General Motors August Corporate Responsibility Newsletter
WASTE REDUCTION
GM Opens Community Urban Garden in Southwest Detroit
General Motors recently unveiled Cadillac Urban Gardens on Merritt, a community project where 250 shipping crates from Orion Assembly – home of the Buick Verano and Chevrolet Sonic – are converted into raised garden beds. The once-abandoned southwest Detroit parking lot will now benefit nearby residents, providing them nutritious and locally grown food.
The GM Equation: Reduce + Reuse + Recycle = Save Money, Resources
General Motors embraces a green attitude to help save the planet, and that other green commodity: money. As a direct result of oil reuse, our GM Components Holding Facility in Grand Rapids, Mich., has embraced this philosophy, resulting in a savings of more than $2.5 million annually.
GM Fairfax Gets Kansas Pollution Prevention Award
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment awarded General Motors Fairfax Assembly & Stamping – home of the Chevrolet Malibu and Buick Lacrosse – with a 2012 Pollution Prevention Award, citing plant-wide efforts to reduce energy use and actively recycle waste.
GM’s Bradburn Participates on Global Sustainability Council
The U.S. branch of the Global Business Council for Sustainable Development recently held its spring meeting at Yale University and John Bradburn, GM’s waste reduction manager, spoke on the “Organizational Design for Success” panel. He sat down with BeyondNow to talk about the experience.
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
GM Adds 8.15 Megawatts of Solar Power in Germany
General Motors is moving closer to doubling its global solar output with the addition of an 8.15-megawatt solar array on the rooftop of the Opel Rüsselsheim facility in Germany. The array – one of the largest in Europe – is equivalent to the area of 32 soccer fields.
GREENER VEHICLES
GM Ventures Invests in NanoSteel
General Motors Ventures LLC has invested in The NanoSteel® Company, a leader in nano-structured steel materials design. GM Ventures, a General Motors subsidiary created to invest in promising automotive technologies, joined lead shareholders EnerTech Capital and Fairhaven Capital Partners and five existing investors to complete the Series C financing round. Terms of the GM Ventures investment were not disclosed.
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GM China Begins Prototype Battery Cell Fabrication
General Motors China is fabricating and testing prototype battery cells and complete systems at its Advanced Technical Center in Shanghai, enabling GM researchers and engineers to gain critical knowledge in the development of next-generation vehicle battery systems.
2013 Chevrolet Spark Maximizes the Mini Car Segment
The 2013 Chevrolet Spark mini car, Chevrolet’s first mini car for the U.S. and Canadian markets, is a sporty four-passenger, five-door hatch. It is designed to excite first-time buyers and city dwellers with its bold styling and colors, affordability, the safety of 10 standard air bags, fuel efficiency and maneuverability.
BeyondNow Myth Busting: Turbochargers
When combined with smaller engines, turbochargers can be tailored for power and efficiency. And they are one of the many ways GM is increasing the efficiency of its gasoline-powered vehicles. Put simply, turbos enable us to decrease engine size to increase efficiency. Because turbos provide a power boost, they can be used on smaller engines to achieve equal or in some cases more power than a larger non-turbocharged engine.
Chevrolet Volt Owners are the Most Satisfied Compact Car Drivers
According to a recent J.D. Power Survey, 2012 Chevy Volt drives are more satisfied with their new car than any other compact car buyer in the U.S. today. The study, which gathers owners’ feedback 90 days after purchase, is called the Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) study. The Volt received the maximum five-star rating for its Overall Performance and Design, Features and Instrument Panel, Style, Performance and Comfort.
SAFETY
GM Leads Industry Evaluation of Rear Impact Crash Dummy
General Motors, which has a long history of crash test dummy design, is leading research on the potential for global auto industry use of a new dummy that would help automakers and safety experts better understand how crash victims are hurt in rear impacts. The dummy, called BioRID, was designed by Chalmers University in Gothenburg, Sweden, for seat restraint assessment.
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Buttoning Up: OnStar Gets New Look in 2013 Models
With all the new features inside 2013 General Motors models, new OnStar buttons may not be the first thing drivers notice. However, the first OnStar redesign of what customers have seen in years will reflect more than just new logos.
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GM Connected Vehicle Development Enters Critical Phase
General Motors will help drive a critical phase of vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communications technology development by providing eight specially equipped vehicles for a year of real-world testing. The V2V-equipped Buick and Cadillac cars will be part of a larger fleet of passenger cars, commercial trucks and transit vehicles participating in the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Connected Vehicle Safety Pilot Model Deployment Program.
GM Safety Fellows Go Back to School to Study Crash Injuries
General Motors safety engineers are helping to advance crash test methods by getting out of the lab and into University of Michigan Hospital to witness surgeries and other medical procedures resulting from crash-related injuries. GM’s collaboration with the University of Michigan’s International Center of Automotive Medicine over the last decade has resulted in 25 GM safety personnel participating in ICAM’s Technical Fellowship for Engineers.
Bridge Testing Verifies New Cadillac Safety TechShanghai OnStar Launches Remote Ignition Block Service
New York’s famed Brooklyn Bridge provided a key testing ground for Cadillac’s new Driver Awareness and Driver Assist active safety technologies that include maintaining a safe following distance to other vehicles even in stop-and-go traffic. The Brooklyn Bridge’s intricate metal design and traffic volume allowed General Motors engineers to refine the radar sensors so they can tell the difference between stationary objects like guard rails and bridge structure from vehicle traffic.
PHILANTHROPY
GM Foundation Grants $50,000 to National Kidney Foundation
The GM Foundation today announced a $50,000 grant to the National Kidney Foundation for its continued efforts to prevent kidney disease and educate the public about risk factors and early detection.
GM Foundation Provides $5,000 Grant to MACD
With the help of GM Lansing Operations the General Motors Foundation will provide $5,000 to support the Michigan Association of Conservation Districts (MACD) within the Lansing community that focus on the care and management of Michigan's natural resources.
The General Motors Foundation Awards $75,000 to Local Non-Profits
The General Motors Foundation will provide $75,000 to support organizations within the Warren community that provide services and benefits for local families.
GM Foundation Donates $115,000 to 16 Flint-area Organizations
The General Motors Foundation today announced grants totaling $115,000 to support programs at 16 Flint-area nonprofits and organizations that serve children, adults and seniors.
