Author: Green Car Online News

GM to expand Chevy Bolt EV sales, bring battery production to US

2018 Chevrolet Bolt EV
As part of a sweeping update on General Motors' electric-car plans, CEO Mary Barra announced the company will expand production and sales of the Chevy Bolt EV.

At the same time, GM is expanding battery production for the Bolt EV from South Korea to a new factory in Michigan.

In a blog post on LinkedIn on Wednesday, Barra laid out the company's progress on its promise to transform itself into an electric carmaker.

READ THIS: GM increases Chevy Bolt EV production to ease supply constraints

The Chevrolet Bolt EV may be more popular with buyers than GM expected. Supplies are concentrated in California, and the car is in short supply in other parts of the U.S. Until recently, Canadians had to wait a year to buy a Bolt EV.

The company announced last spring that it will expand production of the car by 20 percent. Expanding battery production near the Bolt's final assembly plant in Orion Township, Michigan is a significant step in that effort.

At the same time, GM's vice president of global electric vehicle programs, Pam Fletcher, announced that the company will expand Bolt EV sales overseas. Speaking at Citi's Global Technology Conference in New York, Fletcher didn't reveal which new countries the Bolt EV will roll into, but said to expect such an announcement “in the not-so-distant future,” according to Automotive News (subscription required.)

2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV

GM currently sells the Bolt EV in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, South Korea, and the United Arab Emirates. GM seems no longer to count sales of the Bolt's twin, the Opel/Vauxhaul Ampera-E, since it sold its European divisions to the French PSA group last year.

In addition to expanding battery production at a new factory in Hazel Park, Michigan, owned by battery supplier LG, Barra announced a $28 million expansion of the battery lab at its Technical Center in Warren, Michigan, that will bring all the company's battery testing under one roof.

Barra also laid out plans to develop an “ultra-fast” charging system for future electric cars.

“Creating a world of zero crashes, zero emissions and zero congestion won’t happen overnight, of course. But our journey to this future is underway,” Barra said.

Should classic cars be converted to electric power? Twitter poll results

Jaguar E-Type Zero
Green Car Reports readers sometimes leave themselves open to having extreme viewpoints.

Such were the results of last week's Twitter poll, when we asked: “Should classic cars be converted to electric power?”

We asked the question following what seemed like a rash of announcements of people doing exactly that, from established automakers to startups to garage hobbyists.

DON'T MISS: Royal couple's electric Jaguar E-type Zero coupe will go into production

Most recently and notably, Jaguar launched a program to rebuild classic Jaguar E-types into electric cars just like the one that Prince Harry and bride Meghan Markle drove to their reception after the latest royal wedding, called the E-type Zero.

Other efforts include Electra Meccanica, which plans to begin converting replica Porsche 356 Speedsters to electric power, as well as numerous—and increasingly famous—home-built electric car conversions.

Jaguar says its conversion is completely reversible.

Still, the trend led us to wonder where our readers stood on the question of altering polluting, yet historical, artifacts to clean, modern electric power.

Perhaps somewhat predictably, most of our Twitter respondents immediately went for clean, modern updates. Damn the torpedoes, 57 percent of our respondents chose “all cars should be clean,” including, apparently or maybe especially, sexy classic cars that were never designed to be clean in the first place.

Electra Meccanica eRoadster, an electric Intermeccanica Speedster replica

Only 15 percent of our respondents went along with Jaguar's notion that installing electric powertrains would be OK, as long as the modifications are fully reversible, to put the car back in original condition if a future owner should ever want to put it in a museum, for example. Jaguar went to great lengths to make sure its new 40-kwh battery and electric motor fit into the same dimensions and weigh about the same as the car's original, classic inline-6 and 4-speed automatic.

CHECK OUT: Electra Meccanica teases new-old e-Roadster

Fewer than a tenth of our respondents, 9 percent, made allowances for less valuable cars, as many individual car collectors do. Often conversions are done on original VW Beetles, which the company made by the millions. Many are rusted out or have been repaired and might not have been that valuable even in original condition.

At the other extreme, 19 percent of our respondents said classic cars should be left alone, “they're artifacts.”

As always, our Twitter polls are unscientific, because of low sample size (268 responses, this time), and because our respondents are self selected.

Still, we thought this poll was particularly interesting. Thanks for participating!

VW diesel settlement, California clean air, and fuel economy demands: Today’s Car News

Byton M-Byte electric SUV prototype
California clean air regulators held a reportedly contentious meeting with Trump administration officials over the proposal to roll back fuel economy standards. A wide survey of Americans told researchers that they're dissatisfied with the fuel economy their cars get now, implying they might want cars to improve. A new report links California's economic growth to its efforts to limit greenhouse gas emissions. Meanwhile, owners of 2.0-liter 4-cylinder Volkswagen diesels have just two days to file for legal settlements against the automaker. All this and more on Green Car Reports.

After the Trump administration proposed to freeze increases in federal fuel economy standards and California sued and said it wouldn't follow the proposal, federal and state regulators met to discuss their differences. All they've agreed on so far is to keep meeting.

Americans told surveyors in the latest American Customer Satisfaction Index that the least satisfying aspect of their new cars is their fuel economy. Perhaps higher standards or more electric cars would make a difference.

A new report done in preparation for the Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco next month links the state's booming economy to its efforts to limit greenhouse gas emissions.

Owners of 4-cylinder diesels implicated in Volkswagen's's emissions cheating scandal have just two days to file claims against the company. So far, almost 10 percent of owners haven't.

Chinese electric carmaker Byton has begun testing its electric SUV on public roads in China. The car is scheduled to go on sale next year.

Finally, a new IIHS study shows that when a city lowers speed limits, drivers don't necessarily follow them—but they do slow down.

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Byton begins road testing its electric car in China

Byton M-Byte electric SUV prototype Chinese electric-car startup automaker Byton has begun testing its upcoming M-Byte electric car in China, the company said Tuesday. The company introduced the car at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January, and gave reporters rides to demonstrate its self-driving and electronics capabilities. Byton said Tuesday that it… Continue reading Byton begins road testing its electric car in China

Tesla Model S and X reportedly to get minimalist Model 3 interior

Apparently the problem with the Tesla Model S and Model X was that they’re too normal. They have a separate instrument cluster—a digital one—behind the steering wheel and a few solid controls. Tesla must think that’s too much. The company is designing a new interior for them that looks a lot like the one in… Continue reading Tesla Model S and X reportedly to get minimalist Model 3 interior

Panasonic works to develop cobalt-free electric-car batteries

Tesla gigafactory, March 2016, shown in drone footage posted to YouTube by Above Reno Enlarge Photo One of the most widespread concerns about electric cars centers around the availability and cost of cobalt. Cobalt is an element used in lithium-ion batteries to build stability and increase safety. While the signature element in modern electric-car batteries,… Continue reading Panasonic works to develop cobalt-free electric-car batteries

Twitter poll results: More electric cars get charged at work than at public chargers

Electrify America 350 kw chargers at Home Depot in Chicopee, Mass. Enlarge Photo Electric-car charging is going through a growth spurt. Volkswagen is spending big money through Electrify America to set up high-speed charging stations, as a result of the settlement terms of the Dieselgate emissions cheating scandal. Northeastern states are banding together to coordinate… Continue reading Twitter poll results: More electric cars get charged at work than at public chargers

Battery tech may be getting a big solid-state boost soon

A Woburn, Massachusetts, company may be attracting big name attention for its solid-state technology that it says can withstand higher temperatures and offer higher capacity. For battery makers, producing a stable solid to withstand the rigors of charging and discharging has proved elusive. Ionic Materials said in February that it had secured $65 million in… Continue reading Battery tech may be getting a big solid-state boost soon