GM Helping to “Electrify” India
Nick Reilly
GM Executive Vice President and President GM International Operations
Removing automobiles from the energy debate will require multiple energy pathways because some propulsion technologies are simply better suited to certain types of vehicles and driving activities. In terms of electrification, GM is continuing its pursuit to bring electric vehicles to market – this time in India.
Today, GM India and Reva Electric Car Company (RECC) signed a cooperative agreement to develop electric vehicles for the India market. With a population of more than 1.15 billion, India is the second largest country in the world. Without a doubt this is a very appealing EV market for GM due to the sheer volume of potential consumers and the country’s intent focus on reducing its dependence on fossil fuels and decreasing CO2 emissions.
I’m very optimistic about this new venture. After a thorough review, we believe RECC is an excellent partner for us given the company’s 14 years of experience in EV research and development. Plus, RECC was the first company to commercialize electric cars in India and is currently selling or test marketing its products in 24 countries in Asia, Europe and Latin America . Combined with GM’s history of vehicle development and production as well as our in-house battery expertise, we hope this partnership will allow us to put EV technology in one of GM’s small car platforms in India by the end of 2010. And while the first application will appear in India, that doesn’t mean we won’t be looking at other markets in the Asia Pacific region.
RECC has made some initial in-roads in terms of infrastructure and now our two organizations will work jointly with the Indian government to establish and expand the charging infrastructure. We’ll also work with consumers to establish in-home charging points.
GM in India, and around the world, has been working on a variety of alternative propulsion strategies designed to meet the needs and capabilities of various markets. For example, GM has done extensive work in biofuels, including biodiesel and ethanol in markets such as India, Brazil and the U.S. We continue to refine the internal combustion engine with technologies such as active fuel management, turbocharging and direct injection, and have launched hybrid vehicles in the U.S. and China. Hydrogen fuel cell technology exists and more than 100 vehicles have been test driven in the U.S. and Europe during the past year. You’ve also likely read the exciting news and information about the 2010 Chevrolet Volt extended range electric vehicle.
While I believe we’ve got our bases covered in terms of propulsion technologies, we believe electric vehicles, powered by batteries, offer the best long-term solution for providing sustainable transportation. Given the size of the population and the needs of those residents, India seems primed for an electric revolution and I’m looking forward to see what we can make happen there in the coming years.
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So you’ll be making electric cars in India in 2010 ? It would be nice if you could produce one here, we’ve been waiting for what seems like forever to see a Volt in a showroom !
…we hope this partnership will allow us to put EV technology in one of GM’s small car platforms in India by the end of 2010.
Good point Ted. The end of 2010 is only 15 months from now. That’s pretty optimistic. How long have they been working on the Volt, and it may not even reach show rooms here by the end of 2010?
I believe we’ve got our bases covered in terms of propulsion technologies…
Nick,
Maybe, maybe not. I notice you didn’t mention anything about using methanol, ammonia, or natural gas as propulsion fuels — all areas with high-potential, and that are greener than the current ICEs we use.
Of those three, both methanol and natural gas could be used in fuel cells.
Methanol Fuel Cells
There are already heavy-duty methanol fuel cells powering industrial fork lifts. And the US Army has a program to use methanol fuel cells to replace the need for so many batteries to power electronic equipment on the battlefield.
All it would take on your part is the initiative to develop a methanol fuel cell for cars. Methanol is fairly easy to synthesize from natural gas or coal, and we already have a developed infrastructure for moving it around the country.
Good points Cole. If GM has the ammonia base “covered,” I’d be surprised: To promote the implementation of anhydrous ammonia as an affordable, sustainable, carbon-free fuel for transportation and stationary power applications
I have no problems with GM’s doing reserch and development in India. But inless we stop producing childeren (who will one day require employment) in the US, we should build were we sell, It’s only good corperate citizinship.
Jason
Ive been trying to get that one through their heads for years now. GM of today wont listen to their customer, only what they want. so dont bother wasting your time.
And as for this electric car garbage, why? Why do we need unsafe, underpowered, and uncomfortable cars in our world? nobody wants a car like that. Only hippies buy them. And it seems quite a lot of them now have a say in the auto industry. Why not make something people actually want? The Volt and the Cruze are both garbage. Who in their right mind would pay more to charge up their car than to put gas into it? Nobody, that’s who. 230 mpg is a gigantic lie the GM bean counters came up with to say that they may actually have something. But in all reality, its just more talk and no results. You should be building cars that are better to drive and have more power under the hood. nobody is going to buy a car that has no sound to it. (unless your a tree hugger) Forget the environment, build something that your customers actually want. (and no, they car brands people want ARE NOT Buick, Cadillac, GMC, or Chevrolet. they have no performance in them) And if you think that a $40,000 base price is another good idea, you need to be fired right now. Over half the world wont buy your expensive, ugly car. So revert back to what you used to make(before 2000): a GREAT quality all AMERICAN car. Then MAYBE the world will look at you as a good car company.
Jason, the automotive industry is about the only one left that actually practices this. It’s not just about good citizenship, it’s about logistics costs, flexibility and reducing exchange-rate risk. GM and Ford have plants overseas because they sell more vehicles in overseas markets. Foreign buyers have few prejudices against American companies, and Latin America, Russia, India and China are booming markets. Of course GM is going to add capacity there. “Build where we sell” is exactly why GM is closing factories in the US and building them off shore. Once sales reach a certain level the expense of local production is less than the cost of shipping from overseas. Building locally allows you to adjust inventory quickly by altering production and pricing on your inventory to increase sales or maximize profits. You can’t clear inventory sitting on the docks awaiting shipment or in transport across the Pacific, and adjusting overseas production doesn’t affect inventory in dealerships until months later. The garment industry, even more subject to local variation in demand, still hasn’t figured this out—by the time you realize it’s going to be too warm for winter coats they’re already halfway across the Pacific. There’s no point saving $100 making a coat you can’t sell. Building locally you know what your costs are going to be. Shipping from overseas and the cost could change adversely between the time you build a vehicle and the time it lands, let alone the time it takes to build or retool a plant. It’s no coincidence that Oneida went bankrupt after they shut down US production. Of course manufacturers also face an uphill battle persuading lenders they should build locally even if they realize the advantages themselves.
GM needs to make small E85 capable cars for the USA.
Why is the HHR the only small E85 capable vehicle?
US customers want a choice at the pump too. When the price of gas spikes it would be nice to have a choice of ethanol.
When the price of gas spikes it would be nice to have a choice of ethanol.
Ken,
You may not have noticed, but the last time the price of gasoline spiked, the price of E85 also went up proportionately.
I don’t know the exact cause and effect of it, but it appears that ethanol producers are not reluctant to raise their prices to achieve larger profit margins as gasoline goes up. You will never see gasoline go up while E85 stays fixed. Because of its lower energy density, E85 is seldom a bargain.
What about the US. IS GM going to LEAD ???? Follow……… or get out of the way…..
From the article below it sounds like GM is a day late and a dollar short………
Here is an article about Nissan.
Electric Transportation Engineering Corp. this week finalized a deal with the U.S. Department of Energy to begin developing and installing a charging network for electric vehicles across five states, including Oregon.
The Phoenix company, a subsidiary of Scottsdale, Ariz.-based ECOtality Inc., is rolling out more than 11,000 charging stations in five states — Oregon, Arizona, Tennessee, Washington and California — using $99.8 million in federal funds.
The project is in partnership with Nissan North America, which will deploy 4,700 of its all-electric Leaf vehicles which are scheduled for release in fall 2010.
As part of the project, Oregon expects to receive just under 1,000 of the Nissan vehicles and around 2,000 charging stations, centered around Portland, Eugene, Salem and Corvallis.
Pacific Business News
Nissan rushes to put electric car charging stations across Tennessee
By G. Chambers Williams III • THE TENNESSEAN • October 11, 2009
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With the rollout of Nissan’s first electric vehicles just over a year away in Tennessee, the race is on to figure out how to set up a network of charging stations swiftly enough to get ready.
It won’t be easy.
Thousands of chargers will be needed to satisfy Nissan’s ambitious plans to sell thousands of the clean-running cars in the first year as it strives to be the first automaker in the world to successfully mass market an all-electric vehicle.
Unlike the popular hybrids on the market today, Nissan’s new Leaf, a five-passenger compact hatchback, won’t have an internal-combustion engine onboard to back up the electric power. When the battery runs down, the car stops and drivers walk.
Getting the charging infrastructure in place may be a herculean task, said Mark Perry, director of product planning for Nissan North America Inc., but the automaker vows to be ready when the first cars come to market in December 2010.
Phoenix-based ECOtality Inc. has partnered with Nissan to set up the charging systems in consumers’ homes, as well as to create public networks in Nashville, Chattanooga and Knoxville and on the interstate highways between those cities.
Charging stations also will be set up in Arizona, California, Oregon and Washington, all of which are included in the first phase of Nissan’s rollout of the Leaf.
ECOtality has a $100 million loan from the U.S. Energy Department to help pay for the system, which will consist of “two layers of infrastructure,” said Colin Read, the firm’s vice president for corporate development.
Read said the first 1,000 buyers in Tennessee will get free home chargers installed, which could run up to about $1,500 each for the equipment and installation combined. Without that help, the biggest expense for some Leaf buyers might be getting their home garage wired for the 240-volt chargers, which themselves could cost about $500 each.
The prototype l I saw of this car was actually very nice.
As far as the comment, “GM needs to make small E85 capable cars for the USA.” They are working on it. The facts are that the market is still limited.