New posts from Gas 2.0!

Do Electric Cars Mean the End of Spare Tires?
Video: Volvo Bringing KERS Hybrid System to the Streets?
Miniaturized Electric Hummers Coming to a Resort Near You

Do Electric Cars Mean the End of Spare Tires?

Posted: 02 Jun 2011 03:37 PM PDT

Once upon a time, it was unwritten law that all cars came with a full-size spare tire. These days, you're lucky to even get a "donut" tire. In the case of the Chevy Volt though, you get no spare at all.

According to a post over at GM-Volt.com, poster "VoltSoundz" found himself hitting a pothole in his all new Chevy Volt, and was rewarded with a flat tire. It's a sucky situation for anybody to be in, made even suckier by the fact that the Chevy Volt comes without a spare tire. While GM is picking up the cost of the tire and provided the user with a rental car, his Volt has been down and out for two weeks while he waits for a replacement tire or, more likely, a replacement rim.

Why no spare tire? It has actually become increasingly common to forgo a spare tire in place of say, a tire inflation kit (which comes on every Volt standard.) So I'm not going to drag GM across the coals for doing what others in the market are doing as well. The Volt's primary competition, the Nissan Leaf, also forgoes a spare tire in place of a tire inflation kit…not that you'll ever be stranded too far from home in the first place. Even some gas-powered cars now forgo the spare tire in lieu of the smaller and cheaper “tire inflation kit.”

So GM is hardly alone in this, and they probably have good reason to do what they're doing. You could make the argument that forgoing the spare tire saves weight, increasing efficiency by the barest bit. It is also possible that the extra space taken up by the battery made adding a spare difficult, if not downright impossible. Where the Chevy Cruze's battery is located, underneath the floor panel in the trunk, lies the Volt's APM and AGM auxiliary batteries. Which brings me to my next point.

With the rise of hybrids and electric vehicles, interior space may increasingly come at a premium, and every inch counts. Right now, many gas-powered cars are being retrofitted to take electric drivetrains, which means working around the existing architecture. As cars are designed from the ground-up as pure electric vehicles though, the engineers may decide to just leave out the clunky cutout in the trunk where most spares go, in order to devote that space to more batteries or control systems. The spare tire is on the endangered species list…which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

However, in the case of VoltSoundz, his Volt is out of action for two weeks while he most likely waits for a replacement rim (which will have to come new from GM.) And given that electric cars face special challenges when it comes to towing, calling a wrecker may end up wrecking your costly EV. Will the loss of spare tires mean more inconvenience for the average driver? Or will the spare tire disappear with nary a tear shed?

I know I will miss the spare tire, but what about you guys?

Source: GM-Volt | My Nissan Leaf

Chris DeMorro is a writer and gearhead who loves all things automotive, from hybrids to HEMIs. You can read about his slow descent into madness at Sublime Burnout or follow his non-nonsensical ramblings on Twitter @harshcougar.

Video: Volvo Bringing KERS Hybrid System to the Streets?

Posted: 02 Jun 2011 11:30 AM PDT

Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems, or KERS, are often referred to as flywheel hybrids and so far have only seen action on the racing circuit. But Volvo could bring a KERS system to street cars in a few short years.

Thus far only a handful of high-end car manufacturers, including Porsche and Ferrari, have played around with KERS systems. In racing cars, energy recovered from braking is used to spin a flywheel system, which at the press of a button can be used to provide an extra boost of power by dumping that rotational energy to the wheels via a special transmission.

Such a system makes sense on the race track, but Volvo claims that using a KERS system on a four-cylinder street engine can "make it feel like a six-cylinder" while improving fuel economy by 20% by allowing the engine to be deactivated during deceleration and acceleration. It also does away with expensive battery systems, bringing down the cost of this system and making it more applicable to a wider ranger of cars.

The more clever solutions we have to alternative fuels, the better, and the KERS-style hybrid system may also offer a bump in performance as well as saving fuel. Ain't nothing wrong with that.

Source: Volvo via WorldCarFans

Miniaturized Electric Hummers Coming to a Resort Near You

Posted: 02 Jun 2011 08:45 AM PDT

If ever there was a vehicle that's the antithesis of all that is "green," it was the Hummer. And while Hummer production ceased last year, a smaller electric version of the Hummer could show up at some popular resort destinations.

This isn't some cheap Chinese knockoff vehicle either, but an officially licensed and shrunken Hummer HX, built by MEV, or My Electric Vehicles. Designed as a resort get-about, the Hummer HX looks like the real deal, and even bears the Hummer logo and louvered grill. But gone is the gas-guzzling V8 engine, and in its place is a 72v drive system using nine 8-volt lead-acid batteries, which provide up to 60 miles of range. An optional lithium-ion battery pack extends the range to 100 miles (!)

As you might expect from a Hummer replica, there are a plethora of luxury options, including an LCD screen displaying how many miles are left, and the option for either golf-bag straps, a tow ball, or even rear seats. No word on how fast it is, but it is equipped with front disc brakes as a means of bringing this electrified beast to a halt.

It's hard to imagine anything with the Hummer label as being eco-friendly…but wouldn't it be nice if GM reimagined and resurrected the brand as a green "guardian of the Earth" sort of deal. It'll take a lot of greenwashing to accomplish that sort of badge reengineering, but an EV Hummer resort vehicle is a nice start.

Source: Inhabitat via MEV

New posts from Gas 2.0!

“The Great Chevy Volt Scam” That Wasn’t

Posted: 01 Jun 2011 10:18 AM PDT

Are dealerships selling Chevy Volts to one another, boosting sales and stealing the $7,500 tax credit? No, they aren't, but a recent right-leaning piece accuses Chevy dealers are doing just that, with ZERO proof to back it up.

Mark Modica, writing for the right-leaning think-tank The National Legal and Policy Center, penned this piece, "Are GM Dealers Gaming Chevy Volt Tax Credit?" Using the hard-facts websites of Autotrader and eBay, Modica determined that, not only is the Chevy Volt not selling, but dealerships are also trading low-mileage Volts to one-another to resell at market value, keeping the $7,500 tax credit for themselves. It has all the makings of a government-backed automaker scandal.

Only it isn't. As awesome pieces penned in Jalopnik, Automotive News, and The Truth About Cars demonstrate, Modica's "proof" actually supports the GM line that Volt demand outpaces current production. Of the 18 used Chevy Volts for sale, several of them are in states where the Volt is not yet for sale…meaning the only way for a dealership to get one, is to buy it from another dealership. Simple logic that somehow escaped Modica. Also consider that GM has been delivering about 500 Volts per month, and as of today the Volt factory is shut down to retool, in order to deliver more Volt production.

So what about that scam thing? Dealerships keeping the tax credit for themselves? It is true, the rebate does not apply to used Volts, only new ones. But once a Volt leave's GM's soon-to-be-solar-powered factory, the cars are in the hands of dealerships. And whole GM has done an admirable job of keeping the MSRP price down, it is ultimately out of their hands what dealerships do with the cars once they have them on the lots. That's what even used Volt's are going for around $40,000, and there have been Volts on eBay with prices well over $60,000.

GM has made some bold claims about how many Chevy Volts it expects to sell, and if they don't meet their estimates, you better believe that certain political groups will jump at the chance to declare the Volt a failure. But as for right now, it's just too soon to tell, though early signs are promising…depending on who you ask. But with demand exceeding supply of both the Chevy Volt and the Nissan Leaf (which still has thousands of orders left to fill) Modica’s argument is way off base.

Sources: Jalopnik | The Truth About Cars | Automotive News

Video: Nissan Leaf Pokes Fun at Volt and GM’s Clever Response

Posted: 01 Jun 2011 08:00 AM PDT

As the first mass market EV, the Nissan Leaf has win over consumers who may be wooed by the costlier-but-more-practical Chevy Volt. So Nissan asks, what would the world look like if everything were powered by gas?

There's be gas-powered alarm clocks, gas-powered cellphones and iPods, and even gas-powered microwaves. My favorite one though was the gas-powered computer, complete with ignition key and gas pedal, though considering Then Nissan goes on to show somebody filling up a Chevy Volt with gasoline, only to look across the street with envious eyes at the fellow unplugging his Nissan Leaf. Oh-so-clever of you Nissan.

Obviously, GM didn't appreciate the gesture, and the General's product and brand communications chief Jason Laird responded to the video with this tweet;