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Detroit 2008: A talk with Bob Lutz (video)

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Amyot Bachand
GM finally swims with the current!

On January 14, Auto123.com senior writer Amyot Bachand met with Bob Lutz, GM's Vice Chairman of Global Product Development, during the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Mr. Lutz was his own self as he candidly answered to various questions from Canadian auto journalists. Here's what he had to say...

About ethanol...
It's a transitional solution. Our current dependence on oil is too significant. Ethanol is great, but there are other alternatives like hybrid and diesel powertrains. I firmly believe that we'll be able to launch the Chevrolet Volt hybrid electric car in 2012: our first production run will be limited, of course, allowing us to further accelerate our development. We'll succeed.

The challenges we face are not all battery-related. By the way, we have made major headway in this field. But auxiliary systems like climate control, ventilating, wipers, etc. all require electrical energy. We have to rework these systems to reduce their power consumption.

Bob Lutz

About GM's partnership with COSKATA to produce ethanol...
They're (COSKATA) very serious. Our engineers teammed up with various independent companies and tested their processes. Their work and results convinced us. Right now, they've reached the stage of mass production. Sure, there are still questions that need to be answered, particularly with regards to high-volume production and retail alliances, but hopefully, everything will be set by 2011.

How do you produce this ethanol?
Well, I'm not a chemist. You can go to our media website to find a comprehensive explanation of the process and technology. Basically, we use landfill waste and worn tires. By accelerating their decomposition and optimizing their fermentation, we're able to collect a gas (carbon composite, dioxide and hydrogen). Then, we incorporate natural enzymes which eat the mix and reject a fluid made of water and ethanol. These two are later separated and we wind up with a pure ethanol blend that produces 7.7 times more energy than corn-based ethanol.

So why do you produce ethanol when you plan on marketing the Volt by 2012?
Because consumers won't purchase electric cars overnight, and because there will be millions of existing vehicles which will be able to run on various combinations of ethanol and gasoline. The goal is to progressively reduce our dependence on oil.

How did GM manage to make a successful financial turnaround?
With the help of the unions, by getting the necessary concessions on the issue of health care for retirees and by establishing a two-level remuneration system based on job hierarchy. We've decided on a level of salary expenses that's basically on par with American-based Japanese plants.

Amyot Bachand
Amyot Bachand
Automotive expert
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