GM wants its leadership back -- if not in sales, then in technology, and the Volt is going to do it. The General has put the car into the official production pipeline. Typically a 36-month process for GM, the car could go on sale as early as 2010, though no production date has been set.
The Volt has been chosen to ride on the next generation Delta platform, which will also carry the next Cobalt or Astra. GM has set aside the funds, and started engineering a car that will be tailored for international markets. Bob Lutz has said the development of the car would cost at least $500 million dollars, which includes a plug-in gasoline version and a fuel cell version. The gasoline model would be a "series hybrid," in which a gas engine charges a battery pack that in turn powers electric motors at the wheels. The car could then run as long as there's gas in the tank, yet could also be plugged in overnight to recharge the battery. Charged up, the battery by itself would be good for 40 miles. Fuel cell Volts, too expensive for volume production, would be sold mostly in China. European versions of the Volt could get diesel engines, and a South American Volt could get an ethanol-powered car.
Though a world car, GM wants to build the Volt in the US. The leading option right now is the assembly plant in Lordstown, Ohio. However, the key to all of this, says Lutz, is suppliers to come through with a reliable lithium ion battery. If that's done, the company is even willing to initially lose money on the car in order to get it produced and sold. The Volt is expected to be a low volume vehicle and not a big money maker, but it could battle the Prius and burnish restore GM's green credentials.
[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd, AutoblogGreen]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Andrew @ May 7th 2007 6:59AM
Charged up, the battery by itself would be good for 40 miles.
Does that seem like a short distance to anyone else?
Avinash machado @ May 7th 2007 7:29AM
I agree Andrew. I think 200 miles should be a reasonable distance. 40 miles is quite short.
sk @ May 7th 2007 7:31AM
40 Miles is enough for most commuters. My drive to work is 12 miles. Now all I need in addition to the Volt is a solar powered garage roof to charge the car back up. Goodbye Oil Companies.
Will @ May 7th 2007 7:33AM
@1,
I don't think so. Maybe for people with long commutes, but I see this car being pretty popular for people in my position, with a 5 mile commute. I work, and play, within 10 miles from my home, and if I wanted a longer run, the car will be more than capable of that, too.
I feel that this is a good first step toward the widely adopted, high-volume production electric vehicle. Hopefully, the costs associated with the new technology don't keep this car out of the hands of early adopters, because this is definately a way to get American engineering and manufacturing prowess back on the map.
Nick @ May 7th 2007 7:34AM
Considering a Prius is only capable of traveling 1 mile (yes, ONE) at 34 mph solely on battery power, I think 40 miles is pretty damn good.
8189720 @ May 7th 2007 7:38AM
Forty miles doesn't seem like a whole lot, but my Camry Hybrid can't even do half that soley on battery power. Besides, my drive to work is less than that round trip, so while it could be better, it's still better than anything that's out there today on the dealer's lots.
I know I'd get one. Oh, and if they could make solar panels on the roof then it may help with the recharging of the battery and perhaps go even longer. Perhaps. Just a thought.
Puffy C @ May 7th 2007 8:34AM
Man, I'd love to buy one of those. I rarely drive more than 40 miles in a day so with any luck I would hardly ever use the gasoline engine. And what would it be worth to give all those oil producers the bird? Priceless.
Icon149 @ May 7th 2007 8:55AM
1 and 2, You guys have been reading to much Tesla Roadster press releases. I can't afford a 100,000$ car, so i'll take 40 miles (more than enough for the daily commute and errands) and the ability to drive 1000 miles on a cross country trip. try that in a tesla. trying to stretch the range would require more expensive and larger batteries (read heavier) reducing driveability. GM give me a reasonably affordable plug in option, I'll pay a premium, but as a working man, can only afford so much. make it a decently fun car. to much focus on "green" and stretching milage, will aleinate those of us who still wanna bit of a thrill while cutting CO2 and dependance on oil.
40 miles is more then enough. as battery technology evolves, the cars range will increase, not to mention simultanous weight reduction.
Anyone with more than a 20 or 30 miles one way commute should be looking at diesels not hybrids or electrics. not to mention, to much range without burning gas, could cause the gas to turn to vanish in the gas tank! imagine the problems people will have 40 miles from home, and a gas tank full of varnish and plugged injectors!
Tony Belding @ May 7th 2007 8:56AM
The reason it will go only 40 miles on battery power is because it's also lugging around a whole gasoline engine, generator, fuel tank, exhaust system, and so forth. If you ripped all that out and replaced it with more batteries and tweaked the aerodynamics, it could have a 200 mile highway range on batteries.
However. . . It would then become more expensive (try pricing half a ton of laptop batteries!), and you wouldn't have an option to take long road trips without recharging, and you'd basically have a Tesla Whitestar -- which should also be on the market by then. It'll be interesting to see which approach proves more successful.
I have really mixed feelings about the Volt. I strongly dislike the styling, which seems both ugly and non-aerodynamic. It annoys me that GM insist on calling it an "electric car" even though it's a PHEV, and they certainly should know the difference. It annoys me that GM chose a design which flogs the batteries very hard instead of making an EV that could work with today's battery technology, as Tesla are doing. It annoys me that you'll have to lug around -- and maintain -- an internal combustion engine, even though you probably won't even be using it the great majority of the time.
To be fair, a 200-mile BEV would be lugging around a lot of expensive batteries that it wouldn't even be using the great majority of the time, so I wonder which is really better?
The Volt is not an elegant solution. However. . . Even if it isn't the car I would have designed, I give GM credit for going where many of there competitors don't have the vision to go. You don't see Ford, DaimlerChrysler, VW or even Honda doing this. (Toyota have said they are going to make a PHEV, they announced it before the Volt, but nothing else is known about it.)
Rick @ May 24th 2007 12:28PM
I disagree with your assessment that the design is not elegant. The battery pack size is a reasonable compromise for a vast majority of commuters and the ICE engine is the necessary insurance to allow the car to be driven anywhere in our current gasoline dominated environment.
The key to the design is the e-flex platform that the car is built on. The gasoline engine can easily be replaced by other power sources as our energy supply changes. For example if we move towards a hydrogen economy (the new technology at Purdue University may make this possible) the gasoline engine gets replaced by a fuel cell stack or as GM has indicated an efficient diesel (running biodiesel) can replace the gasoline engine or just use E85 when you fill up the gasoline engine - that is flexibility. From the point of view of a practical, marketable vehicle this is absolutely an elegant design. Kudos to the GM engineers!
I do agree with you on the styling - the low slung look while interesting does not look very practical. Make it aerodynamic and practical for four adults.
I am ready to buy one now - get going GM.
Icon149 @ May 7th 2007 8:56AM
And another thing, the aftermarket would be a perfect place for roof mounted solar panels... park your car at work in the sun, drive home on Electric! The new Tuners! solar panels on your boy racer spoiler (for added surface area, not downforce!)
Mike @ May 7th 2007 9:11AM
Ummmm, what is all this "only 40 miles" talk?
He said 40 miles on batteries alone. The gas engine will charge the LiIon's after that.
What's the deal? Why is everyone so critical of electric cars? Have you seen gas prices?! Christ. You people look for reasons to bitch...1.49 gas is gone forever and 300 HP, 13 MPG cars aren't practical anymore. Deal with it. Grow up. Start looking at alternatives, and this car is a good one.
cyclopticgaze @ May 7th 2007 9:37AM
The key is low expectations and GM has that part down. I mean, if you only think you'll sell 2010 of them, then you'll probably be pleasantly surplised.
White Goodman @ May 7th 2007 9:51AM
I happen to like the styling... almost a mini-Camaro from my perspective. I will gladly trade a couple points from the Cd if it means not looking retarded.
Any idea on whether it is front or rear wheel drive? If it is RWD, decent handling, looks like a Camaro, and gets 50+ mpg.... I will need to buy lots of GM stock because it will fly off the lots, even if they price it higher than the Prius or Insight.
An even bigger blow to Toyonda would be if GM could somehow bring it out ahead of schedule before the Asians develop their own direct competitor.
Chris @ May 7th 2007 10:02AM
The Volt does have a backup gasoline engine to power the car when the batteries start runnning low, which supposedly gives you about a 640 mile range. Hopefully, that would be enough for the daily commute!
My question is, how much will the Volt sell for and how serious Lutz is about selling it. We've all heard this B.S. before from GM and other American automakers... perhaps the will to survive will finally compel them to start producing cars like the Volt.
Richard Warren @ May 7th 2007 10:03AM
40 miles is pretty good if you don't do the long distance commute. Go GM.
bfg0 @ May 7th 2007 10:15AM
I'd buy it. An ABC/Time/Wash Post poll from 2005 indicates the average commute is 16 miles each way in the US, for a total of 32 miles per day. What, you thought that a 40 mile range for the Volt was a coincidence? The Toyota hybrids can't run on electric power alone at freeway speeds like the Volt is intended to.
I do 12 miles each way, 10 of which is highway cruising. Since I could easily charge up at work, I would basically never, ever need to get gas, except for the occasional long trip. Yes, a pure electric would do just fine for me, but I'd rather buy a car from GM than from a wee little company like Tesla.
Peter @ May 7th 2007 10:35AM
The Volt is a joke; vaporware at most. Where's the motor? Where are the batteries? They're concepts on paper at this point. Until the car becomes more tangible, there's little point in arguing mileage and emissions.
sean s @ May 7th 2007 11:00AM
I am glad to see this is coming, but I don't get the Prius comparisons. There is a MAJOR difference between the Toyota hybrids and the Volt, THE TOYOTAS EXIST!!!
These claims of 40 miles on battery are great, but there is no engineering yet to back it up. I could draw a pretty car on a napkin and say it goes 2000 miles on wheat germ, but it means nothing until you can prove it.
Toyota will continue to be the leader in hybrids for the near future because they are the ones with the most R&D, not to mention real world experience. That said I sure am glad other companies are starting to do something.
One last rant: What is with the plan that, "The Volt is expected to be a low volume vehicle and not a big money maker." Come on, the Prius is a mass market car designed for the everyday driver not just the green fringe. By 2010 it will be running on LiIon batteries as well and be even more popular.
Peter @ May 7th 2007 11:04AM
40 miles is great. I would be happy with 20 miles if that helps keep the cost down. I don't get the whiners. This is a HYBRID. Current hybrids maybe do ONE mile at low speed before the engine kicks in. This is 40 times better!
Going more than 40 miles is a waste on a hybrid. Every mile costs you in expensive batteries.
I am more concerned about how well they can do on mileage when doing longer trips.
One potential problem I see here is gas needing stabilizer with each tank since some folks may go months without running the engine.