Volt

Today, the Chevrolet team announced that participating Volt dealers in Canada are now taking orders for the 2012 Chevrolet Volt. The MSRP starts at $41,545 (Canadian dollars). In Ontario, the Volt is expected to qualify for an $8,230 incentive, and in Quebec, it is expected to qualify for a $7,769 incentive.

Here is how the Canadian roll-out will work:

·         The Volt will initially be available to retail customers in the marketing areas for Vancouver, Victoria, Toronto, Oshawa, Ottawa-Gatineau, Montreal, and Quebec City in the third quarter of this year.
·         Within twelve months of the retail launch, Volt will be available at dealerships nation-wide.
·         If you’re interested in ordering a Volt, you can locate a participating dealer on Chevy.com and contact them to place your order.

For our customers in the U.S., you may remember that we’ve already announced that we will deliver a Volt to all 50 states by the end of 2011.

Volt fans in Colorado, the Main Street in Motion tour will be in Denver this weekend. From April 29 - May 1 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., the tour will be at Invesco Field at 1701 Bryant Street.

If you come out, you'll have a chance to test-drive the 2011 Chevrolet Volt. More than 70 types of cars, trucks and crossovers from Chevrolet, Buick and GMC, along with competitive models from Acura, Ford, Honda, Lexus and Toyota will all be in the same location. You can take test-drives, compare vehicles, discover what features are most important to you and determine which vehicle fits your needs. You can also chat with members of our team who will be on hand to answer your questions.

You can head over to MainStreetinMotion.com to sign up for your drive time and to get more information. Please note that all individuals who wish to drive in the event must be at least 18 years of age and have a valid driver's license. The tour is also heading to many other cities in 2011, so check them out. Hope to see you there!

Note: Join the Volt team for a chat on the Chevrolet Volt Facebook page today at 2 p.m. EDT

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety the Volt is now a Top Safety Pick.  IIHS tests determine how well vehicles protect their occupants in a crash.

The Volt received the highest possible rating after its performance in high-speed front and side crash tests, a rollover test, and evaluations of seat and head restraints for protection against neck injuries during rear impacts.

Among the Volt’s safety features are:

•             StabiliTrak Electronic Stability Control System
•             Front side, knee and full-length side curtain airbags
•             LATCH system (Lower Anchors and Top tethers for Children)
•             Pedestrian friendly alert, driver activated horn chirp using turn signal lever
•             Five-year subscription to OnStar’s Directions and Connections Plan including Automatic Crash Response, stolen vehicle assistance and connected navigation

The Volt even provides a sound drivers can activate to alert pedestrians that it’s nearby, which is useful for its quiet all-electric mode. The alert was developed with the National Federation of the Blind and is especially helpful to the visually impaired.

With this rating, the Volt joins the Chevrolet Cruze, another small car in the Chevrolet family that recently earned the IIHS Top Safety Pick.

Check out the videos below to learn more about how the Volt team worked with the National Federation of the Blind on the pedestiran alert and to learn more about GM's crash test dummy family.

Note: This post originally appeared on the Beyond Now blog

It wasn’t so long ago that Earth Day and automotive companies seemed to go together like oil and water.

Fortunately, we’ve entered a new era, and everyone at GM seems to be stepping up to the plate. Our sustainability initiatives—which actually date back 20 years—continue to drive every part of our business and have gained real momentum.

Truth is not many people knew about our green progress until recently, but we feel the Chevrolet Volt is beginning to help us change that. It’s the vehicle that exemplifies our long-term vision for sustainable transportation. And it’s the opening chapter of a story we’re excited to tell for the new General Motors.

Whether it’s solar arrays in Fontana and Rancho Cucamonga, California, or turning paint sludge into plastic shipping crates used to hold Chevrolet Cruze engine components, our people are hard at work finding new ways to reduce the impact of our facilities and our products.  I’m proud to say these are the people who make up the new face of GM. They’re passionate and they’re doing some amazing stuff.

Some of our most dedicated people examine our waste and by-products with an investigator’s eye, looking for different ways to view the same old trash. And it’s this re-thinking of traditional processes that turns out the most innovative solutions. Did you know that more than half of our manufacturing facilities are now landfill free? At GM, this is a real team sport.

But putting this in the context of what our customers need and expect is important. It’s critical for any company to be environmentally responsible in their operations, but it’s ultimately the customers who will decide which green technologies make the grade and fit their budgets and mobility needs.

So as we celebrate the 41^st anniversary of Earth Day today, let’s appreciate the collective efforts that both people and industry are taking to help our world, and continue to focus on advanced technologies that will fit the needs and lifestyles of our customers for years to come.

Today, at the 2011 New York International Auto Show, the Chevy Volt was named World Green Car of the Year. The award is voted on by an international panel of 66 automotive journalists, which consider a vehicle’s “tailpipe emissions, fuel consumption, and use of a major advanced power plant technology (beyond engine componentry), aimed specifically at increasing the vehicle's environmental responsibility” in their decision.

In other news, the Volt’s technology won Edmunds’ 2011 Green Car Breakthrough Award, which is handed out each year to a "vehicle, technology or program that sets new standards in fuel efficiency, emissions reduction and/or sustainability, or that stands out for promoting public use and acceptance of such a vehicle or technology."

Check out this video below for more on how the Volt works. Thank you again for your continued support and interest in the Volt.

The 2011 Chevy Volt can help reduce trips to the gas station. Check out a fun video below showing some of the things you can do at a gas station besides purchase gas and see below for some fuel-saving tips from Chevrolet.

 

Tweet This

	@ChevyVolt Fuel-saving tip: Obey speed limits. Each xtra 10 mph of highway speed drops fuel econ by 4 mpg http://veh.cl/1p1
	@ChevyVolt Fuel-saving tip: Cruise control can help improve fuel econ by as much as 2 percent
	@ChevyVolt Fuel-saving tip: Drive with the windows up on highways and roll them down on regular roads http://veh.cl/1p1
	@ChevyVolt Fuel-saving tip: Don’t carry more than you need. Xtra 100 lbs can reduce fuel econ by up to 2 percent http://veh.cl/1p1
	@ChevyVolt Fuel-saving tip: Receiving regular vehicle maintenance can improve your mileage upwards of 10% http://veh.cl/1nt
	@ChevyVolt Fuel-saving tip: According to EPA, replacing clogged air filters can improve fuel econ by 14% http://veh.cl/1p1
	@ChevyVolt Fuel-saving tip: Use @TheReal_OnStar diagnostics reports to reduce fuel consumption http://veh.cl/1p1
	@ChevyVolt Fuel-saving tip: Accelerate moderately and smoothly and maintain steady speeds http://veh.cl/1p1

Note: For more from Alexandra, visit the "Ask Alexandra" tab on the Chevrolet Volt Facebook page.

I am shooting a movie at the moment. My first day of work was in San Pedro, 41 miles from my home. It is mostly freeway driving, except the three miles downhill from my house and the four miles uphill getting to the filming location overlooking the Pacific Ocean. I got there with electric miles to spare and clocked my best range ever that day: I went 50.1 miles before the gasoline engine kicked in. When Ian asked how my day was, the first thing I told him was how great my electric range was. Oh and yes, the filming was fun too.

Another movie note: the crew is impressed with the Volt.  We shot some alley scenes yesterday and my car was parked nearby. They liked the look of the car and seemed to appreciate its capabilities. The director, Doug Campbell, wants an EV, but he has an eye to the Leaf, since he plans on keeping his gas Beemer for longer trips. I am going to talk more with him about his daily driving and economic restrictions to find out whether a plug in hybrid or an 100% EV will suit him better. To EV or PHEV is a question where many factors need to be weighed. Chief among them: which car will allow you to drive gas-free as much as possible?

When filming in Los Angeles, movies shoot within a 30-mile zone of the intersection of Beverly and La Cienega in Hollywood. If a production goes out of that area, it is considered an out-of-town shoot and costs go up. Unwanted trivia: this is where the term TMZ (Thirty Mile Zone) came from. I live 15 miles from that famed intersection, so my LA shoots often mean driving 40 miles to a set. Doug lives even farther out, so his drives to a TMZ location  could easily be 50 miles one way.

Doug drove my RAV EV today (Ian took the Volt out of town), and loved driving on batteries.  Next, I am putting him in my Volt.

Alexandra Paul is a longtime electric vehicle advocate, actress and former EV1 driver. She is working with Chevrolet to educate consumers about EVs and the Volt. Full disclosure, Chevrolet is paying her for her time, but her opinions will always be hers.

Updated: April 21, 2011, 4:00 p.m. EDT

We are more convinced than ever that the Volt didn’t cause the garage fire in Barkhamsted, Conn.  Here’s why.

Our engineering experts investigated the scene of the fire and analyzed the Volt and its battery pack and charging equipment. After discussions with the local fire officials and the insurance investigators, our engineers are even more convinced that the fire did not originate with the Volt or in the vicinity where the Volt was charging.

Late yesterday, the fire marshal closed his investigation and has since turned it over to the insurance company and General Motors. We will continue investigating the Volt to determine if any other learnings are available from this incident.

We again extend our thoughts to the Connors family, who worked with GM and the fire marshal to gather necessary information for the investigation in the midst of their personal crisis.  We’re happy they are safe and that’s what’s most important.  

“My Volt was my very first new car purchase since 1963; I would like to get a second one," said homeowner Storm Connors.  

Finally, we'd like to extend our thanks and appreciation to the Pleasant Valley Volunteer Fire Department and the investigators for their cooperation in this matter.”

Updated: April 18, 2011, 5:30 p.m. EDT

Our engineering experts have inspected the Chevrolet Volt severely damaged in a garage fire in Barkhamsted, CT.  We believe the findings indicate the Volt was damaged by the fire, not the cause.

The garage and its contents, including the Volt and a hand-built Suzuki Samurai EV, were heavily damaged in last Thursday's fire.  

While the Volt's battery pack sustained damage, it was not extensive enough or of the type that would suggest that it caused the fire.  In addition, there is clear evidence based on moderate damage to the cordset and charging system that neither component caused the fire.  

The vehicles had been left in the garage for investigators and insurers to review when a second incident occurred earlier today.  Smoke was seen coming from the damaged Volt and the fire department responded quickly.  We continue to support the department in its investigation, sending our experts back to Connecticut to continue working with fire marshals.  

We've spent more than a decade developing the technology which went into Volt.  As such, it has a wide range of active and passive safety systems to ensure our customers are protected.

The most important thing to remember is that everyone is safe and fire investigators are working diligently to determine the cause.  We'll share more information as it becomes available.

**********

Original post:

A house fire in Barkhamsted, Connecticut early yesterday destroyed a garage and two electric cars, including a Chevrolet Volt and a hand-built Suzuki Samurai EV made by the home's owner.  We're relieved to know that no one was hurt. The owner is an EV enthusiast who has been active in the alternative energy space for a number of years.

We've already contacted the customer to offer our support and spoken to a fire investigator to help wherever we can there as well.  

It's completely understandable that all possible fire causes would be investigated. We stand behind the many active and passive safety systems in the Volt's design. We believe the owner's Volt has been a victim of this fire, not a cause.  

Fire marshals haven't named any 'suspect' for the cause, so it's wrong to suggest they have. Of course, one tweet is another's truth, right? Anyone taking the idea of "can't rule out ..." to "might have" to "probably did" to statements of fact about what caused this fire should defer to the Connecticut fire investigation experts.

We take our customers' safety extremely seriously and the Chevrolet Volt has been built to meet all applicable US and international safety standards. To go a little deeper into detail, consider these aspects of Volt design: 

- The Volt's charge cordset is certified and validated to rigorous short-circuit, overload, voltage surge, voltage dips and interruptions, ground fault and other requirements.
- The communication between the charge cordset and the vehicle charging system on the Volt meets SAE charging standards.
- At the vehicle level, the Volt has state-of-the-art monitoring and controls to detect and help ensure against malfunctions.  
- Monitoring includes, among other things, AC and DC voltages; charge current; isolation of the high voltage from chassis ground; battery pack cell voltages and temperatures.
- If a malfunction that is potentially safety-related is detected, charging is immediately terminated and safeguards are invoked to isolate the high voltage system to the battery pack.

We'll continue to work with the Connecticut fire investigators, the owner and his family to determine what happened.