Hey, Doc! Sewage, Beer and Food Scraps Can Power Chevrolet’s Bi-fuel Impala

DETROIT – Trash to fuel, the stuff of the 1980s sci-fi comedy movie trilogy “Back to the Future,” is now a reality. The 2015 Bi-fuel Chevrolet Impala – not a tricked-out DeLorean – really can run on leftovers, table scraps and, oh, yeah, grains from brewing beer.

Cleveland-based quasar energy group uses organic waste to produce a renewable energy source known as biogas, which is then converted into Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) – one of two fuels that can power the 2015 Chevrolet Bi-fuel Impala.

Biogas is the raw mixture of gases given off by the breakdown of organic materials kept in an oxygen-less environment. The resulting methane gas is then processed, removing all carbon dioxide and impurities to make Renewable Natural Gas (RNG). When compressed, RNG is a direct replacement for CNG.

Since biogas can be made from most organic materials, quasar insources raw materials, otherwise considered waste, from a variety of industries. For instance, its Columbus, Ohio Renewable Energy Facility processes up to 25,000 wet tons of biosolids from the City of Columbus Department of Public Utilities for wastewater.

Progressive Field, home of the Cleveland Indians, contributes food waste for CNG-production after it’s been macerated in an industrial-sized InSinkErator Grind2Energy garbage disposal. And don’t forget beer: Anheuser-Busch’s Columbus brewery provides an organic by-product to quasar for conversion to methane gas.

“If you can buy renewable fuel at $1.95 per gallon while reducing greenhouse gas emissions, everybody wins,” said Mel Kurtz, president of quasar energy group.   “quasar’s Columbus facility can produce 1.3 million gasoline gallon equivalents of CNG each year.”

That’s enough to fill the CNG tanks of 163,000 Bi-fuel Impalas at least once.

Though CNG fueling stations are prevalent in states like California and Oklahoma, infrastructure in some states is scarce.

“To avoid feelings of range anxiety common in owners of CNG-only vehicles, we made the Impala bi-fuel, allowing our customers to drive on CNG when available and on gasoline when it’s not,” said Nichole Kraatz, Impala chief engineer.

The CNG tank mounted in the trunk has the equivalent capacity of 7.8 gallons of gasoline, which is expected to offer approximately 150 city miles of range on compressed natural gas based on GM testing. With gasoline and compressed natural gas combined, expected range is 500 city miles based on GM testing. EPA estimates are not yet available.

Impala’s bi-fuel system seamlessly switches to gasoline power when the CNG tank is depleted. Drivers who wish to change fuels while driving can do so by simply pushing a button. A light on the instrument panel indicates when CNG is being used, and there is no interruption in the vehicle’s performance.

Operating on CNG can result in an average fuel savings of nearly $1.13 per gasoline-gallon-equivalent based on a national average of $3.24 per gallon of gasoline as reported by AAA and $2.11 per gge of CNG, reported by CNGnow. Also, CNG vehicles typically have 20 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions than gasoline-powered cars, according to the California Air Resources Board.

The Bi-fuel Impala is factory-built so its CNG fuel system is validated by GM and covered by GM’s three-year/36,000-mile (whichever comes first) new vehicle limited bumper-to-bumper warranty and five-year/100,000-mile (whichever comes first) limited powertrain warranty. The Bi-fuel Impala is the only bifuel-capable sedan on the market to offer a factory warranty.

When the Bi-fuel Impala goes on sale later this year, it will have a starting price of $38,210.

Editors’ Note: Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price includes destination freight charge but excludes tax, title, license, dealer fees and optional equipment.

About Chevrolet

Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, doing business in more than 140 countries and selling more than 4.9 million cars and trucks a year. Chevrolet provides customers with fuel-efficient vehicles that feature spirited performance, expressive design, and high quality. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

About quasar energy group

quasar is a Cleveland, Ohio based renewable energy company that designs, builds, owns and operates anaerobic digestion systems. quasar has thirteen operational anaerobic digestion facilities throughout the United States with several more under construction or in the planning stage.  qng (quasar natural gas) is derived from the anaerobic digestion of regional organic waste streams and is available to the public at quasar stations in Columbus, Zanesville and Wooster, Ohio.

Quasar Contact:
Caroline Henry
Quasar Vice President, Marketing
216-409-6713
chenry@quasareg.com

Impala and Traverse Among KBB.com 12 Best Family Cars of 2014

DETROIT – In a quest to find the vehicles best suited for families, Kelley Blue Book editors collaborated with real families to test an array of vehicles including anything from sedans to minivans.

Two Chevrolets made their way into KBB.com’s 12 Best Family Cars of 2014 recommended list, theChevrolet Impala four-door sedan and the Traverse midsize SUV.

“We designed the Chevrolet Impala and Traverse precisely to offer a wide suite of useful family-friendly features,” said Russ Clark, Chevrolet director of marketing. “It is good to see that KBB.com and the customers they surveyed agree.”

Nominees were chosen specifically for excellence in safety, comfort, driving performance, room for child seats, cargo space, rear-seat entertainment and other family-friendly features.

The KBB.com expert editors started with 21 vehicles top-ranked in their Expert Ratings in various family-friendly categories and enlisted the help of several families to thoroughly test these family haulers. KBB.com editors then recorded the results and feedback to select the winners.

“We were surprised at the number of sedans that made the Best Family Cars list this year,” Jack R. Nerad, executive editorial director and executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book’s KBB.com. “Once upon a time before minivans and SUVs, sedans were the primary family car of choice, and this year’s list proves the modern sedan still makes a fine family car.”

 

About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, doing business in more than 140 countries and selling more than 4.9 million cars and trucks a year. Chevrolet provides customers with fuel-efficient vehicles that feature spirited performance, expressive design, and high quality. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

 

From GM News…

Chevrolet Accelerates to 4G LTE Speeds in 2014

Bowtie brand models in U.S. and Canada to get OnStar 4G LTE by summer

2014-01-05

 LAS VEGAS – Starting this summer, Chevrolet will have some of the fastest vehicles on the roads, and that has nothing to do with horsepower. Chevrolet drivers will be enjoying high-speed data – made possible by a new OnStar 4G LTE connection in the vehicle, running on AT&T’s network, the nation’s fastest and most reliable 4G LTE network.

Chevrolet today announced at the Consumer Electronics Show that the 2015 Chevrolet Corvette, Impala, Malibu, and Volt would be the first General Motors’ vehicles to come optionally equipped with OnStar 4G LTE. They will be followed by the Equinox, Silverado, Silverado HD, Spark and Spark EV. In the Canadian market, OnStar with 4G LTE will be introduced on the Chevrolet Trax as well. The majority of the 2015 Chevrolet lineup in the U.S and Canada will have a 4G LTE connection built-in at vehicle launch. More models will be announced later this year.

“Chevrolet is expected to implement the broadest deployment of 4G LTE in the automotive industry,” said Alan Batey, senior vice president of Global Chevrolet. “The fact that OnStar with 4G LTE will be available in models that range from the Chevrolet Spark to the Silverado to the Corvette, is indicative of our broad commitment to deliver more value and convenience through smart technology applications. This new, purposeful technology solution will make our consumers lives easier to connect.”

Vehicles Equipped with Built-in Wi-Fi Hotspot

The 4G LTE rollout will bring a built-in Wi-Fi hotspot to most Chevrolet vehicles, which allows passengers to connect their personal devices, such as smartphones, laptops and tablets, to high-speed wireless internet. Each vehicle can accommodate multiple devices at one time.

“We know that our customers rely on being connected on a daily, if not hourly basis, and they expect to be provided with the information and content they desire with no interruptions,” said Mary Chan, president, GM’s Global Connected Consumer. “A 4G LTE hotspot that’s built into a car’s architecture will provide a more consistent and powerful Wi-Fi connection than a smartphone.”

With OnStar’s 4G LTE connection, the vehicle acts as a mobile hub, giving customers easier access to apps and services that require a high-speed cellular or data connection. The vehicle will employ a wireless connection that does not rely on a brought-in mobile device.

In collaboration with AT&T, the data connection in the car will be fast – and flexible. Current AT&T customers will be able to add their vehicle to a shareable bucket of data through AT&T Mobile Share plans. All drivers can also pay for data as a standalone option. Additional pricing and data packages for OnStar 4G LTE will be announced later in 2014.

Chevrolet AppShop Offers Connected Car Personalization

Chevrolet MyLink will offer consumers an enhancement with the built in AppShop, available on select 2015 Chevrolet models in the U.S. and Canada. AppShop will benefit from the embedded 4G LTE connection.

Chevrolet AppShop is accessible through an icon on the MyLink screen that allows owners to view all available apps and download them directly to the vehicle, then organize, update or delete them as needed. Available apps will connect drivers to vehicle data, music, news, weather, travel information and more.

“The built-in 4G LTE connection will allow our vehicles to be updated with the latest software and apps,” said Chan. “This means that the driver’s vehicle infotainment systems can keep getting better after purchase as customers can continue to add on and customize their features.”

An initial list of planned apps announced today includes Vehicle Health, iHeartRadio, Priceline.com, The Weather Channel, NPR, Slacker Radio, TuneIn Radio, Cityseeker, Eventseeker, Glympse and Kaliki.

OnStar’s 10^th Generation to Debut

Chevrolet’s 4G LTE launch coincides with the 10th hardware generation of OnStar, a service that debuted in GM vehicles in 1996. The upgrade will allow for voice and high speed data services.  

“We are focused on constantly improving the OnStar service so that the system continues to remain a trusted value-add for GM drivers,” said Terry Inch, chief operating officer, OnStar. “4G LTE will enable the most powerful OnStar connection ever.”

OnStar Advisors currently respond to approximately 185,000 calls every day or more than two calls every second. OnStar is standard across the 2014 Chevrolet lineup. The OnStar RemoteLink Key Fob Services smartphone app, which allows owners to lock or unlock doors, activate the horn and lights, and remotely start a properly-equipped vehicle, is included for five years for properly equipped Chevrolet vehicles in the U.S.

 

From GM News…

Science Bolsters 2014 Chevrolet Impala’s Seat Comfort

“DETROIT – Crafting comfortable car seats takes more than high-tech tools like seat pressure mapping systems and a multi-part mannequin that feeds data into a comfort dimensioning system.

As helpful as they are, there is no substitute for an element of human fine-tuning, or putting butts in seats.

General Motors’ human factors engineers who understand biomechanics, psychology, quantitative research and ergonomics, applied all these disciplines to help make the seats comfortable in the 2014 Chevrolet Impala.

GM seat comfort lab manager Jill Green uses a robot to test the comfort and integrity of the Chevrolet Malibu seat cushions and frames, a process used for the all-new 2014 Chevrolet Impala as well. The robots simulate a variety of body types entering, sitting and exiting the vehicle.

Customers for each car segment want more or less support and rigidity in their car seats. What the car will be used for – such as commuting, city driving or track racing – helps engineers establish precise parameters of comfort. Finding the “sweet spot” for each vehicle doesn’t come easy.

For the new Impala, volunteer seat testers ranging from 5^th percentile females (5 feet tall, 110 lbs.) to 95^th percentile males (6 feet tall or taller, 223 lbs.) spent hundreds of hours and logged thousands of miles in prototypes of the redesigned flagship sedan to evaluate seat comfort.

Seat testers typically drive or ride in prototype vehicles for several 60-minute intervals at a time recording initial feedback after the first 10 minutes. At each 60-minute interval, they numerically rate every aspect of the seat: cushion, backrest, lumbar support, headrest and side bolsters.

But tester feedback is subjective and design changes are often subtle because seat designs evolve from past programs and reams of data collected with precision instruments.

“Developing comfortable seats is both an art and a science,” said Jill Green, GM seat comfort lab manager. “Knowing how to translate a physiological impression into tangible design elements is the art, and knowing how to execute the design is the science.”

Seat tester evaluations alone would have been insufficient to achieve such results. That’s where tools like Oscar come in hand. The mannequin-like tool made of steel, plastic and aluminum is assembled in 18 removable parts weighing up to 170 pounds. Early in the Impala’s development, Oscar helped determine the overall dimensional layout of the interior, allowing engineers to make the best use of space.

GM seat comfort engineers, including Jill Green pictured in the driver’s seat of a Chevrolet Malibu, use state-of-the-art digital pressure-mapping technology to scan the rear-end impressions of people of all shapes and sizes over the seat surface, creating a map with more than 4,600 data points

State-of-the-art digital pressure-mapping technology was used to scan the rear-end impressions of people of all shapes and sizes over the seat surface, creating a map with more than 4,600 data points. A laptop computer used the data to generate graphics illustrating how occupants sit in the seat statically or while driving.

The Impala’s front seats are heated and ventilated, and bolstered for greater support. The seat cushions are designed to provide a firm, premium feel. LS models feature cloth seats, while LT comes standard with cloth/vinyl seats. Sueded microfiber-trimmed seats are available on LT and LTZ models, which feature standard perforated leather seating. Standard on LT and LTZ models, rear-seat headrests fold to improve rear visibility when there are no back-seat passengers.

Car reviewers have noticed the attention paid to Impala’s seats.

“After hours in the driver seat, we found ourselves just as fresh as we were before we set out,” wrote Mark Takahashi, automotive editor, Edmunds.com. “The outboard rear seats have enough head- and legroom for the average adult male to remain comfortable for extended trips as well.”

From GM News….

Fear of Night Driving? 2014 Chevrolet Impala Can Help

DETROIT – With Daylight Saving Time ending this Sunday, many people will drive in the dark more often. For those uneasy with night driving, the 2014 ChevroletImpala can help brighten the task.

The enhanced visibility provided by Impala’s headlamps can help drivers avoid crashes after dark, the riskiest time of day. According to a study cited by the Federal Highway Administration, the risk of a fatality at night among drivers not impaired by alcohol is more than two times higher than in daytime due to less visibility.

According to a 2009 study conducted by the Lighting Research Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, high-intensity discharge, or HID, headlamps like those on the new Impala can help drivers see objects in the road sooner than other types of headlamps, allowing for greater stopping distance.

Impala’s new headlamps are a key to one of the most comprehensive collections of standard and available safety features in the segment. Impala received the highest possible 5-Star Overall Vehicle Score for safety as part of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s New Car Assessment Program.

All 2014 Impala models are equipped with projector beam headlamp technology, a first for the redesigned flagship sedan. The LS and LT models use halogen projectors, while the up-level LTZ uses HID bi-functional xenon projectors that offer crisper and brighter illumination.

Both types of projector distribute light evenly across the front of the car, providing a wider range of visibility than other headlamps. Impala’s new headlamps use curved reflectors and “prescription” lenses designed to project brighter light farther and with more directional accuracy. They also feature a light shield designed to reduce glare for oncoming traffic.

“Safety and customer satisfaction drove design and development of Impala’s new headlamps,” said Todd Pawlik, Impala chief engineer. “We benchmarked them against the best in the industry.”

Impala’s low-profile black-and-chrome headlamps highlight the new model’s exterior, giving it a slightly sinister appearance. Impala’s designers were able to narrow the headlamp opening by eliminating the reflector-optic cavity in favor of a smaller lamp with bi-functional high/low-beam operation controlled in the projector by the light shield.

Extra chrome trim with metallized Chevrolet “bowtie” accents over the side marker reflector stretch horizontally to the corner of the car, emphasizing the sleek appearance of the lamp and the width of the car.

To further enhance the appearance, the headlamp designers placed an inner lens over the turn-signal cavity, helping to obscure the bulb while dispersing its light, giving a dramatic “fire-in-the-hole” appearance when lit.

The LTZ model accents the HID bulb with a light-emitting diode, or LED, halo ring designed to give an expensive appearance while functioning as a parking lamp. The model’s LED daytime running lamps improve visibility at any time of day.

“Impala’s new-look headlamps required a significant amount of attention to detail,” said Steve McCabe, lead creative designer for Impala. “As a result they help give the car a premium appearance.”