FUELS AND TECHNOLOGY ARE MOVING THE AUTOMOBILE TOWARD A MORE SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

CONSIDER THIS CHALLENGE : With 35 percent of the world’s energy needs currently being met by petroleum products and demand expected to increase by an average of two percent per year through 2030, the imperative for change is immediate, and real. Rather than viewing this as an obstacle, GM is approaching the need as an opportunity to lead the market with a diverse range of advanced technologies and vehicles.

The drive to bring better and more environmentally compatible vehicles to our highways begins by optimizing the internal combustion engine, with the aim of achieving maximum fuel economy and performance with the lowest possible emissions. This goes beyond focusing on just one or two high-profile models. Rather, higher fuel economy across the fleet can make substantial progress toward lessening petroleum dependency. While many extraordinary technologies are in development at GM and destined for future models, an ongoing focus on the here-and-now has brought meaningful advances to today’s powertrains and established GM as a leader in fuel efficient vehicles.

MAKING TODAY’S TECHNOLOGY BETTER

ANSWERS THAT SEEMED DISTANT NOT SO LONG AGO ARE UPON US. AT GM, MORE ADVANCED DRIVE SYSTEMS, GREATER EFFICIENCIES, AND ALTERNATIVE FUELS HAVE BECOME TODAY’S REALITY.

EXPLORING ALTERNATIVES

Alternative fuel sources are critical as we move away from dependence on petroleum energy sources. Today, GM has over two million E85 ethanol FlexFuel vehicles on the road in all 50 states and is committed to the production of over 400,000 FlexFuel vehicles per year. In 2007, GM offers 16 different E85 ethanol-capable models.

E85 ethanol – a blend of 85 percent plant-based ethanol and 15 percent gasoline – offers benefits including fewer greenhouse gas and smog-forming emissions than gasoline. To make E85 ethanol more readily available to consumers, GM is actively working with state governments, fuel retailers, and others to raise awareness of the benefits of E85 ethanol and increase availability to make fueling more convenient

This mostly renewable alcohol fuel is but one of the fuel alternatives that will propel vehicles toward a cleaner tomorrow. Other biofuels, including biodiesel, show considerable promise. Hydrogen is another answer that’s being aggressively pursued by GM.

DRIVING ON NON-PETROLEUM FUELS IS AN IMPORTANT GOAL. GM VEHICLES DESIGNED TO USE RENEWABLES LIKE E85 ETHANOL AIM TOWARD A MORE SUSTAINABLE FUTURE.

MANY HOUSEHOLDS IN INDUSTRIALIZED NATIONS have two or more vehicles, while increasing numbers of consumers in developing nations are eagerly acquiring their first. This is easily understood since mobility brings with it many things, including convenience and opportunity. The challenge is that with ever-growing numbers of automobiles comes mounting pressure on our environment and natural resources.

Automobiles powered by an internal combustion engine emerged well over a century ago and are still very much with us today. Vehicles are more efficient now, of course, and at GM they continue to evolve in important ways for the better. Yet, with almost all of the world’s 830 million cars based on mechanical drive and 98 percent of these operating on petroleum, it’s clear that a new direction is needed

ELECTRIC DRIVE, INTELLIGENTLY APPLIED, STANDS TO HAVE A HUGE IMPACT ON THE CHALLENGES THAT LOOM LARGEST IN OUR FUTURE: FUEL EFFICIENCY, ENVIRONMENTAL COMPATIBILITY, AND ENERGY DIVERSITY

CHEVROLET VOLT CONCEPT

The need to create new products and technologies that go beyond incremental improvements in addressing sustainability is well understood. It is the focus of a great deal of research and development at GM. The result of this thinking is exemplified by the widely-acclaimed Chevrolet Volt concept car and the innovative E-Flex system that powers it.

We live in a world where diverse options are being explored and different markets may have their own unique needs, so the ability to maintain a flexible approach to powertrains and fuels is a requirement. As you might gather, flexibility is what E-Flex is all about.

GM’s Volt responds to the growing desire for an electrically-driven automobile offering the best of all worlds. It draws from GM’s considerable engineering and technical expertise developed over many years with its EV1 and hydrogen fuel cell electric car programs. The Volt continues GM’s path toward highly-efficient electric drive, but with important differences.