At GM, we’re busy working on a variety of advanced propulsion technologies to improve the performance of our vehicles in terms of fuel efficiency, energy diversity and emissions. A number of these technologies are in our vehicles today, and more are yet to come.
We know that our customers around the world have many varied needs and wants – that’s why we’re working on solutions that provide various benefits depending on where you live in the world and what your driving habits are. This includes advances to the traditional internal combustion engine, vehicles that can run on renewable biofuels, and the development of electrically-driven vehicles like hybrids, extended range electric vehicles, and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.
We’re also a very active industry partner when it comes to dialogue about solutions to make our industry more sustainable. We recently worked with the Obama Administration and the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers to reach a voluntary agreement for the industry that will coordinate federal fuel economy and emissions standards. This new agreement will help to benefit both consumers and automakers by helping get more clean and efficient vehicles on the road quickly and more affordably. In 2007, GM was also the first automaker to join the United States Climate Action Partnership (USCAP) to support a partnership of industry and environmental organizations that are working to address climate change through advanced technology on an economy-wide, market-driven basis. For more information on the many other partnerships we’re working on, click here.
Fuel Economy
Throughout our vehicle brands we have 13 vehicle models that achieve at least a 30 mpg highway rating or higher for the 2010 model year. We’ve made our vehicles more efficient through the use of a variety of technologies such as Active Fuel Management, six-speed transmissions, variable valve timing, and direct injection. We also offer five hybrid vehicles – Chevy Tahoe, Chevy Silverado, GMC Yukon, GMC Sierra and Cadillac Escalade.
Biofuels
In addition to fuel efficiency, we’re also looking at alternatives to gasoline to power our vehicles – to help reduce our dependence on petroleum and provide our customers with choices that work for them. Right now in the U.S. we offer 17 vehicle models from all four of our brands that can run on E85 – a fuel blend made of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline. We also have created partnerships to advance the development of ethanol from a variety of materials such as agricultural and wood waste, and we’ve been working with others on a variety of initiatives around the country to help expand the availability of the fuel to new places.
Watch this video to learn How Coskata Makes Ethanol from Numerous Feedstocks in its New Flex Facility.
Chevrolet Volt - An Extended Range Electric Vehicle
Our engineers have been working fast and furiously on the development of the Chevrolet Volt – a vehicle that we believe will be a game-changer when it debuts in late 2010. It uses an extended-range electric propulsion system to power the vehicle and it can drive up to 40 miles using only electricity. However, if you have to go further than that before you have a chance to plug-in and recharge, the vehicle will automatically begin producing more electricity via a small gasoline/biofuel engine on the vehicle that powers an electric generator. This extra power can take you much further, giving the vehicle a total range or more than 300 miles. For a lot more information on this vehicle and to join the conversation around it, check out www.chevroletvoltage.com and the fan page on Facebook. Or go behind the scenes for a look at the development of the vehicle with GM’s Chief Engineer for the Volt, Andrew Farah.
Project Driveway – Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles on the Road with Real Drivers
In 2007, we launched a test program, Project Driveway, here in the U.S. with a fleet of Chevrolet Equinox vehicles that are powered by hydrogen fuel cell technology. Since then, these vehicles have been driven by a host of every day drivers on their typical commutes and daily driving routes to help us see how the technology performs and what people have to say about the vehicles. Since the start of the program, we’ve expanded it to parts of Europe and collectively the vehicles have logged over one million miles on the roadways. We’ve made great progress with this technology and are encouraged by the driver feedback we’ve received. We are continuing to evaluate the technology and also working with industry and government partners to address the issues surrounding infrastructure and availability of hydrogen that must be resolved before these vehicles can see widespread use. To view a video about the Project Driveway program, click here.
