GM Promises To Make More Vehicles That Get 40 MPG By 2017

Eight General Motors models will get 40 mpg or higher by 2017, according to a GM press release regarding the 2012 Sustainability Report. The company plans on doubling the amount of vehicles that receive those ratings by 2017 along with other objectives including increasing the number of electrified vehicles out on the road and decreasing the amount of carbon dioxide emissions from its vehicles.
Dan Akerson, chairman and CEO of General Motors, says, “Our long-term approach to sustainability enables us to increase efficiency and reimagine personal mobility to best meet customer needs and lifestyles.”
The Detroit News reports that, “Automakers are under increasing pressure to meet U.S. corporate average fuel economy fleet standards of 35.5 mpg by model year 2016, and 54.5 mpg by model year 2025.”
Right now, the Chevrolet Cruze Eco, Cruze Clean Turbo Diesel, Sonic and Volt achieve 40 mpg or higher. Edmunds notes that “the soon-to-launch 2014 Spark EV and the upcoming Cadillac ELR also will handily top that benchmark freeway figure.”
Another objective in GM's 2012 Sustainability Report is to increase the amount of GM electrified vehicles in the United States. GM told The Detroit News that in 2012 it sold 179,801 vehicles powered somewhat by electricity and 48,108 in 2011.
In their press release, General Motors says it plans to “put 500,000 vehicles on the road in the U.S. with some form of electrification by 2017.” GM vehicles that currently have some form of electrification are the Chevrolet Volt, Chevrolet Spark EV, Buick LaCrosse with eAssist, Buick Regal with eAssist, Chevrolet Malibu with eAssist and Chevrolet Impala with eAssist.
By 2016, the company would like to reduce CO2 emissions in their U.S. vehicles by 15 percent. GM says “[It] bases its sustainability priorities on an assessment of the most pressing global economic, environmental and social issues facing the company’s customers and the communities where GM does business.” GM added that key stakeholders, internal and external, believed fuel efficiency, electrification and reducing CO2 emissions are some of the top areas of improvement for General Motors.

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Chevrolet Spark EV Earns Better MPGe Rating than Honda Fit EV, Fiat 500e and Mitsubishi i-MiEV

U.S. News and World Report

The 2014 Chevrolet Spark EV has earned a 119 mpg-equivalent combined city/highway fuel economy rating from the EPA, Chevrolet says in a statement. The subcompact Spark EV is expected to travel 82 miles on a fully-charged battery.
The Spark EV edges out the 2013 Honda Fit EV, which has a 118 combined mpg-e rating, the 2013 Fiat 500e’s 116 mpg-e and the 2013 Mitsubishi i-MiEV’s 112 mpg-e, but is beaten by the 2013 Scion iQ EV’s 121 mpg-e.

Photo courtesy of Chevrolet.

Miles per gallon-equivalent of an electric vehicle is the comparable measurement of fuel economy to a gas-only vehicle. An electric vehicle’s range is how far it can drive on a fully-charged battery.
The Detroit Free Press reports that the Spark EV can go “seven miles farther than the Nissan Leaf.” The publication also says the all-electric Nissan Leaf has a 115 combined mpg-e rating.
Chevrolet says, “Spark EV will be the first vehicle on the market to offer as an available option the recently approved SAE combo charger for DC Fast Charging. The capability, available shortly after launch, will enable the Spark EV to recharge up to 80 percent of its capacity in approximately 20 minutes.” Chevy also says the Spark EV can be recharged through a 240-volt outlet in less than seven hours, or a 120-volt outlet, though Chevrolet did not specify how long it would take to recharge using the standard 120-volt outlet.

U.S. News and World Report

The 2014 Spark EV will come to dealerships in California and Oregon starting this summer. Chevrolet says it will have a base price of less than $25,000, which includes tax incentives.

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i3 Prototype Showcases BMW's Future

BMW i3 Concept Coupe. Photo courtesy of BMW.

Last year, the BMW i3 Concept Coupe was introduced at the Los Angeles Auto Show. BMW i is a new subdivision of BMW that will introduce electric and hybrid-electric vehicles to the automaker’s lineup. BMW released a statement last December confirming that production of the electric i3 will start by the end of 2013. Elaborating on the release date, Car and Driver reports that the i3 will hit U.S. dealers in early 2014.
Some sources have detailed a couple ways that BMW will combat range anxiety with its new electric vehicle. Edmunds reports that a fully charged battery will give the 2014 BMW i3 a range of about 80 to 100 miles. An optional gasoline engine is available to extend the i3’s driving range by another 80 to 100 miles. BMW of North America CEO Ludwig Willisch spoke with Edmunds at the 2013 New York Auto Show, and said that the gas engine "is an auxiliary generator than can charge the battery if it has been discharged to such a level that you won't make it home."

BMW i3 Concept Coupe. Photo courtesy of BMW.

BMW also plans to ease concerns about range anxiety by offering gas-powered loaner vehicles to i3 owners for longer trips. WardsAuto reports that the loaner program will be integrated into the i3’s price, which should start in the mid-$40,000 range.
When it arrives next year, the BMW i3 will compete with electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles like the 2013 Ford Focus Electric and Nissan Leaf. The Focus Electric starts at $39,200 and has an EPA-estimated range of 76 miles, while the Leaf starts at $28,800. Nissan estimates that the 2013 Leaf can travel about 75 miles on a fully charged battery. The i3 will also compete with plug-in hybrids such as the Toyota Prius Plug-In, which starts at $32,000 and Chevrolet Volt, which starts at $39,145.

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