General Motors Announces Electric Motor Plans
General Motors has announced plans to invest more money in electric vehicle development.
GM this week announced plans to invest heavily (heavily, in this case, translates to $246 million) in electric motors, with the first GM-designed and built electric motors hitting the market in 2013, when the motor company debuts next-generation two-mode hybrid engines.
"Electric motor innovation supported the first wave of automotive growth a century ago with the electric starter, which eliminated the need for a hand crank, and revolutionized automotive travel for the customer," said Tom Stephens, GM vice chairman, Global Product Operations. "We think the electrification of today’s automobiles will be just as revolutionary and just as beneficial to our customers. Electric motors will play a huge role in that."
If no one else beats them to the punch, the move will see GM become the first major U.S. car manufacturer to design and manufacture electric motors.
Read the full release here.
- Avatar Becomes Most Successful Film Ever Made
- McGraw-Hill CEO Confirms Apple Tablet
- $46,000 Watch Has More Bling than Snoop Dog
- Dell Tech Peeps Through Woman's PC via Webcam
- Google to Release Fix for Nexus One 3G Issues
- Samsung Claims First 240Hz 3D HDTVs
- Study: Teachers Instill Fear of Math in Girls
- Experts: Video Games Don't Cause Rickets
- First Subscription-Based MMORPG Comes to iTunes
- Murderer's Request for D&D in Prison Denied
- Google Toolbar Tracks Users Even When Disabled
- Hacker Unleashes PlayStation 3 Exploit
- U.S. Navy: Gamers Are Better Terrorist Fighters
- Pressure Sensitive Touchscreens In Near Future
- Gold-Plated Camera Costs $30,000
- I.D. Thief Steals More Identities While Behind Bars
- Bungie Releases Official Halo Reach Screenshots
- OOPS: McGraw-Hill Dropped From iPad Launch
- Toyota: If Your Car Speeds Up, Keep Driving
"...in electric motors, with the first GM-designed and built electric motors hitting the market in 2013..."
2013 huh? Here's what wiki says "The General Motors EV1 was an electric car produced and leased by the General Motors Corporation from 1996 to 1999."
Here we go again~
So General Motors will become General Electric Motors?
ugh, to charge these vehicles you need electricity, a large portion of the worlds power is still generated by Coal, fossil fuels, etc. So now that demand for electricity will go up due to all these vehicles charging, the power plants will then produce more pollution.
There is a no win in this scenario unless all power plants were converted to Hydro electric, or Wind, solar, etc. Than maybe we'll feel better about using electric vehicles.
But atm, you're still increasing the production of Gases in the atmosphere.
Too little, too late shall be the cry.
I'd pick electricity over gas.
Sacre, that's been argued and refuted before. Production power plants that run on fossil and coal fuel are hugely more efficient at producing energy per mass of carbon produced than vehicles, not to mention that they have much higher standards for maintaining their pollution. It should be also noted that a fair percentage of electricity on the grid comes from nuclear, thermo, wind, and solar. So, overall in the end, emissions are reduced. Not to mention, most people will charge their vehicles at night, when electricity mostly goes idly to waste.
Really, it's not hard to find studies and arguments that largely debunk the elongated tailpipe theory on google. And even if it were true, it's not like we can't activity change our infrastructure. We've largely been shifting from fossil to other energy sources over the past decade, and will continue to do so well into the next century (also try googling ITER and tokamak).
MeriaX:
Just because they made the car in 99 doesn't mean they designed, and manufactured the electric motors used. Odds are they purchased them from somebody like GE.
Am I the only one who read "General... Electric" (GE) before realizing what it really said?
Too late GM. The EV1 was an amazing car and everybody loved it but you pulled it out of pure greed and keep the public hooked on gasoline. I will never be your customer, or any other NA car maker for that matter. Greed is all you stand for.
General motors is making electric motors, General Electric is making...Wait....General Electric Motors, is.....Wait....WAIT....
*HEAD ASPLODES*
Lets not forget nuclear power as a relatively clean alternative, even the waste from nuclear plants can be used in other power plants used to make even more power from the nuclear waste, think of it as recycling nuclear power to such a level that what is left over at the end of the circle of "life" is almost inert material. But one pet peeve I have is the argument about gases released into the atomosphere, I am not convinced man made gases contribute to global climate change one way or another. Last I checked man made pollution includes the very breathing that keeps you alive so what do you do kill yourself?.... look at old movies from the 60's and 70's and the smog that existed; we have come a long way in cleaning up the air we breath I say continue in that direction without unduly crying the sky is falling making people feel guilty for being born.
Too late GM. The EV1 was an amazing car and everybody loved it but you pulled it out of pure greed and keep the public hooked on gasoline.
So go buy your tesla motors car. Oh wait, you dont have 60-100K laying around, not to mention the charge doesnt last nearly as long if you drive it like a normal person would. Have fun waiting for your next electric car.
ugh, to charge these vehicles you need electricity, a large portion of the worlds power is still generated by Coal, fossil fuels, etc. So now that demand for electricity will go up due to all these vehicles charging, the power plants will then produce more pollution.There is a no win in this scenario unless all power plants were converted to Hydro electric, or Wind, solar, etc. Than maybe we'll feel better about using electric vehicles. But atm, you're still increasing the production of Gases in the atmosphere.
Which is why we should build a few dozen nuclear power stations.
So go buy your tesla motors car. Oh wait, you dont have 60-100K laying around, not to mention the charge doesnt last nearly as long if you drive it like a normal person would. Have fun waiting for your next electric car.
Watch Who Killed the Electric Car? GM was not the only ones to blame. Personally I will never buy a GM car because their quality stinks. I love how the new commercials, they focus on MPG. That's not the only reason why ppl buy Japanese cars. They are well made and have fewer mechanical issues. I think hybrids are the way to go for now until technology can make a better pure electric motor. If everyone goes hybrid, that will significantly reduce emissions and dependency on foreign oil.
But where does the electricity come from? You guessed it, fossil fuels. So how does this help us unless the electricity is produced by nuclear power plants?
Oh and to the last poster, I've owned 2 oldsmobiles and 3 chevy's and they were all EXCELLENT vehicles. We now have a 2006 Honda Civic and every week it's something else. Bumper falling off, a/c vents falling out, visor broke, check fuel cap warning every day even though it's fine, rattles, extremely loud road noise. Personally I'll never buy a Honda again unless it's a lawn mower or 4 wheeler.
@ Zip, and the other guy. To hate on any specific manufacter is naive and stupid. Most cars are built on a line aka mass produced. Thus you will always have some inferior parts that get mixed in, and simple end up with shit results. It happens. Anybody that has ever worked on a line can tell you this. Which is why it's best to look at all reviews of certain model, so you at least know what you are possible getting into from the start. And then just hope the line didn't get fucked up.
So General Motors will become General Electric Motors?
No, it'll still be "General" Motors.
But where does the electricity come from? You guessed it, fossil fuels. So how does this help us unless the electricity is produced by nuclear power plants?
So, yea.. lets keep running our cars because of this reason. NOT.
"...in electric motors, with the first GM-designed and built electric motors hitting the market in 2013..."2013 huh? Here's what wiki says "The General Motors EV1 was an electric car produced and leased by the General Motors Corporation from 1996 to 1999."Here we go again~
Yeah.. it would appear that Big Oil paid GM to discontinue and recall the EV1 back in the day. Wonder how much it will cost them to do the same this time?
about f__king time !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@ Zip, and the other guy. To hate on any specific manufacter is naive and stupid. Most cars are built on a line aka mass produced. Thus you will always have some inferior parts that get mixed in, and simple end up with shit results. It happens. Anybody that has ever worked on a line can tell you this. Which is why it's best to look at all reviews of certain model, so you at least know what you are possible getting into from the start. And then just hope the line didn't get fucked up.
I'll take my chances with Toyota vs. Chevy any day of the week. You are right, no manufacturer is perfect but overall, some manufacturers just have better quality. Check out Consumer Reports. Why black dots vs red dots? The owners. Not some biased group of reviewers. I took my chances and purchased a brand new 2000 Ford Ranger. 24K miles later, the paint was starting to sunburst and the fabric in the interior was already fading. When I tried to sell it, I lost about 40% of the value. Never again.
We now have a 2006 Honda Civic and every week it's something else. Bumper falling off, a/c vents falling out, visor broke[...]
LOL, you're doing it wrong! There's a reason Honda cars receive consumer awards on a constant basis for high quality and high reliability. Maybe you shouldn't run it into things? The plural of anecdote is not data; your experience with domestics and imports runs completely counter to statistical reality.
Yes! The EV1, which General Motors intentionally destroyed. We could have had the electric car 10 years ago. Watch the documentary film "Who killed the electric car?", it will make you sick to your stomach.
I'm so sick of this political correctness which inundate everyday life. organic food, don't smoke, save the whales, keep the electricity used to a bare minimum, don't eat tuna, don't correct your children....
BAAHHH...
I WANT a huge car with crappy fuel consumption and I want to drive it alone and not carpooling.
I WANT to smoke a stokey when I fell like.
I WANT to eat red meat and preferably large steaks.
STFU with this sickening correctness everywhere!
"If no one else beats them to the punch, the move will see GM become the first major U.S. car manufacturer to design and manufacture electric motors."
yeah in china that is....
ohh I forgot...
MY pc is a monster computer with hefty hardware and a 26" screen. It uses a lot - A LOT - of power and I enjoy every minute of it.
I don't turn it off and I just don't care about this political correctness...
If they hadn't killed the electric car way back when they wouldn't have this problem now.
Get rid of these auto news articles. If I want auto news I'll go to Motortrend and such. This is a computer/software/hardware site...
Oh and to the last poster, I've owned 2 oldsmobiles and 3 chevy's and they were all EXCELLENT vehicles. We now have a 2006 Honda Civic and every week it's something else. Bumper falling off, a/c vents falling out, visor broke, check fuel cap warning every day even though it's fine, rattles, extremely loud road noise. Personally I'll never buy a Honda again unless it's a lawn mower or 4 wheeler.
You sound like the idiot that's in the GM commercials. He always failed to mention that Honda also made, ATVs, motorcycles and ASIMO that GM can't competes against.
To solve your vehicular problem, my I suggest that you stop driving into the curb. Last century’s Oldsmobiles and Chevy have high clearance and loose drivetrain so you might not even realized you drive into the curb but new car expect the driver to know how to drive. (It is also possible that you are getting older and can’t control the quicker acceleration and tauter control of a new Honda)
What they really need to invest in is battery technology. While most other aspects of our technology have improved at or near a Moore's Law rate, battery technology has only improved by small increments (i.e. NiCad -> NiMH -> Li-Ion). A significant improvement in battery technology (inexpensive, vastly increased charge density/mass ratio at 90+% efficiency) would, over-night, make things like electric cars a reality. We need to get the 40 mile per charge range up to something like 400 mile per charge, and then the electric car will be completely practical.