GM Chevy Volt

[vfx]

BBC - Ethical Man blog: Test driving an electric car in Motor City

Parts of that were tough to watch.

 

[dpeilow]

Contrary to reports, the second generation Chevy Volt is already under development

UK magazine AutoCar is claiming that the Chevy Volt and its European twins the Opel/Vauxhall Ampera will be one generation vehicles. After that the publication claims, the Voltec propulsion system will just be applied to other existing vehicles like the Astra. While Voltec will almost certainly be mainstreamed just as Toyota has done with its hybrid synergy drive, the Volt will apparently live on. GM spokesman David Darovitz tells ABG "there is about much truth to this as I am going to be in the next Superman movie. We're already working on Gen II." The Ampera may be a different situation however, as GM attempts to sell off controling interest in its European operations. That variant may fade away in the coming years.

 

[dpeilow]

Will General Motors Kill Its Electric Car? - Forbes.com

So that's what Jean-Luc Picard is doing these days.

 

[DDB]

Will General Motors Kill Its Electric Car? - Forbes.com

So that's what Jean-Luc Picard is doing these days.

ha ha. Really, the article focuses solely on the economic argument and not on those that purchase vehicles for other reasons. Have people forgot about the environment, oil independence, and/or latest gizmo in technology? Picard should be more open-minded.

 

[vfx]

This guy has been bashing EVs and Teslas for so long I went into this piece expecting the worst.

He ends up with Tesla's business plan. Hilarious!


DP, you need to take back that JLP reference. This guy is a tool. The captain is not. :frown::biggrin:

 

[mt2]

Will General Motors Kill Its Electric Car? - Forbes.com

So that's what Jean-Luc Picard is doing these days.

Holy crap! I agreed with him. I guess it's because he picks his "facts" to defend his argument, and this time it was to bash GM. An easy target.

 

[AnOutsider]

So he's basically saying it should've been the Converj. I pretty much agree.

 

[Serge]

Chargers for the Volt

GM shows off 120V and 240V chargers for 2011 Chevy Volt - Autoblog Green

GM engineering specialist Gery Kissel explained that the 120V unit (seen right) has two charge rates. The normal rate is 12 amps, but if this causes circuits to break or other problems in the house, there is a user-selectable 8 amp charge option. The 240V charger has a 16 amp output, which is just over what the Volt's 16 kWh battery is suited for.

So the maximum charge rate Volt's pack is capable of taking is just 3.8kW?

 

[dpeilow]

VIDEO: Quick Ride: Chevrolet Volt IVER prototype — Autoblog Green

 

[vfx]

Met a guy last night who works at JD Powers. As you can imagine, they are car guys with a great perspective of what people like and buy.

He said he thinks the Volt will be a disaster and that he is not the only one there that feels that way.

 

[DaveD]

He said he thinks the Volt will be a disaster and that he is not the only one there that feels that way.

What were his thoughts about Tesla?

 

[malcolm]

Any reasons given for the (apparent?) impending disaster? Admittedly GM aren't helping themselves with this 230 campaign, but where would they be without the Volt?

 

[vfx]

He did not elaborate on why they were not bullish on the Volt (cause I didn't ask) but I got the impression at least part of it was about price point.

As for the Tesla, he had the grin...

 

[dpeilow]

GM's Hybrid/EV engineering director Bob Kruse resigns — Autoblog Green

I wonder if the same doomsday crowd as last week will be all over the blogs...

 

[Brent]

Volt in NY Times

The NY Times has some nice things to say about a preproduction Volt.

Unlike many electrics, including the Tesla Roadster, the Volt’s electric drive has no whine. The car feels solid and planted on the road. Clicking the Sport button on the dashboard releases a bit more oomph than when in Normal mode; in terms of efficiency, there isn’t much difference between the two except at peak power.

 

[Arnold Panz]

Volt’s No. 1 Question: How’s Life After 40?

The NY Times gets the first test drive of the Volt prototype where the gas engine kicks in. An interesting review -- very favorable to the Volt, but clearly some kinks still need to be worked out. An interesting dig taken at the Roadster. Clearly, someone needs to come up with a better word than "whine" to describe the noise by the electric motor.

 

[vfx]

This writing smells fishy.

 

[Iz]

Not only fishy but the fact they continue to compare extended range to BEV is daunting.

Volt was featured on NBC's Today Show. The follow-up video after Volt discusses Roadster.

Today Show Video Player

 

[stopcrazypp]

Not only fishy but the fact they continue to compare extended range to BEV is daunting.

Volt was featured on NBC's Today Show. The follow-up video after Volt discusses Roadster.

Today Show Video Player

GM is deliberately doing that. They are focusing on "range anxiety" to hold back competitors like the Leaf. GM wants the benefits of both sides, they want to be called a legit "electric car" (for example the insistence that their car not be called a PHEV and inventing the term EREV), but they want to step on the pure BEVs that competitors are making.

For a company making a plug-in, they are the only ones focusing heavily on this point; even the hydrogen backers (Honda, Toyota) don't emphasize "range anxiety".

 

[doug]

Volt was featured on NBC's Today Show. The follow-up video after Volt discusses Roadster.

Today Show Video Player

I've seen that Tesla video before. I think it's from last spring.
In the Volt video, LeBeau mentions that the car's display indicates he's getting over 200 mpg, a number with little real meaning. I know it's been said before, but hopefully drivers can just get used to getting their power usage reported in Watts instead of MPG.

GM is deliberately doing that. They are focusing on "range anxiety" to hold back competitors like the Leaf. GM wants the benefits of both sides, they want to be called a legit "electric car" (for example the insistence that their car not be called a PHEV and inventing the term EREV), but they want to step on the pure BEVs that competitors are making.

True. Their reasoning is clear, though. It's likely an effective marketing strategy for the type of vehicle that have chosen to produce.