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.

Karl Stracke, who is the Vice President of global engineering at General Motors, as come out with a statement which if true, could alter the face of the hybrid sportscar. He was quoted as saying that the idea of a hybrid corvette was “interesting” and added ““You could keep a normal powertain configuration for a small amount of very excited car enthusiasts,” Stracke said. “And turn 80 to 90 percent of your sports-car portfolio to hybridization.”

Stracke made the comments whilst denying that GM was developing a mid-engined Corvette.

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.

According to the New York Times, GM has agreed to sell Saab to the small Dutch company, Spyker Cars.

Spyker, known for it’s high-end sports cars, will breathe new life into Saab, which otherwise, would probably ceased to exist.

GM Saab facilities, based in Sweden, had already initiated shutting down at the start of 2010. The sale to Spyker will stop the scuttling of the Saab infrastructure and see the facilities start producing Saab vehicles again.

If GM has its way, America’s infatuation with the pickup truck won’t necessarily have to come with nearly as much eco-guilt. GM is currently investing big, in ways to significantly improve fuel efficiency on their newer lines of trucks.

The focus of the investment, which is expected to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars, will be on improving the mileage of the full size GMC Sierra and Chevy Silverado (pictured above).

GM is coming at the improvements from all angles and going beyond typical engine adjustments with things like an upgraded grille that would include electronically adjusted openings that would boost aerodynamic efficiency while engine cooling is not required.

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.”

Today, General Motors released two interior photos to coincide with the Chevy Cruze’s unveiling at the Paris Motor Show this week. And can we just say that the interior looks swank? With tweed-like fabric covers and slick colored panels along with a slick, centrally-located LCD screen, the Cruze definitely trumps the Colbalt in design.

Chief designer Taewan Kim says that the new Cruze’s design is meant to be “bold, not evolutionary. We wanted to take a big step forward, making a strong design statement for Chevrolet products around the world.”

The Chevy Cruze, which is speculated to be taking the place of the Colbalt, will hit the European market in March of 2009, with U.S. production at the Lordstown, Ohio, plant, where the Cobalt is currently made, beginning in June 2010. So US buyers won’t be getting the Cruze until April 2010 as a 2011 model.

On 2011 Cruze’s official site, GM says, “Cruze boasts ample interior space, surprising cargo capacity and comfortable seating for five. With exacting safety standards and quality build, Cruze delivers on Chevy’s promise to offer a smartly designed compact at an exceptional value.”