Shocking! A123 employees did not drive the Volt!
Apparently the report in the Detroit Free Press that said that stated that employees at A123 Systems in Massachusetts got to drive a Chevy Volt prototype were completely erroneous. General Motors did bring the concept from the Detroit Auto Show, but that doesn't have a lithium ion battery pack in it. A GM employee drove the car at low speed and the employees got to take a close look at it but that's all.
The original concept only has enough power to move it around on the show floor and is by no means fully functional. According to an interview with A123 CTO Bart Riley conducted by Lyle Dennis from GM-Volt.com a month ago they did not yet have functional prototype packs yet for the E-Flex program. When I spoke to Cobasys Vice-President Scott Lindholm at an event in Ann Arbor around the same time he also confirmed that the partners were still evaluating whether to go with air or liquid cooling. In discussions with GM over the last several months they have repeatedly said the first real prototypes should be ready near the end of 2007.
[Source: GM-Volt.com]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Tim 10:29AM (7/18/2007)
If you’re interested in how GM will actually build the Volt then you have to see this Podtech tour of the GM's new Lansing Delta Township plant. Pretty cool stuff. http://www.podtech.net/home/3612/gms-lansing-delta-township-plant
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1985 Gripen 1:42PM (7/18/2007)
Then what was the Volt running on? The car isn't capable of running solely on its ICE "range extender". It's a pure EV. Are you telling me the prototype was equipped solely with an ICE that actually propelled the car, or are you saying that it didn't have a lithium battery pack, but some older technology like NiMH?
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Sam Abuelsamid 4:28PM (7/18/2007)
More like a golf cart motor and lead acid battery. useful for moving it around the auto show floor. Note that we never saw the full bodied model with the hood open, only the cutaway.
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mr friggles 6:50PM (7/18/2007)
It should be called the Vault because they are going to keep any serious competition to oil locked far, far away. Go take your crapmobile and shove up your well lubed azz GM.
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