General Motors Co. says it plans to develop an electric vehicle with Chinese partner SAIC Motor Corp., and it won't be just a copy of the Chevrolet Volt.
GM and SAIC announced the project in a statement today and during various media events from Shanghai this morning.
In a teleconference today with journalists, GM Vice Chairman Steve Girsky confirmed that GM will form a 50-50 joint venture with SAIC to develop an EV for the Chinese market.
That vehicle will be designed by the Pan-Asia Technical Automotive Center (PATAC), a design studio in Shanghai run by the two partners.
The EV will be a new vehicle, not an adaptation of an existing model like the Chevy Sonic, Girsky said. But he did not indicate whether the vehicle would be a small city car, when it would be introduced or how much it will cost.
"New technology is expensive and high-risk," Girsky said. "We will utilize our partners...to lower our risk and development costs, and bring technology to the market more quickly."
As the project moves forward, GM will move ahead with its plans to import small numbers of the Chevrolet Volt into China.
No subsidy
Girsky said GM hopes to persuade the Chinese government to extend its sales subsidy to imports such as the Volt. "We are hopeful that China will consider extending incentives to all vehicles in the future," he said.
Girsky also emphasized that the Chinese government has not pressured GM to share the Volt's technology with its Chinese partners.
GM's collaboration with SAIC, which was launched in 1997, has been profitable for both companies. SAIC now is China's largest domestic automaker, and GM is China's biggest foreign automaker.
The partners produce Buicks and Chevrolets for sale in China, and they also produce a commercial microvan called the Sunshine, China's top-selling light vehicle.
GM plans to introduce 60 new and upgraded models in the country during the next five years, the company said during the Shanghai auto show in April. GM and SAIC operate ten joint ventures in the nation.
Girsky said GM is confident that it can safely share its intellectual property with SAIC. "This is not the first time that we've brought intellectual property into China," Girsky said. "We work well with this partner."
China ventures
Automakers including Daimler AG and Nissan Motor Co. have announced plans to add alternative-energy vehicles in China as the world's largest polluter seeks to reduce emissions. The government aims to have 1 million electric-powered vehicles on the road by 2015, according to the Ministry of Science.
Vehicle sales are forecast to slow this year in China, after sales-tax breaks and rebates for rural buyers ended in January and following central bank interest-rate rises.
Overall sales in the first eight months of the year rose 3.3 percent to 12 million units, with passenger-car sales gaining 6.1 percent to 9.2 million units, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers said on Sept. 9. Deliveries climbed 32 percent last year.
The Shanghai GM joint venture introduced the Chevy Sail electric concept vehicle late last year. Vehicles developed under the partnership will be sold in China under Shanghai GM and SAIC brands, and GM also will use the architecture to build electric vehicles globally.
The agreement finalizes a nonbinding memorandum on cooperation for green-vehicle development SAIC and GM signed last November. At the time, SAIC agreed to buy a 1 percent stake in GM through an initial public offering held to make GM a public company again and cut the U.S. Treasury's stake in the company.
Showing posts with label Electric Vehicle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Electric Vehicle. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Monday, September 19, 2011
Toyota says rechargeable Prius will be be priced at $32,760
Toyota Motor Corp., the world's biggest seller of gasoline-electric cars, said today the rechargeable version of its Prius hybrid will cost $32,760, including transportation costs, when it goes on sale early next year.
The car goes as far as 15 miles solely on electricity, after which it runs as a standard 49 mpg Prius, Bob Carter, Toyota's group vice president for U.S. sales, told reporters here today. Toyota dealers will start selling the car in 14 states on the West and East coasts in March, he said.
The plug-in Prius' lithium-ion batteries recharge from a standard wall outlet and don't require installation of costly charging equipment. It will qualify for a $2,500 federal tax credit, Carter said.
"This will be the most affordable plug-in in the market," Carter said.
GM has said its 2012 model Chevrolet Volt will cost $39,145, before a $7,500 federal tax credit. That rechargeable model goes about 35 miles on electricity per charge, before a gasoline engine engages to power the vehicle.
Toyota plans to offer four Prius models, including the Prius v wagon that goes on sale next month and a compact version next year. Prius will outsell Camry, the nation's top-selling car line, to become Toyota's most popular models by the end of the decade, Carter said.
U.S. sales of the rechargeable Prius should be about 15,000 units in its first 12 months on the market, he said. It can average more than 80 mpg, based on company tests, he said.
The Prius v wagon will have a $27,160 starting price, including transportation. It gets an average of 42 mpg, Carter said.
The car goes as far as 15 miles solely on electricity, after which it runs as a standard 49 mpg Prius, Bob Carter, Toyota's group vice president for U.S. sales, told reporters here today. Toyota dealers will start selling the car in 14 states on the West and East coasts in March, he said.
The plug-in Prius' lithium-ion batteries recharge from a standard wall outlet and don't require installation of costly charging equipment. It will qualify for a $2,500 federal tax credit, Carter said.
"This will be the most affordable plug-in in the market," Carter said.
GM has said its 2012 model Chevrolet Volt will cost $39,145, before a $7,500 federal tax credit. That rechargeable model goes about 35 miles on electricity per charge, before a gasoline engine engages to power the vehicle.
Toyota plans to offer four Prius models, including the Prius v wagon that goes on sale next month and a compact version next year. Prius will outsell Camry, the nation's top-selling car line, to become Toyota's most popular models by the end of the decade, Carter said.
U.S. sales of the rechargeable Prius should be about 15,000 units in its first 12 months on the market, he said. It can average more than 80 mpg, based on company tests, he said.
The Prius v wagon will have a $27,160 starting price, including transportation. It gets an average of 42 mpg, Carter said.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Daimler to test Smart electric cars in Hong Kong
Daimler AG will provide a trial version of its Smart electric car to partners in Hong Kong as the city battles record pollution.
Daimler's partners in the trial, which include the Hong Kong Jockey Club and Swire Coca-Cola HK, will use the two-seater car for six to 12 months, the carmaker said in a statement today.
Daimler's Mercedes Benz unit will offer a service center with technicians and mechanics.
The pilot program, which will run for four years, joins a push by automakers such as Mitsubishi Motors Corp. and Nissan Motor Co. to introduce electric vehicles in Hong Kong, where pollution reached "very high" levels on a record one in four days in 2010, according to government data.
The city government plans to replace some fuel-powered vehicles with electric ones and is trying hybrid buses, lawmakers said in February.
"A combination of electric vehicles and cleaner energy is a very good recipe for Hong Kong to become a greener city," Edward Yau, Hong Kong's environment secretary, said.
The city has 170 electric vehicles and will increase the number of charging stations to 1,000 in a year from 300, he said.
Daimler's Smart electric car, which can travel 135 kilometers (84 miles) on a full charge, won't be produced globally until 2012.
In Asia, the company has launched similar pilot programs in Indonesia, Japan and Singapore.
The other four partners who will get the car in Hong Kong are CLP Power Hong Kong Ltd., Jardine Airport Services Ltd., Yan Chai Hospital and Hongkong Electric Co.
Vehicles are the second-biggest source of pollution in Hong Kong after power stations, and their numbers rose 9.6 percent between 2004 and 2009, according to the government.
Nissan agreed to supply advance units of its Leaf electric car to Hong Kong, the government said in January.
Mitsubishi Motors already sells its battery-powered i-MiEV in the city. Daimler's Mercedes marque was the second-largest luxury car brand based on the latest full-year numbers.
Daimler's partners in the trial, which include the Hong Kong Jockey Club and Swire Coca-Cola HK, will use the two-seater car for six to 12 months, the carmaker said in a statement today.
Daimler's Mercedes Benz unit will offer a service center with technicians and mechanics.
The pilot program, which will run for four years, joins a push by automakers such as Mitsubishi Motors Corp. and Nissan Motor Co. to introduce electric vehicles in Hong Kong, where pollution reached "very high" levels on a record one in four days in 2010, according to government data.
The city government plans to replace some fuel-powered vehicles with electric ones and is trying hybrid buses, lawmakers said in February.
"A combination of electric vehicles and cleaner energy is a very good recipe for Hong Kong to become a greener city," Edward Yau, Hong Kong's environment secretary, said.
The city has 170 electric vehicles and will increase the number of charging stations to 1,000 in a year from 300, he said.
Daimler's Smart electric car, which can travel 135 kilometers (84 miles) on a full charge, won't be produced globally until 2012.
In Asia, the company has launched similar pilot programs in Indonesia, Japan and Singapore.
The other four partners who will get the car in Hong Kong are CLP Power Hong Kong Ltd., Jardine Airport Services Ltd., Yan Chai Hospital and Hongkong Electric Co.
Vehicles are the second-biggest source of pollution in Hong Kong after power stations, and their numbers rose 9.6 percent between 2004 and 2009, according to the government.
Nissan agreed to supply advance units of its Leaf electric car to Hong Kong, the government said in January.
Mitsubishi Motors already sells its battery-powered i-MiEV in the city. Daimler's Mercedes marque was the second-largest luxury car brand based on the latest full-year numbers.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
GM partners with battery supplier LG on electric vehicles
General Motors said today that it is partnering with its battery cell supplier, LG Group, to develop electric vehicles.
The agreement, signed Wednesday by GM CEO Dan Akerson and LG President Juno Cho, will “help GM expand the number and types of electric vehicles it makes and sells,” the automaker said in a statement.
It’s the second example this week of automakers looking for partners to help in developing more fuel-efficient cars, as U.S. regulators put in place stricter fuel-economy standards for later this decade. On Monday, Toyota Motor Corp. and Ford Motor Co. said they are partnering to build hybrid light trucks.
The pact with GM broadens opportunities for LG, which supplies battery cells for the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid.
Staying ahead
Akerson has vowed to stay ahead of the competition on vehicle electrification. He’s pressing his team to reduce the cost of the Volt, partly through economies of scale by applying the technology across more GM vehicles. Earlier this month, GM said the Volt powertrain will be put on an upcoming Cadillac sedan.
The Volt’s success prompted GM and LG to collaborate further on vehicle electrification, leading to a formal alliance, GM said.
Last year, for example, the two companies worked together to develop a demonstration fleet of electric Chevy Cruze compacts, which were used as official vehicles during the G20 summit in Seoul. In its statement today, GM said it now is “market testing” those vehicles.
GM and LG engineers will work together on development of electric vehicle platforms and components, GM said. Vehicles born out of the partnership “will be sold in many countries,” the automaker said.
‘Consumers benefit’
Steve Girsky, GM vice chairman, said in the statement: “Consumers benefit by getting the latest fuel-saving technology faster if we work with the best suppliers and we save time and money in the development process.”
In the statement, Cho said, “We fully support GM’s goal to lead the industry in the electrification of the automobile.”
GM didn’t disclose terms of the agreement but said it does not involve any exchange of equity.
The agreement, signed Wednesday by GM CEO Dan Akerson and LG President Juno Cho, will “help GM expand the number and types of electric vehicles it makes and sells,” the automaker said in a statement.
It’s the second example this week of automakers looking for partners to help in developing more fuel-efficient cars, as U.S. regulators put in place stricter fuel-economy standards for later this decade. On Monday, Toyota Motor Corp. and Ford Motor Co. said they are partnering to build hybrid light trucks.
The pact with GM broadens opportunities for LG, which supplies battery cells for the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid.
Staying ahead
Akerson has vowed to stay ahead of the competition on vehicle electrification. He’s pressing his team to reduce the cost of the Volt, partly through economies of scale by applying the technology across more GM vehicles. Earlier this month, GM said the Volt powertrain will be put on an upcoming Cadillac sedan.
The Volt’s success prompted GM and LG to collaborate further on vehicle electrification, leading to a formal alliance, GM said.
Last year, for example, the two companies worked together to develop a demonstration fleet of electric Chevy Cruze compacts, which were used as official vehicles during the G20 summit in Seoul. In its statement today, GM said it now is “market testing” those vehicles.
GM and LG engineers will work together on development of electric vehicle platforms and components, GM said. Vehicles born out of the partnership “will be sold in many countries,” the automaker said.
‘Consumers benefit’
Steve Girsky, GM vice chairman, said in the statement: “Consumers benefit by getting the latest fuel-saving technology faster if we work with the best suppliers and we save time and money in the development process.”
In the statement, Cho said, “We fully support GM’s goal to lead the industry in the electrification of the automobile.”
GM didn’t disclose terms of the agreement but said it does not involve any exchange of equity.
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