First Chevy Volt Integration Vehicle to be completed June 1st
General Motors is reportedly closing in on an important milestone in its development of the Chevy Volt. To date, GM has built over 30 mules based on the Chevy Cruze, which will share the Volt's Delta chassis underpinnings, but none of these cars look like Volts inside or out. Starting on the first day of June, that's all set to change as the first so-called Integration Vehicles are scheduled for assembly then. This means that there will be real Volts running around GM's testing grounds, albeit not in final form.
Andrew Farah, lead engineer for the Volt program, says, "my goal is by Fourth of July to be out driving several of them." A total of 80 Integration Vehicles are slated for production before the car enters the next stage of development, which will see more and more final production methods perfected. Assuming all goes according to plan, the first salable Volts are scheduled for assembly in November of 2010.
[Source: GM-Volt]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
paulwesterberg 3:50PM (3/25/2009)
So they are going to do a whole year of test drives before they start actual production?
The first production cars wont hit dealer lots and be available to everyday joes until spring 2011. That gives other car manufacturers 2 years to bring their plug-in electrics to market or simply add a plug and a bit more battery.
GM is too big to succeed.
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Julius 4:32PM (3/25/2009)
I doubt others are really that far along with an integrated series-hybrid vehicle like the Volt. And it's much better for GM to "get it right", than to inflict a buggy beta-version on the public.
Shamdiddly 8:54AM (3/26/2009)
And would would be first to complain if GM did a quicker release at the cost of quality. Echoes of "Just another shitty GM product" would flood the media.
GM has to get this right, and they are trying not to take chances and rush validation before bringing this to market. Before you reply, I already know you're going to complain GM can't get cars to market as fast as their competitors. So be it; they will still be first to market with a fully-functional plug-in hybrid, and not some Carnegie-Melon inspired 7 mile range vehicle.
RSR 9:52AM (3/26/2009)
This is a normal product development process. If companies can bring a completely new vehicle from scratch in 2 years with all engineering aspects tested, especially for something like this, my deep respect to them. Sure you can do it for very low volume, high priced, and untested programs. But then people will complain how GM cut corners for that. And even then, look at how much time Tesla took and how they eventually admitted the unforeseen challenges. And they even built that thing basically on an existing vehicle (Lotus).
Software design alone for these takes much time. I don't mean just writing codes. This type of integration between electrical drive and ICE control take a whole new challenge. Let's not even get into FMVSS, CARB's nightmarish OBD II regulations, and new safety back-up systems they have to think of and design.
My point is, do not underestimate the hard work the engineers are doing. If all is so easy, why haven't I seen one on the road yet? Remember that even until very recently, Toyota has been skeptical of this design.
RSR 9:52AM (3/26/2009)
"GM is too big to succeed" sounds too.... Toyota is bigger now. So they will fail, right?
Len_A 11:42AM (3/26/2009)
Toyota tried to speed up the product development cycle, and it cost them. Much of the engine sludge problem they had in cars from 1998 to 2006 was due to less prototype testing and more reliance on computer modeling to shorten the development time, something that Toyota vowed to back off from last year. Same with their sluggish automatic transmission shifting problem in Camry's and Avalon's - not enough real world prototype testing.
What GM is doing is exactly what RSR said: normal product development.
wolfman 8:14PM (3/27/2009)
I'm sure images of the exploding Oldsmobile 5.7L diesel are still well remembered. GM cannot afford another disaster of an all out technological milestone. If they screw this up, the company will be liquidated and sold for scrap.
Brian Hague 1:28AM (3/26/2009)
So... if they already have a developed Chevy volt in the Chevy Cruze, then why not release it in the Cruze?
I also question why they decided to develop a 40 mile battery when they could have done a 20 mile battery with the existing technology, then release the 40 mile battery this year... that would have given them three years of sales, and by now, right when they are ready to release the 40 mile version, everyone will want the new one that gives them twice the range.
The last point is: Why in the heck do they put steel wheels on a publicity photo car... it makes them look cheaper than an original beetle (and I'm talking quality). Next time put on the excellent looking alloys...
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alex 3:47AM (3/26/2009)
the reason they aren't using the cruze body is twofold. first, they want the "look at me, i'm green!" affect that the prius gives people. and second, the volt was designed to be extremely aerodynamic. the same powertrain/battery system in the cruze would offer less range than it will in the volt. also, keep in mind the cruze doesn't go into production in the US until 2010 anyway... so even if they decided to release a voltec version of the cruze you still wouldn't be seeing it for a year anyway.
why develop a 40 mile battery in stead of 20? probably to make a bigger splash. people would yawn at a 20 mile range and buy a prius instead.
as for the steel wheels, it's to make it look less production ready. i talked to an engineer about this once. he said that when testing a mule, it's important that it looks like a mule. if it looks like a finished product, people will assume it is a finished product and judge it as such ("those panel gaps are horrible! how come the interior trim is already falling off? etc) and wonder why it isn't coming to market for another year.
Yikes 10:47AM (3/26/2009)
You question why GM hasn't already released a 20mile Volt.
Why do that. Just look at the years of free publicity. Years of news releases. Week after week announcements for each minor development.
Why actually build the vehicle, this PR is worth a lot more than building $40,000 economy cars that people can't afford.
Ross 11:16AM (3/26/2009)
Does anyone remember the Ford Edsel. Ford took so long to get it to the showroom that, when they did. No one cared. GM is just wasting time to delay the release of the Volt. They're still betting hybrids are a passing fad. Once again they'll miss the boat. One last thought. How come Ford is already out with the Fusion hybrid!
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Len_A 1:44PM (3/26/2009)
It's normal product development, and Ford had started work on the Fusion hybrid around the time they brought out the first Escape hybrid. Product development, in the auto industry, takes a lot of time, and efforts to short the concept-to-production time line has resulted in quality and durability problems for all automakers.
Joe 11:55AM (3/26/2009)
Just goes to show you. GM will always be a day late and a dollar short.
elprogramer 12:00AM (3/31/2009)
Nobody cared about Edsel because they were ugly and competed with it's sister marquee Mercury (cheaper and better looking) in a recession.
General Motors has several hybrids that compare with the Fusion, and the Volt is an entirely new car designed from the ground up. We have been literally following it from inception, which is *very* long process.
If you're going to run your mouth, at least do it on subjects you know. Don't spread your ignorance.
Chris 5:28PM (3/26/2009)
"General Motors has several hybrids that compare with the Fusion"
elprogramer, please tell me you're not comparing the "barely a hybrid" Malibu (34MPG hybrid) or Saturn Aura (34MPG hybrid) to the Fusion (41MPG hybrid). That's not even close and the technology differences are MAJOR. I've got a hybrid Escape that does better than the Malibu and Aura and it's shaped like a brick and heavier.
Strapping a larger alternator on a car is as close to cheating (with respect to hybrids) as you can get and probably to GM little to no effort to integrate. The BAS system is a joke and their sales numbers prove it.
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