VIDEO: See how prototype Chevy Volt bodies are built
Volt prototypes being built - Click above to watch the videos after the jump
Right now, the crew at General Motors pre-production operations center at the Warren Technical Center is in the midst of building 75 Chevy Volt IVER prototypes. IVER – integration vehicle engineering release – prototypes are the vehicles in the last stage prior to pilot builds. For these IVER builds, pretty much all of the production-intent parts and systems are in place and the intent of the build process is to evaluate how final assembly should come together. The cars are all built by hand, but the technicians and engineers are testing the build sequence as it will be done on the line to make sure everything actually goes together well. As always, the first stage of final assembly is the body shop and in this video you can see stampings that comprise a Volt assembled on jigs and then welded by hand and then the complete body being painted. GM will apparently be releasing a series of videos documenting the complete build process. Check out the first one after the jump.
[Source: General Motors]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Mike 6:21PM (7/30/2009)
They should make a discovery channel series that goes through the design to construction phases of the volt! manufacturing of automobiles is AMAzing
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yelrx8 8:07PM (7/30/2009)
This is the legacy chassis engineering knowledge where a new automotive OE like Tesla does not have, or will need to spend a lot of time/money to gain. Of course, this can be bypassed by buying someone else's chassis/vehicle platform.
GM is not lacking technical expertise, but rather is lacking the ability to convert all its technical expertise to increase its bottomline.
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Pierre 1:32PM (8/01/2009)
Ugh, why not have an automated system for the paint job? Having humans just spray it by hand will lead to an uneven finish. In this day and age, it is *very* possible to automate that.
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DasBoese 4:34PM (8/01/2009)
RTFA.
They're building prototypes while evaluating assembly order and methods, so everything is done by hand.
The actual production process will of course be automated.
By the way, you're mistaken about automated painting being inferior to the manual process. It's actually the other way round, hand-painting can achieve a far better finish because machines have nothing on human hand-eye coordination. It's an automated process because it's cheaper and quicker, not because it's better.