[carscomblogger]

http://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/2008/09/gm-exec-volt-ba.html

We talked to Lutz about the Volt and fuel economy in general and he had some interesting tidbits. The flawless comment about the battery testing being the most illuminating.

 

[Slideways]

So the battery is flawless, I would assume they know how to make a gasoline engine, we've seen the design, the platform is ready for Europe, and we're still 26 months away? Sometimes I hate getting a sneak peak. Darn you interwebs!

 

[K-1]

So the battery is flawless, I would assume they know how to make a gasoline engine, we've seen the design, the platform is ready for Europe, and we're still 26 months away? Sometimes I hate getting a sneak peak. Darn you interwebs!

Unfortunately, validation for such a complex system takes a long, long time.

 

[sprchev1]

Here is a link I just found about some pics taken of a Volt caught during filming for the new Transformers movie. Photos at link. Pics are kind of crappy but it looks pretty good. Nice color.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,414942,00.html

 

[Brglotus]

Wow, it looks great from those movie pics....:**

 

[Chaz_23]

I don't know. Just how long will a Volt last before it falls apart/won't run anymore? 30k miles? 50k at best?

 

[hrcslam]

This is good news. Looks like everything is right on schedule; if not ahead. Next year there will be a fllet of Volts on the road. Hopefully GM will be comforatable offering the Volt in late 09 or early 10 instead of late 10.

 

[Ronald McChevy]

I don't know. Just how long will a Volt last before it falls apart/won't run anymore? 30k miles? 50k at best?

The only question is the batteries. An electric motor has exactly one moving part, so it will probably last millions of miles. And the gas engine is only used sporadically, so it's life will be measured in hours, not miles.

I would imagine GM will build the Volt with a battery pack that lasts at least 100k miles. And after that (5 -10 years from now) you will probably be able to replace it with a low-cost pack because the technology is improving so rapidly.

I could see Volts lasting 30 years - the rest of the car will probably fall apart and the powertrain will be just fine.

 

[Ronald McChevy]

This is good news. Looks like everything is right on schedule; if not ahead. Next year there will be a fllet of Volts on the road. Hopefully GM will be comforatable offering the Volt in late 09 or early 10 instead of late 10.

As K-1 said, GM has to do a lot of testing to make sure its a safe car that is reliable (high voltage + consumers not educated in high voltage = potential big problems).

Plus, the govt. has to do crash testing, which takes a while.

 

[bcjohnso99]

The only question is the batteries. An electric motor has exactly one moving part, so it will probably last millions of miles. And the gas engine is only used sporadically, so it's life will be measured in hours, not miles.

I would imagine GM will build the Volt with a battery pack that lasts at least 100k miles. And after that (5 -10 years from now) you will probably be able to replace it with a low-cost pack because the technology is improving so rapidly.

I could see Volts lasting 30 years - the rest of the car will probably fall apart and the powertrain will be just fine.

If the battery pack is replaceable, then it's lifespan is not that important as smaller, more powerful and cheaper packs will show up in the aftermarket.

Lets hope GM considers this and does not double the cost of the battery packs to extend life from 7 to 10 years.

 

[packardlust]

I don't know. Just how long will a Volt last before it falls apart/won't run anymore? 30k miles? 50k at best?

Why be so optimistic.

 

[TaHoE]

I dunno, with the recent drop in gas prices, I just don't see anyone buying a $40K Volt. I really REALLY hope not, because GM depends on this car, period.

 

[chakis24]

I dunno, with the recent drop in gas prices, I just don't see anyone buying a $40K Volt. I really REALLY hope not, because GM depends on this car, period.

this is why they need to spread it around....

 

[fp115]

I don't know. Just how long will a Volt last before it falls apart/won't run anymore? 30k miles? 50k at best?

Yet the warranty on the batteries alone will be at least 150k miles/10 years?

Gotta love those with nothing better to say, even with a positive article.

 

[jbernie]

I dunno, with the recent drop in gas prices, I just don't see anyone buying a $40K Volt. I really REALLY hope not, because GM depends on this car, period.

Actually all is not reliant on gas prices, as we unfortunately got to see, a certain company making a certain popular hybrid has shown that the cost of fuel is not the only factor these days, hugging trees and being green is now influencing purchase decisions. This is maybe not quite as noticable in the USA but in Europe, Asia, Australia the movement has momentum that will make these vehicles more desirable.

Also, even if gas goes back to say $2.50 a gallon in the USA a lot of people got a big shock that gas prices could go so high and if they are being conservative a hybrid vehicle is still a viable option to them, remember if gas can get to $4 OMG the sky is falling, then realistically gas can go higher under the right conditions. It only takes a foreign dictator to have a tantrum and stop oil shipments and the speculators will drive the price up like their bonuses depend on it.

 

[slowinthefastlane]

So the battery is flawless, I would assume they know how to make a gasoline engine, we've seen the design, the platform is ready for Europe, and we're still 26 months away? Sometimes I hate getting a sneak peak. Darn you interwebs!

Once you've figured out what you're going to build, you still need to figure out how you're going to build it. This includes re-tooling the plants and re-training the factory workers. It also includes getting the bids out to the 100's of suppliers and getting them up and running building production-quality parts. For completely new parts, they have to re-tool and re-train as well. Some of this is done in parallel, of course - but some of it can't be until certain parts of the design is validated and finalized.

GM probably isn't any slower or faster at doing this than their competitors. GM just looks like they move much slower because they announce their products so far in advance.

 

[KAD]

I'm ready to see this car.

 

[Corvette C10]

Will the Volt go further on a single charge?

 

[GG_TECH]

"Battery Works flawlessly"

I'm glad to hear testing so far has been going great. It essentially validates the battery pack design. As Lutz is well aware of, it's not all complete is of yet. GM needs to make sure that when the battery manufacture begins to produce these batteries in large volume that they are made consistently and with good quality in mind. He knows what to do. He has the tools and personnel at his disposal to accomplish this.

New technologies sometimes bring unforeseen problems, if he and GM can work and manage proactively and they should turn things around for GM. I want one of those vehicles.

 

[JeffInDFW]

I live in Texas, and my latest electricity bill is $699.98! After getting an almost $700 freaking electric bill, I don't think I want to also be plugging my car in! Good LORD.