GM rebuts Carnegie Mellon Chevrolet Volt slight
by Jeremy Korzeniewski on Mar 4th 2009 at 6:57PM 
Click above for high-res image gallery of the 2011 Chevy Volt
Time to get out the popcorn and sit back for a good argument. Remember Carnegie Mellon's recent study on the merits of plug-in hybrids like the Chevy Volt? According to the University, a PHEV with a 3kWh battery pack would provide the best compromise between price, performance and environmental benefits by allowing for an electric-only range of around 7 miles. The Volt will use a 16kWh lithium ion battery pack and be able to travel 40 miles on electricity before its gas engine kicks in to keep the party moving. If General Motors' calculations are correct, nearly 80% of all American drivers could drive the Volt to work and back without ever using a drop of gasoline, recharging every night using off-peak electricity from the grid.
In response to CMU's report, Jon Lauckner, GM's Vice President Global Program Management, has published a post on GM's Fastlane Blog offering a few good reasons why CMU's data may be skewed. For starters, GM says the cost of its battery pack is quite a bit less than CMU is estimating. Plus, the Volt will be eligible for a $7,500 federal tax credit due to its high energy storage capacity that the study fails to recognize.
According to Lauckner, GM is not about to make the mistake of delaying the introduction of plug-in hybrid vehicles after missing the boat on conventional hybrids a few years back, and we agree that they should definitely move ahead with the car's introduction. The idea of offering smaller capacity packs for drivers who don't often drive 40 miles in a day, though, could have merit. We'll see how it all plays out in late 2010 when the Volt is scheduled to go on sale.
Gallery: 2011 Chevy Volt
[Source: GM Fastlane]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Sean 8:09PM (3/04/2009)
You know, while I don't doubt that their study is entirely correct, NO ONE would buy it on the merits of a 7 mile electric-only range.
Reply
Chris 7:18PM (3/04/2009)
One thing that has made me curious is that I'm under the impression that engines must be run to be kept in good shape and lubricated. So if you really do drive all electric, will the engine just start once a month anyway, or what's the deal? Does anyone know how GM is going to approach this issue?
Reply
Steven 7:46PM (3/04/2009)
Not only that, but you don't want 2,3,4 months worth of old gas sitting in your tank either. And how do you track oil changes, since car miles aren't even close to engine miles?
Not insurmountable issues, but these are questions that need to be addressed by the time the car is released.
Ken 8:06PM (3/04/2009)
Modern Gas seems pretty stable, I stored a car for 18month while in Iraq with only the battery disconnected and it started right up when I returned. I left very little gas in the tank when stored so I was able to gently drive to the nearest station about 7 miles away to top off.
As for oil changes, many newer cars look at a variety of factor when calculating engine oil change intervals on the onboard computers. The simplest solution would be to simply monitor engine operating hours like generators do.
Stump556 8:19PM (3/04/2009)
As for oil changes, the General already has the technology to "monitor" the oil as in an "Oil Life Monitor". I'm not sure how many of their vehicles use it, but I know for certain all the C6 Corvettes come with an oil life monitor in the on board computer display. I would assume most of the Caddy line probably has this too.
Reality-Check 9:02PM (3/04/2009)
Just to chime in on this...I remember hearing something similar to this while in my short stint of selling Chevrolets...Our product guy who shall remain nameless, told us about problems they were having with the Tahoe hybrid...being a 2 mode, it switches between all gas, all electric, and a mixture of both. He said the issue was, that when going from all electric to all gas, the engine wasn't primed with oil by the pump ahead of time, so essentially every time the switch was made it was the equivelent of doing a dry start with no oil in the car. Never did hear anything in regards to the merit of this or if it was ever fixed if it truly was an issue.
wolfman 11:11AM (3/06/2009)
As has been mentioned, GM uses an oil life monitor to determine when oil changes are needed. Customers will need to become familiar with using sta-bil if they rarely run the engine.
Reality Check, the guy commenting on the auto stop-start feature is clueless. While oil pressure does drop to zero during engine off periods, the oil doesn't instantly drain off all of the metal components in the engine. If you've ever run an engine, and taken the valve cover off immediately after doing so, you'll find a substantial quantity of oil "stuck" to the camshafts, rocker arms, lifters, etc. Warm starts are substantially less stressful on an engine than cold ones, where the oil has had the time to drain off to the pan.
pollen sniffer 7:18PM (3/04/2009)
40 miles and then you need gas? What a joke.
Reply
Torrent 10:10PM (3/04/2009)
If you want a better joke, look in the mirror.
wolfman 11:02AM (3/06/2009)
Call it a joke all you want. If you want a pure EV, then you're stuck with something to the tune of a 100 mile range - except the Tesla of course, but it's north of six figures, and you get to wait for an eternity to get one. The Volt will be a mass market car that MOST people will be able to afford, and will still be able to fill the duty as an only vehicle. I have a 100 mile round trip commute. I'll gladly cut my fuel consumption by approximately 80%, compared to the Impala that I now drive.
Dr. Nick 7:25PM (3/04/2009)
I don't think they're going to make it to 2010.
Reply
KeatMP 11:31PM (3/04/2009)
Thanks for the input.
David B. 7:36PM (3/04/2009)
Didn't GM say a while ago that they were already exploring a lower cost option for the volt which would have a smaller battery? That's also a good point you raise there Chris.
Reply
TigerMil 7:42PM (3/04/2009)
Hmmm, how much stimulus is CMU getting? Given GM's past record on marketing, R&D, CAR SALES, one has to question literally any and every decision GM makes.
Let's see..GM is so stupid they have to suck up 20-40 billion of taxpayer bailout yet they're saying CMU is wrong?
I have to go with CMU on this one....
Reply
500 2:17PM (3/05/2009)
When the report first came out, it made me wonder how much back door support Carnegie Mellon's endowment is getting from Toyota...
TigerMil 2:27PM (3/05/2009)
500---LOL! A fair comment! Where you stand depends on where you sit.
For CMU to diss General Bullmoose you gotta think GM isn't doing CMU's endowment any favors!!
Steven 8:02PM (3/04/2009)
If GM builds the Volt to run electrically for only 7 miles, then Toyota/Honda/etc. release their quasi-electric car to run for 20 miles, guess who sells more.
Then the comments come back: "GM, why doesn't the Volt have the electric range of the Japanese manufacturers?"
CMU is idiots.
Reply
Stump556 8:25PM (3/04/2009)
Completely agree, this was a stupid study. Best business decisions (as in what people actually buy and want) don't always coincide with these so called studies.
MajorGeek 8:07PM (3/04/2009)
Ill stick to working at home and my Hummer. Have a nice commute!
Reply
hakuta 8:43PM (3/04/2009)
2011 is the best chance of sell for Volt?
Reply