Disabled Millionaire Spearheaded Hybrid Car To Pursue Driving Pleasure

Many of you already know that when the automobile first debuted on the scene, electric vehicles outnumber gas-powered cars by more than a two-to-one margin. By the 1920s though, gasoline was firmly established was the fuel of choice. But this was a time before automatic transmissions, and a disabled millionaire inadvertently led to the development of one of America’s first hybrid vehicles that made the case that hybrids could be better than conventional gas cars.

The millionaire’s name was Colonel Edward Green, and as a boy he had lost one of his legs. This prevented him from operating the clutch mechanism that cars of this day and age required. Yup, before automatic transmissions, ALL cars used a manual shifter. This prevented Green from driving, at least until he financed a project that would become the first plug-in hybrid.

With $1 million in financing, Green used his considerable pull as a shareholder in General Electric to pursue a hybrid vehicle that required no clutch mechanism. The result was a 1929 Stearns-Knight M 6-80 cabriolet fitted with a GE-designed hybrid system. The gas engine turned a generator, which powered electric motors driving the cabriolet forward. There was no transmission, nor was there a clutch to manually shift. Green was so happy he ordered two more of the hybrids, a broughman and a sedan. The carbrio was destroyed, the broughman is being restored, and the sedan resides at the JWR Auto Museum in Frackville, PA.

Now some of you are no doubt ready to point out that Ferdinand Porsche built the first hybrid vehicle, and that numerous companies offered and sold hybrid vehicles through 1920. But my point here is that by the time Colonel Green came along, gas cars dominated the marketplace. Even so, he was able to spearhead the development of a vehicle that was in many ways superior to the gas jalopies of the day.

Not only did this hybrid setup allow Green to drive himself, but the operation was also much smoother than the herky-jerky cars of the time, many of which leapt forward upon ignition. It’s definitely a cool piece of green car history, ironically pursued by a man named Green who had no intention of reducing pollution; he just wanted to drive.

That is something I think many of us can understand.

Source: Hemmings Auto Blog

General Electric CEO says electric vehicles will reach 'tipping point'

True belief or wishful thinking?

That's the question some may ask about General Electric CEO Jeff Immelt and his statement that electric vehicles will become more than a just niche market in the U.S.

Immelt, speaking at a Detroit automotive conference on Tuesday, said GE will continue to invest in battery-electric vehicle technology with the belief that lower costs and improved performance will allow EVs to reach "a tipping point," Reuters reported. Immelt stressed the fact that GE's decision was based on his belief in what will be a substantial market, adding that "novelties don't work."

Last year, electric-drive vehicles such as the Chevrolet Volt extended-range plug-in and Nissan Leaf battery-electric accounted for less than one in 500 new cars sold. By comparison, hybrids account for about one in 50 new cars sold.

GE was an early supporter of electric-drive vehicles, agreeing in November 2010 to order 12,000 Volts and work with its fleet customers to purchase 10,000 more electric-drive vehicles by 2015. GE said at the time that electric-drive vehicle adoption could create $500 million in revenue for the company during the ensuing three years.


Source: Autoblog Green

GM Planning to Triple or Quadruple Electric Car Volumes by 2015

General Motors Company Chief Executive Officer Dan Akerson is looking to at least triple the company’s target for electric-car sales by expanding the market for the Chevrolet Volt and adding models that would share similar technology, said three people familiar with his plan.

Akerson, who took over on Sept. 1, told his executive team in early December to find ways to sell three to four times as many electric cars as planned for 2012 by mid-decade, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the plans are private. GM has said it expects to sell 10,000 Volts in 2011 and 45,000 the following year, when capacity may reach 60,000.

Increasing Volt sales and developing other models with electric drive will spread out the cost of developing the technology across more vehicles. It also carries risk because hybrid and electric cars have tended to sell in low volume and be unprofitable, said Jim Hall, principal of 2953 Analytics Inc., a consulting firm in Birmingham, Michigan.

“That makes sense in the long term, but they have to get costs down,” Hall said. “Once the government sales incentives are gone, GM has to mature the cost of the technology to get prices down and make sure they’re not losing money.”

Akerson’s plan for more cars with electric drive underscores his strategy to differentiate GM and make it a technology leader, following an initial public offering that raised more than $20 billion in November, 16 months after the carmaker emerged from bankruptcy. Akerson, 62, has told top executives that he wants Detroit-based GM to seek new markets and prepare for higher fuel prices, according to the people.

Europe, China

The Volt went on sale this month in the U.S. at a price of $41,000. The car, which can travel as much as 50 miles (80 kilometers) using batteries, will be sold in China during the second half of 2011. GM last month began taking reservations for the electric-drive Opel Ampera, which will sell in Europe next year. The models include a gasoline engine that extends the driving range to more than 370 miles.

Dave Darovitz, a GM spokesman, said GM will look at other models for the Volt system. He declined to comment on Akerson’s volume goals for the technology.

Sales to companies and governments that want EVs for their fleets would help support increased production for GM and other carmakers could, Hall said. Last month, General Electric Co. said it would buy 25,000 electric cars by 2015, of which 12,000 will be Chevrolet Volts.

The federal government is offering consumers a $7,500 tax credit to buy the Volt, plug-in hybrids and electric cars. The credit begins to phase out after a manufacturer produces 200,000 eligible plug-in electric vehicles, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s website.

GM Stock

Akerson, a former managing director of private-equity firm Carlyle Group, succeeded Ed Whitacre as CEO in September and assumes the role of chairman at the end of the year. Akerson told his executive team to come back to him with a way to meet the higher sales numbers for the Volt and other electric-drive models, or with reasons why it can’t be done, one of the people familiar with the plan said.

GM rose 44 cents, or 1.3 percent, to $34.29 at 12:29 p.m. in New York Stock Exchange trading. The shares have gained 2.6 percent since the IPO before today.

GM is considering adding electric-gasoline Volt technology to several models under multiple brands, most of them larger than the Volt, including SUVs, according to the three people familiar with the plan. In April at the Beijing Motor Show, Chevrolet showed a five-passenger SUV that could drive in all- electric mode for 32 miles using the Volt’s powertrain system. That kind of vehicle is one possibility, the people said.

Larger Cars

Making larger models using the same system is difficult and may be more expensive because adding features and passenger space will make the car heavier and less aerodynamic, according to two of the people. GM stopped work on a plan hatched by now- retired Vice Chairman Bob Lutz to make a two-door Cadillac sports car called the Converj that used the Volt’s drive system, two executives with knowledge of the decision said in March.

The Volt runs using only electric drive for the first 25 miles to 50 miles. After that, a four-cylinder gasoline engine turns on and recharges the lithium-ion battery.

The EPA rated the Volt’s fuel economy at the equivalent of 93 miles per gallon in electric-only mode and 37 mpg if the car runs on gas after the battery is drained.

Source: Bloomberg

GE ANNOUNCES LARGEST SINGLE ELECTRIC VEHICLE COMMITMENT, COMMITS TO CONVERT HALF OF GLOBAL FLEET BY 2015

· GE to purchase 25,000 electric vehicles for its fleet and for fleet customers

· Wide-scale electric vehicle use expected to deliver up to $500 million in near-term business for GE

· Announces new electric vehicle customer experience centers in Michigan, Minnesota

PRESS RELEASE:

Fairfield, CT – November 11, 2010 –GE (NYSE: GE) it will purchase 25,000 electric vehicles by 2015 for its own fleet and through its Capital Fleet Services business - the largest-ever single electric vehicle commitment.

GE will convert at least half of its 30,000 global fleet and will partner with fleet customers to deploy a total of 25,000 electric vehicles by 2015. GE will initially purchase 12,000 GM vehicles, beginning with the Chevrolet Volt in 2011, and will add other vehicles as manufacturers expand their electric vehicle portfolios. GE and its partners will use a mix of electric vehicle technologies to meet their respective needs. Chevrolet Volts will roll off production lines this month and other automakers are bringing electric vehicles to market. As this occurs, GE is in a strong position to help deploy the supporting infrastructure to help its 65,000 global fleet customers convert and manage their fleets.

GE owns one of the world’s largest fleets, operates a leading global fleet management business, and offers a portfolio of product solutions including charging stations, circuit protection equipment and transformers that touch every part of electric vehicle infrastructure development. This enables GE to lead wide-scale electric vehicle adoption and generate growth for its businesses.

“Electric vehicle technology is real and ready for deployment and we are embracing the transformation with partners like GM and our fleet customers,” said GE Chairman and CEO Jeff Immelt. “By electrifying our own fleet, we will accelerate the adoption curve, drive scale, and move electric vehicles from anticipation to action.

“We make technology that touches every point of the electric vehicle infrastructure and are leading the transformation to a smarter electrical grid,” Immelt said. “This transformation will be good for our businesses and for our shareowners. Wide-scale adoption of electric vehicles will also drive clean energy innovation, strengthen energy security and deliver economic value.”

GE businesses including Capital Fleet Services, Energy and Licensing & Trading will benefit from an emerging electric vehicle market that could deliver up to $500 million in GE revenue over the next three years. This includes rapidly developing markets for GE’s charging station, the WattStation.

GM CEO Dan Akerson said, “GE’s commitment reflects confidence that electric vehicles are a real-world technology that can reduce both emissions and our dependence on oil. It is also a vote of confidence in the Chevrolet Volt, which we will begin delivering to retail customers by the end of this year. We are pleased that the Volt will play a major role in this program, which will spur innovation and benefit our companies, our customers, and society as a whole.”

FedEx Chairman, President and CEO, and Electrification Coalition member Fred Smith said, “With more than 16.3 million vehicles in operation in 2009, the nation’s fleet can drive initial ramp-up scale in the battery industry and OEM supply chains. By buying these vehicles, GE is helping ramp up production which will help lower the price of vehicles and their components and make electric vehicles more visible and acceptable to the public at large. This is good for GE, good for our economy, and good for our nation.”

GE also announced today two electric vehicle customer experience and learning centers to provide customers, employees and researchers first-hand access to electric vehicles and developing technologies. One will be located outside of Detroit, in Van Buren Township, Michigan, as part of GE’s Advanced Manufacturing and Software Technology Center. The other will be located at GE Capital’s Fleet Services business headquarters in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, with several other centers to be announced in 2011. The centers will monitor and evaluate vehicle performance and charging behaviors, driver experiences, service requirements, and operational efficiencies, while also affording the opportunity to experience a variety of manufacturers and models, and gain insights on electric vehicle deployment.

GE is launching this comprehensive electric vehicle program as part of its ecomagination business strategy to accelerate the development and deployment of clean energy technology though innovation and R&D investment. In support of the announcement today, an electric vehicle readiness toolkit has been launched on ecomagination.com to help municipalities, customers, and individuals prepare for wide-scale electric vehicle deployment.

About GE’s ecomagination
GE is driving a global energy transformation with a focus on innovation and R&D investment to accelerate the development and deployment of clean energy technology. Since its inception in 2005, more than 90 ecomagination-approved products have been brought to market with revenues reaching $18 billion in 2009. With $5 billion invested in R&D its first five years, GE committed to doubling its ecomagination investment and collaborate with partners to accelerate a new era of energy innovation. The company will invest $10 billion in R&D over five years and double operational energy efficiency while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and water consumption. As part of the initiative, GE launched the “GE ecomagination Challenge: Powering the Grid”, a $200 million financial commitment challenging innovators to join in building the next-generation power grid. For more information, visit the ecomagination website at http://ge.ecomagination.com/index.html.

Electrification Coalition to release Fleet Electrification Roadmap on Monday; PRTM sees GE action as catalyst for other fleets

With GE’s announcement today of its intended purchase of 25,000 electric drive vehicles by 2015 as a backdrop, members of the Electrification Coalition will release a Fleet Electrification Roadmap on Monday, 15 Nov.

The roadmap provides an analysis of the advantages, challenges, and policies necessary to spur electric drive technology in commercial and government vehicle fleets, and discusses the current state of bipartisan electrification efforts in Washington and beyond.

Global management consulting firm PRTM partnered with the EC to develop the fleet roadmap (similar to how they partnered with the EC on the original Electrification Roadmap in 2009. That roadmap called for 75% of light-duty vehicle miles traveled in the US to be electric by 2040.

Today’s announcement by GE regarding the purchase of 25,000 electric vehicles is significant, as this action will likely serve as the catalyst for other fleets. Additionally, we believe that GE’s action is a critical step in the role that fleets can play in utilizing more than 20% of the announced battery manufacturing capacity by 2015, thus helping accelerate the scale-driven cost reductions in advanced batteries.

—Oliver Hazimeh, Partner and head of the global e-Mobility Practice at PRTM

Source: Green Car Congress