Gen Plus » Automobiles

Only in California

Janet Wendy Spiegel — Thu, 19 May 2011 16:41:15 +0000

Look what I happened across in the parking garage at Target this morning. How old is this car? I couldn’t determine make or model, but how cool is this?

The Chevrolet Volt is Electrifying

Janet Wendy Spiegel — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 06:51:15 +0000

A very uplifting day yesterday at the LA Auto Show. The highlight of the show for me is the Chevrolet Volt, General Motors electric vehicle, that has been in the works for several years. There is a lot of business world excitement over the car, as well as awards and accolades, today’s IPO, the phoenix rising out of the ashes (as it were), but my perspective is that of a consumer who is concerned with our global perspective on fossil fuels.

I’m not a “car gal”. I’m not particularly obsessed with automobiles or about blogging on the subject. But I do love going to the auto shows because you can see where the world’s great automakers sense the consumer is heading. And this year, there was no doubt…the world is aiming green. From GM to Mitsubishi to Honda, Ford, and even the luxury brands, all are working at some level on hybrids, to EV plug-ins.

The biggest difference from last year is having moved from concept to an actual vehicle (the Volt) that will be in the hands of drivers within weeks. As well, many of the hybrids have not only moved to a plug-in model,but also added in a 110 volt plug in adaptation. Last year, the concept green vehicles were either hybrid (dual systems — gas-powered and battery) or full electric with a required 220 plug-in. I remember having many conversations about grid and infrastructure last year. The challenge was that homes that would become first adopters would likely have to spend several thousand dollars to add in new electric panels to accomodate the drain. Now, with the 110 plug-in options, it is technically possible to plug-in anywhere. However, to recharge a battery needs about 8-10 hours of recharge time on 110. The reason for charging at night is because your home is mostly “shut-down” and using very little of the grid at that time.

The Volt, for a first entrance of full electric, into the market, is an exceptional product. Our grid, however, from what I’m aware of, is not ready for a full entry into the market. So, the product will become available in select markets over the next few weeks and months, on a limited basis, as the engineers who manage our grid try to figure this one out over time – providing sufficient electric supply in a way that will avoid brown outs and as the extremely high costs for production of these vehicles comes down.

When I attended the Verde Exchange and a BC/California Green Panel, all the top world and local experts had the same concerns on how to make best uses of non-fossil fuel energies to power us up, how to store wind and solar power, and how to transport electricity from storage warehouses across vast distances. So as the automakers gear up to address increasing consumer interest (keep your eyes on LA over the next few months and see how many Volts you spot driving the streets!), the electric companies are running as fast as they can to figure out how to address the transition to cleaner energies.

Why do I love going to the media days at the car shows versus attending with the general population:

The new vehicle and concept car debuts. I’m including an excerpt of a “reveal” here for those of you who are curious to watch the press storm — this is the Subaru Impreza concept car reveal. (Gets exciting around the 3 minute mark if you don’t have the patience for the whole clip.)

Access. You have unparalleled access to car designers, engineers, and communications directors. They are surprisingly honest, open, and transparent.
Demos. I didn’t have the time to test drive this year, but there are 13 green cars available for test drives. Wowza. It was a blast last year and gives you a real jump on understanding the technologies and the challenges greener fuels present to the engineers and designers moving forward.
No crowds. Other than the presentations, where everyone and their brother crowds around for a better spot (imagine me, 5’6″ in a sea of 6’2″) vying for the “first” shot of a new vehicle, you can pretty much get around without getting too jostled. And as a woman, I can guarantee no lines for a bathroom stall. Here’s me having fun on the Fiesta simulated driver.

: Ford Fiesta Fun at LA Auto Show

…and catching a glimpse of Sharon Stone, car gal extraordinaire, at the Lotus reveals (FIVE of them!)

Sharon Stone at Lotus reveal, LA Auto Show 2010

Back to the Volt. I had a wonderful chat with Richard James, the Product Communications Manager for GM, Western Region, as I still had quite a few questions about the Volt. The car is positioned as the first fully electric vehicle, but it does have a gas-powered assist, so I needed to understand that a bit better. Basically, the car has a gas generator that repowers the battery when it drains to a certain point. So much the same way that if our power goes out, I can pull out the gas generator to keep the electricity running in my home. Kind of like that. The car will fun on full electric to about 50 miles before the gas generator kicks in. So for a commuting car, you’d likely have zero emissions for most of your drive time. However, longer trips, would consume gas in order to power the generator. How that translates into mpg is still to be determined. Marketing VP, Joel Ewanick drove a Volt from Detroit to LA for the car show, logging the trip along the way via Twitter and Posterous. Extended range (because the car only runs 25- 50 miles on electric alone), with only partial charging, the vehicle still managed to average 35-43 mpg highway. From the blog:

From a performance standpoint, we always fell within a 25-50 mile battery range depending on our terrain, temperature and various driving techniques, and that’s even after the nights we only got partial charges. In extended range mode, our fuel economy ranged from about 36-43 mpg depending on the day and how we were driving, but keep in mind we were traveling highway speeds almost exclusively and sometimes up to 80mph (legal speed limit in Utah).

Here is a pic of “said” vehicle…dirt, dust and all! Good marketing idea. The dirty Volt got lots of attention.

Traveller Volt

Volt, 2010 LA Auto Show

The vehicle has already won multiple awards and there is no question. The Volt is going to change the way automakers move forward. The fact that GM is truly first to the table on this one is already being felt in business arenas around the world. Now, the fellow in the car in the pic above, was an ABC reporter. He felt that the interior would lead to more “distracted” driving. I didn’t get the same feeling, sitting in the driver’s seat. There are driving modes, that replace downshifting. On board screens that require a bit of study, but overall, I thought that it would take me all of 5 minutes to figure out all the controls. Bottom line, in this not-so-humble blogger’s opinion, is that fighting the change to electric is like saying that you don’t agree with Facebook. Or the internet. The reality is that our modes of transportation are going to change because the technology says that we can and because we’ll eventually have no choice after having used up every natural resource available to us on the planet. Next will be solar cars, lite cars (the design competition was for vehicles 1000 pounds maximum), and every iteration that you can think of…that moves us away from reliance on fossil fuels. I’m all for it. I’m in. And if there is any doubt, keep scrolling below for just a teeny sampling of green that was all over the showroom floors.

Honda made a compelling presentation of their EV, anticipated for 2012, which means, they, too, are moving past hybrid to EV.

: EV Fit reveal at LA Auto Show 2010Honda EV Fit right after “reveal” at LA Auto Show 2010

More pics as promised (Click on first pic, page will refresh, scroll back down to start slideshow!):

If you are in LA, enjoy the Auto Show! It is running November 19th through the 28th.

Los Angeles Auto Show

Janet Wendy Spiegel — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 03:11:13 +0000

Heading to the LA Auto show tomorrow to see what the carmakers are highlighting. Most interesting to me are the concepts and the green vehicles.

There will be over 50 vehicle debuts unveiled at the LA Auto Show, according to one of their releases:

The 2010 show will host 20 world debuts and more than 30 North American debuts across virtually all vehicle categories. The show opens amidst improved auto sales and a growing sense of optimism that is evident from the increased number of debuts, more participating manufacturers and larger, more elaborate exhibits.

I never attended the shows when they were all glitz and glory, but I have seen the past couple of years’ shows very utilitarian and glitz-free. If the exhibits are, in fact, more elaborate, then that points to where the carmakers are hoping to see consumer interest grow.

My greatest interest is in all things green. I’ve attended the Verde Exchange conference earlier this year, as well as a US/Canada summit where the top thinkers gave a good overview of the challenges of building a grid that can supply the needed electricity for EV technology. Again, from the LA Auto Show:

This year’s show also marks the historic arrival of the modern electric car era. After years of anticipation, consumers can finally purchase mass-produced electric vehicles complete with factory warranties. The first two highly anticipated vehicles to kick-off this modern era of electric transportation include Chevrolet’s range extended electric Volt and Nissan’s battery electric Leaf. Los Angeles will be one of the first markets to receive these two vehicles in Nov. and Dec. of this year and the LA Auto Show will be the ideal place to learn all about EV ownership. Featuring more than a dozen electric drive vehicles arriving in the near future, the show will map out how electric transportation will progress in the coming years.

I’d so love to be a first-adopter tester for one of these vehicles. Having test-driven about 10 different green machines last year, it was pretty amazing to get a glimpse into what is to come. This year, promises even more. About 13 different alternative fuel vehicles will be available for test drives to media, so keeping fingers crossed that I’ll be able to book in for a few slots.

Of course I’ll pop over to the specialty cars…just cuz…Lotus is unveiling 5 concept cars, so that should be interesting — to see where the interest 1% of the population is headed.

I’m not a car gal in the sense that I’m not a dedicated auto industry blogger…but I am a discerning consumer. I’ll be looking at what fits well with the Baby Boomer and 50 plus consumer, and at some of the offerings for their kids. If there are any particular cars you want me to check out, comment or email asap and I’ll do my best. Cool pics to follow in the coming days.

The Scion version of the Kogi BBQ truck from the LA Auto Show. Amazing.

Janet Wendy Spiegel — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 18:56:12 +0000

This is a Scion, that with the press of a remote button, opens up to a travelling BBQ car. On the left you’ll see a mini fridge, the back is the BBQ grill and if you look hard, you’ll notice a real sink with faucet on the right. Blew my mind!

New leadership lineup announced at GM

Janet Wendy Spiegel — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 17:52:25 +0000

Moving swiftly, GM Chairman and CEO, Ed Whitacre, announced his new leadership team with an overall goal of “[giving] people more responsibility and authority deeper in the organization and then hold them accountable.”

Here’s the full release.

Whirlwind days at LA Auto Show…and for GM in more ways than one.

Janet Wendy Spiegel — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 02:12:55 +0000

There are two aspects to the LA Auto Show that have captured my attention this year. The first is the innovation that is emerging in sustainable energy (and I’ll have a post just on the green cars I enjoyed test driving.) The second is the continual shakeup in the auto industy — this time at GM.

By now, everyone knows that GM Pres, Fritz Henderson, was ousted by the board on Tuesday. I was at a Chevrolet media event at the time, lagging behind after all the other media had left, talking to a PR woman I know at GM about innovations in social media, when all the executives were ushered away for an emergency confab. And you knew by the urgency, that it was bad. By the time they’d emerged, all white-faced, I was already getting feeds regarding a GM press conference in a few minutes. In a matter of minutes, the world knew that there had been another shake up at GM.

From my position, next day, on the floor, listening to Bob Lutz’s (replacing Fritz Henderson as keynote — all the signboards papered over with Lutz’s name…ayay) excellent keynote address, to going from GM vehicle launch to vehicle launch, the execs did what they do best — smoothly and passionately presented their lines to the media. But everyone could see the wind had been knocked out of their sails. Hard to launch products when your leader has been sacked, which always means your own future becomes uncertain again. To top things off, by the end of the day, there was a huge gaffuffle over the now infamous 58- word, expletive-filled posted comment allegedly by Henderson’s daughter (identity not confirmed) on the GM Facebook page, followed by a GM media spin. Here is a good summary. And if you really want to read the full comment: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/12/01/did-gm-ceo-fritz-henderso_n_376229.html

I’ll stop myself from going on a rant, but I do have a few more things to say. I’ve experienced corporate drama, but not at this scale…and certainly not while sitting and watching it all unfold in front of me, an industry outsider. Regardless of whether or not this was the right move, a good move, or a bad move, Henderson’s removal right at the start of the Auto show (and the car season) definitely knocked everyone off-balance.

I wonder how it is possible that Mr. Henderson was sacked without the White House knowing about it, given our share in the company….makes me wonder if the good ole boys are retrenching themselves in the board? When a company is so big, it is so easy to forget that the employees are the ones who are the real face of the company and not really quite as disposable as pawns on a chessboard. Now the American people are a bit too invested to stand by and watch political manoueverings silently.

Personally, I root for success for GM. Aside from the fact that I, along with all of you, am now heavily financially invested in its success, the products they are producing are really good (to my consumer eye). Of course, I’ll talk about some of the cars in following posts. The thrill of coming as media to the show, is the opportunity to talk directly to the designers and product managers, who aim for transparency, who definitely have passion for their products, and who answer any question without hesitation (at least to me, they did.) Overall, what I experienced was that it didn’t matter whether it was GM, Ford, Mercedes, BMW or any other company…the people who work for the car companies believe in their products and they all recognize that a huge mindset shift is not only taking place, but has to take place. Is there a far way to go? Yes. Decades. But is the auto industry moving in the right direction? Yes.

It isn’t possible to imagine the American car industry turning around the whole ship in a year or two. Imagine the ship. When you are a small, nimble company, yes, sure, you can spin on a dime. See a big iceberg ahead? You can easily steer around it because you don’t have big bulk to move. But when you are as big as GM, or Ford, or Chrysler…to turn the ship, you have to lay in the course and turn it one little tiny degree at a time…miles ahead of the iceberg. Forget that thousands of people have been laid off at the carmakers. What that has done is put the same massive amount of work on the shoulders of less people. That doesn’t make a company more nimble…it just makes it leaner. Focusing GM on fewer lines makes is leaner, and a bit more nimble…but still, to expect a company of this size to make seismic shifts in a nanosecond…won’t happen…fired President or no. It will take years to redirect the ship and recognizing that, and making choices that will shape decades, is the direction that needs to be taken.

Renewable energy, alternative fuel systems…that is the direction to go, and talking to the designers and engineers and product managers…it isn’t just the car companies that have to make the shift. So the right direction is around the iceberg. And not just the car companies. Our entire culture, infrastructure and economy needs to move around the iceberg, a degree at a time.

9% unemployment in California

Janet Wendy Spiegel — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 00:33:04 +0000

Unemployment in California has hit 9%. That is just plain bad. So I can’t understand why so many politicians are trying to put the brakes on Obama’s stimulus package. At the Democratic caucus, Obama reiterated the point of a stimulus package …to…spend money to create jobs. And with so much money going toward infrastructure rebuilding, I can’t understand what keeps so many so small-minded and so focused on the small picture. This is a big picture problem and if the government can really through money toward infrastructure, then the benefit will be to America. There are 10,000 schools slated for renovation. Federal buildings will be “green-ified”.

The plan is hanging on by a thread right now in the Senate, according to a newly released article from the Associated Press.

Last month, in Detroit for the North American International Auto Show, I had a great conversation with a highly experienced E-flex director, Gregory Cesiel, at General Motors. One of the great challenges of changing propulsion systems is having the consumers eager to purchase the vehicles…i.e. enough customers to make producing the cars viable. I asked him why the government didn’t change their own government fleet contract to hybridize all their vehicles. He was surprised that I asked the question and, in fact, that was exactly what some of the discussion was at the time. This was confirmed in Obama’s speech on Thursday — the government fleet will be hybridized — creating jobs in the auto industry and for the American manufacturing plants that will be producing American-made lithium-ion car batteries. It was just a sentence…but what a sentence. Those few words may equate to over 900,000 related jobs in the US alone, never mind European markets.

In Obama’s prepared speech (which he departed from in his passionate address), this is what was scripted:

This plan will save or create over three million jobs – almost all of them in the private sector.

This plan will put people to work rebuilding our crumbling roads and bridges; our dangerously deficient dams and levees.

This plan will put people to work modernizing our health care system, not only saving us billions of dollars, but countless lives.

This plan will put people to work renovating more than 10,000 schools, giving millions of children the chance to learn in 21st century classrooms, libraries, and labs – and to all the scientists in the room today, you know what that means for America’s future.

This plan will provide sensible tax relief for the struggling middle-class, unemployment insurance and continued health care coverage for those who’ve lost their jobs, and it will help prevent our states and local communities from laying off firefighters, teachers, and police.

Finally, this plan will begin to end the tyranny of oil in our time. It doubles our capacity to generate alternative sources of energy like wind, solar, and biofuels in three years. It saves taxpayers billions of dollars by making federal buildings more energy efficient, and it saves the average working family hundreds on their energy bills. After decades of empty rhetoric, that is the down payment that we need on energy independence.

There is NO mention of a government fleet of hybrid vehicles. But in his empassioned departure from the teleprompter, he talked about changing over the government fleet to alternative fuel vehicles. This is a big, big statement. And offers MANY prospects for recovery.

Is anyone listening?

Meet my world! Bloggers’r'us…

Janet Wendy Spiegel — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 23:37:45 +0000

Online networking to in-person networking…tons’o'fun. One of the most rewarding aspects of the internet is that you can get free education and informed opinion with a simple mouse-click. What I love about blogging is developing relationships with my readers and creating networks and relationships with other bloggers. It is rare that there is an opportunity to actually meet fellow bloggers and network in person. Well, this past weekend, I had a great opportunity to meet bloggers from around the US and Canada and I want to share a few of their sites with you. If you are like me, then your knowledge of the automobile industry and the different cars in each of the brands usually is garnered from consumer report research, word-of-mouth recommendations and comments, a magazine or two and a few test drives.

I’d like to share with you some of North America’s best and most influential bloggers (many in the auto industry and some not) …but I’ll never have trouble figuring out the difference between AWD and limited slip differental again!

For the coolest in cool trends: www.Trendhunter.com (and also cool as a fellow Canadian!)
For fans of the GM Volt (and I think there are quite a few very excited auto enthusiasts and Boomers salivating for this one to come to market): www.gm-volt.com
When you need to learn “About” anything, head to www.suvs.about.com
If you aren’t yet on the Green track, then it is time to shape up: www.ecogeek.com (also a frequent writer on Huffington Post) and the expert of experts, Bill Moore at www.evworld.com
Broad spectrum info on all things auto: www.motorauthority.com ,www.autosavant.com , www.allcarsallthetime.com and some great info on each of the different brands and their 2009 lineups.
If you are cuh-razy about cars, then you’ll be crazy about www.autoinsane.com
All things techie at www.dailytech.com and all things GUY at www.thebachelorguy.com

They are a very talented group…head on over and check them out.

Major green announcement from General Motors means green light for Electric Propulsion Volt

Janet Wendy Spiegel — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 23:12:40 +0000

If anyone would have told me that a press conference at a car show could be groundbreaking, I’d take a pause. That’s exactly what happened today. GM CEO and Chairman Rick Wagoner made two important announcements. You can get the full conference at this link. The first was the commitment of GM to the Lithium Ion battery technology it’s electric propulsion program and the car of the next decade, the Chevy Volt. LI technology is exciting because of the long life and durability of the battery. Click here for MORE!

All about General Motors

Janet Wendy Spiegel — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 12:27:02 +0000

Wow. What a day today. I won’t go into detail in this post about all the information and interviews, but the GM press conference and vehicle lineup was impressive. There is no question that they are responding quickly. Remember the GM of the 80’s? Forget that! This is the new GM. And I was literally drooling over a few vehicles and will definitely be taking some of them out for a test drive when they get to market. Enjoy the GM Press Conference! It might make you feel like you were here at NAIAS. (Tip for the male readers: Camaro at 12:00 minutes into the video! And for all of us…the all-electric Cadillac Converj at 21:00 minutes…) Click here for MORE!