GM vows to finish Volt with or without government aid
by Jeremy Korzeniewski on Dec 18th 2008 at 1:04PM 
Click above for a high-res gallery of the Chevrolet Volt
No matter what, America will get the Chevy Volt. On time. That is the battle cry over at General Motors these days, and it's being echoed once again on the pages of The Wall Street Journal. Still, there is reason to be skeptical as the Feds have yet to agree on a loan package for the struggling Detroit automakers. The General has just announced that it's stopping work on the plant in Flint, Michigan, where the Volt's 1.4L range-extender was to be built alongside the powerplants slated to go under the hood of the new Cruze compact. Regardless, says GM, nothing will stop the Volt project from moving forward, not even Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Engines can be imported from overseas.
Where will the money come from? That's a big question mark, but GM spokespeople suggest that whatever funds there are will be diverted to the Volt program. Some may question if this is a good idea, especially considering that the extended-range electric car isn't going to be a big money-maker for the beleaguered automaker. GM counters those claims by saying it has promised the green car to Americans eager to reduce their use of oil. In other words, it would be a PR disaster not seen since the crushing end of the EV1 if the Volt didn't make it as scheduled.
Gallery: 2011 Chevrolet Volt Live Reveal
[Source: Wall Street Journal]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
radler63 1:43PM (12/18/2008)
When will they ever know....
Boys (I guess there are no female CEO with the big three), the age of roaring mufflers is definitely over. Range extenders are a product like Hi-Fi equipment. Buy it on the market and forget it. Automotive industry may work this way:
- wheel including electric drive from Michelin, Continental or others
- cabin based on a couple of models from independent stamping experts like Magna
- chassis based on a couple of models from independent underbody & suspension experts like Magna Steyr
- range extender from TM4 or others (Fiat is now developing a two cylinder watch out for that development)
- you may do the tapestry work so it fits the seats you are also buying
- and yes you will assemble the whole thing and merchandise it via multi brand resellers
That's the affordable future if you want to avoid a monopolistic situation where Toyota incorporates all of you...
www.greenfleet.info
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mmstowes 1:44PM (12/18/2008)
"Says GM, nothing will stop the Volt project from moving forward, not even Chapter 11 bankruptcy."
A very telling statement...
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oollyoumn 1:46PM (12/18/2008)
By the end of 2010 there will be a number of full EVs in our market. The Volt won't be looking very green by then.
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kert 2:41PM (12/18/2008)
Not even bankruptcy ? Chrysler already stopped production...
Besides, as said above, multiple major companies are bringing EVs and PHEVs to market in that timeframe, even BYD plans to be on US market at the same time at price TO TIMES less than Volt ..
Too little, too late, GM.
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gorr 2:42PM (12/18/2008)
This car will never make it to the showroom or if it does will not sale more then 2 or 3 units each months. It's simply too costly and offer sub-par performance then a cavalier at 1/3 the cost, LOL. It's just a decision from high financial circle to try to erase hydrogen technology.
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Ron Fischer 3:34PM (12/18/2008)
Erase hydrogen technology? To the contrary, the only near term place for a fuel cell is as a range extender for an EREV. Automakers began by assuming they'd be able to build large (90kw), cheap ($200/kw), reliable (10+ year life) and (crucially) easily throttled fuel cells. None of those hopes have become reality, not to mention a bet that 'big oil' would supply 99.999% pure hydrogen gas. Putting delicate fuel cells behind a battery pack was the key enabler for the vehicles in GM's 'Project Driveway'.
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Rob 4:55PM (12/18/2008)
"VOLT" is a nice car, I actually drove one for about 20 minutes at Milford Proving Grounds HOWEVER it comes at a time in history where in my opinion; "it's to little, much to late, doesn't get the mileage consumers expect and the cost over runs thus far make the purchase price prohibitive without a huge tax incentive.
I hate the thought because there is no good senerio. Looking at it long term (next 25+ years) Bankruptsy may be the BEST OF THE EACH SIGNIFICANTLY BAD SENERIOS.
MIGHT EVEN WANT TO CONSIDER GIVING EACH AUTOWORKER $50,000.00 to $75,000.00 (based on years of service) PROVIDED THEY RETIRE NOW REGARDLESS OF "POINTS" ACCURED, FILE THE BANK REORGANIZATION, ABSOLVE THE DEBT AND EXISITING CONTRACTUAL STRUCTURES AND BEGIN AGAIN.
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Bill Max 5:29PM (12/18/2008)
What a commitment!!! Before they go bankrupt they will prove that they can make a same mistake twice: EV1 then Volt.
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Bill 5:32PM (12/18/2008)
As part of the bailout, taxpayers will get to assume all pension and healthcare liabilities to give domestic automakers a "level playing field" vis a vis foreign-owned assemblers.
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Snoopy 7:43PM (12/18/2008)
Maybe they should consider taking pre-orders. Heh. They'll be just like all of the new electric car companies whose vehicles are nearing production.
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TX CHL Instructor 8:54PM (12/18/2008)
http://plancksconstant.org/blog1/2008/12/post_20.html
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anon 10:03PM (12/18/2008)
I like EVs just like everybody else on this blog but I don't see why all the postings above are saying that Joe Q. Public is going to buy an EV and not buy a GM Volt.
Consider this:
Tesla: $100K
Lotus Elise: $50K
The Lotus has a Toyota 1.8L 4 cylinder engine that makes 189 HP and gets 21/27 MPG.
So:
Lifetime supply of gas (the car not me):
12,000 miles/year X 1/21 MPG X $4/Gal X 10 years = $22,857.14
Carbon offsets from Terrapass (http://www.terrapass.com/green-store/carbon-offsets/):
Average-sized car carbon offset one year: $71.40 X 10 years = $714.00
TA-DA!
Lotus Elise + lifetime supply of gas + carbon offsets = "green" sports car
And I still have almost $17K left over to give to Mercy Corp (http://www.mercycorps.org/)
Just imagine how much more money I'll be able to save on gas with a Chevy Volt.
Seriously what am I missing here? EVs are pretty cool but they're going to have to compete for my hard earned cash just like every other car out there.
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Torbjorn 11:34PM (12/18/2008)
Great post...made me laugh.
oollyoumn 10:23AM (12/19/2008)
Perhaps what you missed is that this thread was about the Volt. The Volt will not be out for 2 years, but a comparison to the Phoenix SUT may be appropriate, it should be out much sooner. They both cost about the same, but the Phoenix SUT has about 2 to 3 times the electric range.
Car maker's number are normally optimistic, GM's to the extreme, but given their projections, it is unlikely that I could drive a normal day without gas in a Volt. I should easily manage a day in a Phoenix SUT even though it is projected to be larger and much more versatile.
There are numerous other full EVs that are project to be out by the time the Volt hits the roads, most should be less expensive.
MIKE 12:01PM (12/19/2008)
Obviously GM still doesn't get it. standing on the brink of bankruptcy, they're still coming up with excuses to delay bringing the Volt to market. Stop with the B.S. that "were waiting to perfect it". you've been selling crap for years. Get it in the showrooms. I still think, when it hits the showrooms it will be offered with a gas engine.
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BRYAN 12:49PM (1/04/2009)
You people just aren't getting it. YES there will be other full EV's out at that time. But, who is creating them? Small companies without the proper dealer network and maintenance infrastructure to support their product. Look at Tesla. Great small company with great concepts. But they suffered in this economy. Can a better (similar) car be made than the Volt by 2010? YES! Can GM come out with a better Volt by 2010? YES! Can any company other than those that comprise the Big 3 organize a mass of mechanics and supporting infrastructure to handle the multitude of issues a new technology such as this one will bring? NO! All of you knocking the Big 3 because they can't match the technology of these start-ups/small companies and their concept vehicles need to look past your own up-turned noses and come to realize there is a much bigger picture to consider when mass producing technology like this.
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nmu 1:02PM (12/31/2008)
GM picked 40 miles as a target, being that's how far the average American commutes to work everyday. Also they picked that number so they can short cycle the batteries to extend their life past the 10 year warranty the car will come with. Unlike this phoenix company that some of you have fallen in love with. 3 year 36000 mile warranty.
Besides if the Glorious Phoenix ends up being just a turkey on fire nobody will really care. It was just amazing that they made anything. And when using Lithium Ion, fire is a very likely outcome. With all of Sony's engineering resources they couldn't control the battery temperature.
Good luck Phoenix. I'll buy the GM at least the odds of the car lasting longer than 4 years are greatly improved.
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