chevrolet

Step aside Hummer, the Beat is coming.

Toyota swallowed about half the cost of the Prius during its first few years on the market, but today it actually turns a profit. Will GM do the same for the Chevrolet Volt?

This is a very interesting article outlining the steps that car companies are taking to increase the efficiency of there vehicle and setting industry standards for fuel efficiency.

The Equinox fuel cell cars run solely on hydrogen, which, at this point in time, is a drawback for the average consumer. Although we produce 40 billion kilograms of hydrogen globally every year--enough to power 130 million fuel cell-powered cars--hydrogen fueling stations are still scarce.

Dubbed as the next generation electric car, the all new Chevrolet Volt was the talk of this year"s Detroit Auto Show. Capable of running 40 miles on its initial charge, the Volt re-charges itself as it moves down the road, saving consumers time and money.

As concerns over the environment continue to grow, so does the hybrid vehicle sector – as seen at this year’s Hybridfest in Madison, WI. During the event, General Motors (GM) unveils a two-mode Chevrolet Hybrid – a vehicle with two electric motors due to be released in late 2007.

In essence, the environmental strategy of General Motors Europe is to reduce CO2 emissions in the short term and introduce new propulsion technologies in the long term. The goal is to offer customers vehicles that can operate on many different energy sources. “The multi-tiered approach includes accelerating the development of electrically powered vehicles, stepping up efforts to replace fossil fuels and increasing the efficiency of gasoline and diesel engines,” explains Carl-Peter Forster, GME President.

General Motors Corp. and A123Systems, Inc. will co-develop cells with A123System's nanophosphate battery chemistry for a long-lasting, safe and powerful battery for use in GM’s electric drive E-Flex system. The agreement is expected to expedite the development of the batteries for both electric plug-in vehicles and fuel cell variants of the E-Flex architecture.