Bob Lutz has staked a fair amount of his and GM's reputation on the Volt. Even though he has said since the beginning that the Volt needs battery technology that isn't ready for the mass market yet, he also said that the Volt would go on sale by the end of 2010.
Rick Wagoner, though, in a 50-minute Q&A session with journos and bloggers, said that the Volt launch date is "fluid." Citing, again, the lack of battery technology that the Volt would need, he said, "We continue to put massive resources into production as soon as possible. 2010 would be great, but (we) can't guarantee that at this time. We'll keep you posted regularly on our progress."
GM critics -- like the Toyota rep who called the Volt "vaporware" -- will take this as a sign that GM is waffling. GM supporters will say, correctly, that this doesn't mean the Volt won't come out in 2010 -- it simply isn't assured. We would love to see the Volt appear tomorrow. Short of that, we'd love to see GM get the batteries it needs to deliver the Volt on time.
[Source: Detroit News]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
MemphisNET @ Jan 3rd 2008 6:03PM
Take an extra year - Just get it right!
Marcus @ Jan 3rd 2008 6:05PM
I knew it. Toyota said there is no technology out there to make the Volt and have it last 10 years or more like a regular car.
I guess Toyota was right. Lithium Ion loses 20% of its charge every single year.
Comeon GM are you sabotauging hybrdis like you sabotauged Turbos in the 70's and diesels in the 80's so the market gives up on them?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium_ion_battery#Disadvantages
Carlos @ Jan 3rd 2008 6:21PM
We should all be asking WHY the battery tech is not here yet..
In 'Who Killed the Electric Car" theres a part of the film where the owner of an industrial battery company that provided the batteries for the EV1 said that GM brokered a deal in which SHELL oil would buy out this battery company and all of its patents relating to automotive applications.
Guess what SHELL did with it - nothing!
I am not surprised that battery tech is 'not here yet' - its becuase there are very powerful forces in play stifling the technology.
simianspeedster @ Jan 3rd 2008 7:29PM
Right. Of course. A juicy conspiracy! That's the most obvious answer. It has nothing to do with physics or supply and demand.
Also, the pharmaceutical industry is sitting on a cure for all forms of cancer, but they won't release it because it would hurt their profits.
-SimianSpeedster
alex @ Jan 3rd 2008 7:41PM
marcus you're an idiot. how did you think that wikipedia would be an authoritative source on battery technology that HASN'T BEEN DEVELOPED YET! even a psychic or tarrot card reader would be a more appropriate source to consult
John @ Jan 3rd 2008 8:01PM
So in your eyes the great Toyota has spoken so it must be the rule. Don't be stupid, we Americans usually know the ins & outs just as much as Japan does. Maybe you have not heard of the breakthrough A123systems has made with lithium batteries.
Matt @ Jan 4th 2008 1:33AM
Marcus isn't a biased, Toyota-loving dick at all.
whofan @ Jan 3rd 2008 6:08PM
GM needs to take their time and get it right the first time.
I`m sure now days GM recalls mistakes they`ve made in the past. They can`t do a Vega or Oldsmobile diesel now.
The volt I hope will be a great product for GM and the consumer. Lets not rush it.
Temple @ Jan 3rd 2008 6:09PM
Being that one of the technologies they are waiting for is the lithium-ion batteries (by A123) to be ready for mass-production, it might be better to just delay it until they are absolutely positive its reliable and safe.
Previously, the general issue with these Li-on batteries (that are much more advanced then the li-on in the laptops) but they have had issues with operating conditions (being that a car would be exposed to extreme hot as well as cold weather relative to the location). Beyond that they need to charge fast for hybrid usage as well as the important safety considerations.
For GM it might be better to spend the extra time to make sure these components are ready for mass-production instead of rushing them out the door due to marketing reasons. It may come back to bite them in the ass if things don't go right.
whofan @ Jan 3rd 2008 6:10PM
The world is flat because Toyota said so.
sw @ Jan 3rd 2008 9:48PM
Ummm.... not exactly. Toyota said that GM won't be able to get the car ready as the technology is prohibitive. This lends more credence to the fact that they might have been right, and I was leaning that way because it seems as if Toyota and Honda have done more research into batteries as is shown by their range of hybrid models. As far as the volt goes, it's vaporware up until the moment I can purchase one from a dealership, and I treated hybrid cars the same way till the Honda Insight.
Allan @ Jan 3rd 2008 6:10PM
I just have to wonder why a company puts so much stake in something like this when they still consistently say that the technology isn't ready.
I'd love to see something like this develop and evolve into a real production vehicle but it still just seems doubtful.
psarhjinian @ Jan 3rd 2008 10:08PM
To make it look like they're in the game. GM has to look like they're trying, even if they never release a mass-production product. If they sat on their hands and did nothing, they'd effectively hand the Green crown to Toyota. With environmentalism starting to become a real market force this is something GM cannot afford to do.
You could also say that the Volt is a variation on a decades-old GM marketing scheme: releasing flashy concepts while grinding out subpar production models. You can make a case for the Malibu being the trendbreaker, but GM--for years--had a bad habit of being an incredible tease (eg, worse than Mazda, who at least had the honesty to call their stuff "design studies") Up until the GMT900 dual-modes (which are very recent), GM has had a really weak hybrid lineup. The Volt is an attempt to make it look like they're doing something, when all they really had was the lame BAS "mild" hybrids to sell.
Either way, Toyota has had a point: some members of the press (and especially GM's marketing team and fanbase) talk up the Volt like you can already buy it when it's at least three to five years away. Toyota might have gone through one or more generations of Prius by that time.
mike @ Jan 3rd 2008 6:14PM
I thought the A123 batteries were already available?!?
Can't they bring back the EV1? Did they throw out the blueprints?, shouldn't they be AutoCad files these days?
Restart the EV1!
Level @ Jan 3rd 2008 6:17PM
The technology is out there, it just cost too much money to be cost efficient for the masses…at most I might see GM leasing the vehicles out just like the Saturn EV1 to a small group to test and get real world results….
Remember the Plasma/Flat screen TV’s were out 10 years ago but they used to cost 15 grand for a 42 inch, now days you can buy one for 1K….
zamafir @ Jan 3rd 2008 6:29PM
... yes but i also remember people clamoring to buy their EV1s outright regardless of the excessive cost.
I appriciate Wagoner's honesty, I just wish Lutz was as realistic from the onset.
Mal Fuller @ Jan 3rd 2008 6:25PM
It's hard to overcome the laws of physics.
RP @ Jan 3rd 2008 6:30PM
I think a lot of "early adopters" who buy electric cars are pro-environment, and wouldn't care if they had to replace the battery in 5 or 10 years.
By then, I'm sure costs will have dropped, and technology will have improved. Sell it as an upgrade -- now your car can go 80 miles/day instead of 40. Just like people upgrade their computer every 3-5 years. Just like batteries wear out in cameras and cell phones and laptops.
AES @ Jan 3rd 2008 6:39PM
I think the issues are more likely to be related to cost-efficient mass production rather than the technology actually being ready. Hell, even college students participating in GM's challengeX programs have made 40+ mile EVs out of SUVs!
Detractors are just FUD-mongers. Just let GM take the time to get everything right. If making a car - let alone an advanced technology car - from scratch were as easy as detractors make it out to be, the new Camaro would have debuted a month after the concept was shown.
Bling Bling Boy @ Jan 3rd 2008 6:44PM
Carlos ~ I couldn't agree more!
If "Big Oil" becomes obsolete, the world will
crash and BURN....(no pun intended...*giggle*)