General Motors plans to build prototypes of its Chevy Volt electric car this summer based on successful development of its battery powertrain technology to this point.
Despite GM's grave financial problems, the Chevy Volt is still scheduled for release in November 2010, company executives said in a conference call with reporters on Tuesday. The four-door sedan can go 40 miles on a full charge and has an internal combustion engine to charge the battery for longer trips.
During the call, executives said GM engineers have been able to meet its battery performance goals and that the company is already working on second- and third-generation battery systems.
Inside the Chevy Volt's battery pack.
(Credit: Screen capture by Martin LaMonica/CNET)GM expects to reuse different elements of the T-shaped battery pack in the Chevy Volt in other vehicles. For cars that are about the same size as the Volt, a very similar battery pack can be used. Other vehicles can borrow the thermal management and power electronics that GM is developing for the battery pack.
GM in January announced that it intends to do auto battery engineering itself, rather than rely exclusively on partners, because it is strategic to its long-term plans. The company applied for and received a Michigan state grant to build a manufacturing facility, said Bob Kruse, GM's executive director of global hybrid, electric-vehicle, and battery engineering.
The battery cells themselves will be supplied by Korean company LG Chem. At a Michigan facility, GM worked with an industrial-design partner on the battery pack, which holds more than 200 cells, and the associated control systems. That battery design plant will be officially opened later this year, Kruse said.
A look at how the T-shaped battery pack affects the interior of the Volt.
(Credit: Screen capture by Martin LaMonica/CNET)The T-shape battery pack, able to hold 16 kilowatt-hours of electricity, fits under the car and can be assembled in a way similar to gasoline cars, Kruse said.
The shape of the battery, where a "battery tunnel" runs down the middle of the car, means that the Chevy Volt will be a four-passenger car because there is only space for two seats in the back.
Costs remains a significant challenge for GM's Volt program and for all electric vehicles aimed at the mass market. GM executives have said they expect to lose money on the first version of the Volt--expected to be priced around $40,000--which makes federal and state tax credits for electric-car purchases very important.
"The first-generation technology is expensive. That's why some of the incentives at the state and federal (level) help with vehicle electrification," Kruse said. "I think it makes a fairly viable business proposition for first-generation technology."
Its second- and third-generation battery programs are focused primarily on bringing down the cost, GM executives said. Engineers are looking to take advantage of the latest battery technologies and find efficiencies in manufacturing, such as using fewer parts.
Automakers have played with the idea of owning the actual auto batteries, which would allow consumers to get new and presumably better batteries after a few years. Kruse said GM still has not decided on its "go to market strategy," with regard to batteries.
Batteries could be used for other applications, after they have run their useful life in cars, said Andrew Farah, the chief engineer of the Chevrolet Volt. For example, they could be used for backup power. Utilities, too, are exploring lithium ion batteries for storage.
The lithium within the batteries could also be recycled and reused, Kruse noted. With so many automakers choosing lithium ion batteries, there are growing questions over the available supply of lithium, much of which comes from China and Chile.
Even though the price of gasoline has fallen to below $2 a gallon in many places in the United States, Kruse said GM continues to add resources to the Volt program because electric powertrains are the future of the industry. The price of gasoline when GM releases the Volt will play into how the company fixes its price, he added.
"I will tell you that a $1.50 (gallon of) gasoline is not necessarily helping with the business case (for the Volt), but who knows what the cost of petroleum will be in the future?" he said.
General Motors on Tuesday released a "plan of action" for communities to prepare for plug-in electric cars, like its forthcoming Chevy Volt.
At the Washington Auto Show, GM said that it seeking to work with communities that are supportive of plug-in electric vehicles. It is already working with a group of utilities to ensure that utilities can handle the increased electrical load from charging electric vehicles.
A charging pedestal from Coulomb Technologies.
(Credit: Martin LaMonica/CNET Networks)
GM said that it working with the municipalities of San Francisco and the Washington, D.C., metro area as "early adopter markets" that will create incentives to buy electric cars and build an infrastructure to support them.
"Collaborating with communities such as San Francisco and metropolitan areas such as Washington, D.C.--where there's already an interest in plug-in vehicles--is another important step toward raising customer awareness of the environmental and economic benefits of vehicles such as the Volt," said Ed Peper, GM North America vice president, Chevrolet, in a statement.
The move highlights the relative immaturity of electric vehicles.
Automakers are concerned that limited range and a lack of sufficient public charging infrastructure will frustrate early buyers. The Chevy Volt--and presumably other GM cars built with the same technology--are designed to go 40 miles on a charge and use a gas-powered generator for longer trips.
Other automakers, including Mitsubishi and start-up Miles Electric, are pitching all-electric cars as second cars for commuting and shorter trips.
Also, the hefty cost of batteries makes electric vehicles substantially more expensive than gasoline-only cars. There is already a tax credit for plug-in electric cars that can be up to $7,500 based on the size of the battery. The Chevy Volt, set for first release in late 2010, is expected to qualify for the maximum.
Industry association the Electric Drive Transportation Association (EDTA) this week released a set of policy recommendations, including tax breaks to promote battery manufacturing which could help lower component costs.
It turns out that weaning the auto industry off gasoline isn't as simple as turning out electric cars from a factory.
Auto industry executives say they will couple their first mass-market electric cars with a big dose of community outreach, with the hope of making the new generation of vehicles more desirable and convenient to consumers.
Car companies intend to target places where governments are willing to provide incentives to purchase plug-in electric cars and install charging stations. Utilities, too, need to be involved so that the grid doesn't become stressed by a rush of cars.
General Motors is already coordinating with industry partners, community leaders, and utilities to ensure that the apparent strong demand for the Chevy Volt--due in November 2010--will have the infrastructure to back it up, said Tony Posawatz, vehicle line director of the Chevy Volt.
"We are looking at communities that exist that are willing to put all the pieces together," Posawatz said at the Electric Drive Transportation Association's Conference & Exposition earlier this month. "To me, the Volt is a remarkable product. But, if the other stuff--the communities, etc.--isn't there, then we run the risk of failing."
Private-public partnerships
The financial industry bailout bill (separate from the auto industry aid package that failed to pass Congress) helps clear the cost hurdle for plug-in electric cars. Depending on the size of the battery, consumers and businesses can get up to a $7,500 tax credit starting next year.
But that financial incentive isn't quite enough to rapidly spur mass adoption, say auto companies.
Municipalities or states could create incentives to install charging "pedestals" in urban neighborhoods or other public spaces. Similarly, businesses or parking lot owners could install charging ports.
With a good charging infrastructure in place, auto makers hope that mainstream consumers--rather than only adventurous bleeding-edge buyers--will have a positive experience with plug-in electric cars.
A charging pedestal from Coulomb Technologies.
(Credit: Martin LaMonica/CNET Networks)Nissan, for example, is readying what it considers a mainstream sedan, with the usual amenities of modern cars like on-board navigation and heated seats. That's a break from electric cars that are already available, such as the pricey, $109,000 Tesla Roadster or existing neighborhood electric cars that can't go highway speed.
Because it is a mainstream product, Nissan will stage the car's initial introduction in the fall of 2010 in region's that have the right infrastructure in place, said Mark Perry, director of product planning for Nissan Americas. That will help it prepare for "mass market" availability in 2012, he said.
It is establishing "public-private partnerships" with governments and utilities in an effort to ensure things like favorable permitting and available inspectors for charging stations, Perry said. So far, it has agreements with Tennessee, Oregon, and Sonoma County, Calif., to set up a network of charging stations in public places.
"As we think about the individual consumer, you don't want it to be an open question--Ok, I want an electric vehicle, what do I do? We want to have those answers," said Perry. "It's not a technical hurdle. It's more a coordination and logistics hurdle."
Nissan is considering a battery swapping program, something that start-up Better Place plans to set up in a number of countries, Hawaii, and the San Francisco Bay Area. The idea is to avoid the problem of a car's limited battery range by having a network of spots--they would resemble car washes--where drivers can swap fresh batteries in for depleted ones.
Other auto makers are taking a similar region-by-region approach. Mitshubishi's electric subcompact, the iMiev, has been testing a fast charging infrastructure with seven Japanese utilities capable of replenishing battery charge to 80 percent in 30 minutes, said David Patterson, senior manager for research and development at Mitsubishi Motors in North America.
The cars will be available commercially in Japan next summer. Mitsubishi also plans to run tests as fleet vehicles with California utilities Pacific Gas & Electric and Southern California Edison.
Smart charging
Utilities, meanwhile, need to be involved in electric car roll-outs to hammer out technical standards and ensure that the grid won't be over-taxed by the added load of electric vehicles.
The Electric Power Research Institute said in a study that the the U.S. power grid could accommodate many electric cars, all while improving air quality and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. A spike to 60 percent market share in 2050 of plug-in electric vehicles would use between seven and eight percent of grid-supplied electricity, it found.
Click on the image to see a photo gallery from the Electric Drive Transportation Association's Conference & Exposition earlier this month.
(Credit: Martin LaMonica/CNET Networks)However, an analysis from the Oak Ridge National Laboratories found that rapid penetration of plug-in vehicles could require construction of dozens of more power plants if utilities can't control when vehicles are charged. If millions of consumers recharge their cars during peak times, such as early evening, utilities might not be able to meet demand with existing power plants.
The technical solution to this problem is so-called smart charging software which will allow utilities to remotely control when vehicles are charged and at what pace.
During the Electric Drive Transportation Association's Conference & Exposition, General Motors and smart grid start-up GridPoint remotely dialed into GM's Warren, Mich., testing labs and altered the charge rate on a Volt. GridPoint earlier this year bought V2Green, which developed software specifically for utilities to deal with electric cars.
"The last thing you want to do is charge on peak," said GridPoint chief strategy officer Karl Lewis, who warned that on-peak charging could lead to higher electricity prices. "We envision a compact between the utility and the consumer to incentivize consumers to do off-peak charging."
A utility could, for example, offer what's called time-of-day pricing, where consumers would get cheaper rates to charge a vehicle after midnight when demand is low.
On a technical level, the protocols and standards for charging electric cars en masse still aren't settled. For example, auto makers are waiting for guidelines from the Society of Automotive Engineers International on fast-charging methods, which can make a significant difference in charge time.
Using a car charging device at 240 volts will fill the Chevy Volt's batteries in three hours, versus eight hours if out of a standard 120-volt U.S. household socket.
Building a "geek squad" to install 240-volt charging boxes at people's homes is one example of the services that will smooth the way for electric cars, said GM's Posawatz. "There are a lot of opportunities and possibilities for different people in the value chain," he said.
WASHINGTON--Amid an uncertain future for the U.S. auto giants, one of the most exciting products is the Chevy Volt, one of dozens of electric cars under development.
General Motors showed off the 2011 Volt at the Electric Drive Transportation Association's Conference & Exposition this week. Several other vehicles--some still under development, some already commercial--were on display as well.
Britta Gross, General Motors' manager of Hydrogen and Electrical Infrastructure Development, walked through the highlights of the Volt with me on Wednesday at the conference. (See grainy YouTube video below.)
To say that GM has a lot riding on the success of the Volt is a bit of an understatement. As its CEO Rick Wagoner requests federal assistance, he can point to the Volt and other fuel-efficient vehicles as the centerpiece of GM's restructured product strategy.
Indeed, GM executives say that the project is still on track and getting all available resources despite the financial straits the company is in. The extended-range electric car, which uses batteries and a gas motor to supplement driving distance, is expected to serve as a platform for a whole line of cars.
GM, of course, is not alone in transitioning to an electric powertrain.
In its plan presented to Congress, Ford Motor this week said that it will accelerate the introduction of a line of all-electric and hybrid electric cars to 2011. Chrysler earlier this year detailed is plans.
Town cars or highway cars?
While the Volt and Fisker Karma have a gasoline engine that will let a driver go for hundreds of miles, the first iteration of all-electric town cars will be limited to about 100 miles. But for daily commuting or for a second car, the range limit isn't a serious barrier, say executives.
Nissan is highly committed to electric cars and plans to roll out all-electric cars for testing in the fall of 2010. "Mass market sales" are scheduled for 2012. The cars will have a range of 100 miles and can be recharged in four hours, according to a company representative.
Mitsubishi is already testing an electric subcompact, the iMiev, which will go over 80 miles per hour and have a 100-mile range. The company will start producing them next summer for introduction in Japan. Then it intends to offer them in the U.S. and Europe.
Think of Norway will introduce the Think City in Norway at the beginning of next year with a new lithium-ion battery. It's a small car with room for two adults in front and two children or storage in the back. The range will be about 100 miles and top out at about 65 miles per hour.
Click on the image to see a photo gallery from the Electric Drive Transportation Association's Conference & Exposition this week.
(Credit: Martin LaMonica/CNET Networks)California-based Miles Electric intends to test an all-electric sedan called the Miles XS500 in California in 2010. The chassis, which resembles a Camry, will be manufactured in China along with the lithium ion batteries. The top speed will be over 80 miles per hour and have a range of 120 miles.
Meanwhile, at the very high end, there is already the $109,000 Tesla Roadster. The Fisker Karma, a luxury plug-in electric sedan, is still on track for delivery at the end of next year.
Certainly less glamorous are several electric utility vehicles and neighborhood, low-speed cars already available, such as the carts available from Global Electric Motorcars.
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