Autoblog

GM is working hard to produce a game-changing electric vehicle for the masses, but the General's precarious cash flow situation, coupled with the high cost of development, is conspiring to the push Volt's retail price to around $40K at launch. In an effort to mitigate this particular issue, GM is lobbying Congress to bring tax breaks to Volt buyers, and company insiders say the breaks could be on the order of $7,000 per vehicle. GM is also working to insert the words "extended-range electric vehicles" in any legislation, to make sure any other vehicle with the Volt's capabilities can reap the same benefits.

Insiders at the General told Automotive News that the Volt program is still on pace for November 2010 production, and that company engineers are gaining confidence in the car's lithium-ion technology every day. If GM can follow through with its lofty technology promises (while getting Uncle Sam to pony up some pretty hefty tax incentives), the Volt should be the hit Bob Lutz dreams about at night.

[Source: Automotove News (subs req'd)]

Audi has been quietly going about the business of preparing its lineup for a green future, with cleaner and more efficient diesels in Europe, and oil-burners scheduled for the US in the near future. While the German automaker realizes diesel will be big in the next 10 years, it's also planning for life without emissions. Audi exec Rupert Stadler says the four-ringed automaker is primed to offer an electric vehicle in the next five to ten years. Meanwhile, Audi's German competition has been talking up its green position, but Stadler points out that the Volkswagen-owned brand has more research resources to exercise its options.

With the emissions belt being tightened both here in the US and in Europe, every automaker is going to have to make huge changes to its vehicles to stay in the game, and Audi is no different. We're going to be the big winners during these changing times, and while a battery-powered R8 won't sound as good as its petrol-powered twin, we like the idea of plugging in our sports car instead of filling it with gas every few days.

[Source: Reuters]

If the Chevy Volt were a 150 mpg dairy cow, the General's marketing department would have a hand on every udder. The Volt is still more than two years from production, and the series hybrid is all over the Internet, TV, and magazines. When a vehicle promises as much as the Volt does, though, any update is big news. This time, engineers have come up with a computer algorithm to accelerate battery durability testing. The test decreases battery testing from ten years to two by duplicating real-life vehicle speed and cargo-carrying conditions in a controlled environment while constantly recharging the batteries. The next step for the Volt is test mules that can put GM's e-Flex system through more unpredictable conditions like snow storms and Michigan potholes.

Since the Volt's 375-pound battery pack resides down the center of the car and beneath its rear seats, GM had some unique packaging issues to optimize interior space. Volt design director Tim Greig described the Volt's four seats as far apart from one another, which gives the vehicle's occupants more personal space. Designers had to be keenly aware of aerodynamics when designing the Volt, which means a lower roof-line, yet a 6' 2" adult can fit in any of the four seats. For more on the Generals Chevy Volt update, go to Autoblog Green, or hit the jump to check out GM's press release.

Click image for a high-res gallery of the Nissan Denki Cube concept

We've known for several weeks now that Nissan was planning to show off an all-electric car based on the JDM Nissan Cube at this week's New York Auto Show. The Denki (meaning electric) Cube has of course spilled out onto the interwebs in advance of it's official unveiling tomorrow at the Javits Center. Looking much like the battery pack that will power it, the Denki Cube should appeal to fans of the now-departed first-gen Scion xB. The basic Cube has been dressed up inside and out to better shout out about its high tech power supply. Nissan has a lithium battery joint venture in Japan with NEC that will likely be the source of the energy storage systems. Stay tuned for more details tomorrow!


[Source: SuperNissans via AutoblogGreen]

Much has been made of the fact that Toyota is seemingly behind General Motors and other manufacturers in the race to adopt lithium-ion batteries as the future battery of the hybrid and electric vehicle market. Lithium-ion batteries pack more energy into less space than nickel metal hydride batteries, which are the current industry standard in hybrids. Could this delay in the adoption of lithium ion technology be because they have something better up their corporate sleeves for the next-next Prius? According to reports from Japan, Toyota may be investing in zinc-air batteries, which are currently popular only in your grandpa's hearing-aid. If the rumors are true, these new batteries would make up a big chunk of Toyota's plan on offering a hybrid version of every car it sells by 2020. In the meantime, expect to see lithium-ion batteries in future Toyota hybrid models until it's ready to unveil its newest battery technology, whatever that may be.

[Source: Automotive News, sub. req'd]

In order to sell the Chevy Volt for $30,000 or less, General Motors is considering leasing the lithium-ion batteries to customers who buy the car. As AutoblogGreen points out, renting car parts is an innovative strategy to get the Volt to market in time and at the right price. Having a car payment and a battery payment, however, might not be fun for Volt owners. The upside, however, is that GM would presumably warranty the batteries for the life of the lease, easing concerns over what happens to the battery packs if and when they fail.

In a way, GM has used this tactic in the past. Back in the day, the EV1 electric car was only available to lease, not to own. Of course, as most of us know, leasing the EV1s eventually bit GM in the arse when it went to retrieve the cars and encountered significant resistance from owners who had become attached to them. This plan seems to get around that issue, as a Volt owner will actually own his car, just not the batteries. Of course, if GM ever decides to ask for the battery packs back, owners may be left with a giant generator on wheels.

[Source: AutoblogGreen]

According to Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun, Toyota is going to postpone the launch of its next generation Prius. Originally planned for fall 2008, the release has been pushed back to spring 2009. This will be the third generation of the popular hybrid-only model, and it was expected that we'd see the first use of lithium-ion batteries in this new model. Toyota, however, has apparently decided to stick with the nickel-metal hydrides, and delayed the launch of the new car until further development could be done on that system. Toyota's battery partner, Matsushita, could be partly to blame here, but officially Toyota says there is no delay. They maintain that the launch date was never announced and that when they feel everything is in place, the new car will appear. With or without the li-ions. The Prius is by far the best selling and most widely known hybrid on the market. Toyota sold 186,000 of them last year, and 313,000 hybrids overall.

[Source: Automotive News, sub. req.]