Though the matchup between the Patriots and the Giants might be drawing a lot of football fans, many people will be tuning into the Super Bowl just for the commercials! GM knows this too and this year, they’ve decided to enlist some alien actors for their funny Chevy Volt advert in order to help customers understand the technology behind their latest street-worthy innovation. From the looks of the commercial, it seems a lot of potential Volt buyers are confused about just how the vehicle gets itself around and with the millions of people watching the Super Bowl this weekend this ad will surely help educate some of them.

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Post tags: chevrolet, chevy, chevy volt, chevy volt commercial, chevy volt engine, chevy volt technology, general motors, GM, superbowl, superbowl 2012, superbowl commercial, superbowl commercials, superbowl xlvi

In an unprecedented move in the automotive industry, Chevrolet is about to wear its green heart on its sleeve by putting environmental impact labels on all of its vehicles starting with the 2012 Chevy Sonic and continuing through their full line of 2013 models. The new Ecologic labels will provide information for customers on the vehicles’ green features – including their environmental impact related to emissions from manufacturing facilities, waste reduction, fuel-saving technologies, and use of alternative energy sources. In order to make sure the stickers are true to the reality of Chevy’s green initiatives they are having them audited by the third party company Two Tomorrows.

Read the rest of Chevrolet to Put Environmental Impact Stickers on All of Their Cars by 2013

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Post tags: automotive industry green initiatives, chevrolet, chevrolet volt, chevy, chevy green initiatives, chevy volt, ecologic, GM, great miles per hour, green car, green label, how to buy a green car, low emission car, mph label, vehicle label

General Motors announced yesterday that they’ll be making enhancements on all Chevy Volts currently on the road in an effort to allay fears that Volt batteries will catch on fire after severe crashes. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported in the fall after a series of crash tests that two Chevy Volt batteries caught on fire due to coolant leaks after sitting for at least a week after the impact. This news set off a flurry of media reports that Volts — and other electric vehicles for that matter — were unsafe. Now GM is recalling all Volts on the road and making adjustments to their assembly line that NHTSA says have been sufficient enough to prevent fires.

Read the rest of General Motors to Make Structural Changes to Chevy Volt Batteries To Ease Fire Fears

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Post tags: chevrolet, chevrolet recall, chevrolet volt, chevy volt, Chevy Volt fire, chevy volt recall, electric car, electric vehicle, general motors, GM, green car, green vehicle, lithium ion battery, structural changes, volt, volt battery, volt battery fire, volt fire, volt recall

Wireless electric car charging, the technology many said was too inefficient or impractical to be a success, now appears to be a top priority for many automakers and electronics suppliers. We recently told you how Daimler was testing an inductive charging system for the next-generation Mercedes E-Cell vehicle, and we already know Nissan is working on a system for the 2014 LEAF as well as quick-charging systems that can power your house in reverse. Now we’ve discovered that Evatran is making hubcap-sized wireless charging systems for both the LEAF and the Chevy Volt that should be available through Sears next year. And there’s more.

Read the rest of Wireless Car Charging Could Be Here As Soon as 2013 from Companies Including Evatran, WiTricity, and HaloIPT

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Post tags: Amazon, chevy volt, Conductor-Wampflix, Delphi, electric car, electric vehicle, ev, evatran, general electric wattstation, haloipt, inductive car charging, inductive charging, Infiniti EV, International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection, Mercedes E-Cell, Nissan Leaf, Rolls-Royce 102 EX Phantom, Sears, wireless car charging, wireless charging, witricity

The Chevy Volt* is unique among electric cars because it runs on two sources of energy. You have an electric source – a battery – that allows you to drive gas-free for an EPA–estimated 35 miles. And there’s also an on-board gas generator that produces electricity so you can go farther. So if you want to drive using only electricity, you can. If you want to drive using electricity and gas, you can do that, too. Hear what one proud Volt owner had to say about how the electric car has reinvented her driving experience.

Read the rest of A New Driving Perspective

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Post tags: chevrolet, chevrolet volt, chevy, chevy owner, chevy volt, chevy volt owner, electric car, electric car owner, electric vehicle, electric vehicle owner, energy efficient vehicle, ev, EV owner, extended range electric vehicle, gas electric hybrid, GM electric car, green car, green transportation, green vehicle, hybrid car, hybrid vehicle, inhabitat, laura winger, volt, volt owner, volt owner story, zero emissions car, zero emissions vehicle

Jay Leno is known to have quite the car collection – around 100 in all, not including 90 motorcycles – but until recently, he didn’t own an electric vehicle! But after publically claiming skepticism about the cleaner cars, the late night host has announced his love for his 2011 Chevrolet Volt.  In fact, since December of last year, Leno has used his Volt to drive the 35 mile commute from his home in Burbank to work, racking up around 11,000 miles – all without ever visiting a gas tank!

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Post tags: chevrolet volt, chevy, chevy volt, electric car, electric vehicle, energy efficient vehicle, green car, green transportation, green vehicle, hybrid car, hybrid vehicle, jay leno, jay leno drives volt, Nissan Leaf, volt

The Chevy Volt electric vehicle is getting a lot of attention these days – and if you’re one of the lucky people driving one then there’s a good chance that you are too. That’s why we’re asking Chevy Volt owners to share your stories about how owning an electric vehicle has changed your life – and we’ll be showcasing our favorite stories in an upcoming feature article! Whether it’s a story about what it’s like to charge regularly and fill up rarely, an account of how many times you’ve been stopped at a grocery store or cornered in a parking lot by curious onlookers, or a tale about the furthest you’ve driven on an electric charge, we want to know! Submit your amazing stories here and you could be profiled for a feature on Inhabitat!

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Post tags: are you a chevy volt owner, are you a volt owner, chevrolet, chevy, chevy owner, chevy volt, chevy volt owner, electric car, electric car owner, electric vehicle, electric vehicle owner, ev, EV owner, extended range electric vehicle, gas electric hybrid, GM electric car, green car, hybrid car, inhabitat, volt, volt owner, zero emissions car, zero emissions vehicle

Read the rest of TEST DRIVE: The Chevy Volt vs. The Plug-in Prius

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Post tags: alternative transportation, chevy volt, electric car, fuel efficiency, green automotive design, green transportation, hybrid vehicle, Laura K. Cowan, plug-in hybrid, plug-in Prius, prius hybrid, range-extended EV, test drive

Read the rest of TEST DRIVE: Inhabitat Takes the New Plug-in Prius For an Extended Drive

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Post tags: 2011 Prius Plug-in Hybrid, alternative transportation, chevy volt, electric hybrid, green automotive design, green transportation, Inhabitat test drive, Laura K. Cowan, plug-in hybrid, plug-in Prius, prius hybrid, test drive, transportation editor

Today GM announced the launch of a new nationwide program to install solar canopy charging stations at their Chevy dealerships across the country. Each canopy, called a Green Zone, will be capable of charging up to 4,500 electric vehicle (EV) batteries a year. With that much positive green energy running through the batteries of their not-yet sold Chevy Volts, GM should have no problem selling off their increased production run of the award winning plug-in hybrid electric vehicle.

Read the rest of Chevy Dealerships Install Solar Green Zones Capable of Charging 4,500 Electric Cars a Year

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Post tags: chevrolet volt, chevy volt, electric vehicle, electric vehicle charging, EV Charging, green transportation, solar canopy, solar charging station, solar electric, volt, volt electric car, volt electric vehicle, volt ev

When Chevy released the Volt, a lot of drivers questioned how effective the vehicle’s 40 mile all-electric range would be at curbing emissions. Well, today we can sigh a breath of relief – the auto manufacturer has just announced that Volts have driven over 2 million miles, and 66% of the those were silent, efficient, and all-electric.

Read the rest of Chevy Volt Drivers Log 1.3 Million All-Electric Miles!

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Post tags: chevy volt, electric car, electric vehicle, ev, extended range electric vehicle, gas electric hybrid, GM electric car, green car, hybrid car, inhabitat, test drive chevrolet car, volt, zero emissions car, zero emissions vehicle

If you live in California, it’s time to trade in your Prius for a Tesla Model S. This Friday, July 1st, the state will strip hybrids of their HOV carpool lane access — six months after originally planned. But plug-in hybrids, fully electric cars such as the Tesla Roadster, fuel cells, natural gas vehicles, and electric cars with range-extending engines such as the Chevy Volt will still have access to these lanes even with one person in the car until 2015.

Read the rest of California Hybrids Will Lose Their HOV Status This Friday

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Post tags: alternative transportation, California HOV access, carpool lane, chevy volt, electric car, fuel cell, fuel efficiency, green automotive design, green transportation, HOV lane, hybrid car, natural gas vehicle, plug-in hybrid, range-extended PHEV, tesla model-s, Tesla roadster, toyota prius

When Chevrolet offered me a chance to test drive their brand new electric car, the Chevy Volt, several months ago I jumped at the chance. After all, I have been following the growing momentum of consumer electric cars with avid interest over the past few years, and I’m beside myself with excitement about all the new mass-market electric cars that continue to be released.  It’s clearly a sign that consumers are finally ready for electric vehicles. Between the Nissan Leaf, Coda Sedan and Chevy Volt (all of which are supposed to be released this month), only the Volt has a hybrid gas-electric engine system which provides a gas engine-extended range of 300 miles to prevent drivers from being stuck without a charge. This means that ‘Range Anxiety‘ — the main concern that many drivers have about electric vehicles — is allayed with the back-up gas-powered engine in the Volt. Basically, the Volt can drive further without a fill-up than most gas-guzzler cars, so you’ll never need to worry about being stuck somewhere on the side of the road with an empty battery.

Read the rest of VIDEO: Inhabitat Test Drives the Chevy Volt!

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Post tags: chevy volt, chevy volt video, electric car, electric vehicle, ev, extended range electric vehicle, gas electric hybrid, GM electric car, green car, hybrid car, inhabitat, inhabitat video, jill fehrenbacher, jill fehrenbacher video, test drive, test drive chevrolet car, testdrive, video test drive, volt, volt test drive, zero emissions car, zero emissions vehicle

The Chevy Volt is finally available for order in all 50 states. This Friday, General Motors started taking orders for the plug-in EV across the U.S., lowering its base price by $1,000 and adding 4 options packages at the same time. The 2012 Volt starts at $39,995, including delivery.

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Post tags: 2012 chevy volt, 50 states, alternative transportation, chevrolet volt, chevy volt, Chevy Volt availability, chevy volt production, GM production, green automotive design, green transportation, plug-in EV

It seems like the 2011 North American Car of the Year just gets better all the time. GM just installed a carport with 10 charging stations to juice up their plug-in hybrid electric Chevy Volts before they send them out into the world. The carport is located at the Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant, where all Volts are born, and has a 20kW solar array. It’s nice to know that one of our favorite green cars greets its owner with a battery full of sunlight.

Read the rest of GM Reveals It Charges Volts with Solar Panels Before They Head to Dealerships

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Post tags: charge electric car, charge ev, charge plug in electric, chevy volt, chevy volt clean energy, chevy volt renewable energy, chevy volt sustainable energy, gm clean energy, gm renewable energy, gm solar panels, gm sustainable energy

As part of President Obama’s mandate that all new government vehicles use clean energy by 2015, the US government has decided to purchase 116 new plug-in — some hybrid, some not — electric vehicles. Over a hundred of those cars will be Chevy Volts. The President and his team have scored a great deal on the cars — the manufacturers suggested retail price for the Volt is $41,000 and the government will be paying $38,500. These cars are being directly purchased by the General Services Administration and will save the government 29,000 gallons of gas — equalling over $116,000 annually.

Read the rest of US Government Set to Buy 116 New Plug in Vehicles, Getting a Discount on the Volt

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Post tags: chevy volt, chevy volt gas mileage, government electric vehicles, government plug in hybrid electric vehicles, government plug in vehicles, obama electric vehicle mandate, one million electric cars, one million electric vehicles

Back in December of 2010, GM announced they’d be recycling 100 miles of oil booms from the Gulf of Mexico oil spill for use in the Chevy Volt. The company has now announced they’ve more than doubled that number and have officially repurposed 227 miles of oil booms — thats 212,500 lbs. saved from landfills — for use in an entire year of production of Chevy Volt air deflectors.

Read the rest of Chevy Recycles Twice as Many Oil Booms from Gulf Spill for Use in Volt Production As Originally Planned

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Post tags: chevy volt, chevy volt green, chevy volt production, chevy volt recycle, general motors recycling, gm green initiative, gm recycling, gm recycling initiative, gm recycling practices, how is the volt environmentally friendly, how is the volt green, how is the volt sustainable, oil boom recycling, recycled oil booms

As part of its SolarCurrents program to encourage energy customers to install enough solar arrays to produce 15 megawatts of green electricity in southeast Michigan, Detroit Edison has invested $3 million in this 516-kilowatt solar array on the roof of the Chevrolet Volt factory in Detroit suburb Hamtramck. GM announced the measure will save the company $15,000 per year in energy costs and help further green the Volt. It’s not clear how much money DTE will save on the deal, however. The simple $15,000 per year savings would take 200 years to recoup with this investment, so there must be other savings at work in this 246,000-square-foot project that DTE has not mentioned.

Read the rest of Chevy Volt Factory’s New Solar Array Is Green, But Does It Save Green?

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Post tags: alternative energy, alternative transportation, Chevrolet Volt factory, chevy volt, Chevy Volt solar array, Detroit Edison solar currents, General Motors solar array, green automotive design, green transportation, Hamtramck assembly plant, Solar Power

We may be at the tipping point, after which electric vehicles are no longer feared as unsafe to drive on the highway: The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety today announced it is awarding both the Chevy Volt and the Nissan LEAF its highest safety ratings. Both cars performed well in front, side, and rear crash tests, were equipped with electronic stability control, and demonstrated good roof strength.

Read the rest of Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf Awarded Highest IIHS Safety Ratings

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Post tags: alternative transportation, automotive safety ratings, chevrolet volt, chevy volt, green automotive design, green transportation, IIHS, Nissan Leaf, safest green cars, safety ratings, sustainable transportation, top safety picks

This year’s SAE World Congress in Detroit has gone green, honoring the design of electric vehicles such as the Chevy Volt and focusing on technologies that bring better efficiencies to new and existing vehicles. Everything was on the table this year, from alternative fuel advances to Ford’s EcoBoost down-sized, turbocharged, direct-injected engines, to lightweight and ultra-strong chassis designs, to new EV technologies and new transmissions to make better use of vehicles’ available power.

Read the rest of SAE World Congress Goes Green: Alternative Fuels, EV Tech, and Award for Chevy Volt

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Post tags: 2011 SAE, alternative fuels, Automotive Engineering International, chevy volt, clean tech, electric vehicles, green automotive design, green tech, plug-in EV, SAE World Congress