Maximum Bob says Volt is charging ahead
It didn't take long for Bob Lutz to respond to the Detroit News report that GM was backing off on the Volt. In a post yesterday on the GM Fastlane blog reiterated that General Motors is fully committed to developing the Volt into a production vehicle. They aren't ready to commit to a date, but they plan to keep the media in the loop about developments with technology briefings like the recent battery event. He did acknowledge that there are people who will refuse to believe that this is anything more than a publicity stunt until they can actually purchase a car, but they will keep working regardless. Read the rest of Lutz's response at the GM blog.
[Source: GM FastLane Blog]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
kert 1:29PM (3/25/2007)
one more time. why isnt the Volt a running prototype and when is it going to be ?
They had the powertrain and batteries working and ready to go in a four-seat EV1, in 1998 Series Hybrid configuration. Nine years later, why is Volt running on DC golf cart motor ?
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Tony Belding 2:14PM (3/25/2007)
The Volt is something GM threw together almost overnight in a desperate response to 1) high gasoline prices, 2) the "Who Killed" movie, 3) Toyota's announcement that they are going to make a PHEV, and 4) the Tesla Roadster. That's why the Volt can barely move under its own power, because a golf cart motor is what they were able to quickly grab off a shelf and shove into it.
The EV1 barely plays into this, since GM abandoned it some while back. Now they must scramble to re-learn everything they once knew about this subject.
The Chevy Volt isn't entirely a scam. I'm sure GM really want to produce it, they are sincere. You can become sincere very quickly when you have enough loaded guns in your face. However, it's really little more than a styling exercise combined with an announcement that they'd like to make a PHEV someday (but not call it a PHEV).
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Rick Lyon 1:19PM (3/26/2007)
K, is GM working on an electric car that the masses will be able to afford? I hardly see this car going for under $20k.
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Tim 5:42PM (3/26/2007)
Rick- I think I read somewhere that they are targeting $20-25K or about $5K more than a similar IC engine car. This is why they chose the Chevy brand.
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