Chevrolet Volt News

  • 2011 Chevrolet Volt

    General Motors has responded to a recent Carnegie Mellon University study claiming that upcoming plug-in hybrids such as the Volt are not actually as efficient as they seem. While cars such as the Volt use large batteries to achieve electric-only ranges of around 40 miles, the study claims that the best compromise between expense and efficiency would be to use smaller batteries giving the cars a range of just 7-12mi (11-20km). Now, GM's vice-president of global program management, Jon Lauckner, has come out to defend the carmaker’s position. Lauckner claims that the study fails to take...

  • Ford Edge HySeries plug-in hybrid
    Obama's stimulus package expands plug-in hybrid incentives, but diesel fans unhappy

    A new-generation of plug-in hybrid vehicles may still be a couple of years away from reaching showrooms but the $700 billion Wall Street bailout bill passed by Congress and signed into law last October by President Bush and expanded by President Obama's recent stimulus package secures a tax break...

  • Opel Ampera
    European Volt Makes Official Debut As The New Opel Ampera

    The Chevrolet Volt is still nearly two full years from production, but the Opel-branded version of it is already on display in Geneva. Today General Motors finally pulled the sheet off its European plug-in hybrid, revealing the car in full photographic detail. The new Ampera is essentially...

  • 2010 chevrolet volt 022
    Are plug-in hybrids too expensive to justify?

    General Motors' Volt and the plug-in hybrid technology behind it has come under fire in the press recently, with critics accusing the car of being too expensive and too inefficient to justify its purchase over a standard hybrid. The argument goes that real-world efficiency of a plug-in hybrid isn't...

  • 2010 chevrolet volt 005
    GM planning quick upgrades for Volt thanks to high-tech platform

    One of the harder things about designing a new car is making it sufficiently futuristic that it's actually current when it finally makes it to market. Then the struggle becomes keeping it fresh and relevant - in terms of not just design, but capability and features. Chevrolet thinks it has a winner...

  • 2009 Opel Ampera teaser
    Video: Technology behind the Opel Ampera explained

    General Motors recently gave us a preview of a new plug-in hybrid vehicle based on the Chevrolet Volt that the company plans to sell in Europe under its Opel division. The car is the new Opel Ampera and it is set to make its world debut at March’s Geneva Motor Show. GM has now released a...

  • Chevrolet Volt

    General Motors has confirmed that the first batch of its upcoming Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrids will feature an internal combustion ‘back-up’ engine sourced from Aspern, Austria, and not from Flint, Michigan, as originally planned. The announcement comes just a week after it was revealed that GM’s contract to build a new engine plant in Flint to supply the necessary 1.4L four-cylinder units for the Volt had been canceled. The decision to source the engines from overseas will not add any extra cost to the car’s eventual sticker price, which is expected to fall some...

  • Chevrolet Volt
    GM working with U.S. cities to develop plug-in hybrid infrastructure

    General Motors today outlined a comprehensive plan of action at the Washington Auto Show to help communities get ready for plug-in hybrid vehicles such as its upcoming Chevrolet Volt. The carmaker revealed that it plans to collaborate with communities such as San Francisco and Washington, D.C...

  • Chevrolet Volt
    Texas considering $5,000 tax credit for plug-in hybrids on top of federal incentives

    With all the talk of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reconsidering allowing states to implement their own fuel-economy emissions and regulations, and the negative flow on effects this would have on carmakers that would be forced to tailor cars to meet varying standards across the country...

  • Chevrolet Volt production prototype platform
    GM will build Volt battery factory in the U.S. with LG Chem

    Despite the movement towards electric and hybrid propulsion by many manufacturers over the last few years, none of them actually manufacture the most important component of the vehicles – the batteries. That’s about to change as GM builds its own factory in Michigan to produce battery...

  • 2011 Chevrolet Volt
    Volt development costing GM $750 million

    As set out in Maslow's hierarchy of needs, basic survival must first be established before one can move on to worry about the esoteric concerns of philosophy, morality or ethics. In an odd twist of logic, however, America's car companies have been forced to premise their immediate survival on their...

  • Department of Energy crest
    U.S. Department of Energy shoots down $16B in Detroit requests

    Even as America's carmakers plead their case before the U.S. Congress today, the executive branch has rejected $16 billion in grant requests through the DOE's retooling program. The rejection came in the form of a letter to the carmakers earlier this week from Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman. Of the...

  • 2011 Chevrolet Volt

    Previously we reported that GM CEO Rick Wagoner would be driving a Malibu hybrid to Washington for this week's auto industry bailout hearings, however it has come to light that he will actually be driving the company's much anticipated Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid. Wagoner will be driving a test-mule of the Volt, with the advanced drivetrain hidden under the sheet metal of the upcoming Chevrolet Cruze. GM is hoping that showcasing their new technology will impress Congress enough to grant it up to $18 billion in low-rate loans, reports Automotive News. Shunning their own coporate jets, Ford...

  • GM reveals first interior shot of 2011 Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid
    GM Reveals Official Interior Shot Of 2011 Chevrolet Volt

    General Motors revealed the production version of the 2011 Chevrolet Volt this September as the highlight of its centennial celebration, but until now no official photos of the interior have been released. Today the company revealed what the car will look like to its occupants, and though the vast...

  • 2011 Chevrolet Volt
    Chevy Volt could be first mass-produced vehicle rated at 100mpg or more

    The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is considering altering the way it determines mileage figures for hybrid vehicles, which could ultimately result in much higher mileage figures being awarded to hybrids. Currently, the EPA test cycle involves city and highway driving, as well as high speed...

  • 2010 chevy volt up close motorauthority 009
    First impressions: 2010 Chevy Volt

    The 2010 Chevy Volt was just unveiled ten days ago at GM's 100th Anniversary celebrations in Detroit, but it's already beginning to tour the country. Its first stop after Detroit was GM's 2009 Collection event at the Texas Motor Speedway in Dallas, Texas, to which MotorAuthority was invited. While...

  • 2011 Chevrolet Volt
    GM invests $370m for new small engine plant

    General Motors today announced that it will invest $370m for a new small engine manufacturing plant located in Flint, Michigan. The plant is an important step towards preparing GM to introduce the crucial Volt and Cruze products to the North American marketplace and attempt to gain leadership in...

  • Production 2011 Chevrolet Volt photos leaked
    Production 2011 Chevrolet Volt photos leaked

    The Chevrolet Volt is expected to be shown next week as part of General Motors' centenary celebrations, but it appears an advance copy of the photos to accompany the release has leaked ahead of schedule. The photos, which clearly depict the car alongside several executives, show the car has taken a...

  • Report: GM to show Chevrolet Volt at Sept. 16 centenary celebration

    General Motors is planning a number of events to mark its centenary this month, including a formal celebration later this month at its headquarters in Detroit. In the lead up to the date GM has released a number of teaser shots and more details for the production version of its Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid and a new report claims the car will be shown to the public for the first time on the 16th. Speaking with Automotive News Europe, an inside source said “rumors that a production version of the Volt will show up at the celebrations are true.” GM’s product czar Bob Lutz...

  • Production Chevrolet Volt spotted on Transformers 2 set
    Production Chevrolet Volt spotted on Transformers 2 set

    The production Chevrolet Volt is still a few weeks away from its first official reveal but images of the car have surfaced thanks to filming on the set of the Transformers 2 movie, which it is set to appear in. The 'Volt' name can clearly be seen at the rear of the car as well as on the...

  • 2011 launch date for European Chevrolet Volt
    2011 launch date for European Chevrolet Volt

    Updated: General Motors’ Opel division is working on two new plug-in hybrid vehicles based on the same E-Flex architecture that’s set to debut in the Chevrolet Volt, but the Chevy will also make it to Europe, although not until late 2011. In his latest post on a GM blog, Carl Peter...

  • GM seeks tax breaks to build Chevrolet Volt in Detroit
    GM seeks tax breaks to build Chevrolet Volt in Detroit

    GM is hoping its upcoming electric car, the Chevrolet Volt, will be the start of its economic turnaround and is committed to building the car in its hometown of Detroit. However, the General will need financial aid to keep its promise and recently met with Detroit City Council members to discuss...

  • GM hopes tax credits can reduce cost of Chevrolet Volt
    GM hopes tax credits can reduce cost of Chevrolet Volt

    Despite earlier reports predicting the upcoming Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid vehicle would cost less than $30,000 when it arrives in November 2010, a source close to the project has now revealed that the final price tag is likely to be closer to $40,000. That figure is likely to be higher than the...

  • Chevrolet Volt prototypes reach 40 miles in electric-only mode
    Chevrolet Volt prototypes reach 40 miles in electric-only mode

    GM has reached another milestone with the development of its upcoming Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid. Vice Chairman Bob Lutz revealed earlier this week that prototype versions, which started real-world testing only last month, have already reached the target electric-only driving range of 40 miles...

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