Plug-in Prius too rationale for electrification hype OPUD: Over-promising and under-delivering the battery-powered future I find it terribly unsettling how often fans of electrification ridicule Toyota. They don’t even use lithium in their conventional hybrid cars, they claim. As if all the lithium powered mild hybrids, full hybrids, plug-in hybrids and electric cars on the…

Originally posted here:
Lithium revolution dependent upon Toyota and hybrid cars

Volt 2.0: How would you re-Volt GM's key plug-in? Built for change, but how much change? Early in Chevy Volt production, many things were possible. For instance, GM suggested a non-plug-in Volt, a Volt that utilized super-capacitors rather than batteries, as well as a Volt that replaced its electric range extending engine with a range extending fuel cell. Likewise…

View original post here:
Chevy Volt 2.0: How would you change GM’s plug-in?

The Volt is better than just 600 sales in January. Or was the Volt simply over-hyped Just hours after the debut of the Chevy Volt concept car at the Detroit Auto Show — almost a lifetime ago it seems already — Bob Lutz sat down with a small group of bloggers to discuss this revolutionary concept. I was one of those wide-eyed bloggers, and when Lutz suggested the Volt …

Original post:
Is the Chevy Volt sale’s crash just about bad, unfounded PR?

Chevy Volt sales will spike in 2012. HOV lane access will trump non-existent fire worries Everyone that follows Chevy Volt and plug-in news closely knows that the fire concerns around the Volt’s battery pack have been blown out of proportion. I think even the politicians leading the charge in the Congressional investigation into the Volt know the Volt is safe. This is about politics and the NHTSA’s handling …

See the original post here:
Why the Chevy Volt will sell much better in 2012

Using OnStar to plug into renewables Charge your Volt with renewable energy now says OnStar I’ve had the opportunity to visit GM’s OnStar facilities a few times over the years and have always been impressed with OnStar’s capabilities and its future potential. And in terms of plug-ins such as the Chevy Volt…

Read the original post:
OnStar creates stellar Chevy Volt charging opportunity

Volt reputation burned by a lack of honesty and transparency? Will NHTSA’s safety stamp change that? Is the Chevy Volt an Audi 5000? According to the AutomotiveNews , some Chevy dealers are not accepting their full allotment of Chevy Volts, citing limited demand. Of course, now that the NHTSA has given Volt safety a thumbs up, that sale’s story could…

Go here to see the original:
Bad PR – Fire concerns have definitely hurt the Chevy Volt

Volt-gate is over: The Volt is safe. Neither Volt nor EVs pose greater fire risks Today the government closed its case on an investigation into Chevy Volt fire risks, announcing that both the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, as well as the Obama Administration, consider the case closed following some…

The rest is here:
Chevy Volt-gate over, at least as for as government is concerned

The Tru 140s eAssist hybrid Is GM taking the cost-effective hybrid approach, or refusing to admit failure? In a weird way, I believe that mild hybrid technologies, such as GM’s eAssist could make a lot of sense. As battery costs decline, eAssist — at least it seems to me — could …

Here is the original post:
140S + 130R = Tru Code for GM’s eAssist hybrid success?

Even greater protection on the way. No need to depower the Volt after a crash? Following a severe crash in a Chevy Volt today, GM sends a team to depower the Volt involved in the crash to prevent the possibility of a fire days or even weeks after the crash, much like a gasoline car is emptied of gasoline after a severe …

Visit link:
Updated & Depowered — GM announces Chevy Volt battery fix/update

The original Chevy Volt concept debut Should have been a more conventional hybrid? InsideLine is calling the Chevy Volt one of the two top sale’s flops of 2011, but is that a fair assessment? For years now I’ve panned the Volt as a ridiculous excuse not to build a real …

Continue reading here:
Hype: GM’s Chevy Volt plug-in car a 2011 sale’s flop?

Smarter battery management But is the Volt really dangerous? One day you are out driving your gas-guzzler and WHAM, some jerk blows a stop light and t-bones your ride. A total loss, including the full tank of gasoline that now has to be emptied to prevent fires. Well, that’s no different than…

Visit link:
Depowering Not Required: Nissan Leaf safer than Chevy Volt

Tesla's EV range superstar A few thoughts about battery strategies Getting old sure is fun, and funny, especially in terms of technology. As a boy, renting a VCR for the weekend was one of the greatest technological highlights of my pre-teen years. Of course, eventually my family bought a VCR, with no regard…

More here:
Taking on the future: Model S versus Volt versus Prius plug-in