle equipped with a "range extending" gasoline powered internal combustion engine. However, the combination of an internal combustion engine and electric motors in such a configuration is most often referred to as a series hybrid.

An optional feature will be a a thermovoltaic solar power roof, allowing the owner to charge the battery by leaving the vehicle in sunlight. GM has decided on a new descriptive terminology to distinguish it from traditional hybrids. They are calling the Volt an E-REV, for extended-range electric vehicle, although it still qualifies as a hybrid.

The estimated production plans are 10,000 first year with a ramp up to 60,000 units in the second year. Production in the U.S will be done at GM's Detroit/Hamtramck Assembly. GM is considering building all of the Volts for the European market, branded Chevrolet, Opel and Vauxhall, at their Vauxhall plant in Ellesmere Port in the United Kingdom. GM indicated that the Volt would be available for sale in Europe in 2011, then available in Australia by 2012.

General Motors was reportedly in disagreement with the United States Environmental Protection Agency regarding how the Volt should be tested to determine its official fuel economy rating. The EPA reportedly wants to alter the method of testing currently used for all other hybrid vehicles. If tested with the same EPA tests used by other hybrids, the Volt's ability to use the energy stored in the batteries would result in it achieving a fuel economy rating of over 100 mpg, which would make the Volt the first mass-produced automobile to achieve such a rating. Currently, the 2010 Toyota Prius has a combined city/highway rating of 50 mpg.

Pricing for the Volt in the U.S. is estimated at $40K plus, with a government tax incentive rebate of $7500 bringing the price to around $32.5K. Pricing in the U.K. market would be estimated at GBP£20K, less a government tax incentive rabate.

My take on this vehicle is that the Chevrolet Volt will be a game changer in a number of different ways. First, it will help to get GM sales and image back on track after the anticipated government sponsored bankruptcy, second it is a mass market vehicle that can change the hybrid landscape, which Toyota dominates presently. Third it will be a major milestone on the way to energy independence!

Shown below is the original Volt concept vehicle!

Information via Wikipedia!

Hybrid Car Sales Tank

As I have mentioned before car sales have taken a nose dive off the deep end lately. Americans have cut back on buying vehicles of all types as the economy continues to slow down. I read an interesting article in the LA times by Ken Bensinger which is the basis for this post. Unfortunately for the automakers, due to the low price of gasoline hybrid auto sales have taken a steeper decline than regular automobiles.

Last summer when gas prices were at there peak $4, hybrid sales were hot! Now consumers refuse to pay a premium for a fuel efficient vehicle now that the average price of gas has dropped to $2. The bottom line is that it hybrids are not cost effective presently with the low price of gas. A hybrid can cost up to $9000 more than the same non hybrid vehicle, $9000 will pay for a lot of gasoline. The premium over a non hybrid vehicle can take up to ten years or more to pay for the difference in the additional fuel economy that a hybrid generates.

The average days to sell a Toyota Prius hybrid has gone from 1.6 days in July 2008 to 76.6 days in March 2009. The Camry hybrid has gone from 4.6 days to 156.2 days during the same period.

President Obama is calling on the automakers to build the cars of tomorrow, but the present business case is costing the auto companies money. Currently the auto companies complain that they loose money on every hybrid that they produce. Congress is pushing the auto manufacturers to improve mileage as a key to reducing U.S. dependence on foreign oil and limiting the global warming gases that autos emit.
Manufacturers from across the world are increasing their hybrid models. Here are the latest updates. Honda plans to introduce the new Insight hybrid in the next few weeks after discontinuing the Honda Civic hybrid in 2008. Hyundai and Audi plan to deliver their first hybrids sometime in 2010. Toyota has the new Prius coming in the next few months along with a new Lexus hybrid.

Since the big three U.S. automakers have testified before congress, the biggest push will be coming from the American manufacturers. Ford plans to follow its high mileage Fusion and Mercury Milan hybrids (see Feb. 6th post Can Detroit Build Hybrids?) with a battery powered van in 2010 and a family of hybrids in 2012. Chrysler has committed to eight new hybrids or electric cars by 2015. Meanwhile, GM indicates that 26 of the 33 cars they sell in 2015 will be some type of hybrids, including the Chevrolet Volt, a plug in hybrid due out next year. I have a future post coming on the Chevrolet Volt, which is a game changer for GM and the auto industry.

Lutz To Leave GM

I thought that today was an incredibly sad day for General Motors. They submitted their recovery plan to the government. From a management perspective, that day was embarrassing considering that GM a few years back was the largest business in the world ranked by sales and market capitalization. They are also loosing a very important component of what was going right at GM.

Here is a salute to a real car guy Bob Lutz! He is the chief product czar at General Motors. He is the person that is directly responsible for bring on some of GM's best new products. He made the announcement that he will be leaving GM last week. The products that he as brought to life are the Chevrolet Malibu, Cadillac CTS, Pontiac G-8 and the Chevrolet Volt.

I personally think he saw the writing on the wall. Under government supervision, he would not have a free reign to implement his visions of what an automobile should be. So, he would not be comfortable operating in that kind of restricted environment.

Bob Lutz has had a substantial automotive career working at Ford, Chrysler and BMW prior starting work at GM in 2001. Hopefully, he will continue working his magic at some other manufacturer. But, if not we will miss his automotive genius!