My Perfect Automobile » Via Motors

Icon Bob Lutz Puts Via Motors on the Map

Larry Bell — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 21:25:16 +0000

Bob Lutz

Automotive icon Bob Lutz has been a staple of the transportation industry for a half-century, having spent 47 years in the business even before his retirement from GM as vice chairman in 2010. He held senior leadership jobs at four of the world’s biggest carmakers and now serves on numerous boards of diverse organizations like the Marine Military Academy, Transonic Combustion, and the U.S. Marine Corps University Foundation. These days, Lutz works hard at ushering in the era of the extended-range electric truck, having already earned the moniker, “Father of the Chevy Volt” while at GM.

Bob Lutz: Video

One of Lutz’s current projects is Via Motors, a company that produces extended-range electric trucks. The brief video clip below features the latest offerings from the company and was shown during this year’s North American International Auto Show, at the press conference for Via Motors that was hosted by Bob Lutz. “Affordable, powerful, quiet, and clean,” as the narrator’s voice intones, Via’s electric work trucks are unique in the industry. As with so many of Lutz’s projects, Via Motors is already changing the way fleet managers think about transportation.

Bob Lutz and Via Motors

Still consulting for General Motors, Bob also sits on the boards of Via Motors and is a member of the advisory board for Lotus Cars, Current Motor, and Alexander Proudfoot. Lutz’s career began back in 1961, when he earned his bachelor’s degree in Production Management from Cal-Berkeley, where he was a Phi Beta Kappa. The next year, he received his master’s degree in Marketing from the same school, with highest honors. Forty-one years later, Bob was awarded an honorary Doctor of Management degree from Kettering University. Fluent in English, German, and French, Lutz will turn 81 in February.

For more about Via Motors, see the company’s official website:
http://www.viamotors.com
For the website of Lutz Communications, see:
http://www.boblutzsez.com

Larry Bell

Larry Bell + is My Perfect Automobile’s Genius Author, but we call him ‘The Expert‘. Here is his full Blog: My Perfect Automobile. Larry lives in San Jose, CA and is also the Expert Author. Larry is a lover of the Automobile as well and shares a passion for Concept, Hybrid and Electric Cars…

Via Motors Unveils 70 MPG Pickup

Larry Bell — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 18:16:55 +0000

Via Motors’ 804 hp XTRUX electric truck

Via Motors took the wraps off a new concept at the ongoing Detroit Motor Show this week. The stunningly huge off-road truck achieves 70 mpg, and is in some ways a beefed up version of the Chevy Volt. Called the X-Trux, the plug-in is able to travel 40 miles in electric mode, thanks to a 24 kWh battery pack. After that, the combustion engine takes over. The gasoline engine itself gets impressive fuel economy, rating a hefty 34 mpg. The X-Trux has two electric motors, each a 402-horsepower unit. Right now, the company makes a full line of extended-range trucks, known as V-Trux, that are smaller than the big concept model.

Via Motors: Video

Just a concept for now, the Via Motors 804 horsepower extended-range electric truck is really a remarkable sight. Have a look for yourself in the brief video clip below from CNN, which features some nice shots of the EREV monster along with a few pertinent comments from the narrator. Via revealed the gigantic off-road model at this year’s NAIAS.

Via Motors

Both the X-Trux and V-Trux models feature electrical outlets that allow the owner to plug just about any type of appliance directly into the vehicle. Offering 15 kilowatts of plug-in power, the trucks act as mobile generators, a very handy ability for workers who need to plug in tools at remote job sites. Via is intending of offer a 50 kW upgrade for the outlets. Generators with similar capability sell for around $30,000, and those don’t come with a hybrid-electric truck attached to them.

Via currently focuses on fleet markets for its extended-range electric trucks, and performs the conversions in Michigan, though that situation will be changing in the near future when the company opens an assembly plant in Mexico.

For more about Via Motors see the company’s official corporate website:
http://www.viamotors.com

Larry Bell

Bob Lutz and Electric Cars: Update

Larry Bell — Tue, 25 Dec 2012 13:16:14 +0000

A VIA Motors extended-range VTRUX

Automotive guru, former GM executive, and founder of VIA Motors, Bob Lutz gave his opinion about the current outlook for electrified transportation in a recent Forbes magazine piece. Reiterating his view that electricity will eventually become the primary source of automotive propulsion, Lutz nevertheless stuck to his guns and made the case for hybrid-electric cars and trucks as the most practical alternative-fuel arrangement.

Bob Lutz: Video

For a thorough overview of the VIA Motors VTRUX extended-range hybrid-electric truck, see the video clip below. David West from VIA Motors provides a review of the truck in action, showing us how it charges, works, and adapts to just about every driving condition that a heavy-duty work vehicle should expect to see. Unlike most other hybrid vehicles, the VIA trucks act as power sources for various electric tools, so that an owner can use the truck on a job site when no other convenient electrical outlets are available. West was speaking with the Silicon Valley Electric Auto Association for the demonstration.

Bob Lutz

Before his leadership role at VIA Motors, Lutz held numerous high-level management positions at several car companies, most notably as Vice Chairman of GM. A former Marine Corps pilot, Lutz was born in Zurich, Switzerland, is fluent in English, French, and German, and speaks passable Italian.

For more about VIA Motors, see the company’s official corporate website below. VIA modifies SUVs, trucks, and vans, creating extended-range vehicles. The company offers its heavy-duty and large hybrid-electric models to fleets but will begin selling directly to the public in 2013. Lutz became chairman of VIA in 2011. Very similar in design to the Chevy Volt, VIA’s vehicles offer an all-electric range of between 35 and 40 miles before a gasoline-driven generator begins creating electricity for more range.
http://http://www.viamotors.com/

Larry Bell

Jay Leno, Bob Lutz Talk Hybrid Trucks

Larry Bell — Sat, 21 Jul 2012 14:10:00 +0000

A VIA Motors hybrid truck

Two of the world’s most enthusiastic car guys got together recently to film a segment of Jay Leno’s Garage. Jay spent the afternoon with VIA Motors board member Bob Lutz. The two took one of the VIA hybrid trucks for a spin, after which Leno pronounced his whole-hearted endorsement of the company’s line of hybrid trucks. If you are a fan of the show, Jay often reviews vehicles without giving any thumbs up, or even a tepid approval. Interestingly, the interaction between Leno and Lutz brings out the great love each man has for automobile technology.

Jay Leno, Bob Lutz: Video

The video clip below features some of the highlights of the show, especially the fascinating initial interview with Lutz, who espoused his views about the wonders of hybrid technology. Lutz is largely responsible for development of the Chevy Volt, which occurred during his time as an executive at GM. Now partially retired, with emphasis on the word ‘partially,’ Lutz still runs several businesses, flies his private planes, and travels on behalf of VIA Motors.

VIA Motors

VIA Motors produces a line of trucks and vans that are essentially, as Lutz explains in the video clip, larger versions of the Chevy Volt. VIA has already sold large numbers of the vehicles to fleets, and should begin full-scale production, and sale, for the public within about six months. One of the most popular features of the VIA trucks is their ability to act as power sources for any electrical need, from large tools to entire homes.

Technically, VIA’s trucks are considered extended-range hybrid vehicles, custom made by the company from components that are purchased from GM and others. After VIA puts everything together, the result is a 100-mile range powerhouse of a truck, capable of working as a fleet or personal vehicle.

For more about Bob Lutz’s VIA Motors, see the company’s official website:
http://www.viamotors.com

Larry Bell

Earth Day: Cars are the Stars

Larry Bell — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 09:55:43 +0000

Via Motors electric truck

No Earth Day celebration would be truly complete without a flashy event in the Big Apple, New York City. What made 2012’s New York’s festivities so special was the appearance of Bob Lutz from Via Motors, showing off his company’s extended range electric pickup truck. The centerpiece of Via’s lineup, and the main attraction at Earth Day happenings in NYC, the Via Motors truck boasts 100 mpg and hold a record of sorts. It is the first full-size truck to be electrified.

The event’s general manager, Joanna Black, was happy to have someone of Lutz’s star-power on hand to help celebrate, commenting, “We were very pleased to have Bob Lutz and the new VIA electric truck featured at the Earth Day NYC event this year. Electric vehicles are the center piece of the Earth Day celebration, and it was inspiring to see the commitment of industry leaders like Bob Lutz to electric vehicles.”

An interesting thing is happening to Earth Day celebrations all over the U.S., and Black was onto it as indicated by her comments. Cars, especially electric, natural gas, and hybrid models, are becoming the new stars of such events. One reason is the obvious role that green transportation is currently playing in the national energy profile. With more and more people questioning the nation’s dependence on oil, and many wondering why it took so long to go green, Americans are turning countless Earth Day parties into car shows. That’s not to say the original message has been forgotten, just that transportation plays such a huge part in our lives. It will be even more interesting to see what Earth Days look like a decade from now, and whether any auto manufacturer will go as far as naming a new EV or hybrid after the planet. Imagine seeing an advertisement for “…the 2022 Honda Earth, on sale now….”

Bob Lutz and a VIA Motors electric van

For more information about Via Motors and their full line of electrified trucks, vans, and SUVs, see the company’s official website at http://www.viamotors.com
If you would like to know more about the founder of Via Motors, Bob Lutz, see an extensive bio at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Lutz_(businessman)

Larry Bell

Landmark Hybrid Truck Deal

Larry Bell — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 21:35:32 +0000

Via Motors trucks at the Detroit Auto show

A pair of electrified Silverado pickups was placed into the official PG&E fleet this week, as Via Motors, the company that manufactures the 400-mile range trucks, delivered the vehicles to the giant utility company’s San Francisco office. The vehicles, which operate much like a Chevy Volt hybrid drive car, use electric power for the first 40 miles, then revert to the gasoline engine for an additional 360 miles of the truck’s total range.

Via’s Bob Lutz, a board member of the company as well as a former GM vice chairman, pointed out the effective mpg of the trucks, since each will be traveling only around 60 miles on an average day of utility service. According to his math, that yields a fuel efficiency of approximately 100 mpg. A typical Silverado nets about 13 mpg in those driving conditions. During the press conference to announce the PG&E acquisition, Lutz was keen on mentioning that SUVs are actually prime candidates for conversion due to the fact that there is so much room for improvement. Taking a 13-mpg vehicle up to 100 mpg is quite an increase.

Bob Lutz with a Via Motors hybrid truck

Mr. Lutz is a story all by himself, having uttered the prophetic words, “The electrification of the automobile is inevitable,” way back in 2008, which is a century on the technology time-line. Lutz’s biography reads like a movie script, with dozens of high and top-level posts in various auto and manufacturing companies. He collects classic cars and military jets when he is not devoting time to his post at Via Motors and as founder and CEO of Lutz Communications, a global consulting firm. He wrote a best-selling book which is still popular with business students and academics, entitled, “Car Guys vs. Bean Counters: The Battle for the Soul of American Business.”

For more about Via Motors and its history, as well as what projects and models the company currently has in development, see the official website at http://www.viamotors.com

Larry Bell

How Big is a 400hp Electric Motor?

Bob T — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 05:41:58 +0000

VIA Motors Hybrid Truck

One advantage that an electric motor has is that it is relatively small compared to a gasoline engine with the same capacity. Another adavantage is that because of the high torque you don’t need a gearbox. At the Detroit Autoshow this month VIA motors showed off its plug-in Hybrid trucks and the 11″x11″ 400hp electric motor that drives it. In fact the torque is so high that the VIA does need a gearbox to reduce it.

The electric motor weighs only 108 lbs and we were able to lift it up as you can see here. VIA motors will first take orders from fleets and other corporate entities before it will start selling to the general public.

In addition to the electric motor the VIA uses an electric alternator to charge the battery with the generator. This alternator is typically identical to the motor. Since this is an extended range plug in hybrid the gasoline engine is still present, so untill we can drive 300 miles purely on battery and won’t need the gasoline generator, the significant weight savings will only be in future models.

VIA Motors 400hp electric motor

Bob Lutz is on the board of VIA Motors. Bob was majorly involved in the production of the Volt which operates on a similar principle. So far the Volt has proven to be a complete success and other manufacturers are now jumping on the bandwagon with similar concepts. Already available across the country is the Fisker which is also an extended range plug-in Hybrid. In fact the Fisker also boasts 400hp of pure electric power!

Bob Twaalfhoven

Bob Twaalfhoven + is My Perfect Automobile’s Genius Owner and Visionary Creator, but people just call him “Bob T”.. Here is his full Bio: Bob Twaalfhoven. Bob lives in San Jose, CA and is also the Founder of BobCAD-CAM software. BobCAD-CAM was created by Bob, who was an engineer graduate of MIT in 1978. He created the software as a means to bring the technology of CAD/CAM to the personal computer. But overall – Bob is a lover of cars, engines and anything that is fast…

Via Motors, PG&E Make Big News In Detroit

Larry Bell — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 07:41:15 +0000

Bob Lutz of Via Motors

One of the stars, if not the biggest attraction bar none, of the Detroit Auto Show’s media days was Via Motors board member Bob Lutz, formerly of General Motors. Lutz, along with Via co-founder Kraig Higginson unveiled Via’s extended range electric pickup. Pacific Gas and Electric of California has entered into agreement with Via to purchase a number of the vehicles.

Here are a few up close questions and answers with Via’s charismatic board member, Mr. Lutz himself. PG&E spokespersons have played up the trucks’ ability to help manage power outages because each truck can act as a stand-alone power source when not being driven. In addition, while Via is not planning to offer their snazzy models to the public for a couple of years, fleets will be able to purchase them as early as this year. PG&E has been on board since the early days of the truck’s development in 2008, and currently owns two of the vehicles.

The utility company is a firm believer in reducing carbon emissions, and is one of the national leaders in early adoption of alternative fuel cars and trucks, already employing more than 1,200 such models in its own fleets. Natural gas, hybrid, electric, and other types of vehicles populate the utility’s lots. Plans to buy LPG and clean diesel hybrid trucks are taking shape.

PG&E is one of the biggest utility companies in the country. A subsidiary of the Pacific Gas and Electric Corporation, the natural gas and electric giant employs over 20,000 workers and is based in San Francisco. The company counts more than 15 million customers in its territories, which encompass central and northern California.

The number of Via trucks that might end up on the utility company’s fleet is unlimited, constrained only by the customer base within the utility firm’s territory.

For more information, see: http://www.viamotors.com

Larry Bell

Via Motors Bd Member, Bob Lutz, at the Detroit Auto Show 2012.

Larry — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 23:39:02 +0000

Bob T., of MyperfectAutomobile.com fame, had the opportunity to meet up with Via Motors Board Member, Mr. Bob Lutz at the NAIAS “Press Days” in Detroit the other day. Aside from the interesting conversation between the two Bobs, I felt it more important to pass on the following information, and interview, that is more complete, in-depth and informative than a couple guys chatting at the show.

DETROIT: Five years ago, Bob Lutz introduced the Chevrolet Volt to the world in Detroit, a car that went on to serve as the United States’ first foray into the electric-car demographic. On Tuesday, three years later, he stood in front of curious onlookers at the 2012 NAIAS in Detroit and introduced a line of extended-range electric fleet vehicles produced by Via Motors.

Lutz’s career has spanned much longer than this, of course. His work at Via Motors, for which he serves as a member of the board of directors, actually comes as he is “retired.” But his career before this has spanned parts of six decades in all three major U.S. automakers — Chrysler, Ford and General Motors. He’s seen the auto industry at its best and worst, and even helped resurrect Chrysler back to profitability after its first bailout from the U.S. government in 1979.

Now, he’s on the board of Via Motors, a company that produces electric versions of GM trucks, vans and SUVs. Via Motors vehicles have a range between 40 to 50 miles before its gas engine kicks in, if needed. For now, it’s marketing to fleets, but consumers could see the vehicles by 2013.

The International Business Times spoke with Lutz on Tuesday about Via Motors’ plans, the state of the U.S. auto industry and more.

International Business Times: Can you talk about your relationship with Via Motors and some of the new features of their electric-range trucks, vans and SUVs?

Bob Lutz: I’m a board member of Via, so I’m not a member of active management. But I am very excited about the company, because this is the first time that anybody has done extended-range electric vehicles on full-size pickup trucks, vans and sport utilities.

It makes sense for a couple of reasons. One: These are the size of vehicles that America really likes. The U.S. industry sells millions of pickups a year. Secondly, if you’re going to save fuel by electrification technology, it makes the most sense to electrify the vehicles that use the most fuel, which again are your full-size pickups and sport utilities.

Thirdly, the reason I think these things are really going to be popular is that each one of these vehicles is going to be a mobile-generating set. So carpenters, plumbers, tile-layers, loggers — anybody who needs electrical power at the job site, all they have to do is drive their electrical pickup to the job site and plug right in. That’s of enormous value.

There’s a lot of interest from public-utility fleets and large corporate fleets like Coca-Cola and so forth. I think this concept is going to be very successful.

IBT: You’ve said before that electric vehicles are the way of the future in the auto industry. When can you see vehicles like these being marketed to consumers?

BL: Well, people are going to have to pay a premium. There will be private people who will want a Via version of a Cadillac Escalade, because they like to own a big sport utility but at the same time, they want to appear responsible. We’ll sell some of those.

And I think a lot of private people who go on vacation trips, camping trips, hunting trips and so forth will want a Via pickup or sport utility as privately owned vehicle. But that’s not the market Via is going after initially. I will tell you, Via can live for years off the fleet demand.

IBT: How did this compare to introducing the Chevy Volt?

BL: It’s interesting. When we did the Volt, nobody believed it in 2007. I think about it, and I hate to say it, but I think this makes even more sense than the Chevy Volt. Because with the Chevy Volt, we were doing a small electric vehicle based on a vehicle that gets 40 miles per gallon anyway. Here, we’re going electric with vehicles that get 14 or 15 miles per gallon. The saving is much greater.

The other thing with the Volt is that you have to convince Americans to get into smaller vehicles, which is gradually happening anyway. But if you look at the average American and the mainstream American, their real heart’s desire is a big pickup truck or sports utility. One of the reasons I’m excited about this is that this ensures the future of the big sport utilities and pickup trucks. Otherwise, with the new mandates for fuel economy, they were going to go away.

IBT: As someone with a lot of experience in the U.S. auto industry, where do you see it trending in the next year?

BL: I’m very optimistic about the short- and medium-term of the American auto industry. I think Chrysler, Ford and GM, all three have their acts together, doing the best products possibly of their history.

At the same time, we’re sort of witnessing kind of a slowdown by some of the big Japanese producers. Now, you go into a show and you look at medium-size cars — you look at the new Chevy Malibu and the new Ford Fusion. And then you go over and pull open the doors on new Japanese medium-size cars. And who’s got the best interiors? The American cars now have by far the most beautiful interior. Ten years ago it was exactly the opposite. So I’m very optimistic about the future of Detroit.

Visit www.viamotors.com for more information!

Larry Judkin

Larry Judkin + is My Perfect Automobile’s General Manager, but people call him Lar’. Here is his full Blog: My Perfect Automobile. Larry lives in San Jose, CA and is also the Co-owner of My Perfect Automobile. Larry is a lover of the Automobile as well and shares a passion for Concept, Hybrid and Electric Cars…

Via Motors, Bob Lutz: Electric Transportation’s Future

Larry Bell — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 20:59:25 +0000

Bob Lutz

Tradition, Experience, and SUVs

Bob Lutz, the man behind the Chevy Volt, is now a senior member of the Via Motors management team. Via is strategically positioning itself in the industry to be the leading manufacturer of the world’s next generation of electrified transportation options. Trucks, SUVs, and vans are all part of the mix. Lutz himself is on record as stating that in all his years of experience with auto giants BMW, Ford, GM, and Chrysler, he considers the Volt as the “most important” car of all.

Via Motors CEO Kraig Higginson, who is revved up (no pun intended) to have netted industry icon Lutz for the Via Motors team, sees a growing market for electrified trucks, “the work horse of America,” as Lutz calls them.

Higginson points to one of the many advantages of the company’s hybrid-electric trucks, saying that not only are they more economical to own and operate than gas models, but each year they will become more of an economic asset as fuel prices inevitably rise and battery prices drop. In fact, the Via Motors business model’s win-win formula is not only good for the bottom line, but serves the environment well. Via’s COO Alan Perriton, another GM alum, mentions this tantalizing fact: “Electrifying one truck is like taking two small cars off the road.”

Via Motors builds electrified versions of trucks, vans and SUVs by way of a pre-order system through its website. While the first wave of deliveries will be for fleet orders of 50 vehicles or more, consumer deliveries will begin in 2013. To see the Via Motors model offerings, visit their website at: http://www.viamotors.com. For an extensive biographical sketch of Bob Lutz, detailing his many years as a key player at the very highest levels of the auto industry, see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Lutz_%28businessman%

Larry Bell

Via Motors’ Big Splash in Detroit

Larry Bell — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 10:41:30 +0000

Via's eREV extended cab pickup

Via Motors, the Utah company that manufactures, develops and sells a line of electric SUVs and trucks will premiere its new electric pickup truck at the upcoming NAIAS, also known as the Detroit Motor Show. Founded in 2010, the company has made numerous headlines this past year with its EV lineup as well as the addition of Bob Lutz to its personnel list. Lutz is one of the most famous names in the automobile business worldwide; having been a Vice Chairman and Special Advisor at General Motors until his retirement in 2010, the same year Via was established.

Lutz, who is often referred to as the ‘father of the Chevy Volt’ due to his involvement with that car’s creation and development, will introduce Via’s new electric models at January’s North American International Auto Show in Detroit. In all, the company will debut three brand new vehicles, namely a 4×4 SUV, a cargo van, and a pickup truck. Lutz will officially introduce the three Via models just after noon, EST on Tuesday, Jan. 10 at the Detroit show.

Each of the three vehicles is capable of driving for up to 40 miles purely on electric, lithium-ion battery power. The batteries feature flame resistant components. After that, another 400 miles can be coaxed out of the engines via an onboard generating system similar to the one in the Chevy Volt. The company says that average fuel efficiency for the three models will be in the 100 mpg vicinity.

Initially, Via is taking orders for the 2012 lineup only from fleet customers, but later on will likely accept orders from individual buyers. Via spokespersons say the company hopes to reach production levels of 20,000 vehicles each year between now and approximately 2015. Lutz previously introduced the Chevy Camaro and Dodge Viper when he was one of the top members of GM’s management team.

For more information about Via Motors, see the company’s website at: http://www.viamotors.com

Larry Bell