GM: Volt on track, Voltec battery progressing well, next-gen will be better
There was one main message hammered home during a conference call on the Voltec plug-in hybrid propulsion system that GM held earlier today: even though the Chevy Volt is not yet finished, GM is getting the second and third generation Voltec systems ready. Sure, the GM representatives reassured us that the company is on track for a late-2010 launch of the Chevy Volt, all of the mentions of the Gen 2 and Gen 3 Voltec systems made it clear that GM is readying some surprises in their various battery labs and partner locations.
"We remain confident and committed to a November 2010 launch of the Chevy Volt."
A timetable for Gen 2 and beyond is not public at this time, but we do know that the Advanced Battery Coalition for Drivetrains (ABCD) at the University of Michigan is one partner in this project (and on Gen 3). In general, the goal for these generations will be to reduce cost, not necessarily to add range or reduce the size of the packs.Read more about GM's Volt battery update after the jump.
Gallery: 2011 Chevy Volt
The near-term schedule for the Volt program calls for actual prototypes (not the mules in the picture above) to be built this summer, and there will be a lot of them made. Announcements on consumer pricing and exactly how the battery's high price will be passed on to the end buyer will be unveiled when the Volt gets closer to market, but leasing or selling the battery are both still options. GM does have "a viable business proposition with the Volt," said Bob Kruse is the Executive Director for Global Hybrid, Electric Vehicle and Battery Engineering, but "this first-generation system is expensive." He added that government incentives (hello, $7,500?) will help make the first-generation vehicles an option for more people. As stated, next generation vehicles should be cheaper. GM's Denise Gray said that what happened to computers and electronics in the past few decades shows one likely way that technology in the Volt will get smaller and cheaper in the coming years.
As GM said last spring, the battery pack is designed to be part of the vehicle's structural rigidity. Andrew Farah, Volt Chief Engineer, told us that one of the first questions the Volt engineers needed to answer was whether to develop a battery around an existing vehicle or to develop a vehicle around an existing battery. The Volt team found that developing both together was the right balance. Start with the backbone of a traditional vehicle and go from there. "The trick to a great vehicle is balance," he said.
Using the battery as a structural device means that it's a tough device. In 35 mph crash tests involving the mules, the battery comes out pretty much without a scratch, GM said, and showed us the slides to prove it. There is a "very sophisticated system" in the vehicle, similar to the ground fault wiring in a house, that is meant to contain the energy inside the pack in the case of an accident.
click to enlarge
GM's January announcement that it would build the Volt's batteries in Michigan was part of a strategic choice to keep the "Volt Battery Value Chain," as they call it, streamlined and efficient. While the initial cells will be made by LG in Korea, Kruse said that moving the battery process in-house is intended to let GM control its own destiny. A big benefit is that subsequent battery and propulsion system generations will be able to be developed faster.
Kruse added that GM is still happy with what Voltec will be able to do once it's in the car and are "very bullish on the ability of the Volt technology to meet the needs of the mass market." While electric vehicles with ranges longer than 40 miles exist, "we've chosen to include the range extender" to eliminate range anxiety, he said. GM could have built a bigger battery, but those would weigh and cost more. "We balance the vehicle around these demographics," he said, referring to the 78 percent of Americans who drive less than 40 miles a day. Farah added that GM did not want to ask the customer to change their lifestyle. With the Volt, he said, people won't need to change any of their driving habits but they can still gain some independence from oil. This will be a car that can do what cars today can do, but with a 40-mile EV range. "Give them what they're used to," he said.
click to enlarge
Inside the Voltec's T-Pack battery are over 200 cells that are packed into modules and there are an unspecified number of modules in the T-Pack. While GM is still being quite secretive about what's in the pack, they will say that there is a long-term plan to use the technology developed for the Volt in many more vehicles. For example, the cells are reusable in a wide range of vehicles, the modules are reusable within a class of vehicles and the T-Packs are reusable within in a specific vehicle class. As for recycling the battery when it's reached the end of its life, the recyclability of the vehicle will be based on European recycling standards because they are stronger and GM is "only going to do this job once." Also, while GM is not worried about running out of lithium, Kruse noted that after the lithium has been used in a battery, it remains "highly reclaimable and recyclable."
Two other items that caught my ear:
- The Volt's 40 mile range that GM touts is based on Federal standard tests that assume a temperature of 20°C (68°F)
- Kruse said that battery swap plans for automobiles are "problematic" and GM thinks fast charging is a much better plan.
There, that ought to give readers something to discuss. The floor is yours.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
jpm 1:46AM (3/19/2009)
With the economy in fantastic shape and GM's Volt only being $40,000, they'll be flying right off the lot.
Reply
jake 2:08AM (3/19/2009)
Eh, they'll do fine. There's still plenty of vehicles today being sold and introduced that are over $40k. They have the $7.5k tax credit to help also. By the time their car comes out (2010) the economy is likely to be better again. They only plan to build 10k of them in the first year, which can be sold promptly at $40k assuming the end product is as promised (in general an $60k car can sell 15k a year in the normal economy, so assuming at least some recovery in 2010 the $40k Volt should be able to sell it's 10k stock without too much problem). They plan 60k the year after that. I think the targets are reasonable.
jpm 2:22AM (3/19/2009)
Oh we're just in a little recession eh? You really think we're going to bounce back to the levels of economic growth (read: unsustainable levels of spending and borrowing) during the last 10 years?
jpm 2:32AM (3/19/2009)
"The economy sucks" is an understatement. My guess is that it's going to be more like a PROLONGED rude awakening. This country is so full of excess, waste, greed, and stupidity that it's finally catching up to us.
Sir.Vix 2:06AM (3/19/2009)
#1....
I see lots of $40,000 cars on the road... in loaded pick-up trucks and SUV's. I see even more vehicles that are $33,500 on the road (the Volt's more realistic after-rebate price). People are used to spending that much on a car now-a-days...and when they calculate a $2000 a year fuel savings and low depreciation losses....it magically works! You're negative.
Reply
jpm 2:25AM (3/19/2009)
Yes I'm an negative.
How many of those cars were bought with credit? How many were bought with money people actually earned?
summazooma 6:54AM (3/19/2009)
If you're targeting the mainstream buyer, your statement/question about how many were bought outright vs. leased carries more weight. On the other hand, alpha buyers/early adopters tend to break general rules for segment demographics; It's about psychographic definitions with these buyers and they tend to both be so committed to the idea of buying a product that offers something they couldn't buy otherwise and have the wherewithall to do it without worrying about monthly payments as much as the mainstream customer.
With 10,000 units expected for the first year, I don't expect a problem. It's the 2nd & 3rd years, in particular, that could go either way. By the 3rd year, there'd better be more models to spread the cost of the base t-cell, preferably with models that bring more legitimate interest in a higher price point (like a luxury model, and, say, I think that's what they're going to do). Hopefully, by then, also, we should be rebounding a bit. If we're not, the question isn't whether or not the Volt is viable; The question is whether anything in the industry is (and I believe we're way too early to answer that).
So,.... I applaud them for taking a shot at the moon but shake my head at the timing, though I think they're not as much at risk as somebody launching Near Luxury cars & SUVs might be (the real finance hogs).
Sir.Vix 2:14AM (3/19/2009)
Oops! I mean $32,500, not $33,500.
Also...to say that "nobody will buy this car, the economy sucks" makes me wonder, How many cars $32,500 and up are sold per year even in our horribleterribleawfulpukeyeveryoneisgoingtodie economy? More than you think. Enough to make the car slowly but surely kick up sales momentum, it will be high volume, if not the first year, within the first 2-4 years
Reply
errrrrr 1:51PM (3/24/2009)
The craziest thing is you can buy a car that goes 4 times the distance for that price and you won't have virtually no maintenance except tire rotation. It's cheaper to add a plug at work or on the streets than having a semi-electric powered volt. In california you'd be using more than 40 miles. If you have a distance greater than 150miles or 75 miles one way then you don't need any EV. By 2010 there'll be other competitors. I'm more interested in the Miev sports air that looks way spiffy than the Volt.
Reply
BlackbirdHighway 7:14AM (3/19/2009)
Excellent news! Nobody should expect to hit a home run on the very first pitch. By the third generation GM should have the cost down considerably and have just about all the kinks worked out of the system and have a big winner. The first generation should be viewed only as an introduction to the technology, the next step beyond a concept car, not as a big money maker.
That was the issue with the EV1, it's purpose was to be the initial vanguard version of the electric car, not the pinnacle of development. That always takes a few generations, but you can't just skip these first steps and jump directly to the fully refined product.
Reply
Throwback 10:40AM (3/19/2009)
Regarding the comments about no one buying the Volt. In the worst economic climate in generations, there will be anywhere from 9 -11 million NEW cars sold this year, depending on whose numbers you believe. 2010 the economy will be better. Why? Because business growth is cyclical, people never thought we would get out of the depression either.
Reply
Anth 11:06AM (3/19/2009)
The biggest thing to bring prices down will be a battery that can take more cycles. Whether its LiFePO4 or what, I don't know. But if you figure that the Volt shell (car, gasoline engine/generator) is only around $12,500, paying twice for $15,000 is more than paying once for $20,000 battery that will last the entire 10 year/100,000 mile warranty. I'm thinking a 12kW LiFePO4 battery would probably be a bit smaller, safer, and get about 3,000 cycles to 80% (or about 110,000 miles).
Reply
mister nomer 12:16PM (3/19/2009)
Good news! The Volt is going to use a LiFePO4 battery.
"The GM CHEVROLET Volt is the first gas-electric hybrid vehicle to use these lithium battery materials. "
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium_iron_phosphate
Pretty freaking amazing when you consider LiFePO4 batteries were discovered only 13 years ago.
Anth 3:39PM (3/19/2009)
I guess I dropped the ball on that one then.
Gary 11:21AM (3/19/2009)
Here I am, an ignorant person comparing comparing the Volt to a Prius, but here goes:
The first few generations of the Prius weren't really big money makers, but once these become popular, they made more financial sense for both the manufacturer and customer. The same with the new technology in the Volt.
Reply
Andres 1:54PM (3/19/2009)
The Volt is not using Iron Phosphate, it is using LG's technology, not A123
http://fastlane.gmblogs.com/archives/2009/03/make_no_mistake_batteries_are_being_developed_in_the_us.html
Reply