General Motors has recently filed for a bizarre trademark in claiming the right to the term, “Range Anxiety.” Range anxiety, for those new to electric car discussions, is the term used to describe that some electric vehicle drivers might feel if they are low on battery power and not close to home or a charging station. It reflects the limited range of the electric car and is generally considered the primary negative aspect of owning an electric car.

Gm has applied for the rights to phrase in order to “promote public awareness of electric vehicle capabilities.” This seems unlikely however since GM has no current fully electric vehicles available, or even expected in the near future. What they do have is the Chevy Volt (image above) coming out this Fall with its range-extending engine.

So GM will be using fear-based marketing to scare potential Volt buyers away from pure electric competition like the Nissan Leaf.

We’re looking forward to the first Volt commercials where drivers are stranded on the road and eventually die of starvation thanks to range anxiety.

Some perspective Chevy Volt buyers got a little nervous last week after the vehicle line director, Tony Posawatz state that the Chevy Volt engine is calibrated to run on premium gasoline. Now that the furor has settled down some more accurate descriptions of the Chevy Volt engine is starting to emerge.

GM has just announced that the Chevy Volt battery will come with an 8-year / 100,000 mile warranty.

The announcement came today during a media briefing at a battery manufacturing facility in Michigan by GM Vice Chairman tom Stephens who went on to say that it has always been GM’s goal and intention to provide the Chevy Volt with a lithium-ion battery pack that would last for the entire life of the vehicle.

While GM refers to the Volt as an electric car, the California Air Resources Board looks at the range extending engine and considers the battery to be part of the its emission control system which means that it is mandated to have an eight-year warranty.

Other Chevy Volt battery pack details include the fact that 95% of its components were designed and built by GM, it weighs a hefty 400 lbs., and packs 110 kilowatts.

With GM set to begin selling the Chevy Volt later this year, there are undoubtedly tens of thousands of drivers ready to purchase one of these hotly anticipated electric cars. But wanting a Chevy Volt and getting a Chevy Volt are likely to be two very different things.

GM’s production plans for the Chevy Volt could be called conservative at best with only 10,000 Volts slated for production in 2011. Production is set to increase in 2012 up to 30,000 but even then demand is likely to be far from met unless the electric car is a total flop.

Currently GM has a list of potential buyers that is 53,000 names long. Despite the obvious interest and media attention, GM is playing it safe.

“We want to make sure, at the beginning, that everything is right, “GM spokesman Rob Peterson stated. Not only will GM be entering very different territory with the electric car, it also need to be sure that dealerships are properly prepared to service the Chevy Volt’s unique systems.

Not only is GM putting the brakes on the number of Volts it’s selling each year, it’s even restricting the places that it can be purchase with only six states seeing dealerships getting the Chevy Volt.

For over a decade now new GM vehicles have come with a one-year subscription to OnStar. When the free period ends, GM drivers are charged $199 per year if they want to keep the service going.

GM has just announced that Chevy Volt buyers will get an extended free period of OnStar use. While the time extension hasn’t been specified yet the details have been promised for later this summer when the Chevy Volt pricing is revealed.

GM has explained that the reason for the OnStar subscription extension is because the Volt is significantly more dependant on the system than previous GM vehicles including functions that allow owners with iPhones, Blackberries and Android phones to check and manage their Volt’s charging and climate control remotely.

Thinking about buying a Chevy Volt this year but don’t want to fork over the extra cash for the 240-volt home charger system? Well you can get one for free courtesy the US government if you’re among the first 4,400 Chevy Volt purchasers later this year.

Additionally, the Department of Energy is assisting in the installation of approximately 15,000 chargers for electric vehicles across the United States. A 240-volt charge station costs about $2,000.

For the DOE’s contribution it will get access to information on Volt driver usage that will help them to “understand what is required for widespread electric vehicle use.”

Harvard-Westlake middle school in L.A. will be getting a lesson in electric vehicles on November 30th, as GM will be doing a presentation on the inner workings of the 2011 Chevy Volt (pictured above).

The presentation, which will also be broadcast on the web, will examine the basic principles behind electric cars like the Volt, and how GM expects them to be the vehicle of the future. The presentation will be followed by a question and answer period which will hopefully involve an inquisitive student asking why GM dragged its feet on electric vehicles up until now.

The Chevy Volt will also be shown to the general public as it will be making an appearance at the Los Angeles Auto Show. In its press release GM stated that they wanted to do the presentation for the middle schoolers because, “Today’s middle schoolers are tomorrow’s leaders.”

In the last two years the number of potential vehicle purchasers who are considering making their next vehicle an electric car, has doubled. It seems that supply and demand will be keeping pace too as the number of electric car options available to buyers is gaining serious momentum over the next year or two.

The few electric vehicle manufactories currently out there, like Tesla Motors, will have to make room as the EV market broadens with the likes of the Chevy Volt and the Nissan Leaf (pictured above).

While doubling does sound impressive, it should be noted that those considering buying an electric vehicle in 2007 amounted to all of 2%, which has now risen to 5%. So 5% of the US market looking for a car is considering an EV. It’s not exactly a green revolution, but it’s a start.

Hopefully as prices continue to drop, range is extended, and companies like Better Place are able to establish an EV charging infrastructure, we might double that number again in a couple years.

A couple big announcements from GM CEO Fritz Henderson came out today.

The highlight of the press conference was the announcement that the 2011 Chevy Volt would be benefiting from a new methodology by the EPA to determine draft fuel economy for extended-range electric vehicles like the Chevy Volt. What’s the big deal about that? Well under this new methodology the Volt will have a fuel economy rating of 230 mpg! This rating makes the Chevy Volt the first car ever to score a triple digit fuel economy rating.

The EPA has been researching how cars are used in real world situations so as to come up with formulas that attempt to give consumers ratings that more accurately represent the kind of mileage they will actually get from their vehicles. We can expect new EPA stickers that have not only the composite number, but also a rating for mileage in charge sustaining mode as well as electric efficiency for the fully electric vehicle mode.

The other GM announcement wasn’t as ground breaking or Chevy Volt specific. It was the unveiling of the GM FastLane blog, which would be available to accept feedback on new GM designs directly from customers.

GM announced earlier this month that they were working on an arrangement with eBay. While details were scare then, it’s now come to light that yes, they may also be selling the Chevy Volt on eBay.

This makes for the distinct possibility that an auction may see the first few Volt’s sold at significantly higher cost. You know, because some people just have to have the best toys first.

How high will the bids go for the first Chevy Volt? It’ll be interesting to see.