{"id":20305,"date":"2012-03-14T07:30:07","date_gmt":"2012-03-14T15:30:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.kqed.org\/climatewatch\/?p=20305"},"modified":"2012-03-14T07:30:07","modified_gmt":"2012-03-14T15:30:07","slug":"will-california-be-a-game-changer-for-the-chevy-volt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ww2.kqed.org\/climatewatch\/2012\/03\/14\/will-california-be-a-game-changer-for-the-chevy-volt\/","title":{"rendered":"Will California be a Game-Changer for the Chevy Volt?"},"content":{"rendered":"

GM is hoping new carpool incentives and a green focus will boost Volt sales in the Golden State<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"
The Volt now qualifies for California\u2019s HOV lane status and a $1500 state rebate.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When General Motors CEO Dan Akerson<\/a> was in San Francisco last week, I spoke to him about the five-week long suspension<\/a> of the Chevy Volt production — and why he thinks the re-launch of the new-generation Volt could be a winner in California.<\/p>\n

The Golden State accounts for one-in-four sales of the Volt, the plug-in hybrid made by General Motors. The car offers a potential solution to the “range anxiety” hurdle many would-be EV buyers face; but to gain traction against rivals like the Toyota Prius hybrid and the all-electric Nissan Leaf, it still has to surmount its red-hot price<\/a> and fiery reputation.<\/a><\/p>\n

Akerson says the new Volt qualifies for California\u2019s HOV lane status<\/a> and a $1,500 state rebate, thanks to changes in the combustion configuration of the engine. The new Volt will have an additional emissions system fan to reduce tailpipe emissions and Akerson anticipates that the average 36 minutes a day that commuters save by using the carpool lane will deliver an effective \u201cCalifornia twist\u201d to the vehicle’s marketability here.<\/p>\n

California has a total of 1,400 miles of high-occupancy vehicle lanes for carpoolers and drivers of zero-emission cars like the Nissan Leaf, and advanced-battery cars like the new Volt. Akerson confirmed that GM\u2019s flagship green car has already begun shipping here in limited quantities and will arrive in other states in the next 30-to-60 days.<\/p>\n

To what does Akerson attribute the Volt\u2019s relative popularity in California? The state\u2019s superior EV infrastructure<\/a> is an important factor. On a recent visit to Silicon Valley he was surprised to see so many charging stations<\/a> in high-tech company parking lots. \u201cYou don\u2019t see that in every city in America,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s forward-looking.\u201d<\/p>\n

[module align=”left” width=”half” type=”pull-quote”]\u201cThis is the new GM\u2026we are pushing everything on clean energy, energy efficiency.\u201d[\/module]<\/p>\n

Companies like Google<\/a>, SAP<\/a>, and Adobe<\/a> already offer numerous charging stations for their employees, and retail outlets like East Palo Alto\u2019s Ikea<\/a> are jumping on the green bandwagon.<\/p>\n

Akerson also burnished his own green credentials by confessing that yes, he does, \u201cbelieve\u201d in global warming, and that despite several GM colleagues advising him not to say that in public, he stands by his statement. But to underline his independence, he made a rather startling claim during an earlier Commonwealth Club interview<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, this may surprise you,\u201d he said. \u201cBut my underwear doesn\u2019t have GM stamped on it\u2026I am an individual and I do have my own convictions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yes, his own convictions…and his own colorful turns of phrase that create unfortunate images, like this one. Nevertheless, the bold Akerson can be praised for speaking out on climate change, a subject many other CEOs won’t touch with a barge pole. He argues that it\u2019s healthy to have different points of view and perspectives around the table at GM.<\/p>\n

\u201cActions speak louder than words,\u201d Akerson said, as he proceeded to trumpet his company\u2019s green credentials: GM\u2019s recent EPA recognition<\/a> as a star energy provider; its 60% efficiency improvement in fuel use in the last five years, and the zero emissions of some GM plants powered by landfill methane. He also emphasized that GM was a willing participant in new CAFE<\/a> (fuel efficiency) standards. \u201cI have grandchildren,\u201d he said. \u201cWe want to be part of the solution.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yet the Volt has plenty of detractors<\/a> and was beaten out by the Ford Focus as the 2012 most EPA fuel-efficient<\/a> car in the compact class. Critics<\/a> of the $40,000 price tag say, \u201cWhen you look at the finances, it doesn\u2019t make any sense,\u201d and tests by Consumer Reports<\/em> found a paltry 26-mile battery range, 16 miles shorter than the initial range promoted by GM.<\/p>\n

\"\"
The Volt is a hybrid: it runs on electricity alone for about 35 miles, then switches to a gas generator until it can be recharged.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As for GM\u2019s response to AB 32<\/a>, California\u2019s Global Warming Solutions legislation that will put a price on carbon? Akerson underlined that, unlike the oil industry which is fighting the law’s implementation, \u201cThis is the new GM\u2026rather than sit in a corner and be obstreperous\u2026we are pushing everything on clean energy, energy efficiency.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finally, Akerson responded to a question regarding the GM Foundation\u2019s financial support of the Heartland Institute<\/a>, an Midwestern think tank often charged with<\/a> spreading misinformation and undermining scientifically proven facts about climate change. Akerson confirmed that as CEO he can\u2019t sit on the (GM) foundation\u2019s board but promised to take another look at it when he\u2019s back in Detroit.<\/p>\n

Before Akerson left town with his entourage, I had one last question for the former private equity manager. He is known for calling the rival Toyota Prius a \u201cGeekMobile,\u201d so I had to ask him, does he have a pet name for his own Chevy Volt?<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah the Volt\u2026the greatest car in America,\u201d he demurred; perhaps deciding that one startling visual was enough for one evening in San Francisco.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

GM is hoping new carpool incentives and a green focus will boost Volt sales in the Golden State<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10333,"featured_media":20328,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,6],"tags":[90,253,579,648],"coauthors":[],"series":[],"affiliates":[],"programs":[],"collections":[],"interests":[],"class_list":["post-20305","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-government-business","category-thescience","tag-carpool-lane","tag-gm","tag-technology","tag-volt"],"acf":{"template_type":"standard","featured_image_type":"standard","is_audio_post":false},"yoast_head":"\nWill California be a Game-Changer for the Chevy Volt? | Climate Watch<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/ww2.kqed.org\/climatewatch\/2012\/03\/14\/will-california-be-a-game-changer-for-the-chevy-volt\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Will California be a Game-Changer for the Chevy Volt? 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