Plug-In

General Motors opened this week what’s being called the largest battery factory in the U.S.  But before we start to analyze the numbers, let's first get them all listed: The new Global Battery Systems Lab is located at the Warren Technical Center campus on the outskirts of Detroit. According to information coming from the company, it cost GM $25 million to construct, takes up 33,000 square feet, and employs over 1,000 engineers. The facility will operate 42 thermal chambers and 160 test channels ... Discover More

Questions loom over the fate of the Chevy Volt as General Motors prepares to file for bankruptcy tomorrow, June 1st 2009.    Based on GM's worldwide assets of $91 billion and liabilities of $176 billion, the bankruptcy would be  the third largest in U.S. history, behind Lehman Brothers and Worldcom. There have been several prominent speculations over whether GM will abandon its plug-in program.   Keith Johnson, writing for the Wall Street Journal, has come out saying he believes the Volt will be ... Discover More

Called "The Business of Plugging In", the conference will be held from October 19-21 at the MotorCity Hotel and Conference Center.  It will bring together various interest groups to discuss the future of plug-in electric vehicles. "This conference will foster the dialogue among utilities, automakers, regulators, universities and other stakeholders to assess the environmental impacts of PEVs and to assist with the understanding of how widespread adoption of electric vehicles will impact the electric system," said Al Fields of DTE, an energy company. An ... Discover More

The new concept car by Bright Automotive is set to be unveiled in a few days in Washington D.C.   Eschewing the design practices of traditional auto makers, the hybrid vehicle will be built with lightweight, aerodynamic engineering as its core concept. This means stearing clear of large steel purchases and focusing on reducing the size and weight of its battery back. The plug-in car is said to have a 30 mile all-electric range and will be coupled with a small ... Discover More

Here is the breakdown for the funding released by the Obama initiative: $2 billion from the stimulus plan pushed through earlier in the year is set aside for electric-vehicle production. Out of that package, $1.5 billion is for battery manufacturing within the U.S. The remaining $500 million is slated for related technologies that compliment these vehicles, such as electric motors. The Department of Energy (DOE) is setting aside a further $400 million for the infrastructure of plug-in automobiles. One of the stated goals of these ... Discover More

Green Car Advisor has delved a bit further into the Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, revealing many of the numbers that were designed to jumpstart the product of hybrid and electric vehicles. Conventional hybrid manufactuers will continue to enjoy a $3,400 tax-credit for their first 60,000 hybrids, followed by a %50 drop each of the following 6 months.   Of course, companies like Toyota have already used up all of these tax-credits, while General Motors still has its full reserve available. State ... Discover More