Last week, GM North America President Mark Reuss said sales of the Chevrolet Volt have been hurt by bad publicity.

“Bad publicity from the government’s investigation into fire risks of post-crash Volts is definitely a component” of the decline in sales, “Reuss said.

On Jan. 20, NHTSA closed its investigation into potential fire risk in the Volt’s battery pack, concluding that it doesn’t appear to outweigh the risk of fire in gasoline-powered cars.

Deliveries of the all-electric Nissan LEAF totaled 676 in January, less than the 954 LEAFs sold in December.

GM sold about 7,700 Chevrolet Volts in 2011, below GM’s target of 10,000, while Nissan sold 10,369 LEAFs since the December 2010 launch.

The technology is enabled as OnStar receives a signal from PJM Interconnection that shows the percentage of available renewable energy on the grid. Data from this forecast is downloaded to the OnStar cloud, or Advanced Telematics Operating Management System (ATOMS).

OnStar uses this signal to simultaneously manage the charging of many Volts and to match the renewable energy availability. A mobile app could also be used to alert customers when renewable energy is available.

OnStar and Google are working together to demonstrate the technology on the 17 Chevrolet Volts in Google’s “Gfleet” based at the company’s headquarters in Mountain View, Calif.

The demonstrations are taking place this week at the 2012 DistribuTECH Conference and Exhibition in San Antonio. DistribuTECH attendees can see live demos at Booth 1543. OnStar will also be demonstrating the company’s Demand Response and Time-of-Use Rate solutions.

PJM data shows that peak time for renewable energy generation from wind is generally between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. With this in mind, it would be possible for customers to use OnStar’s Smart Grid solutions to further reduce their carbon footprint and save money by charging during these off-peak times.

If the renewable energy service goes into production, customers interested in using it would simply need to sign up. OnStar would then regulate their charging using the renewable energy signal.

The renewable energy technology is the latest addition to OnStar’s suite of Smart Grid solutions. OnStar has also developed intelligent energy management technology solutions including:

- Demand response – This solution connects utilities to companies that have intelligent energy management products. These companies can use OnStar to manage energy use for Volt customers who opt in for the service. This future service allows the customer to save money on energy costs while enabling more efficient use of the electric grid.

- Time-of-Use (TOU) rates – OnStar can receive dynamic TOU pricing from utilities and notify Volt owners of the rate plan offers via email. Owners will be able to use OnStar to load the rate plans directly into their vehicle and access them to schedule charging during lower-rate periods.

- Charging data – OnStar also sends and receives EV data that helps utility providers without having to interface with the vehicle’s electric vehicle supply equipment. This includes location-based EV data that identifies charging locations and determines potential load scenarios.

NHTSA opened its Preliminary Evaluation on Nov. 25 following a severe-impact lab test on a Chevrolet Volt battery packs that resulted in an electrical fire six days later. The test was conducted to reproduce a coolant leak that occurred in a full-scale vehicle crash test last May that resulted in an electrical fire three weeks later.

Over the weekend, NHTSA issued statement saying that based on the available data, the agency does not believe that Chevrolet Volt or other electric vehicles pose a greater risk of fire than gasoline-powered vehicles.

”Generally all vehicles have some risk of fire in the event of a serious crash. However, electric vehicles have specific attributes that should be made clear to consumers, the emergency response community, and tow truck operators and storage facilities.”

NHTSA also stated that there haven’t been any real-world Volt crashes that have resulted in battery-related fires.

GM said that NHTSA’s decision to close the investigation and the resulting stance that plug-ins are safe, is consistent with the results of GM’s internal testing and assessment.

GM also said that the engineering enhancements that GM announced January 5, 2012 will provide additional protection for the battery minimizing the risk of a post-crash fire in the days and weeks after a severe crash and rollover.

The improvements came after a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) preliminary evaluation to examine post-severe crash battery performance.

NHTSA opened its Preliminary Evaluation on Nov. 25 following a severe-impact lab test on a battery pack that resulted in an electrical fire six days later. The test was conducted to reproduce a coolant leak that occurred in a full-scale vehicle crash test last May that resulted in an electrical fire three weeks later.

The Volt is a Top Safety Pick by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and has earned other safety awards from key third-party organizations.  Through the first 11 months of 2011, Volt owners accumulated nearly 20 million miles without an incident similar to the results in the NHTSA tests.

GM will conduct a Customer Satisfaction Program to further protect the Volt battery from the possibility of an electrical fire occurring days or weeks after a severe side crash. Modifications will:

- Strengthen an existing portion of the Volt’s vehicle safety structure to further protect the battery pack in a severe side collision.

- Add a sensor in the reservoir of the battery coolant system to monitor coolant levels.

- Add a tamper-resistant bracket to the top of the battery coolant reservoir to help prevent potential coolant overfill.

GM conducted four successful crash tests between Dec. 9 and 21 of Volts with the structural enhancement. The enhancement performed as intended. There was no intrusion into the battery pack and no coolant leakage in any of the tests.

Volt customers will be individually notified when the modifications are available for their vehicles. The enhancements are being incorporated into the Volt manufacturing process as production resumes this month.

GM sold 1,529 Chevrolet Volts in December, up over 1,139 units in November, 1,108 units in October, and a relatively big improvement over the 723 units delivered in September.

Sales of the Chevrolet Volt totaled 7,671 units in 2011. Currently, about 2,600 dealers are selling Volts.

Sales of the Nissan LEAF totaled 954 units in December, up from 672 units sold in November; with deliveries totaling 9,674 since the vehicle’s December 2010 U.S. debut. This is just 326 sales under the company’s 10,000-unit target for 2011.

GM sold 1,139 Chevrolet Volts in November, up over the 1,108 units in October, and a relatively big improvement over the 723 units delivered in September.

The electric Nissan Leaf reported 672 sales last month, down over the 849 sold in October and the 1,031 units it sold in September.

GM sales chief Don Johnson told reporters on a conference call that GM will not meet its sales goal of 10,000 Chevrolet Volts sales in 2011. The year-to-date total stands at 6,142.

By year’s end, the Volt will be for sale in all 50 states. Currently, about 2,600 dealers are selling Volts.

For the year, Nissan has sold 8,738 Leaf EVs. That’s some 2,500-plus units above the Volt’s year-to-date mark.

Ninety-three percent of respondents who own the Chevrolet Volt said they would definitely buy it again, making it the highest-rated car in the nationally representative survey. The Volt narrowly edged out the V8-powered Dodge Challenger and the Porsche 911, each with owner-satisfaction scores of 91 percent.

Though the Volt’s high score reflects the excitement surrounding GM’s new electric/gasoline drivetrain, it comes with a caveat. The model had been in showrooms for only a few months when Consumer Reports’ survey was conducted, and it remains to be seen if the score will hold up as the car rolls out to a wider audience and owners spend more time with their vehicles. Still, early adopters of a new technology tend to be among the most enthusiastic buyers.

Consumer Reports’ car owner-satisfaction survey was conducted prior to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announcement that it would conduct a safety investigation into plug-in hybrid sedans following an incident with a Chevrolet Volt catching fire after being crash tested.

“These models reflect a larger trend we’ve seen in recent years: Sporty cars and fuel efficient cars with alternative drivetrains tend to generate more enthusiasm and loyalty than most other types of vehicles,” said Rik Paul, Consumer Reports automotive editor.

For each of  the 27 models that got Consumer Reports top owner-satisfaction rating—at least 80 percent of  respondents said they’d definitely buy the car again—12 were sporty cars or convertibles and nine were hybrids or diesels.

Brand nationality doesn’t seem to be a factor among the top-rated models. The 27 models with the highest rating include 10 American, 10 European, and seven Asian models. Audi, Chevrolet, and Ford were tied with four models each on the top list.

Consumer Reports owner-satisfaction survey, which drew responses from more than 314,000 subscribers on 2009 through 2012 model-year vehicles, is based on the results from Consumer Reports Annual Auto Survey, conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center.

Scores are based on the percentage of respondents who answered “definitely yes” to the following question: “Considering all factors (price, reliability, comfort, enjoyment, etc.), would you get this car if you had it to do all over again?”

Other fuel-efficient models that earned Consumer Reports top ratings include a number of  hybrids, such as the Ford Fusion Hybrid, Lincoln MKZ Hybrid, Lexus CT 200h and  RX 450h, and Toyota Prius, as well as diesel versions of the BMW X5 xDrive and  Volkswagen Golf and Jetta SportWagen.

Sporty models that did well include the supercharged Audi S4, Audi A5 and S5, Chevrolet Camaro and Corvette, Ford Mustang GT, Mazda MX-5 Miata, and Mini Cooper Convertible.

The appeal of power also extends into mainstream models, as owners of turbocharged versions are often more satisfied than owners of conventional versions of the same car. Although the Ford Flex and Hyundai Sonata, for example, are generally well liked, only their turbocharged versions earned Consumer Reports’ top owner-satisfaction scores.

Small cars, lower-priced small and midsized SUVs, minivans, and compact pickup trucks tended to score much lower as a group.

This year, only three models received Consumer Reports lowest rating, which means that fewer than half of the respondents said they would definitely buy the car again. They are the Chevrolet Aveo (37%), all-wheel-drive Toyota Matrix (43%), and Chevrolet Colorado pickup (47%).

GM said any Volt owner who had safety concerns would be offered a different GM car as a loaner vehicle.

“A vehicle loan program of this nature is well beyond the norm for a preliminary investigation, and it underlines our commitment to the vehicle and its owners,” said Mark Reuss, president, GM North America.  “These steps are the right ones to take regardless of any immediate impact on our operations.”

“The Volt is a five-star safety car.  Even though no customer has experienced in the real world what was identified in this latest testing of post-crash situations, we’re taking critical steps to ensure customer satisfaction and safety,” he said.

The initiatives follow six months of research and testing in the United States with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration designed to induce electric vehicle battery failure after severe crash situations.

The agency advised GM on Friday that it would open a preliminary evaluation of Volt battery assemblies after NHTSA test results caused electrical fires up to three weeks after an initial vehicle New Car Assessment Program side pole crash test.

Mary Barra, senior vice president, Global Product Development, said GM had established a senior engineering team to develop changes to eliminate concern of potential post-crash electrical fires and work with industry to ensure appropriate electric vehicle protocols were in place. Barra said such electrical fires had not occurred on public roads and NHTSA was not investigating any such potential imminent failure on the roads.

“GM and the agency’s focus and research continue to be on the performance, handling, storage and disposal of batteries after a crash or other significant event,” she said.

“We’re working with NHTSA so we all have an understanding about these risks and how they can be avoided in the future.  This isn’t just a Volt issue.  We’re already leading a joint electric vehicle activity with Society of Automotive Engineers and other automotive companies to address new issues, such as this protocol of depowering batteries after a severe crash.”

Barra said the team would continue to work closely with NHTSA, suppliers, dealers and manufacturing teams to initiate any necessary changes as soon as possible.

The Volt achieved a five-star NCAP overall vehicle score for safety by the NHTSA and is a Top Safety Pick by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

So far, no fires have been reported in Volts involved in roadway crashes, NHTSA said. More than 5,000 of the vehicles have been sold this year through October.

One Volt battery pack that was being closely monitored following a government crash test caught fire Thursday, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in a statement. Another recently crash-tested battery emitted smoke and sparks, the statement said.

The NHTSA replicated side impact tests on three Volts on Nov. 16, 17 and 18. The tests were similar to one NHTSA conducted last May. In that incident, the Volt’s batteries caught fire three weeks after the crash test. No one had drained the battery pack after the crash test.

Of last week’s tests, the first on Nov. 16 did not result in a fire. But a battery test on Nov. 17 initially experienced a temporary temperature increase, and a week later the battery pack caught fire. Another battery tested on Nov. 18, which was rotated 180 degrees within hours after the test, began to smoke and emit sparks shortly after the rotation.

After the first battery fire, GM officials complained that NHTSA did not drain the battery of energy as called for under the automaker’s crash procedures. NHTSA normally drains fuel from gasoline-powered cars after crash tests, they said.

So far, no fires have been reported in Volts involved in roadway crashes, NHTSA said. More than 5,000 of the vehicles have been sold this year through October.

NHTSA said on Friday it believes that electric vehicles have incredible potential to save people money at the pump, help protect the environment, create jobs and strengthen national security by reducing dependence on oil.

Nevertheless, it is working with manufacturers to ensure they have appropriate post-crash protocols and to help inform emergency services of the potential for post-crash fires in electric vehicles.

Chinese buyers will have to pay nearly double the amount as an American for a Chevrolet Volt. The Volt will be priced at RMB 498,000 ($75,533). In the U.S., the Volt is sold for $39,995 without a $7,500 federal tax incentive.

Volt buyers in China will be eligible to join the V+ Club. By calling a bilingual 24-hour hotline, members will receive one-on-one service. In addition, they will be invited to participate in a series of member activities that match their eco-friendly lifestyles.

The announcement was made Monday as part of General Motors’ participation in Auto Guangzhou 2011.

Two of GM’s joint ventures, Shanghai GM and SAIC-GM-Wuling, are displaying more than 30 vehicles from the Buick, Chevrolet, Cadillac and Baojun brands.

GM plans to introduce more electric models to the Chinese market where the company has a plan to double sales volume by 2015.