Word was leaked yesterday about a Buick version of the Chevrolet Volt being developed by GM.

The vehicle would be a more luxurious version of the already fairly upscale Volt, according to a report by Bloomberg.

This would make a fourth nameplate to carry a very similar platform. Already in Germany, Opel is showing its Volt-based Ampera, and in the UK, Vauxhall is preparing an Ampera as well.

The technology GM bases these cars on is called “Voltec,” and its development set GM back around $1 billion. It couples electric motors with a 1.4-liter gasoline-powered generator. A 16 kWh lithium-ion battery provides motive power for the electric drive.

The Volt car can travel in EV mode for about 35-50 miles, and early adopters have been reporting hundreds of miles traveled using little or no gasoline. GM’s CEO Dan Akerson has said it would develop other cars on four GM brands.  If approved, it could be hit production by 2013.

According to Jim Hall, principal of 2953 Analytics in Birmingham, Mich., he has yet to see what can be done. “The Volt is already well-equipped,” Hall told Bloomberg. “It’s missing power seats and that’s about it. What else can you add to make it a premium car?”

Some ways an upscale version could be done would be to use lighter, more sophisticated materials to give more range to the car. Whether any changes would be made to the power train, such as a larger battery, is anyone’s guess.

Another analyst Bloomberg interviewed said she did not fully see the reasoning. “Why are they badge engineering?” said Rebecca Lindland, an analyst with IHS Automotive, a research firm based in Lexington, Massachusetts. “The Ampera really is just the Volt.”

A GM spokesman would offer no comment on the Buick plans. The company wants to sell the Chevrolet Volt quickly. It says it is on target with its new-tech car roll out, and plans to build 10,000 this year, and 45,000 next year. It sells for $41,000 before a $7,500 federal tax incentive.

[Source: Bloomberg]

With General Motors recently announcing plans to increase production of the Volt, it now appears poised to bring that revolutionary technology to even more consumers through varied packages.

Recently GM applied for trademarks on the Amp and Strobe – with the Amp rumored to be a production version of the Volt MPV5 concept, itself based on the Orlando.

Now GM looks to move its Voltec technology up-market with plans to build a plug-in hybrid based on the Cadillac SRX crossover. Initially it seemed that GM would have to limit production of Voltec powered cars based on the ability to produce the complex drivetrains and source the available parts, but GM Vice Chairman Steve Girsky has now said higher production volume is possible.

Chief Executive Dan Akerson has confirmed GM will offer the Volt powertrain in different body styles and vehicles, as well as under different GM brands.

[Source: Automotive News]

On the heels of the soon-to-be-released Chevrolet Volt, GM has announced its in-home charger, which will sell for the reasonable price of $490. Once you factor in what it would cost for gas, you’re probably willing to dip into your wallet. But it’s the installation cost for the in-home charging unit that will shock you.

If you’re looking to get the 240 volt Voltec installed, it’s going to cost you about $1,500 to install – it depends on the region and amount of electrical work required to install the charger. We try to look on the positive side of things – since it’s a 240V charger as opposed to a standard 120V plug, the Voltec will fully recharge a Volt battery in about 4 hours (that’s half the time it would take with a standard electrical cord).

Still, that price tag is a hefty one, especially since you just shelled out a wad of cash for the Volt.  It may take awhile to recoup the charger costs, depending on your driving habits. But it looks like costs such as these are going to become the industry standard – Nissan Leaf owners will be spending anywhere from $2,000 to $4,200 for a Level 2 charger, depending on the costs of labor rates.

You won’t have to worry about the cost if you were one of the first 4,400 customers how bought a Chevrolet Volt – they get one for free, courtesy of a Department of Energy grant. Both the Volt and Leaf both use the J1772 charging system, so it stands to reason that if the Voltec can charge a Volt, it can also charge a Leaf.

[Source: Cnet]

The Chevy Volt’s Voltec powertrain might not be as special as we’ve been led to believe. Then again, maybe it’s even more so.

After several initial reports about the car’s electric drive/hybrid system GM has issued a press release to clarify exactly how it works, stating that specifics were never given in the past as the automaker awaited patent approvals. After some initial tests by and interviews with a few of the auto industry’s buff books, it was recently revealed that contrary to all past claims by GM, the Voltec system is not a pure extended-range electric vehicle (ER-EV), but that under certain circumstances the 1.4-liter gasoline engine can actually power the wheels. In that sense, the Volt seems like little more than a plug-in Prius (parallel hybrid) with a larger and more powerful battery and electric motor.

That, however, is not entirely true either, as GM says the gasoline engine still cannot power the electric wheels on its own. In fact the gasoline engine can power the wheels, but only in addition to the electric motor powering the wheels and only under certain circumstances. One example GM gives is during certain types of extended-range driving (once the initial plug-in power has been depleted) the gasoline engine feeds a small amount of power to the wheels. “The resulting power flow provides a 10 to 15 percent improvement in highway fuel economy.”

What this all means is that the Volt first operates as an electric vehicle, and then it switches to be both a series hybrid (extended range electric vehicle) and a parallel hybrid (like the Prius) depending on the type of driving.

A pure electric vehicle it might not be in the strictest sense of the word, but a technological innovation it most certainly still is.

Official release after the jump:

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The Truth About Cars appears to have dug up an interest but troubling fact about the new Chevrolet Volt; it requires premium gasoline.

Despite being able to go 40 miles without consuming a drop of gasoline, Chevrolet’s environmental savior plug-in hybrid needs the top shelf dino juice for some inexplicable reason, despite the fact that its “gas engine “range extender is a wimpy 1.4L four-cylinder engine putting out 80 horsepower. The Volt’s $41,000 pricetag and requirement for premium fuel are shaping up to be  a couple of big strikes against a very promising product.

[Source: The Truth About Cars]

Chevrolet will unveil a new Orlando-based concept car at the Beijing Auto Show, powered by an adapted version of the powerplant found in the Chevy Volt. The team at GMInsideNews has provided us with a patent sketch for the vehicle, which was filed in August of 2009, but made available just yesterday. Associated with the sketch is GM designer Bob Boniface, the lead designer for the Volt.

The vehicle also appears to be the very same model that GM leaked in a YouTube video last year. Seen below, the Orlando-based model is smaller than the Orlando, but most certainly displays Volt-like styling.

We’ll be sure to bring you more when Chevrolet officially unveils this concept in Beijing later this month.

GALLERY: Chevy Orlando Voltec Concept

[Source: GMI]

Buick has just released a teaser image of a new entry-level luxury crossover that will slot in underneath the Enclave. Normally word of a new model is news enough, but GM has decided to increase our expectations of its new model by announcing that it will be offered with a version of the Volt’s Voltec plug-in hybrid system.

This will make the new crossover the first plug-in hybrid SUV on the market.

The new five-passenger crossover will go on sale next year with PHEV models on sale in 2011. The conventional gasoline models will be offered with a choice of two engines: a direct-injection 2.4-liter turbocharged Ecotec four-cylinder or a direct-injection 3.0-liter V6. The Ecotec motor is expected to deliver 30 mpg on the highway.

The Buick PHEV will use a battery pack roughly half the size and power of the one found in the Volt and be mated to a 3.6-liter V6 FexFuel engine, indicating that the Buick hybrids will follow the Lexus philosophy of using the hybrid powertrain to deliver high-performance with reduced fuel-consumption. Similarly, it appears, Chevy models like the Volt will follow the Toyota model of delivering maximum fuel-efficiency.

The Buick PHEV will be able to be recharged fully in 4 to 5 hours through a conventional 110V household outlet and will be ale to travel up to 10 miles on pure electric power (at low speeds).

“Buick has always been at the forefront of new technology, so it is only fitting that the brand should debut our new plug-in hybrid technology in a beautiful new crossover,” said Tom Stephens, GM vice chairman of product development. “This will firmly put Buick, and GM, front and center in the advanced technology game.”

Official release after the jump:

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GM’s new communications boss has confirmed that the automaker is looking at equipping the upcoming Orlando MPV with a plug-in hybrid system similar to the one used in the Chevy Volt.

Jon Lauckner, VP of global program management at GM hinted at this earlier this year and now Lutz is being more specific telling GM-Volt.com that, “We are actually studying the adaptation of Volt technology to the upcoming Orlando.”

But considering Lutz’s “yes we will, no we won’t” about-face on the Pontiac G8, we’ll take pretty much anything he says with a grain of salt from now on.

What makes the Orlando such a strong candidate, however, is that it’s based on the Volt’s platform. That being said, many of the same parts could likely be carried over from the Volt to make the Orlando a Plug-In Hybird Electric Vehicle (PHEV).

[Source: GM-Volt.com via LeftLaneNews]

After a press conference the day before where every new, exciting and award winning GM vehicle was paraded before the media, the General’s second North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) press conference featured a sparse stage populated only by the upcoming Checy Volt and GM Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner.

Wagoner announced that the battery packs that will be used in the company’s upcoming plug-in hybrid Volt will be manufactured in the United States. The 31,000 sq.-ft. facility (roughly the size of GM’s display at the Detroit Auto Show) will be built in Michigan in 2009 with output of the battery packs in 2010.

The lithium-ion battery cells for the Volt will be provided by LG Chem and LG Chem’s subsidiary, Compact Power Inc., (based in Troy, MI) will build the battery packs until that facility is operational.

The production facility is, however, just the beginning of GM’s commitment to hybrid-electric power, which to date is a commitment of over $1 billion. General Motors will work with the University of Michigan’s College of Engineering to develop a battery lab to develop new battery designs.

The Chevy Volt and the Voltec hybrid-electric system (which can power the car for 40 miles on zer0-emissions electric power before switching over to a conventional hybrid system) will begin production in late 2010 to go on sale in 2011.

Looking strikingly similar to the Cadillac CTS Coupe Concept unveiled at last year’s Detroit Auto Show, the ConverJ Concept is powered by the same drivetrain as the upcoming Chevy Volt. Using a four-cylinder engine, a lithium-ion battery pack and an electric engine, the vehicle should achieve 40 miles of emissions-free driving before the gasoline engine is engaged.

General Motors says that it’s extened-range electric powertrain, called VOLTEC, need not be limited to four-cylinder engines either – hinting that a signficantly more powerful drivetrain could be used to power a production model of the ConverJ.

Official release after the jump:
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