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Restructured GM plans to use alternative fuels

By ANN HINCH
Assistant Editor

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Late last week, the newly restructured General Motors Co. unveiled its 60-day money-back guarantee to individuals purchasing a new GMC, Chevrolet, Buick or Cadillac, which will run through Nov. 30 purchases.

According to an Associated Press article, the idea is for GM to win back old customers and convince new buyers of its product quality, especially in light of its “bailout” loan from the federal government and filing for bankruptcy protection earlier this year.

On a smaller scale, another GM sales effort was in evidence last week at the Central Indiana Clean Cities Alliance (CICCA) biofuel workshop in Indianapolis, as GM Fleet Account Executive for Alt Fuels and Government Larry Speicher talked about renewable energy power for GM models rolling out in the next several years – or as he called it, a report on “where your tax dollars are working.” He explained the new company is developing only the four aforementioned makes. Their future models will be built in the United States, he said, “not in Korea or Japan.”

And GM will be focusing more on renewable energies, including biofuel, electricity, fuel cells and hybrid technology.

Fuel efficiency is another area of improvement, Speicher said, by offering better direct fuel injection and downsizing some engines – the idea is to get more GM cars to a 6-speed. Heavy duty pickups will be able to burn biodiesel. In fact, he said GM will be installing selective catalyst reduction technology as soon as early 2010.

But this time next year will be GM’s biggest unveiling, as it will begin marketing new 2011 models, such as the Chevy Spark, a subcompact capable of 43 miles per gallon (mpg). There’s the Chevy Cruze, to be assembled in Ohio (with an engine from Michigan) to replace the Cobalt model – it and the new Chevy Orlando, built to seat seven, will be capable of plug-in hybrid technology.

Perhaps what has attracted the most attention is the Chevy Volt, reportedly capable of 230 mpg. In 2011 it will be sold in a few large markets and then go national in 2012. Speicher said the plug-in electric/gasoline hybrid is capable of going up to 40 miles without using gas, since consumers told GM that is their average daily commute.

The Volt’s front wheels are connected to an electric motor, which operates on a T-shaped lithium-ion battery running the length of the car’s undercarriage (with the top of the T between the rear wheels). In an aside, Speicher said GM is hoping to become a leading manufacturer of these batteries to sell to other automakers.

An eight-hour charge in a standard 110-volt socket will enable the car to go 40 miles without using gas. In electricity, Spieicher said the car’s usage should cost somewhere between operating a clothes dryer and an electric water heater.

“After 2015, it could be a hydrogen fuel cell, where you wouldn’t be using any fuel at all,” he said, or the gasoline part could eventually be Flex-Fuel.

Hydrogen fuel cell technology is coming, already in use in 100 Equinox models available in certain cities for test drives.

“Our expectation is that the vehicle will probably come to market in 2016 and beyond,” Speicher said. “There is investment and risk, and that’s what we have to work through with our partners” – including the federal government.

He added GM is also aggressively pursuing more municipal fleet business, such as police vehicles. The Chevy Tahoe and Impala are already used by some forces, and these are already Flex-Fuel.

9/17/2009