We Go Electric! A Peek A GM’s Chevy Volt

By 2010, expect to see a hybrid coming from General Motors. The Volt was first introduced in 2007 in Detroit and this model from the company is General Motors’ hopes in countering whatever advantages Toyota has made courtesy of its Toyota Prius. The Volt will have a plug-in capability for recharging from household electrical currents and a small gasoline engine that can keep the car batteries charged on trips longer than 40 miles. I did a little research on the Chevy site, and these are the things that I’ve got.

The Chevy Volt features that revolutionary E-Flex Propulsion System is considered to be far different if compared with the previous electric vehicle because this model will take advantage of the lithium-ion battery with a variety of range-extending onboard power resources that includes gas and E85 ethanol to recharge the car’s battery when you drive the car. This car is a plug-in range -extended electric vehicle that also features an on-board gasoline generator. The car has a large battery that stores power from the home electric outlet which is then connected to an electric motor. This electric motor is the one that directly powers the car. This battery can run for the first 40 miles and after some time, the on-board gasoline/E85 generator has the role of powering it to keep the battery from running out. Though they are both hybrids, the Volt is different from Toyota’s Prius. The hybrids that are available in the market right now are called parallel hybrids. These parallel hybrids use a small electric motor for low speed driving and then switch to regular gas for acceleration and faster driving. That’s where ‘parallel hybrids’ labeling come from. The two engines work side by side or in a parallel. The Chevy Volt on the other hand is what you call a series vehicle; this means that only the electric motor will power the car. The gas engine inside will only act as a generator, making electric to keep the batteries charged every time. If charged overnight, the car is expected to be driven to at least 40 miles on pure electricity and after that, the gas engine will enter the picture and will allow the car to be driven up to 400 miles on a full tank- that’s 6 to 7 gallons of gas. It will be a four-seater car and it is expected that the car will be sold and priced competitively. It is the goal of GM to sell it at less than $30,000.00 but the first versions of the Chevy Volt might be near $40,000.00.

A prototype of the Chevy Volt has already been tested and GM vice-chairman Bob Lutz said that the car had reliably met the objectives. He added that the car had been hitting the 40 miles on electric power. The dynamometer tests have been successful even under various thermal conditions. Mr. Lutz went even further and said that the battery of the car is the least of their problems. He explained further that much of the engineering challenge ahead has to do with the software. The production Chevy Volt will be slightly different to the original showroom Volt that was introduced in 2007. Partial teasers and a camouflaged Volt has been released in the market, adding fuel to some excitement and speculations. It has been reported as well that the Volt will be seen in Paris in US production specification. The presentation of the car will take place at the Paris Motor Show that is scheduled for October 4-19. So this means that the Volt will be arriving in less than five months. If the Chevy Volt will be coming soon, then better start saving up.

Pictured is a Chevy Volt E-Flex Electric Hybrid Concept Car.

Filed under: Chevrolet Volt, Chevy, General Motors , Chevy Volt, GM, hybrids, parallel hybrids, Toyota Prius

A Camaro for Perfect Attendance

This is sure to address student delinquency and frequent leaves and absences in that school. Daniel Sanchez, 17 of East Valley Institute of Technology won a cherry-red Camaro convertible just for showing in class without fail for a year! Actually four students were selected from a draw, and the draw included students who never missed a class for the year. There were 142 students who passed the pre-requisite of no-leaves/absences for the year, and it was Daniel Sanchez who finally got the key for the red convertible Camaro.

The school is located in between Dobson and Alma School roads in Mesa and this is home to students coming from 10 school districts for half the school day and these students study everything from cosmetology to fire science. A spokesperson from the school said that the awarding of the Camaro vehicle was the culmination of a year’s worth of work. The 142 students who qualified never took a sick day leave. Steve Marley of Thorobred Chevrolet donated the said car to support perfect attendance. The Camaro was custom-painted at the school’s tech fest by car artist Rich Evans of Huntington Beach Bodyworks.

Filed under: Chevrolet Camaro, Chevy , Camaro for perfect attendance, Chevrolet Camaro

Tough+Nice Interior On Chevy Silverado 1500

The Chevy Silverado 1500 Crew Cab made the cut even though Toyota’s Tundra scored better on the performance scorecard. What made the Silverado pick-up stand up as compared to the powerful Tundra? Reliability.  The redesigned Tundra from Toyota outscored the Silverado in the performance test but the first year reliability of the 4WD V8 version of the Tundra scored below average. ESC is a standard on all the crew-cab models, so the presence of this feature help makes the Silverado score better on the scorecard of CR. The Silverado pick-ups that are available in the market may fetch anywhere from $27,000 to $39,000.

The GMC’s Sierra Crew Cab actually shared the honors with the Silveradp 1500 since these two vehicles share the same design and construction. CR noted the improvement on the new Silverado and added that;

It achieves a nice balance between work attributes and livability, including a generous payload rating, a comfortable ride, improved interior quality and steering feel and easy access.

Thanks to the Silverado, another American brand cracked the Consumer Reports listing after a two year absence.

Filed under: Chevy , Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Crew Cab, Chevy

Consumer Reports’ Bests for 2008

I already did a write-up about the vehicles that made the cut and made Consumer Reports proud. And it is my intention for the rest of the week to take note of these vehicles and cite some of their strengths and features so that their citations can be best understood. It was already mentioned that Hyundai sent two in the list, Chevy has one and Japanese car manufacturers headed by Honda and Toyota dominated the list. All these vehicles need to meet stringent requirements in terms of road-test performance, reliability and safety. Also   Consumer Reports added another metric for which they can based their ratings- the provision of the Electronic Stability Control or the ESC either as a standard equipment or as a readily available option. These are Consumer Reports’ criteria in choosing the best in the segment.

• Road tests: Each Top Pick scores at or near the top of its category among more than 260 vehicles we’ve recently tested at our Auto Test Center.
• Reliability: Each has an average or better predicted-reliability Rating, based on the problems subscribers reported on almost 1.3 million vehicles in our Annual Car Reliability Survey.
• Safety: Top Picks have performed adequately in overall safety if tested by the government or the insurance industry. Starting this year, they also must provide a critical safety feature, electronic stability control (ESC), either as standard equipment or as a readily available option.

 On to my next focus. A US company entry- the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Crew Cab as this years ‘pick-up’ truck.

Filed under: Chevy , Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Crew Cab, Consumer Reports 2008, Honda, Hyundai, Toyota

Oldie But Goodie ‘67 Impala

I blogged about the Supernatural series, then its apt as well to take note of that single car that help ‘move’ the story of the series. I’m talking about the 1967 Chevy Impala.

The Impala as we know it today is actually a full-sized automobile that was built for Chevrolet. This ride is known in the 1950s as the ‘prestige car within the budget of the average American citizen’. This is one of General Motors best selling and succesful model and its sales during 1965 with over a million units still stands as a record.

Now the Impala ‘67 that was used on the series was actually part of the third generation ones that was redesigned in 1965. The engine choices for the Impala will include the in-line six-cylinder as well as the famous Chevy small-block and big block V8s.

Filed under: Chevy, Uncategorized , Chevrolet Impala, Chevy Impala, Supernatural

Supernatural Blues

Finally, Clark Kent and Lana Lang is off my system, I think. After my Prison Break and Smallville marathon, I’m off to start the Supernatural series. I don’t have time to watch and to catch the latest episodes of the current shows on television right now. So what I usually do is to watch it on my off days during the weekends. Just finished season 1 of Heroes, Smallville til season 5 and Prison Break. It’s time for Supernatural.

I’ve been hearing and reading a lot about Supernatural. And from the news and views that I read about the show, I think I’m gonna like this series.  The show that debuted on television on September 13, 2005 follows the story of two brothers played by Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles who travel across the country in a black 1967 Chevy Impala with the desire and the intention of investigating  and then combatting supernatural and paranormal events- these events are based on a number of US urban legends. Jensen Ackles is hugely familiar to me. He played a short role on Smallville, as Lana Lang’s boyfriend.

The show’s creator  mentioned that Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman and American Gods as one of the influences when this series was conceptualized and made. The show is now on its third season, and I will tell you guys if this series is worth your time. But I’m telling you right now, I think I’ll gonna like this series!

Grand Old Chevy Impala On The Go

Talking about the Supernatural series and then not talking about the ‘67 Chevy Impala is not doing good justice to the series. As mentioned, the ‘67 Chevy Impala plays a key role in making the story of the series run. This Impala was actually passed on to Dean by his father and the vehicle carries a Sedgwick County, Kansas license. I have this feeling that this car is the star of the show or at least one of the stars. The car carries a plate number KAZ 2Y5. This license plate is actually a reference to Kansas and the year the show premiered on television.

This car was featured a number of times on the show, and its presence on the series started with a teaser that shows the father and his two sons watching a house burns. Whose house, and why is it burning? That my friends is what I’ll find out when I start my Supernatural marathon this weekend.

Filed under: Chevy, Shows , '67 Chevy Impala, Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles, Neil Gaiman, Prison Break, Smallville, Supernatural