Over the past week, Bob Boniface has been doing a lot of talking about the Chevy Volt and Tuesday afternoon he'll be at it again. For those who may not recognize the name, Boniface is the director of the E-Flex Design Studio at GM which includes responsibility for the look and feel of the production Chevrolet Volt. This time around Boniface will be participating in an online chat over at the GM Next site. If your questions about the design direction of the Volt or other E-Flex vehicles haven't been answered sufficiently yet, you can log into the chat room at 3 pm EDT on Tuesday Aug. 19 and ask them yourself. We should be getting our first official look at the production Volt within the next few weeks.

[Source: GMNext]

One reality of biofuels (not to mention most things related to cars or technology) is that those of who read sites like this one are outliers. The majority of people out there (especially politicians) have at best a superficial knowledge of what alternative fuels are and whether they can use them in their vehicles. Over on the GMnext site they have posted a new video asking people on the street if they know what E85 is, where it comes from and whether its better for the environment. As most of us here know the answer to the last question is far from clear cut. On all the questions asked however, almost all the people questioned were shockingly ill or mis-informed. GM Engineer Melissa Schulz answers some of the questions trying to clear up misconceptions. Its not to in-depth but if any of your less enthusiastic friends need a quick primer, send them the link

[Source: GMnext]

We recently told you about a General Motors assembly plant in Spain that was getting its roof covered in solar panels. For those that are interested in learning more about the project the GMNext site will be holding another in their ongoing series of live chats with GM leaders. On Thursday July 17 from 3-4pm EDT you can log on to the GMNext site and pose your questions about the project to Rob Threlkeld. Threlkeld is the Supply Contract & Green Power Initiatives Manager at GM. If you want to participate, you need to register at the site and then you can learn more about GM's factory level renewable energy plans.

[Source: GMNext.com]

This Friday you'll finally get your chance a General Motors executive where they hid the mythical 200mpg carburetor and the water engine. The latest edition of the series of online chats being held on GMnext occurs this Friday at 9am EST. The guest chatter will be Bob Kruse, Executive Director of Global Vehicle Engineering Hybrids, Electric Vehicles and Batteries at GM and the subject is "Why don't automakers make a 100mpg car?" If you're inclined to participate in the chat, you'll need register on the GMnext.com site. You might want to ask Kruse why GM and their competitors have declined to participate in the Automotive X-Prize.

[Source: GMnext.com]

Over on the GMnext blog, Coleman Jones has posted a response to the recent push to go from E10 to E20 at regular gas pumps in Minnesota. Jones is the Manger of Biofuels Implementation at GM Powertrain. While GM has obviously been a huge proponent of the expanded use of ethanol, they are reluctant to endorse this move toward E20. Their concern has to do with durability over the long term. Vehicles sold as E85 capable have already gone through all the durability testing necessary to ensure that the engines, including the fuel system and exhaust system, will survive the long-term use of E20 and higher concentrations of ethanol. Non flex-fuel engines haven't gone through this kind of rigorous testing and a one year test of 40 vehicles isn't considered sufficient.

[Source: GMnext]

General Motors is inviting people to participate in an online chat on Wednesday, Feb. 6 (i.e., tomorrow) to talk about the environment. GM North America Vice President of Field Sales, Service and Parts Brent Dewar will be on hand between noon and 1pm EST to talk about the company's impact on the environment and what they are doing to reduce it. If you're interested in posing your questions to Dewar, just head over to http://www.gmnext.com/LiveChat.aspx and register with your e-mail address. GM will be holding more of these chats in the coming months on other subjects including the Volt, hybrids and more.

[Source: General Motors]

GM launched their GMnext web site last week where, among other things, company leaders will be holding on-line Q&A sessions from time to time. People (that means you) can log on to the web-site at the appointed times and fire off your queries to a variety of GM officials. Readers of ABG might be interested in chatting with the designer of the HUMMER HX and a Cadillac Project Manager.

• Sunday, January 13, 4:00 – 5:00 PM EST, HUMMER Designer Robert Jablonski discusses the latest HUMMER Concept.
• Monday, January 14, 1:00 – 2:00 PM EST, Cadillac Product Manager David Spitzer takes your questions about the brand's vision for a petroleum-free future of luxury transportation, the Provoq Concept.
• Monday, January 14, 4:00 – 5:00 PM EST, GM High Performance Vehicle Operations' John Heinricy discusses the latest itineration of the Cadillac CTS.

To join the chat, just register on GMnext.com by clicking the "sign in" button in the top right corner and visit the live chat section the day of the event. GM says that space is limited and pre-registration is encouraged.

[Source: General Motors]