General Motors December 2012 Corporate Responsibility Newsletter
GM Sustainability Team Shares Their New Year’s Resolutions
At the beginning of every New Year, millions of people vow to change something about their life. Year in and year out, General Motors has focused on doing what is best for the environment, and will continue to do so throughout 2013. GM polled some of its environmental team to see how they plan to weave their daily professional efforts into their personal lives in 2013.
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
GM Leads in Energy Reduction Challenge, Saves $90 Million
GM now has 54 facilities meeting a voluntary energy reduction challenge set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - more than any company worldwide. GM saves $90 million in energy costs as a result.
To meet the ENERGY STAR® Challenge for Industry, U.S. EPA standards require facilities to reduce energy intensity by 10 percent within five years. GM’s 54 facilities cut energy intensity by an average of 26 percent within just two to three years.
GM’s Changwon Assembly Announces 3MW Solar Project
GM recently announced that its Changwon Assembly plant, home of the all-new Chevrolet Spark and Spark EV, has reached an agreement with renewable energy company KC Cottrell to build a three-megawatt solar installation on the plant’s rooftop. When operational, it will provide the equivalent energy needed to provide electricity to 1,200 homes in South Korea for one year. This is the same as powering 221 homes in the United States for one year.
10 Tips For Better Energy Management
This year, GM received an EPA ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year award and 54 of its plants recently met ENERGY STAR’s Challenge for Industry. GM shares its best practices to reducing energy consumption and environmental impact; in fact, it’s why we laid out a blueprint for reducing waste, and why we’re sharing some of these tips we use to cut energy use.
Chevy Dealer Gets Smart about Sustainability
LaFontaine Chevrolet of Dexter, Mich. runs an energy efficient showroom, employing a sophisticated energy management system to run a smart network of lighting and HVAC control systems that provide the dealership with the ability to continuously monitor energy usage remotely, while controlling and optimizing based on the readings which, in turn, save money. This has helped the dealership to save $60,000 per year in energy costs.
GREENER VEHICLES
Cadillac ATS Lightweighting Heavy on Chemistry
Engineers on the Cadillac ATS took a chemistry-lab approach to deliver the brand’s first entry into the compact luxury sedan segment. Metals such as Martensitic alloys and ultra-high strength steel, among other materials, help make ATS one of the lightest vehicles in the class. Still, the ATS is among the safest, earning a 5-star overall crash test rating in the New Car Assessment Program run by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Chevrolet Volt Owners Surpass 100 Million Electric Miles
Chevrolet Volt owners collectively have driven more than 100 million all-electric miles since the vehicle went on sale two years ago this month. The average Volt owner travels more than 65 percent of the time in pure electric mode as the car was designed - only using the gasoline-powered generator for longer trips.
By charging regularly, Volt owners drive approximately 900 miles, or a month and a half, between fill-ups. However, many Volt owners quickly exceed that average, based on an EPA-estimated 98 MPGe that puts electric-only range at 35 mpg city and 40 mpg on the highway.
200,000 Hours of Testing and Volt Learnings Lead to All-New Chevrolet Spark EV
2014 Chevrolet Spark EV, which was officially rolled out at the Los Angeles International Auto Show, Nov. 28, offers best-in-segment driving range. Spark EV will set a benchmark for urban electric vehicles.
Driver App-roved: OnStar to Launch Mobile Apps for EV Owners
OnStar recently announced it is launching two new apps to better assist electric vehicle owners concerned with range and public charging costs. The Spark EV Way Point tab, an addition to the OnStar RemoteLink app, will allow drivers to search for a desired destination and find out if they can make it there on a single charge; if not, the app will attempt to plot a waypoint route that stops at the most efficient charge stations en route. The Park-Tap-Charge prototype app is designed to simplify the process of public charging, allowing drivers to tap their smart phones against a charging station to see the hourly rate of charging, the estimated time and cost of a full charge, and available payment options.
SAFETY
Cruze Debuts Industry-First Flexible Venting Driver Air Bag
The 2013 Chevrolet Cruze introduces an industry-first driver-side air bag that uses a flexible venting technology designed to deploy more efficiently while providing equivalent crash protection to more expensive and complex air bag systems. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently tested the 2013 Cruze with the new air bag technology under its New Car Assessment Program. The Cruze received NHTSA’s maximum 5-Star Overall Vehicle Score, the same rating it received in 2011 and 2012 when the small car used a dual-stage air bag system.
PHILANTHROPY
Chevrolet Donates 24 Express Vans to Habitat for Humanity
Two dozen Express vans donated by Chevrolet to Habitat for Humanity departed to Atlanta to storm-ravaged New York and New Jersey, where the vans and scores of tools donated by Lowe’s and the Robert Bosch Tool Co. were put to work helping communities recover from Hurricane Sandy. The vans are the latest contribution by Chevrolet, General Motors and the GM Foundation to Sandy relief efforts that now total more than $2.8 million.
GM, Chevrolet and UAW Donate Vans to Veterans Facilities
UAW-GM, GM and Chevrolet donated full-size Chevrolet Express vans to five hospitals for transporting veterans to medical appointments and other activities. The first of the vans was delivered to the Detroit VA Healthcare System. The vans, built GM’s Wentzville (Mo.) Assembly Plant and UAW Local 2250 near St. Louis, are specially adapted to accommodate veterans using wheelchairs or who have other mobility issues.
Chevy, Michigan Tech Reveal Cycle for Wounded Veterans
Chevrolet and students from Michigan Technological University revealed a new hand cycle designed to make it easier for wounded veterans to compete in racing events, including marathons. In addition, GM Chairman and CEO Dan Akerson announced GM will build 10 prototypes for use next year by the Achilles Freedom Team of Wounded Veterans in marathons across the country.
