GM’s 230 MPG Volt Campaign

I watch YouTube more than I care to admit. Last week I noticed a mystifying advertisement before many of the videos: A green screen with a large number 230, with the 0 depicted as a winking standard electrical wall outlet, and a smaller date 8-11 underneath. Since I had no idea what the numbers meant, I Googled them to no avail. Eventually, I discovered that this was a GM marketing campaign for the Volt. But how did the number 230 come into play? Does is stand for 230 volt outlet required? The number of days before GM declares bankruptcy again?

Finally, GM revealed on August 11th, 2009, that 230 was the official MPG rating given by the EPA. The advertisements now link to Chevy’s Official Volt page. While I was disappointed in the general lack of content on the actual page, the bottom corner provided a real gem of a link: Chevy Volt’s Facebook page. Those who do not know much about Facebook should know that people, places, events, and even inanimate objects such as the Chevy Volt can have their own Facebook pages now. The Chevy Volt Facebook Wall actually has a death of information on the Volt. People are free to voice their concerns and a Chevy spokesman tries his darndest to answer them all. Here is the spokesperson’s explanation of where they got the number 230.

It’s based on draft EPA fuel economy methodology, which takes into account thousands of drive patterns over an extended period of time. For example, some people will never use a drop of gasoline as they will always stay within the 40 mile pure electric range, while others will use a combination of pure electricity and engine-generated electricity when driving, and still others may stay within the 40 miles and just drive innefficiently. The assumption is most Volt owners will plug-in daily, so there has to be some common ground to compare vehicles between nothing and infinity. To rationalize all these scenarios and situations, the EPA’s draft methodology calculates this via mpg and our estimates based on that methodology are at least 230 mpg in city driving. Just as important, we are expecting the Volt to get more than 100 mpg combined (city/hwy). Also, we have not announced the charge sustaining mode mpg yet because we’re still testing and validating that mode of operation. -Phil

Originally, I was very disappointed in this ad campaign. All this build up around an arbitrary number and it all leads to a very plain, uninspiring website with a bunch of arbitrary numbers being crunched to explain where 230 MPG comes from.

It is crucial to convey what exactly the car does, and how the car is capable of your daily commute without needing a single drop of gas. I’ve witnessed first hand that the general public does not fully understand how plug-in hybrids work. One of my colleagues at work, an educated twenty something year-old, said he wasn’t a fan of the Chevy Volt because he thought it just died after 40 miles of electric driving. This was disconcerting, especially because we worked for an environmental activism group. I would have expected him to know how a breakthrough hybrid vehicle such as the Volt switches on an electric generator, when the battery is low. But not everybody has researched this. Therefore, simplifying this plug-in hybrid system to an arbitrary number, 230 MPG, might actually be the best way to communicate to the masses how such an unfamiliar vehicle operates.

So my final summation on the campaign is that Chevy did a good job simplifying and minimizing the dangers of bringing something unfamiliar to the market. Next, I would suggest some good old fashioned car advertising. Show it driving up a hill or blasting past a Mazda.

Wireless Electricity could open many doors for Electric Cars

This is a neat video I came across today describing wireless electricity technology. The basic premise behind it is that you can start with an electricity conducting item that creates a magnetic field and transfers its power wirelessly to a charging item. So the speaker, Eric Giler, explains its potential applications: recharging cell phones and powering TVs without cords. About 6 minutes into the presentation he notes possible applications for electric vehicles.

Interesting. At around 6 minutes he describes mats in electric car owner garages that could charge the vehicles without the hassle of plugging them in. This example really does not do justice to what this technology could potentially do for electric vehicle infrastructure. A couple things I thought of off the top of my head:

-Charging mats at stop lights in gridlocked cities like New York. Electric taxis could potentially never need to be recharged or refueled. I’m sure a lot of cab drivers would really appreciate that.
-Solar powered parking lots that wirelessly power electric vehicles. Go to the cafe for the free wifi internet and electric power.

What ideas would you guys come up with? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section.

Source: TED

Obama announces grant for Purdue electric vehicle program

Source: Purdue University
On August 5th, President Obama announced that Purdue University will receive a $6.1 million grant to develop degree and training programs for electric vehicles.

Purdue will partner with Notre Dame University, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Ivy Tech Community College, Purdue University Calumet and Indiana University Northwest to develop the program. The goal is to educate and train the work force needed to design, manufacture and maintain advanced electric vehicles and the associated infrastructure.

The Indiana Advanced Electric Vehicle Training and Education Consortium will develop certificate and associate degree programs for vehicle technicians, bachelor’s and master’s degree programs for electric vehicle design and manufacturing engineers, and a certificate program in electric vehicle safety for emergency responders. It also will develop an outreach program to secondary schools and a Web site to provide information on electric vehicles to the general public.

Obama announced the grant during a speech in Elkhart. The government is handing out a total of $2.4 billion in grants to 48 projects in 20 states. He said Indiana is the second largest recipient of grant funding.

Figure Hybrid Insurance Discounts into Overall Cost of Ownership

Statistics compiled earlier in 2009 suggest that 62% of consumers contemplating a car purchase either consider or are committed to buying some kind of hybrid or alternative fuel vehicle. Confusion exists, however, on the question of the expenses involved in insuring a hybrid vehicle. In calculating the actual cost of choosing a hybrid, several factors come into play.

Insurance risk profiles have now been updated to recognize the fact that hybrid drivers are more environmentally conscious and tend to drive less. Therefore, the assumption is that they are safer drivers. On the other hand, there is the wisdom that hybrids require specialized parts and are more difficult and expensive to repair, thus making for more costly insurance settlements. There is truth to both perceptions, but regardless, Farmers Insurance Group of Companies took the lead in October 2005 when they began offering 5% discounts to hybrid drivers in California. Now, discounts of roughly 10% for hybrids are more or less industry standard, although consumers still may have to go after those savings proactively.

In negotiating coverage for a hybrid, all the conventional automotive insurance discounts can still be used, like those available for anti-theft devices or for an exceptionally clean driving record. But in considering the real cost of ownership, drivers should also consider available tax credits.

Between February 17, 2009 and January 1, 2010 new car buyers can deduct their state and local sales and excise taxes up to a $49,500 limit. The value of this deduction will, of course, vary from state to state, but buyers will still want to avail themselves of the deduction while it is available. Additionally, the “cash for clunkers” Car Allowance Rebate System discounts, ranging from $3,500 to $4,500 will be available through roughly November 1. Since hybrids are sure to meet the program’s mileage improvement requirements, this is another major potential savings. Finally, there is an actual Hybrid Vehicle Credit that can take as much as $3,000 off federal tax returns, and a $4,000 federal credit for plug-in hybrids.

Additionally, hybrid drivers are currently being rewarded by some hotel chains that offer lower room rates to customers who drive or rent a hybrid and in some parts of the country, hybrid drivers get free or discounted parking in city and county lots. So, given the current climate of dealer discounts, federal deductions and discounts available, and popular rewards for hybrid drivers, the accrued savings may take so much of the sting out of the initial purchase, that insurance coverage automatically becomes more affordable.

Drivers who play their cards right and go after all the traditional automotive insurance discounts in addition to the roughly standard 10% hybrid discount should find themselves well-placed for low premiums. The important points are to be prepared to negotiate, to comparison shop, and to figure insurance rates into the overall cost of driving the vehicle. In the case of hybrids, other savings and discounts will likely outweigh insurance costs in the first year to two years of driving.

Oncars.com’s Sweet Model S Video Preview

OnCars.com has produced a very informative and stylish video preview of the Tesla Model S. It is split into three parts: Design, Pure Electric, and Showtime.

Part 1: Design

Franz Von Holzhouzen, Chief Designer of the Model S Project, and Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors, provide an in-depth description of how the electric drive train allows for unique design opportunities. I was unaware that the battery pack flat between the wheelbase this time. The Tesla Roadster’s is a vertical box located in the rear portion of the car. Also, the Model S has many hidden design elements that reduce the drag coefficient, like the retractible door handles, flat underbody, and air diffusers.

Part 2: Pure Electric

Elon and Franz emphasize the importance of keeping the Model S purely electric as apposed to creating a hybrid sedan ala the Fisker Karma. With a 300 mile range, the Tesla Model S should have no trouble being a daily driver, and will hopefully extinguish any doubt in the minds of those who don’t believe electric cars are fully capable vehicles.

Part 3: Showtime

This covers Elon’s appearance on Letterman and reactions from New York City.

Tesla Motors to Receive $465 Million Loan from the Government

From: OnCars.com

DoE giving boost to start-up electric car company

The DoE loan is reported to be $465m. Added to the $50m invested last month by Daimler plus the debt and equity already invested in the company, Tesla now sports a $700m capital war chest. Tesla plans to use $365m of the DoE monies to bring the Model S into production with the remainder going to customer power train development.

The sticker on the Model S should come in around $50k, or roughly half the price of the groundbreaking Tesla Roadster which absorbed all upfront development costs for the sporty little electric car.

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