2 Sweet Posted October 3, 2017 Report Share Posted October 3, 2017 Supposedly..... General Motors plans to go 100 percent electric, the Detroit automaker announced Monday. GM currently offers one extended-range electric vehicle, the Chevrolet Bolt EV, but will add two others within 18 months, said Executive Vice President Mark Reuss, with “at least 20” to be in the line-up by 2023. In addition, the company is developing a new truck platform powered by hydrogen fuel cells, dubbed Surus, short for Silent Utility Rover Universal Superstructure. “General Motors believes in an all-electric future,” Reuss said. “Although that future won't happen overnight, GM is committed to driving increased usage and acceptance of electric vehicles through no-compromise solutions that meet our customers' needs.” In recent months, a number of manufacturers have announced plans to “electrify” their product lines. All Volvo models launched from 2018 and beyond, for example, will use either hybrid, plug-in or pure battery-electric drivetrains. Last month, Volkswagen AG said it will invest $20 billion to develop electrified products. Every model sold by its various brands — including VW, Audi, Bentley and Lamborghini — will be offered with at least one battery-based drivetrain option. But GM said it will go a step further. Ditching the Combustion Engine GM's goal is to abandon the internal combustion engine entirely. At some yet-unspecified point, all of its products will draw power either from batteries or hydrogen. Fuel cells are sometimes referred to as “refillable batteries.” They rely on devices called stacks to combine hydrogen and oxygen from the air to produce water vapor and electric current. That power is used to drive the same sort of motors used in battery-cars. GM was a pioneer in both battery and hydrogen technology. It launched its first fuel-cell prototype four decades ago. Its EV1 was one of the first electric vehicles produced by a mainstream manufacturer, but the line was scrapped when California abandoned its initial zero-emissions vehicle mandates in the 1990s. Government mandates are clearly driving the industry’s current push to electrify. Even though the Trump administration is expected to roll back the federal Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards, California’s new ZEV mandate will require automakers to collectively sell millions of battery or hydrogen vehicles in the years ahead. And pressures are growing overseas. Several countries, including Norway and India, now plan to ban internal combustion engines entirely. The U.K., France, Germany, and China are considering similar moves. China has just laid out new guidelines for alternative propulsion and is now the world’s biggest market for electrified vehicles. The key question is one of consumer acceptance. Last year, all forms of electrified vehicles, from hybrids to battery-electric vehicles accounted for barely 3 percent of the U.S. new vehicle market. Pure electrics, like the Chevy Bolt, generated only around a half-percent of total volume. But a number of recent studies have suggested that could top 30 percent or more within a decade. Tesla Leading the Way One sign of an impending shift is the strong response to the launch of the new Tesla Model 3 which, like the Bolt, gets more than 200 miles per charge and is priced at under $40,000 before federal and state tax credits. Meanwhile, a new generation of even more advanced and affordable batteries, dubbed solid-state, is expected to reach the market early in the coming decade. They are expected to yield even longer range, shortage charge times and lower prices. GM isn’t talking about what its new battery-electric vehicles will be but they are generally expected to be utility vehicles, reflecting the rapid market shift from passenger cars to light trucks. GM describes Surus as a “fuel-cell-powered, four-wheel steer concept vehicle on a heavy-duty truck frame that’s driven by two electric motors.” It could be used for delivery trucks, for example, or ambulances. Earlier this year, GM launched a joint venture with Honda to begin producing fuel-cell stacks that could be used in vehicles as well as stationary power systems. Honda is expected to use the new hardware in the next version of its Clarity Fuel-Cell Vehicle. GM could use the system in a number of its own future models, including a production version of Surus. https://www.nbcnews.com/business/autos/gm-going-all-electric-will-ditch-gas-diesel-powered-cars-n806806 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draco-REX Posted October 3, 2017 Report Share Posted October 3, 2017 I'll say this: I really like my Volt. After driving it for almost 9 months now, I really think an EV is a perfect daily driver. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TTQ B4U Posted October 3, 2017 Report Share Posted October 3, 2017 Cross me a Tesla S P100D underpinnings onto a C7 and price it right. Sent from my Galaxy Note 8 using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otis Nice Posted October 3, 2017 Report Share Posted October 3, 2017 Cross me a Tesla S P100D underpinnings onto a C7 and price it right. Sent from my Galaxy Note 8 using Tapatalk Only way it would work. As a "truck guy", I wonder how well they'd fare in that arena. I know a LOT of folks orig said, "V6 with turboboosters in mah full sized Ferd?! NO WAY! I NEED TO HAUL STUFFS!" ...yet here we are. IF GM could do it RIGHT it could be yuge. I would LOVE a half ton 4x4 with good power and capacity but no fuel consumption. I just don't think it's feasible. Especially in many of the small mountain towns I know of where some houses may not even have electricity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2 Sweet Posted October 3, 2017 Author Report Share Posted October 3, 2017 An electric full-size work truck......electric Corvette....electric Camaro......ugh And what does this mean for their racing programs? They just spent $200 million on a "performance center".... http://media.gm.com/media/us/en/gm/home.detail.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2016/feb/performance-center/0202-performance-racing-center.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murse Posted October 3, 2017 Report Share Posted October 3, 2017 Im a huge fan of EV's and this is great to hear. Im wondering if the "100%" is legit. I would love to see an electric Corvette or Camaro. Its just hard for me to see GM do that. Now something along the lines of the NSX I can see. I drove my first Tesla in June 2012 and it completely changed the way I looked at EV's. I was blown away that a car can look that good and be that fast and fun to drive, and at the same time not be gas powered. I don't think hydrogen fuel cells are the way to go, unless someone can find a way to generate it in an energy efficient manner. It doesn't make sense when it takes so much energy to make it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeitgeist57 Posted October 3, 2017 Report Share Posted October 3, 2017 I'll say this: I really like my Volt. After driving it for almost 9 months now, I really think an EV is a perfect daily driver. I'm all about a Tesla, once the used prices get down a little lower. Battery range is the ONLY thing left to improve on EVs. Everything else - durability, efficiency, driving dynamics - has been successfully engineered to balanced perfection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draco-REX Posted October 3, 2017 Report Share Posted October 3, 2017 I'm all about a Tesla, once the used prices get down a little lower. Battery range is the ONLY thing left to improve on EVs. Everything else - durability, efficiency, driving dynamics - has been successfully engineered to balanced perfection. That's why I like the Volt. Enough battery that it covers 80% of commuters (way more than I need day to day) but if I want to drive 90 miles to visit my wife's family or 1600 to visit mine, I don't have to worry about it. I think range-extended EVs should be the intermediate step. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rally Pat Posted October 3, 2017 Report Share Posted October 3, 2017 Sign me up, electric is where its at. Insta-torque Corvettes? Hell yes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cordell Posted October 3, 2017 Report Share Posted October 3, 2017 Sad really. I haven't heard anything about going 100%, but I'm sure more and more of this is coming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TTQ B4U Posted October 3, 2017 Report Share Posted October 3, 2017 That's why I like the Volt. Enough battery that it covers 80% of commuters (way more than I need day to day) but if I want to drive 90 miles to visit my wife's family or 1600 to visit mine, I don't have to worry about it. I think range-extended EVs should be the intermediate step. I agree with the range extended EV's. I'm sure there's a way to build in a small motor to power up the Tesla batteries without over complicating it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
o0n8 Posted October 3, 2017 Report Share Posted October 3, 2017 hopefully the spend some money on better interiors too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grudes Posted October 3, 2017 Report Share Posted October 3, 2017 I have heard this but I think its just someone trolling. GM has not really been on the fore-front of electric/hybrid vehicles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gergwheel1647545492 Posted October 3, 2017 Report Share Posted October 3, 2017 I agree with the range extended EV's. I'm sure there's a way to build in a small motor to power up the Tesla batteries without over complicating it. This confuses me. Either you are talking about an electric motor running at 110% efficiency or you are talking about a gas engine that will no longer be an EV. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
o0n8 Posted October 3, 2017 Report Share Posted October 3, 2017 I have heard this but I think its just someone trolling. GM has not really been on the fore-front of electric/hybrid vehicles. ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ackbar00 Posted October 3, 2017 Report Share Posted October 3, 2017 I think Hydrogen is the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draco-REX Posted October 3, 2017 Report Share Posted October 3, 2017 This confuses me. Either you are talking about an electric motor running at 110% efficiency or you are talking about a gas engine that will no longer be an EV. Ehh.. Things are kinda blurry as they are. From what I've read, a "Range-Extended EV" is a car that has an EV drivetrain, but also a gas or diesel engine that can provide power for the EV to go beyond its battery charge. A Plug-in Hybrid has a conventional drivetrain with an electric motor usually placed between the engine and transmission that can run on the battery only until it hits a charge point where it becomes a conventional hybrid. The Volt kinda falls between the two. In most driving scenarios, it's a pure EV. But under certain circumstances the engine, either powers one of the electric motors to generate electricity or is coupled directly to the drivetrain with the electric motors providing additional torque. By the time I've had my Volt for a year, I'll have used the gas engine maybe 20 times. The rest of the year it's been an EV with the engine being dead weight on the nose. So I consider it a Range-Extended EV, rather than a Plug-in Hybrid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rally Pat Posted October 3, 2017 Report Share Posted October 3, 2017 I think Hydrogen is the future. Hydrogen is cool, but I think everyone is worried what will happen in an accident to the storage tank. Batteries can catch fire, but fire is easier to control. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Not Brian Posted October 3, 2017 Report Share Posted October 3, 2017 electric corvette lol no fuckin thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draco-REX Posted October 3, 2017 Report Share Posted October 3, 2017 I think Hydrogen is the future. While Hydrogen has the huge benefit of there being (mostly) existing infrastructure and consumer behavior already in place to use it, I question its efficiency. Using electricity to generare the hydrogen to then convert back into electricity seems kinda silly. Perhaps the real solution will be a combination of the two. A Battery for short-range use and the hydrogen cell for extended use. Dunno. If I did know, I'd be investing every penny I've got... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draco-REX Posted October 3, 2017 Report Share Posted October 3, 2017 Hydrogen is cool, but I think everyone is worried what will happen in an accident to the storage tank. Batteries can catch fire, but fire is easier to control. The way the cells are designed, if there's a puncture it will release a jet of flame, not explode. They're probably safer than Li-Ion batteries which can have a chain reaction and burn completely and quickly. The downside to hydrogen is that the flame isn't always easy to see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geeto67 Posted October 3, 2017 Report Share Posted October 3, 2017 electric corvette lol no fuckin thanks you were saying: https://electrek.co/2017/03/08/all-electric-corvette-speed-record-209-mph/ Maryland-based custom carmaker Genovation set the top speed world record for a road-legal all-electric car, a modified battery-powered Z06 Corvette, reaching the record-breaking speed of 205.6 mph last year. They have now beaten the record again by a significant margin. The latest version of their all-electric Corvette prototype reached a speed of 209 mph. Good for GM. I'm still skeptical because I don't think electric vehicles will save the environment but at least they are doing something to be pro-active. Plus they can always recant as soon as they change management so it isn't like they don't have an out. Plus this can make up for the great American fuck you that was the trolley car fiasco. sort of. maybe. I hope. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grudes Posted October 3, 2017 Report Share Posted October 3, 2017 ? Wow thats ugly. Im not sure what that is. Kind looks like a Mule for the Volt of Bolt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Not Brian Posted October 3, 2017 Report Share Posted October 3, 2017 you were saying: https://electrek.co/2017/03/08/all-electric-corvette-speed-record-209-mph/ Wouldn't mind an electric daily driver, that would be okay.. but not having a loud, thumping V8 pushing my adrenaline detracts from everything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Second Gen Posted October 3, 2017 Report Share Posted October 3, 2017 Wow thats ugly. Im not sure what that is. Kind looks like a Mule for the Volt of Bolt. Looks to me like a first gen Saturn (I am sure some of that was used) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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