GM-Volt: Chevy Volt Concept Site
Enthusiasts forum and informational site for the General Motors(GM) Chevrolet Volt Concept Electric Car |
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Articles from GM-Volt: Chevy Volt Concept Site |
GM Saturn VUE Likely First Plug-in Vehicle by Major Automaker: 2009…ish
2007-09-14 09:24:18
A report was just published in the Detroit Press discussing an interview with Jill Lajdziak who is the Saturn brand general manager for GM, in which she indicated that the Saturn VUE plugin-in is set to arrive “2009ish”.
We know already that the Saturn VUE Greenline or hybrid arrived at dealerships in April of this year. This first version is a mild hybrid which uses a system known as the belt-alternator-starter or BAS, is highly affordable, uses engine stop/start technology and results in 20% fuel efficiency increase.
The next VUE Hybrid is set to debut in 2008, and will use the two-mode hybrid system. I have previously described this technology in detail when I test-drove the upcoming Chevy Tahoe/GMC Yukon two-mode hybrids (previous post).
This system has two electric motors, one for low speed and one for highway speed driving, plus a complicated CPU to determine which function is best. This car will get 45% efficiency improvements over the current non-hybrid model.
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GM-Volt.com Interview With Tony Posawatz
2007-09-13 07:39:40
Tony Posawatz, VLD E-Flex
I just had the opportunity along with a few other bloggers to discuss the E-Flex program including the Chevy Volt and Opel Flextreme vehicles with Mr. Tony Posawatz. Tony is the Vehicle Line Director for E-Flex vehicles for GM. In this position, he is a man “in the know” when it comes to the current status of the Chevy Volt. An audio podcast of our exchange follows the post. Below are some edited highlights of our discussion, I added in what you see in parenthesis in that Tony was referring to those words but did not himself say them:
GMV: What type of electric engine will appear in the Chevy Volt, A/C Induction or D/C?
TP: D/C
—>[UPDATE: He actually said A/C] ...
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Bob Lutz Discusses Cost of Producing the Chevy Volt
2007-09-12 07:38:35
In an interview on Sept 10th, published by Reuters, taking place on the sidelines of the Frankfurt auto show, Bob Lutz, GMs vice-chairman discussed some cost issues related to the Volt.
He indicated the Volt may actually lose money for GM.
“This is a venture into the unknown,” Lutz said. “I think we are fully resigned to the fact that the first generation of the Volt may not make a lot of money for us. In fact it may lose money … We just don’t know yet.”
He reiterated the fact that even GM itself doesnt know how much the battery pack will cost them.
“We have a pretty good handle on what the vehicle portion is going to cost,” Lutz said. “What we don’t know is the cost of batteries.”
The report also notes “Lutz has said GM is exploring options that would allow consumers to lease the battery when buying the vehicle in order to bring down the sticker price.”
So, even from the top, aside from technical issues, i ...
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GM Building New Design Center For Upcoming E-Flex Fleet
2007-09-11 10:05:41
Ed Welburn, GM chief designer
As per a Wall Street Journal report, GM is converting an old auditorium in Warren, MI into a design center specifically to be used for designing the Volt and the future E-Flex fleet.
If you are not convinced about GMs dedication to the Volt so far, this is another proof to my eye.
Bob Lutz indicated that GM is indeed planning to proliferate the E-Flex concept accross a wide range of brands.
As per GM chief designer Ed Welburn, the E-Flex design team already consists of 24 members who are already working together, and will use this new space to “accelerate their work”.
Mr. Welburn is quoted as saying, “This is a very fast-moving project, and to get it done, you need a dedicated team.”
Specifically, the team is “fine-tuning the exterior design of the Volt and working on an interior for the car”, and is working on “future projects beyond the Volt”.
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Design
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GM to Let Selected Outsiders Drive Volt Prototypes Next Year
2007-09-11 09:46:39
Today the Detroit Press published a new interview with Bob Lutz, GMs vice-chairman, taking place at a dinner meeting in Frankfurt. Lutz re-iterated that the first test drives of the car will take place in the spring, but the report also mentions that this time next year “GM may allow selected people outside the company to test the system.”
Bob Lutz said “You personally will be able to experience the joy of gliding down I-94 at 70 miles an hour” solely on electric power.
He said GM is committed to putting the system in the Chevrolet Volt for sale by 2010.
He also mentioned that E-Flex will first appear in the U.S., but a world-wide roll-out is planned.
“This is a venture into the unknown,” he said. “It’s something radically new, but we’re confident we’re going to do it.”
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Opel Flextreme Video
2007-09-11 09:31:26
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Bob Lutz Admits Battery Advantage over Toyota
2007-09-10 20:31:18
In a Frankfurt interview with the Wall Street Journal (subscribers only), Bob Lutz noted that GM will have lithium-ion technology ahead of Toyota on the order of several months to a year. He went on to note that eventually all the carmakers will catch up.
He also indicated that he’s 100% confident that overheating will not plague his lithium-ion packs as it has Toyota.
“Toyota will get this technology, too. … Everybody will. … If this stuff is going to work, everybody’s going to have it.” said Lutz.
This interview illustrates the point we have made previously about how Toyota has fallen in to catch-up position due to GMs ingenious battery moves. Only now we hear is straight from Bob Lutz himself.
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The Opel Flextreme
2007-09-10 10:59:07
It’s official. Despite previous leaks, GM has taken the wraps off its European E-Flex vehicle. It is called the Opel Flextreme. The car is built on the same Cobalt platform that the Chevy Volt is and uses some of the same components. These include the 120 kW peak power front electric motor, 16 kWH lithium-ion battery pack, and on-board 53 kW generator. The main engineering differences are that the generator will be a 1.3 L CDTI diesel/biodiesel engine, and the charger will handle 220V supply and therefore fully recharge in 3.5 hours. Also the engine will sit in a slightly different location.
There are also clearly structural design differences. The car will be more of a box/hatch shape instead of sedan. The car also will be outfitted with two Segway scooters that fit into the back and are able to charge off of the cars battery, they get 23 miles of range, and can travel where cars are not allowed.
Principally, the vehicle is intended to illustrate the flexibility of the ...
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GM-Volt.com Video Voltcast for Sept. 9th, 2007
2007-09-09 09:17:45
The latest in our series of bi-monthly video news updates (run time is 3:48):
(Either JavaScript is not active or you are using an old version of Adobe Flash Player. Please install the newest Flash Player.)
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Enter Mitsubishi to the Plug-in Race: i MiEV Sport
2007-09-07 13:28:34
Mitsubishi has now announced its intention to present a plug-in electric concept car at the Tokyo Auto Show in October.
The car will be called the i MiEV SPORT. It will be compact sized and use 2 front in wheel and 1 rear electric motor powered by a lithium-ion abttery pack. It will have a 120 mile range, and no range extender.
The car incorporates those rooftop solar panels everyone always seems to like as well.
You can read the Mitsubishi press release here.
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What Does EEStor Have in Store (or in its store)?
2007-09-07 09:36:11
Hopefully, not nothing.
EEStor is a small secretive company in Texas that is reportedly working on developing an ultracapacitor that can be used to power an electric car. Zenn automotive has a contract with them and they are reporting an electric car with this technology should arrive in 2008.
EEStor has indeed taken out patents on ultracapacitor technology but the technical details remain secretive.
I have contacted Tom Weir, VP and General Manager of EEStor, noting he liked our site, GM-Volt.com, he unfortunately replied that “EEStor is not providing interviews at this time…”
They have recently been in the news again. They are reporting a plan to ship a 15 kWh storage system to Zenn within 9 months.
The claim is that the ultracapacitors can handle a rapid 5 minute charge and then be able to power an electric car for 500 miles. Different than batteries, which are theoretically slower at charging and discharging energy, the capacitor can charge instantaneously (i ...
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Volvo Enters the Plugin Car Arena: ReCharge Concept
2007-09-06 09:47:48
The wheels of change are unstoppable, oil is running out, and now yet another automaker has pledged to build a plugin electric vehicle.
Today, Volvo issued a press release about a car called the ReCharge concept, based on the C30 model. The car, like the Volt, is a series hybrid, but with an all-electric range of up to 65 miles. Volvo also claims the car can drive up to 30 miles on a 1 hour charge.
The car has an electric motor at each wheel offering unique AWD and traction ability as well, and a central electric power control unit called an APU. The gas engine, 1.6 L will serve as a generator and not be connected to the wheels, there will also be of course a lithium-polymer battery pack.
Will it be built? How much will it cost? We’ll have to wait and see.
PRESS RELEASE:
GROUNDBREAKING PLUG-IN HYBRID – THE VOLVO RECHARGE CONCEPT – UNVEILED AT FRANKFURT MOTOR SHOW * Plug-in hybrid with battery-only range of over 60 miles * 66 per cent lower CO2 emissions than best hybrids ...
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Will GM Lease the Chevy Volt Battery Pack?
2007-09-05 09:07:29
There have been many references in the news media to the idea that GM might lease out the battery pack.
We have previously discussed how this idea may have originated from Compact Power CEO Prabhakar Patil. More recently, a report from the Financial Times continued to expand on the idea and indicated that GM themselves may be considering the scenario.
I have alluded to this possibility on previous posts as well, and many readers have picked up on this and expressed concern.
What I can tell you from knowledgable sources is that GM is apparently giving a lot of “board-room time” to this idea, and may be working with 3rd party underwriters and partners. I have been unable to get an “official” GM statement on this issue, and I suspect the reason for this is that there is no official position yet.
Although, there was just a report about a comment by Nick Reilly, the President of General Motors Asia Pacific. Quote:
“People won’t buy a full car. They will buy a ...
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Toyota Believes its Parallel Hybrid Approach is Better Than Volts Series Design
2007-09-04 15:03:54
Apparently Toyota VP Kazuo Okamoto gave a presentation on September 3rd in which he declared that Toyotas approach of improving battery back range and adding plug-in to the conventional parallel hybrid design was superior to GMs series hybrid design (Chevy Volt)
This was apparently stated in the context of a presentation to investors and is reported on the Green Car Congress website. The whole presentation is here.
There is no clear rationale behind this statement. It is obvious though that the reason Toyota thinks that the Volt approach is inferior, is that they didnt think of it first!
Clearly Toyota is in a catch-up spot, and they are among other things, trying to reassure investors. In the graphic above, that’s the Volt on the left.
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Design
Hybrid
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