chevy

Chevy Volt to pull 230 mpg in city

WARREN, Mich.--The gas-electric Chevy Volt will get triple-digit mileage, including an estimated 230 mpg for city driving, General Motors said Tuesday.

The 230 mpg--teased in a stealth advertising campaign on billboards and during baseball games--is based on a draft methodology for electric vehicles developed by the Environmental Protection Agency, GM CEO Fritz Henderson said here.

The struggling auto giant held a media event to offer an update on its product and technology plans as it tries to stimulate sales following a bankruptcy and restructuring that has left it 60 percent owned by the U.S. Treasury Department and 11 … Read more

GM eyes revamped hybrid power train for sedans

Updated at 12:00 p.m. PT with comments from GM representative.

Even as GM develops the electric power train for its Chevy Volt, the company has plans to design a hybrid platform for sedans, according to a report.

The hybrid technology will be used in a midsize sedan as well as other vehicles and offer better mileage than its current technology.

"What we are trying to work towards is 'Yes,' we will have other hybrid vehicles (besides the Volt) but we are trying to work towards a dedicated hybrid," Ed Peper, GM's general manager of Chevrolet, … Read more

Bad Ass American Rides Pt. 2: '69 Chevy Camaro

As we get revved up for the Fourth of July this coming weekend, I have slated a week long tribute to some of the most bad-assed American cars ever made. And they don't get much more classic than the iconic 1969 Chevy Camaro SS.

This video actually features a '69 Camaro SS for sale from Fleming's Ultimate Garagebra, and whoever managed to afford this American beauty got a really special car. This Camaro rocks royal blue paint with white stripes from the tip of the hood to the end of the trunk, and it sports brand new performance … Read more

124: What will you trade in for a big check?

Cash for gas guzzlers becomes law--how many loopholes? The Chevy Volt is taking shape, literally. Is Porsche thinking of something cheaper than a Boxster? Pioneer wants to use WiMax to stream to your car. And we drive the cheapest Land Rover you can buy.

Listen now: Download today's podcast SHOW NOTES

• Cash for Gas Guzzlers signed into law

• Audi will evangelize diesel all summer

• Chevy Volt prototype seems to be shaping up

• Pioneer sees WiMax streaming your home to your car

• First true GPS nav app for the iPhone?

GM opens auto battery research plant

General Motors opened the doors to a battery research and development plant in Michigan on Monday, a facility the company says will accelerate its move to electric vehicles.

The Global Battery Systems Lab in Warren, Mich., will be used to test the lithium ion batteries planned for the Chevy Volt as well as other energy storage systems such as ultracapacitors, GM said.

The facility, at 33,000 square feet, is four times larger than GM's existing testing operation and will be used by 1,000 engineers, according to the company which hosted a ceremony with Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm … Read more

My Favorite Cars Pt. 2: The '64 Impala

In celebration of my birthday this last week, I'm making my blog kind of a "birthday wishlist" of my favorite cars that I've never owned. Yesterday, we saw video of a restored 1988 Pontiac Fiero. Today, as a tribute to my youth spent bumpin' Eazy E and NWA, I pay tribute to the timeless American classic, the much fabled 1964 Chevy Impala.

This vid features a tricked out 64 Impala with some supercharged hydraulics bouncing on Las Vegas Boulevard in good ol' Sin City. And I must say, the Impala looks regal with the bright Vegas … Read more

Chevy Volt to sport smart charging, flex fuel

Even as it faces a massive corporate restructuring, General Motors this summer will begin testing prototypes of the electric Chevrolet Volt, a car that could be pivotal to its future.

GM on Thursday hosted a teleconference to discuss its community outreach efforts and work with electric utilities to establish an industry "ecosystem" to make electric vehicles attractive to buyers.

The Volt is scheduled for mass production starting in November 2010 in the U.S. and introduction in mid-2011 in Canada. About 80 prototypes will be built for fleet testing this summer, said vehicle line director for the Chevy … Read more

111: First look at the new Tesla S

We get a first look at the new Tesla S, California may tell you what color car you can drive, Chevy's Volt reminds it is for real, and we drive a BMW diesel that will surprise you.

Listen now: Download today's podcast SHOW NOTES

• First impressions of 2010 Prius

• First look at the new Tesla S

• CNET Review: BMW 335d diesel sedan

• California report on car colors

• Home brew test of car colors and heat

Zenn plans to be the 'Intel Inside' of electric cars

Updated at 8:12 a.m. PDT March 30 with details on the CityZenn and Zennergy prototypes from Zenn Motor.

Zenn Motor is expanding its lineup to include a highway-legal electric car and an all-electric drivetrain for other automakers, the company announced Thursday.

Zenn (for "zero emission no noise") has been working on these particular products for some time.

In 2007, the company offered the public a low-speed Zenn car with a range of 35 miles per charge that was limited to the 25mph legal limit for cars in a certain class. In 2008, it improved its all-electric … Read more

Opel Ampera uses GM Voltec power train

The third car with GM's Voltec series hybrid power train was announced at the Geneva auto show, the Opel Ampera. The two cars preceding it were the Chevrolet Volt and the Cadillac Converj. The Opel Ampera shares a platform with the Volt, and the cars are nearly identical. Where the Volt has horizontal slits at the front corners for headlights, the Ampera has big gouges going down from those headlight slits to the fog lamps, but the roofline is basically the same. The Opel badge, looking kind of like a lightning bolt, is probably more representative of the electric … Read more