Plug-In

The upcoming Chevy Volt is going to have the ability to communicate with you via an Iphone App.  The application will sync with the Volt's OnStar system, allowing its owner to monitor everything from the charging schedule to pre-set temperature settings inside the car (!).  A list of the functionalities can be seen below: * Display the car’s charging status and schedule charging. There is also an immediate ”charge now” override option * Display of the car’ state of charge, as well as electric ... Discover More

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

In an interview with Prabhakar Patil, the Chief Executive of Compact Power, the battery maker claims that his company is on track to providing lithium-ion batteries to power GM's upcoming Volt plug-in vehicle. Despite the financial troubles of the U.S. automaker, Patil says that he has not noticed any loss of commitment, claiming that "From GM's side, it's their highest priority program."  Compact Power is a subsidiary of  LG Chem, Ltd., a South Korean battery supplier. This statement, coming from a close supplier with ... Discover More

Although the company has not committed to a formal timeline, Piaggio Group Americas' CEO has suggested in interviews that this highway-legal scooter is expected to be on the road relatively soon. The new plug-in will be a modified version of the company's Piaggio's MP3 500. According to CEO Paul Timoni, the plug-in scooter will get up to 140 mpg, have an all-electric range of 40 miles per charge , and will be priced between $8000 and $9000.  There is also a  European ... Discover More

It's not just the U.S. and multinational automobile CEOs, the advertising executives and car dealerships, the auto magazines and the eager consumers that are anticipating the shift from gas-powered engines to battery-powered electric vehicles, but nationwide, power companies see the upcoming change as a great opportunity, as well as a need for adjustments. The major boon that a surge of plug-ins bring to utilities is as follows:  Their "surplus" power, which is all those electrons that their power sources produce and send through ... Discover More

Speaking at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, James Lentz, the president of Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A., announced that Toyota would release its version of a plug-in hybrid towards the end of 2009, a year ahead of schedule. This would put its release date ahead of the Chevrolet Volt, perhaps giving it a first-entrant advantage over the American counterpart. Toyota plans on releasing only about 500 vehicles for commercial customers at the outset, with 150 of those plug-ins destined for ... Discover More