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GM outsold VW globaly in first quarter, Toyota reports numbers next week

General Motors released its first quarter sales figures this week, reporting that it sold 2.36 million cars and trucks worldwide. That figure represents an increase of 3.6 percent when compared to the same period last year. GM's growth was attributed to many factors, including global Cadillac sales that were up 26 percent and Chevrolet posting a one percent increase over last year (this marked Chevy's tenth straight year of record global sales).
Volkswagen came in just behind GM, as the German automaker reported global sales from January through March at 2.27 million vehicles, an increase of five percent when compared to last year. While that number was strong, VW is cautioning that markets outside China and the US, such as those in Europe, are becoming a challenge as economies falter.
Yet to report sales is Toyota, current holder of the global world sales crown (the Japanese company sold 9.75 million cars last year, against 9.29 million sold by GM and 9.1 million vehicles sold by VW). Even though GM and Toyota both say they don't care who sells the most units, it is unquestionably a strong bragging point and sales equate to revenue. That said, Toyota will report its first quarter numbers next week.

Recharge Wrap-up: Mercedes gets F1 efficiency, EV charging in Vermont, VW e-Golf to use Bosch

Efficiency equals performance, especially in the case of Formula 1 racing. The Mercedes AMC Petronas team points to several key efficiency technologies it uses to get the most out of its cars. And if their utter dominance so far this season is testament to this relationship, perhaps we should pay attention. Mercedes highlights hybrid tech, turbocharging, aerodynamics, lightweight construction, tribology (both in making internal components and lubricants more slippery) and simulation as crucial to getting around the track faster than anyone else. These just happen to be some of the same things that make the cars we drive on public roads more fuel-efficient. Learn more in the press release below. It's a good read. Brammo, maker of sweet electric motorcycles, is teaming up with TEAM Industries to make drivetrains for electric vehicles. TEAM, which specializes in drivetrain technology, will also become an investor in Brammo as part of the partnership. "The electric vehicle market is a growth market," says TEAM CEO and President David Ricke, "and TEAM and Brammo will be providing a wide range of solutions for OEM manufacturers." Read more over at EV World. Vermont celebrated the installation of a new EV charging station as part of a Green Energy Corridor between Boston and Montreal. When finished, drivers will be able to make the whole trip in an EV with access to charging along the way. For $5, customers can charge their vehicle in about 30 minutes at the Red Hen Baking Company in Middlesex. There are currently only about 700 EVs on the road in Vermont. The state has a goal to get 90 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2050, and getting more EVs on the road is crucial to that mission. Vermont hopes that expanding the charging infrastructure will convince more people to go electric. Read more at Vermont Public Radio's website. For it's new e-Golf, Volkswagen will use Bosch chargers for home installation and ChargePoint stations at its dealerships. Bosch will have various 240-volt options for the home, and will also provide installation. e-Golf customers will also get a free ChargePoint membership, and will have access to the company's network of charging stations worldwide. The 2015 e-Golf goes on sale in the US later this year. Read more in the press release below. Synergies between F1 and Road Car Development: Efficiency equals performance In Formula 1 Racing, performance is everything.

VW joins Daimler's protest of new A/C refrigerant as EU deadline for compliance passes

The case of Dupont and Honeywell's refrigerant R-1234yf is doing the exact opposite of keeping things cool. The two chemical companies have spent years and hundreds of millions of dollars developing R-1234yf to replace R-134a, the new refrigerant shown to be 99.7-percent kinder to the environment than the one it is meant to succeed. Part of that development has been years of testing by governments, outside safety agencies and automakers to approve the chemical for use in cars. It passed the protocols necessary for the European Union to declare that new and significantly revised cars from 2013 onward needed to use R-1234yf, and mandated that every car as of 2017 must use it.
Enter Daimler AG. The automaker created a head-on collision test with a B-Class at their Sindelfingen test track that would lead to the pressurized refrigerant being sprayed on the engine. The result in 20 out of 20 test was that the refrigerant burst into flames as soon as it hit the hot engine, while Daimler says that R-134a does not catch fire in the same test. Another unexpected result of the R-1234yf test was the release of hydrogen flouride, a chemical far more deadly to humans than hydrogen cyanide, emitted in such amounts that it that turned the windshield white as it began to eat into the glass.
Said a Daimler engineer in a Reuters piece, "It was scarcely believable. The most complicated lab tests conducted using the most sensitive measuring instruments around found nothing and all we do is drive a car around a couple of times, open a tiny hole in the refrigerant line and the next thing you know the car is on fire." So Daimler said it wouldn't use the refrigerant, and it recalled the cars it had already shipped with R-1234yf.