At Chevy's press conference at last week's LA Auto Show, outgoing Chevy manager Brent Dewar quickly flashed a slide across the screen revealing GM's intention to develop mobile phone applications for controlling and interacting with the Volt.

GM sources have told the charged-up folks at GM-Volt that there will be applications at least for the iPod and the Blackberry and we should expect them to be unveiled ahead of the Volt along with their potential functions.

For starters, the app will allow for control of when to charge the car. GM-Volt's Lyle Dennis also expects to see applications receiving signals from the car as well, indicating when charging is completed and if the driver forgot to plug it in at some time interval after arriving home. Read more of Lyle's account of what to expect over at GM-Volt.

What would you like to see in a Volt app?

[via GM-Volt]

This story's still developing, but if our sources are correct, it would blow the Toyota Prius out of the water. Heck, it'd blow every other vehicle currently on the market out of the water with the exception of the Tesla roadster — and that's no four-door mid-size sedan. So for GM this represents a huge marketing coup — the ability to claim the most fuel efficient vehicle in the world and a big blow to detractors who claim the big, sweaty 'merican manufacturer can't build quality products.

We'll have more out of GM's Warren Technical Center as the General holds their big product showcase event throughout the day.

Their new Energy Efficient Series, debuting in the 2011 Chevy Volt, promises to be 30% smaller, 40% lighter, and use 50% less energy than "conventional Bose sound systems."

Is this some grand achievement on Bose's part? Well, we don't really know. It's ridiculously easy (and cheap) to make low wattage audio systems—it's just a bit more difficult to make them sound great. Still, we're interesting to see a new industry emerge—one that may have car audio enthusiasts installing more efficient amplifiers and lower wattage speakers...well, at least if they want to untether their car from an outlet. [Bose]

Noticeable Differences Between Volt Hydrogen and Volt:

1. Volt Hydrogen features two hydrogen tanks near the rear of the vehicle.
2. Hydrogen still features a battery stack (we were told for electric-only option), but it's about 20% smaller than what you see in the Volt classic. (Specs say that it can go 40 miles on electric alone.)

Noticeable Similarities Between Volt Hydrogen and Volt:

1. That chassis looked identical—it's truly the Volt in hydrogen form.
2. It's called a Volt.

When can we expect to see it on the market? There's no official timeline out there, as GM is waiting for the hydrogen refueling infrastructure problems to be solved before launching a hydrogen car. In addition, GM isn't finalizing the design until they see how the Volt performs for the masses.

And as for that infrastructure problem, "we're working on a solution," a GM spokesperson said.

Like the Volt's unleaded offerings, the Opel E-Flex diesel engine is not a motor at all, but a backup power generator for the electricity-driven car. Let's just swap out that diesel engine for a nuclear reactor, and we're in business. Hit up Jalopnik for more photos. [jalopnik and carscoop]

If you want one, email Richard Lawson at richl[at]forpeople.co.uk. – Jason Chen

Richard Lawson's 9Vo(l)tive [Core77 via Random Good Stuff]