GM Charging Ahead with Volt

Mr. Lutz,

Press On!!! I learned that from a great teacher. I know the technology can be very expensive at first but if combined with other technology such as having a Solar Energy house that could feed charging of the car one could be self reliable and possibly foil the large Electricity and Gas giants! Basically it means less paying for energy bill more money spent on cool cars. If only batteries were cheap.

Ok, again, why dont you still have a Volt running prototype, when you had a running four-seat Series Hybrid prototype back in 1998 ? That is, NINE years ago.

A little something called EV1 Series Hybrid version.

I really wonder, how this story from The Detroit News does come from. I am really browsing numerous sources for automotive news almost daily and I can't think of any other report or even evidence, that GM tries to steal away, concerning the Volt.

Even if it would prove, that those ambitious targets, regarding the technological features of the Volt, couldn't be reached to full 100%, there wouldn't be any reason to give up the Volt. Its concept still would be revolutionary and unique, even if the batteries wouldn't stand the entirely intended range of 40 miles on solely electrical power. I think, in any case most people could acknowledge GM's true efforts (and those of its partners) to produce this car as close to the original aims as possible, even more as long as there are no meaningful rivals from the competition yet.

PS:
The Denver Post in the meanwhile is telling the same gossip:
http://test.denverpost.com/business/ci_5510138

Mr. Lutz,

Thanks for your update. While there are benefits to pure electric vehicles, there is also a place for a plug-in like the Volt. I believe that GM has the best resources to pull this off... and ahead of Toyota. Go for it!

Dave

Bob,
You can hardly blame the ‘naysayers’ about the Volt. After all, to put it kindly, In the last 30 years GM has a horrible record of knowing what to do, when to do it, doing it right, and doing it timely.

The Cobalt is uncompetitive. The Solstice and HHR are crude to drive. The Malibu (to which you said ‘has nothing wrong about it’) has a lot wrong about it. The Lacrosse is boring. The ION was a catastrophic failure. Need I go on?

Just take your lumps (and your millions).

Dear Bob:
I had read that article with scrutiny, and noticed that the reporter was building a case out of thin air. All she really had was a cute title. It seemed to me that GM really never showed signs of cutting back.

I applaud your rapid response to rectify your position.

Myself, as moderator of http://www.gm-volt.com, and millions of other Americans (and world citizens) are counting on you guys to put out this vehicle. It will truly be a watershed event in the history of the automobile, and will radically change the equation for energy use and climate change for future generations.

Power On!

You tell um Bobby!

Bob sounds so sincere, I really want to believe. The series 40 mile electric with gas backup is exactly what I want to buy (no hydrogen). It's just the past history of GM doesn't give me hope. Bob will have to keep repeating GMs commitment to the Volt. When the car appears and I can own one, then I will believe.

Let's Do It. When it finally comes out it will most assuredly be different than we thought, but keeping people up to speed will minimize the impact of that. The big thing is that this big ship is turning in the right direction and with every day we are getting better and faster.

Well put Bob! The people that doubt your abilities do not understand the business and the challenges you face. It is great that you are giving us a glimps into the development process as no other automaker in the world provides such an open door policy as GM. Good luck and keep rolling!

Bob:
Thank you again for your commitment to the developement of the Volt, and for your continued transparency regarding this subject. I can't remember when there has been so much buzz about a car concept. Encouragement, as well as patience may be in short supplies with people these days, however, I just wanted to say thank you for coming back to the EV table in earnest, and that A LOT of people think you're doing a good thing here--myself included. I hope to be a future customer for a Volt.

Best regards,
John Schmeltz

Bob,

I applaud your fortitude and steadfast approach with the Volt concept. However, you have to agree that GM has, in the past, over promised and under delivered. The media is very jaded when it comes to GM prototypes. This is your chance to prove them wrong and shove it in their face. Build that Volt with the EXACT technology you advertise. Make it RELIABLE. Give those batteries a 200,000 mile minimum life span. And keep the car affordable (under $25,000).

GM can not afford to continue on without innovative technology. As much as you may like to tout any number of GM "technologies", nothing GM sells right now is so cutting edge that no one even heard of it before. The Volt is. It's leap years ahead of any competition - that is, for today. That's another problem you face - while you've busted your you know what on what a great idea this Volt is and all of it's technology, but still have yet to get that technology into production, your competitiors know what is up your sleeve and you would be foolish to think Toyota, Honda, heck maybe even Ford or DCX aren't working on something just as innovative - if not moreso.

The Volt needs to be produced, and it needs to come out soon (less than 3 years).

Do it! Get the job done!!!!

Yeah Bob,
And what happend to the EV1? Pulled the plug on that one.

I respect your symbolic pointing to the outfield. When Ruth did it, he had credibilty. People had the perception that he could deliver on the promise. Toyota has been so dominant with clever marketing and design, you are working against a general perception that American carmakers just cannot deliver, are unresponsive, and out of touch. The American consumer is generally skeptical with the ability of the big American carmakers to produce a great value (with the exception of big vehicles) in this catagory.

I love, and respect the fight and the urgency that your posting here conveys. I know that I don't need to tell you that the most important factor in your success with the Volt is not the vehicle (assuming that it performs to expectations), it will be the battle of communicating its value in a creative and effective marketing program. Toyota's Prius isn't the jewel of the segment because the vehicle works great.

The Volt is a beautiful idea and the timing is right. I wish you well in your fight. It is the good fight.

-ed a.

Remember the 90's
Cheap gasoline.
Camaro LT-1's bordering on Porsche performance for 1/3 the price, and an EV-1 program that had bearly anny takers.
What if gas prices fall below $2.00 per gallon?
Even the Toyota Prus is just a subsidised add campain, the cars can't even function on a daily basis; Extreme heat and Cold reduce Hybred Synergy Drive to Internal combustion only operation; or worse Paperweigh stattus.
The GM faithfull are willing to wait untill the Volt is flawless, The greens will be happy with more choices of responsible vehicals, the general public wants real benifit not futuristic gadgets.

Pray for $4.00 gal gasoiline.
Build it Union in America.

Jason Zebersky

The thing I don't understand is why do you show concepts so far from completion? Especially in a market as crowded as cars? If Toyota shows something new don't you pour over it and see if you can get it done before them (or if you should)? Are there some kind of patents protecting you from another company building a similar concept first?

I would think there are wild and crazy concepts (Aero X) and ones you intend to build (Volt, Camaro). I would think you would want the ones you are going to build to be only a year or two out unless you're not confident in how they will be received?

Bob, Can you answer a question that GM has never answered?

Where is the Buick Velite?
There are plenty of us ready to walk about from CLK convertibles, BMWs and Audi convertibles for something upscale with a back seat and the top goes down. Something like the big convertibles are parents drove in the 60s and 70s.

What was the purpose of the Velite concept if you aren't going to produce it?

Check out various sites like gminsidenews.com edmunds, cheersandgears and you'll see there are many many people who want to buy the Buick Velite.

GM Needs the Velite. Buick needs the Velite. We need the Velite.

Right. You do realize your company's actions with Hy-Wire are why we're so cynical, right?

(Disregarding of course the whole EV1 thing...)

I like that you're being open about this whole thing.

Mr. Lutz:

Thanks for posting this link. Actually, I think that it is a pretty fair and even-handed article, and echoes the discussions on this blog.

I have no doubt in my mind that you can "bring it off", given enough comittment and leadership from senior management.

Your last words above are dead right:

"There is no turning back."

Remember GM, the Volt really doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to work. . . (say a thirty-mile range), run at highway speeds(not 150mph!)and not be prone to failure . It should be practical,affordable, and look good.. I'd buy one. . .

I must say I have seen and heard about resources being sent to work on this project. I fully believe that we are trying to produce this vehicle as soon as we are able to

I am glad to hear that GM is still "Charging Ahead" on this matter. I would hate to see my next car go down the tubes like the EV1 did.

The movie "Who Killed the Electric Car" was probably one of the biggest GM bashing movies I have ever seen, and it is sure to create some really bad PR for you guys. Just remember that these kind of things can bite you in the ass if you don't play your cards right. So lets change some of those closed down plants into Volt capacity and ramp it up for late 2009 introduction!!!

I can't wait for my Chevy Volt, I'd like it in White please!

Bob,

What would you do if one of your workers, who consistently couldn't predict market changes, who didn't respond well to rules, who made a mess of things and who got himself into this mess came to you and said "Honest boss! I'm gonna get it right this time, I swear! Don't listen to those guys who say I don't really mean this, because I really, really do!"

You'd probably have already fired him, or you wouldn't expect him to succeed this time. And you'd be right to do so.

Until I see a Volt in a showroom, I'm not going to believe you. Until I see a real commitment, like hybrids standard across the line, I'm not going to believe you.

Actions speak louder than words, so DO SOMETHING.

Remember Mr. Lutz...my son and I want a purple Volt here is Alabama

...and we won't lease, purchase only

Johnnie

Hi Noel,

I think it was no surprise, that people came along, expressing some doubt about GM's seriousness concerning the Chevy Volt. But those critics always should be aware of the automotive industry in its entirety and not permanently be focused solely on GM. Although there's no Chevy Volt available yet, there are already important other achievements, which put GM ahead of some competitors.

Example:

GM, as AMERICA'S LARGEST car company, (after all) is offering the following Hybrids already today or very soon: Saturn Vue Green Line, Saturn Aura Green Line, GMC Yukon, GMC Sierra, Chevy Silverado, and Chevy Tahoe (as 2-mode-Hybrid, like 2008 Saturn Vue).

So, now let's take look at EUROPE'S LARGEST car manufacturer, Volkswagen. Here is its list of current Hybrids: None.

From TakaG
«The Cobalt is uncompetitive. The Solstice and HHR are crude to drive. The Malibu (to which you said ‘has nothing wrong about it’) has a lot wrong about it. The Lacrosse is boring. The ION was a catastrophic failure. Need I go on?»
For one thing, you forgot the biggest joke on 4 wheels, the Pontiac Grand Prix. Worst even, GM's horrible reliability score for the last 10 years, on par with... Chrysler! TBS, I am pleased and encouraged by the Volt project. Less so by stupid gas guzzling V8-powered futile crapmobiles, and of course that includes the entire Hummer line-up, which are nothing less than immoral considering what we will be facing tomorrow. Have we already forgotten Katrina? The next wake up call could be even worst.

Bob,
I applaud your efforts at being a great PR person. Sounds minimal until one realizes that there are actually a considerable amount of people out there who have no clue that you've been developing alternative fuel and alternative technologically advanced power trains for years.

As recently as the last few years, discussions with some of my friends would come up about alternative fuels, cars, etc. When I mentioned GM's Hydro-Gen program, many had never heard of it.

Perception is immensely powerful, and as the automotive industry trends towards one based on new technology and innovation, GM will do well to change the public perception of it's global involvement in producing some of the cars that better fit the future.

Keep it coming.

That's right Lutz you tell 'em.

It's time to clean up the fastlane. Yeah, don't worry, we got roadkill on the fastlane but we will clean it up.

Like I said, the effort is unprecedented, with an openness that we never seen before.

You know, nature and humans in particular are very efficient when it comes energy use. We are only disposed to work as hard as we have to. If we are pushed we do a little more. But most will do just enough to scrape by. That is why I think people end up using at any given time on any given effort about 10% of their energy with 10% of our brain.

But when pushed, prodded and pressured, we can use those energy reserves that are stored in our mind and body to do amazing things. This I think is what is happening at GM with design, technology and the overall business culture that is changing to "It's not business as usual, it's survival mode" mentality.

That is why when you say you can do it, and that you will do it, and that your are doing it, I believe you.

I believe you 100%.

I could see it in your eyes, I could hear it in your passion, I could feel it in my bones and I see the results everyday.

In short!

GM never moved like this.

In other words,

It does not look like GM is the roadkill this time.

Carl Ervin, 3/26,12:10 PM:

Right! Me too.

Yes, I second Carl E.'s post.
Version 1:
- A Plug-In hybrid can get by with just 25 mile range. Computer control top speed to 80mph. Look at a Bio-Diesel engine.
- Make the Battery Replaceable, then it can be metal-hydride NOW, replaced with Lithium Later.

But, Get in the GAME.
You make it sound So Difficult, but Toyota and Honda are eating your lunch.

Mr. Lutz,

I would be MORE than happy to beta test any one of your preproduction versions of your plug in two mode hybrids, fuel cell, and especailly a pre-production version of the Volt. I am a very high mileage driver, and would be able to give your team plenty of input regarding real world performance. Thank you in advance for your time.

When I was at the Dallas Auto show, I spoke with one of the GM representatives regarding the fuel cell Equinox's coming at the end of the year for beta testing. While I was disappointed to find out that the DFW area was not going to be included in the research cities, I would still enjoy the opportunity to take an active role in helping these new technologies become ready for the market.

Mr Lutz,

Why not swap out the Lithium battery with a smaller 10 kw-hr NIMH unit? The pack won't be able to put out the peak 120 Kw the engine demands, but it could easily do half that when needed.

In other words: the battery would provide half the juice for the first 40 or so miles with the genset providing the balance. If the 53 kw genset on an E-Flex drive train can achieve 70 MPG, then the 'half battery' mode would give us 140 MPG for the first 40 miles, and then 70 MPG in extended mode.

This would still be a killer car and its something you can build today? So, Why not just scale down the battery stack?

--
Ray

GM has a cadre of engineers second to none and I think this project is entirely possible.

Bob,

I understand GM's need to generate a bit of good green publicity for the company during these tough times, but it would have been better to keep the company's collective mouths shut and develop the Volt until the technology's ready and you can set a defined production date, then announce it. When you show off a beautiful concept car and then state that this is all hinging on a future breakthrough in battery technology, of course all of the GM naysayers and skeptics (and there are plenty of them in the press, as you know) will come out swinging.

Expectations have been raised so high that the likelihood of disappointment if and when the Volt does come out are equally high. GM could get away with this in the past when it was the undisputed technology leader, but not now with Toyota and Honda and others quietly working on their own revolutions. Now that you've showed them your hand; what are the chances they'll one-up you with something better?

So please put your engineers and scientists to work on the Volt, and don't talk about it again until you are ready to announce a sale date and price.

Mr. Lutz: Thank You for the update and the assurance that GM is advancing as fast as possible on the Volt.

I have always believed that GM had been working on the Volt and will make the 2010 goal.

GM has the talent to develop Hybrid systems - just ask Toyota (for those who do not know an retired GM engineer was a key player in the development of the Prius).

Keep the focus on the prize.

For the Volt to be perfect for enthusiasts, it would need RWD, a 500+ hp engine, gun slit windows, huge rubber band tires, no ground clearance,
be made in Germany, and all the usual stuff clamored for (and which every show car tiredly repeats).

The heck with making Volt for enthusiasts. GM's already on path for enthusiast cars like the G8 and the Camaro. Refine the Sky and Solstice and GM'll have those market points nailed as well as any domestic car maker can do.

I sincerely hope, Bob, you will find the affordable, durable, practical battery design that has eluded engineers ever since Volta made those frog legs kick. And if you can put that battery in a modern, efficient, yet fun to drive vehicle, my hat'll go off to you and the other GM engineers on the project! Best wishes!

Mr Lutz.

I don't trust you. I don't believe you. Yet I feel that I understand your position. You are ridiculous. You should be ashamed of yourself. Working for General Motors. I know the Pay is well, and if you say what need be said to keep your job, pay shall proceed with caution. I for one, will never buy another GM product, Again. You can't expect to win people's trust when you've lied, hurt(feelings,faith in company), and the list goes on. I don't get you. But What I understand about your company Haunts me.

Great idea, the Volt. The Naysayers are rejecting not the car, but the laughable idea that GM management's low-grade decision making can make it successful and "must have." Aztek. GTO. SSR. XLR. LaCrosse. G6. Cobalt. Malibu. Monte Carlo. Do you see a trend here? All overpriced, boring, and/or half-baked.

Talk about the potential for a PR nightmare - just showcase the Volt (as you have done) and then don't build it. That, coupled with Friedman and "Who Killed the Electric Car" (even though it is completely biased, etc), will result in terrible public perceptions. Perceptions matter. Toyota is perceived to be ecologically friendly while is GM is not. I am not saying that this is correct, but the perception is out there. GM has a chance to alter this perception and by not producing the Volt (several years after the Prius, mind you) GM is perpetuating this. The Prius has limitations - so should the Volt when it is introduced. If it does not, GM has waited too long and missed another chance at redemption.

Chris (Toronto)

Bob, I'm impressed. The Volt program looks real. It sure looks like we in North America will get a 2010 or 2011 Delta II based Chevy Cobalt or Chevy HHR plug-in series hybrid with a battery-only range approaching 40 miles. Very cool, and very much what we need to see on the market for so many reasons.

Yeah, the batteries are still the unknown part, but GM seems confident enough that it sounds like the worst case will be slightly less than the 40 mile range or a small schedule slip to 2012.

What I don't understand about the Volt is why GM wants to go with all the cost, complexity, weight, and size of a small internal combustion engine to charge the batteries. Where's the cheap, lightweight, simple gas turbine generator as was used on the EV-1 series hybrid?

Bob,

I love the fact that GM is headed in a new direction. I have concerns regarding hybrid and ev technology. I am a die hard manual transmission fan. I would love to see green vehicles avaliable (along with anything not an econobox) with manual transmissions. This will be a selling point for any vehicle with people like myself.

Keep it up, and please give us more manual transmissions.

Rick Lupori said:

GM has the talent to develop Hybrid systems - just ask Toyota (for those who do not know an retired GM engineer was a key player in the development of the Prius).

Rick,

In the case of the Prius then, it would be more accurate to say that GM had the talent.

Perhaps as I've suspected, GM's problems have a more to do with attitude than talent.

No doubt there are some very talented engineers at GM who must pull their hair out in frustration, before giving up and going over to the dark side as did this engineer who had the secret to the Prius, but that GM apparently couldn't (or wouldn't) take advantage of.

Regards,

Gary Dikkers

Keep it coming! Finally, a feel good about owning it car w/ something of a design- what a concept! Puhleeease don't skimp on the safety features. Hope you do this one as a huge global launch... We're waiting

p.s.
My '99 Nissan can't hold up too much longer so the sooner the better!

& LASTLY

Skeptics are just future converts.

Lutz,

Why not use the same battery technology that Tesla uses? They claim their vehicle goes 250 miles on a set of Lithium-ion batteries.

Nice bottom spin. There are no naysayers, only consumers anxious to give you money for products they want that you can build. Build it ASAP with technology that exists NOW. You can. Let the electric rubber hit the road. Volts don't exist in the public eye until individuals own them. I'm rooting for GM to get this done.

I applaud your transparency in this project, certainly something that you don't have to do. I am a GM fan. I am anxious to try something new, but only something with the quality that I have come to expect from GM. My Cadillac is running at about 160k miles, my Suburban at 363k miles. Will the Volt do that? Who knows. But it will be great to pass up all those gas pumps! Keep up the good work, keep the vision exciting.

Joseph M.:
Suggest you just go to one of those dark hole communes where everyone sits around all day and just thinks of things and people to hate. You would probably feel right at home there, and you wouldn't be wasting your time and ours by posting a baseless and seething comment like that. The world needs intelligent solutions to difficult problems, not hate spewing garbage laced with disrespect and loathing. The fact that GM even posted your "freedom of speech", or maybe more accurately, "freedom of spewage", speaks volumes as to the Company's character as well as Mr. Lutz.

And to other "GM Haters" out there, some skepticism is normal and natural, but why don't you keep it to just that--skepticism, and not blatent disrespect. I see so much "crossing the line" in some of the posts, not to just Bob Lutz, but also to Beth Lowery, Steve Harris, and Ed Peper's blogs. These people are far more thick skinned than I would be if I read these remarks.

In summation, keep your posts relevant, on topic, helpful, and respectful. Start being part of the solution, rather than part of the problem.

"Why not use the same battery technology that Tesla uses?" - Jansoon

That's a question we could read here already several times. That's comparing cherries to apples. The Tesla Roadster, in very contrast to the future Chevy Volt, is a 100.000 $-vehicle and anyway a totally different car. Of course we also could ask, why there's no hybrid-version of the Opel Corsa. The answer is simple: Hardly anybody would spend 23.000+ Euros on a Corsa. Technology for improvements in fuel-economy is still relatively expensive, which becomes a problem on compact or sub-compact vehicles. That's a hard lesson Volkswagen had to learn with its so-called 3-Liters-Lupo.

MikeInBuilding7, 3/26, 7:42 PM:

Exactly right!

Gary:

I agree with you on talent vs. atitude. I have said many times here that anyone who can win the GT class at Le Mans, Sebering, and the 24 Hours of Daytona, and the ALMS championship can build an 80 mpg car in short order if given the resources and leadership.

It is an issue of management and leadership. The talent is clearly there.

Bob,

Build it, and they will come.

Pleeeeeezze let me take pre-production Volt #3 home with me (I know you and the boss are taking #1 & #2). Nothing would please me more than to take it to the places all over town where the popular imported hybrid owners hang out. You'll see it on the streets around town so much that you'll swear that there were a hundred of them.

And when the Volts leave the factory make sure that they leave no doubt as to that they are a Chevy and that they are "Made in the USA".

Today's prices from the gas station across the street:

Regular: $3.29.9

Intermediate: $3.47.9

Premium: $3.65.9

I love the Volt, and would love to see it produced -- but GM has a long journey ahead of it in that regard.

This is off-topic, but I doubt I'm alone by asking:

Why doesn't the 2008 STS have the Chinese SLS interior?

i'm really amazed by the negitive comments about all the bad things american industry has done to so many people in the united states and elsewhere. when i read comment on how gm cars today are so bad and they don't last, i can only assume these are comments from people who don't know the first thing about an automobile but will gladly trash gm because of what they've read in a buff book. I speak as a person who has been in the car business for 25 years and have been around most makes and models, so I know what most car's weaknesses are. I do know that all my gm cars and trucks have been very good in quality and durability, I currently drive a gmc sierra with 168,000 miles and fully intend to double that just to prove a point.
But in a nutshell, if you hav'nt driven a gm or any car for that matter, don't knock it if you hav'nt owned it, or judge it from what you've read in car and driver. Chances are you'll become a car snob and not know why.

GO GM....GO USA!!!!

Mr. Lutz,
Why shouldn't we be skeptical of GM? Look at your history.
Perhaps an appology to those of us from whom you took our EV1's away would be a good start (show a little humility).
Publicly take back all of Barthmus's negative spins. Then quit whining about 'the technology' not being ready.
No one's going to give you any encouragement - you blew it when we supported you last time and you 'rewarded' us for the effort.
Build the car
Make it good (let your hotshot engineers at it again - hopefully you haven't demotivated all of them)
Put it for sale in ALL of your showrooms
Let us buy it.
The we'll see what happens.

Just hope you don't tell the beancounters that the Volt is under development. Please Bob, keep it a secret from them and maybe for once you will finally have a market leader. Must everything that GM does be about cheap? Even Cadillac's don't rise above the wrath of the beancounters. What is the saying again (and it is ONLY a saying..) "Standard of the World? Do you really get out and look at your competition, or do you naively believe everything your handlers tell you?

Come on Bob, weren't you saying the same things about the Chevrolet Sequel a few years back?

I can't tell you how much I love driving my hydrogen fuel cell car around.

Seriously, I can't, because it was another GM smoke and mirrors project.

The only way to prove the naysayers wrong is to actually build and sell the product.

If Tesla can build a working electric car for $80k, you all ought to be able to use your economies of scale to make an electric vehicle that the masses can afford.

Either build it or have the cojones to be honest and say "Listen, the average American doesn't want this hippie nonsense, so we're not going to pretend anymore."

Of course, that might require you to build cars that the average American actually wants, rather than promising them for the future.

Honda and Toyota can do it, why not GM?

I mean, GM's importing cars from Mexico and Korea and Canada, while Toyota's building cars for the American market in America.

Oh, you don't have to tell me, all of these problems will be solved a few years from now, just like the problems with battery technology and fuel cells.

But it's not going to happen. Those projects are going to be shelved, you're going to overprice the new Camaro and the G8, and then you're going to blame us for not understanding how great GM product really is.

Prove me wrong Bob.

Please.

Bob,
From my understanding you will be using Lithium Ion batteries for the Volt. Have you guys looked at lithium polymer batteries? While more expensive they are far less dangerous and have a higher energy density.

Also, how are you going to account for energy storage loss as the batteries keep getting recharged?

Mr Lutz

My hero, you need to think about building new dealerships to sell those state of the art cars and trucks thats what toyota is doing here in so.cal.
its like buying designer clothes at a salvation army come on!

Bluebaby

I would buy this car. I would like to see a solar recharging system built into the car. this could be in the roof. Just think if you are parked in the hot sun all day and when you get in your car to drive home your batteries are already charged up. I was also excited about the new smart car coming out next year here in the US. I thought it would be great to get 70mpg but to my dismay they have decided not to bring the diesel version to the US market. The Volt would be a great alternative and I want to put my vote in for a power plant that I would be able to use Biodiesel.

Gereon Langlitz:

I think you misunderstood my comment. I was talking about using similar technology, not transplanting Tesla’s system into the Volt.

This is showing dollar signs to GM, but has a side-effect of being environmentally friendly whcih is what the public likes.

As soon as the American public finds out that electricity's equivelent to gasoline is $0.50-1.00 per gallon, this has potential to be a cash maker. That is if the other things are accomplished also, style, safety, practcality, and price.

I will buy GM products, not only the Volt, but a nice trip car too as a reward for commitment, and leave my current company that I buy from now behind. You just have to prove it to us now.

"I think you misunderstood my comment. I was talking about using similar technology, not transplanting Tesla’s system into the Volt."

Jansoon:

Well, perhaps I was expressing myself a little inadequately. Of course, I also didn't want to offend you. I am sorry.

Even if there's not used the very same system for the Volt, what anyway wouldn't be possible, since GM isn't allowed to simply copying Tesla's components, I think this corresponding technology still would be too expensive for a vehicle like the Volt until NOW. So it is with every latest technology. Just remember how much a TFT-Display for your computer did cost six years ago and how inexpensive such a device is today. I am convinced, if Cobasys or A123 could provide such battery-techniques at a VIABLE price to GM, they would do it. Why should they wait for the business longer than necessary? In my opinion that's not plausible. It's their missing profits and GM's, the longer it takes, until the Volt enters the showrooms.

I plan to buy a Volt, if/when it's released. I currently drive 20 miles (each way trip) to work, and I often drive drive 640 (round trip) to see my girlfriend who lives in another city.

I'd love to beta-test the Volt. I'm a professional computer systems administrator and I like to work on my car -- so I may have an appropriate background and attitude to drive a pre-production vehicle.

I apologize for all the indirect references to blog posts and other online discussions below. I have been trying for a week to get a comment posted with direct links for all of them, but I simply cannot get it past the spam filters, and some back-channel contacts I had developed with some of the GM blog staff have apparently stopped working. So I'm resubmitting the comment yet again with all the links replaced by references; we'll see if it gets through this time.

Mr. Lutz--

GM is, indeed, to be commended for being quite open about the Volt/E-Flex development process, both to journalists and to the public; your blog posts, and the fact that the comments are open to both supportive and opposing views, are in my view an important part of this. I mean, I can yap all day on my website and the Op-Ed pages of my local paper, but here I at least have some chance of being read by somebody high enough up in GM to make a difference! I wish Toyota (to name just one) would have the guts to do the same.

With regard to "naysayers," you can take some comfort in the apparent ignorance of the Detroit News reporter to whose article you link. She says "the range of plug-in cars has typically been no more than 20 to 30 miles on battery power alone," and since there haven't been any plug-in hybrids with any all-electric range, she must be thinking about "neighborhood electric vehicles" like DaimlerChrysler's GEM Cars. She evidently isn't aware that the EV1 with NiMH batteries got up to 160 miles on a charge, and with advanced lead-acids got about 80 miles (my personal experience, last time I rented one), or that Toyota RAV4-EVs with 50,000 to 100,000 miles on their five-year-old NiMH battery packs still get over 100 miles per charge (in a much less aerodynamic platform than the EV1). It appears that she thinks you are trying to do what Tesla is doing, namely building an electric vehicle with 50% more range per charge than has ever been done in a production car. And yes, I'm aware that the problem of designing a plug-in hybrid's battery pack is significantly different from that of designing a pack for a pure battery electric vehicle; Tesla has blogged extensively about this. [Tesla Motors "think" blog, post titled "Hybrids, Plug-In or Otherwise," dated September 27th, 2006.] But still, 40 miles is less than 80 is less than 160, and GM has achieved these with less advanced batteries than you are looking at now! So it's not as enormous an undertaking as that reporter seems to think.

However, your statement that "people don't want to believe it if we give them anything short of a guarantee of Volt delivery ... with an exact date, time and sticker price" is incomplete. Maybe that's true of that Detroit News reporter, but for many of us we do want to believe it, just based on what we've seen so far; a decade and a half ago I rearranged my vehicle-purchasing priorities extensively when the Impact show car (which led to the EV1) was unveiled. However, based on past experience we can't believe it, even if GM does give us a "guarantee of Volt delivery"; after all, GM "delivered" EV1s, but where are they today? GM has only its own management to blame for our skepticism; your engineers and designers created a car that was loved by many of those who had a chance to drive one, and you leased every one that was made available for leasing, leaving many disappointed would-be customers, including many like me who would have moved heaven and earth to own one if they had actually been sold, not just leased with no buy-out option (which enabled you to reclaim and crush them). Even before you stopped making them, GM (and other automakers, including those who don't have the guts to "open a line" like this to their management) spent more effort on "proving" that there was no demand than on actually trying to build that demand, or even on meeting the demand that was there; then you (and the others) spun the results of this as a reason for abandoning the vehicles! This spin has continued to this day, notably in a blog post from last June, which was advertised with full-page newspaper ads and Google AdWord purchases. [GM "FYI" blog, post titled "Who Ignored the Facts About the Electric Car?", dated June 23rd, 2006.] It has continued through the introduction of the Volt, for example in an AutoBlogGreen interview where your spokesman derides the EV1 as a car that couldn't "appeal to more than 800 people." [AutoBlogGreen, post titled "Q&A With Dave Barthmuss on the Chevy Volt," dated January 9th, 2007.] So even if GM does give a "guarantee of Volt delivery," unless we see them actually on dealer lots for outright sale, what reason do we have to believe that you won't decide, for whatever reason (giving credibility to regulations you don't like, costs not coming down fast enough, making your ordinary gasoline vehicles look bad, ...), to cite "lack of consumer interest" and terminate the program, then reclaim and crush the cars (minus a few gutted and given to museums or colleges)?

After the June blog post, I put up a rebuttal on my website. [Link available in comment number 4 on the AutoBlogGreen post above.] GM doesn't owe me an answer; however, I think I have summarized the thinking of those who see nothing but spin in GM's defense of its handling of the EV1 (I talked to quite a few such folks in writing it), so I'm painting a big target on my back: rebut the points I summarized there! If you don't rebut your skeptics, here or in another open forum, as opposed to merely repeating the spin, then we won't be able to believe Volt promises until we see hardware for sale, and if Tesla reaches affordability (or Phoenix or Miles develop sustainable business models) before then, we won't be waiting for the Volt. Or, if you can't rebut, then repudiate the spin, and we can start fresh.

The above discussion has to do with public relations, which (as a greatly-interested member of the public) I feel qualified to comment on. I am more reluctant to make specific product-marketing suggestions, joining the folks on these blogs who say "change the grill," "don't change the grill," "make it Bluetooth enabled," or whatever. However, consider that (1) GM already knows how to build a battery-electric vehicle with well over 100 miles range, and without lithium-chemistry batteries (the NiMH EV1); (2) Toyota has, by actually selling a few hundred RAV4-EVs, unwillingly shown that NiMH is a "life of the vehicle" battery, especially with the durability improvements made in NiMH batteries since the RAV4-EVs were taken off the market; (3) an all-electric vehicle, like a fuel-cell vehicle, is as much a part of the E-Flex concept as the plug-in series-hybrid Volt; (4) a pure battery-electric drivetrain is actually easier on the batteries than a plug-in hybrid drivetrain, as argued by Tesla; and (5) GM is already working with Cobasys, whose corporate parent invented NiMH batteries. If GM built and sold a NiMH "EV2" battery-electric vehicle, you would at a stroke (1) put behind you all concerns about your anti-EV1 spin; (2) prove that E-Flex vehicles are for real, without waiting for lithium battery breakthroughs; and (3) head Tesla (and any others) off at the pass. What do you say?

There is a story on page B1 of this morning's Los Angeles Times about the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors considering offering a financial incentive to County employees to buy high mileage hybrid cars. According to the story, the City of Riverside already does so. $2000 for a new hybrid or $1000 for used.

Regardless of what any of us may think about the appropriateness of this use of taxpayer's money, it is another example of more handwriting on the wall.

After reading that, I stopped at a light on the way to work with a new Prius on one side of me and a new Yaris (3 door - cute as a button) on the other. I felt like someone had walked over my grave.

I think that a vehicle that runs on compressed natural gas would be a better idea except for the fact you would need a hi pressure compressor to fuel the vehicle. this would be even more enviro friendly as there would be no need for a coal fired power plant to generate the power to charge the batteries. There would not even be the problem what do we do with the spent batteries down the road.

I wonder if anybody has seen this web forum yet? Seems like the community is starting to rally behind the Volt and GM!

www.ChevyVoltForum.com

I went out to walk the dog this mornng and saw another new Prius sitting in the driveway around the corner.

I thought the sales might tank when the carpool lane stickers ran out and the tax credit dropped Now they have dropped the loss leader price to a tick under $20,000 or 0% financing. I thought see, now they have to incentivize to move the iron.

Well whatever, they are still selling like hotcakes in SoCal. Now I'm starting to think they were just pricing strategically all along. Sell as many as you can at the fat price when the outside incentives are in place, and then go to the real price when they expire.

Anyway, I saw $7000 off MSRP on 2007 Silveradoes advertised this weekend, so they aren't alone in any case.

The clock is ticking.

I just don't buy all the excuses about battery technology. If a bunch of computer nerds in Silicon Valley can produce an EV sports car (Tesla Roadster) that can go 250 miles on a 3 hr charge...not to mention 0-60 in under 4 secs and a top speed of 130 mph... then ANY big automobile R&D department can do it for half the price. Not a hybrid, an EV! The Obvio 012E reports similar performance (although the styling leaves a bit to be desired) for it's 2008 model. So don't give me this 25-40 mile range on a single charge. A 200 mile range can be done...it IS being done with today's battery technology. The needed techonlogy is NOT years away. The Tesla White-star sedan (with BMW 5 Series styling) is slated for 2009 release at about half the price of the Roadster. So produce what the public wants now, or file for bankruptcy later. You're quickly running out of time.

Now I'm starting to think they were just pricing strategically all along. Sell as many as you can at the fat price when the outside incentives are in place, and then go to the real price when they expire.

Or maybe there's actually demand for a car that can reliably achieve 50mpg. They're selling just as well in central Pennsylvania. If GM dawdles too much with the Volt, this market's going to be filled before it appears in showrooms.

Motorman:

Honda sells a compressed natural gas Civic. They also sell or lease a home compressor which allows one to fuel the car at home.

Josh:

I found the ChevyVoltForum.com site after your comment.

Thanks.

It has some really cool pictures and so forth, but I found it to be a bit user unfriendly. I have never been shy to comment (maybe you noticed), but this poor old technologically challenged 60+ blogger couldn't figure out how to post a comment.

Would anybody care to draw me a picture?

GM:

This March 24 post is getting a little bit stale. Isn't there some later news from the corporation? I heard a snippet about March car sales on the radio this morning. Small cars up. How about that?

If GM develops the Volt and translates that technology into other vehicles they will once again dominate the transportation market....and help save the environment for generations to come. That said- if they crack the code on battery technology will they share it with other car companies in the spirit of saving the environment? That would be historic and heroic.

Note yesterday's Supreme Court decision regarding greenhouse gases and global warming.

The way reduce CO2 emissions from cars and trucks is to use less fuel. One more reason why this is so important, both to the health of the planet and to the future and survival of GM.

Bob,
Thank you. I'll say it up front: I am a big fan of GM and its innovation, even if the execution is sometimes lacking.
GM developed the hybrid technology with it's diesel-electric locomotives back in the 40's. It built the first hybrid car prototype back in the early 70's. Now GM is set to do it again.
Ferdinand Piech once said, the exteriors of bring buyers into the showrooms, but it's the interiors that sell the car. He's right, and thank you for improving the quality of GM interiors. (My mom recently was looking for a new car. I tried to persuade her to buy a Cadillac STS, but she bought an Infiniti M45 instead, just because of the interior).
Bob, continue GM's proud history of innovation, but make sure the execution is also well-done. It's no good being first (such as offering ACRS airbags), if someone else (such as MB) gets the credit ten years later...

"Toyota's sales jumped 11.7% last month, boosted by record hybrid sales." AP wire 15 minutes ago.

Who said Americans would never buy hybrids???

Larry T said:

I just don't buy all the excuses about battery technology. If a bunch of computer nerds in Silicon Valley can produce an EV sports car (Tesla Roadster) that can go 250 miles on a 3 hr charge...not to mention 0-60 in under 4 secs and a top speed of 130 mph... then ANY big automobile R&D department can do it for half the price.

Larry T,

You have a point there. Almost makes you think that GM ought to be in a partnership with some of those Silicon Valley computer nerds doesn't it?

No doubt there would be a culture clash between the suits and bean counters at GM HQ in Detroit and what are probably Mountain Dew-chugging, volleyball-playing, sandal-wearing nerds in Silicon Valley, but the results would be interesting – that is if they didn’t have a falling out over whether or not to have a foosball table in the 24/7 all-employees, free, gourmet lunchroom where team members can get a fresh organic, bean sprout and tofu salad even at oh-dark-thirty after 36 hours straight working out the solution to a problem.

Regards,

Gary Dikkers

Paul:

Well I think that's what I'm trying to say.

When the prices started to come down and financing incentives appeared, some people said that it only showed that the market was saturated and the whole thing was a flash in the pan.

I'm thinking now that it is just classic pricing strategy, where you charge he "skimming" price to the first adopters and then start to ratchet it down when the broader, more price driven, market steps forward. Wait for it when (if) the Volt appears.

Assuming that they make any money on the complicated things. Some may say that they were just cleverly minimizing their losses, although I bet the dealers were doing OK.

I agree on the demand for the 50 mpg car, which will only increase. Based upon the great principle of "simplicate and add lightness", it would be great to do it without the hybrid complication. I was thinking Aveo with some composite body panels, a smaller engine, and a more sophisitcated transmission. Alas, the demands of space and crash testing may make my dream of the 2000 pound car undoable. Thus we are forced to the complexity of the hybrid.

Dear Bob,

GM has had a knack for building things and then nixing them just when they got them right. The late 80s Fiero and the mid 90s Impala SS are just a few.

The Volt is a needed product. GM has had some technology in the past to put something out there. For years, GM has stood by and bet the bank on the fuel cell, while the likes of Toyota and Honda, put Hybrids out there in drones, yet GM pulled the recent electric offering.

I am a HUGE GM fan. Never owned any other car. What you do for GM is like a breath of fresh air.

Energy costs, namely gasoline and diesel are way, way out of sight in terms of cost. GM needs to do something and something quick. Hopefully Volt is it, but in the meantime, do something besides Flex Fuel. Though Flex Fuel is good, it's not out there enough to be useful to the masses and the three GM Hybrids (Saturn and Chevy pickup in production and the other slated Tahoe) aren't products folks in the mainstream will use. I mean the pickup and Tahoe are great, but neither will get significant MPG increases. The Saturn is bland. Why not take a popular car like the Impala or another car that sells well and make a hybrid there using more proven technology to fill the needed void until something like the Volt can happen?

I look forward to my next GM purchase and hopefully, that purchase will be a vehicle like the Volt or some vehicle that is better than what GM has done so far.

Thanks!

Mr. Lutz- Outstanding. Great to hear the committment and yes, there are signs of solid improvement at GM (imho). However, there is one issue alluded to in the past; however, it is receiving little or no attention. This issue has to do with driver practices. Not necessarily distracted driving (use of cell phones while driving, etc.). No, this would be the extended decision making process. A quick examination of the driving practices of a 'hypermiler' would explain. These folks strive to get the most mpg possible. They do it by limiting lane changes, avoiding fast accelerations, timing stop lights, monitoring approaches to intersections, maintaining distance from the vehicle in front of them (very important by the way), drafting behind larger vehicles, and maintaining a farily constant speed (although maybe just under the speed limit in some cases) --- among other things. They also maintain their vehicles; tire pressure checks, routine oil changes, clean air filters --- nothing fancy.

Upon accepting a drivers license, one assumes a certain amount of responsibility, do they not? Why then are so many drivers following other practices? Just drive the speed limit in any mid to large size region and see how many people shoot up to within fingerlength of your rear bumper, stay there for 5 seconds or more, then swerve around you like they were in an ambulance with a dying patient. Amazing but very true. Yet who is saying anything about this as a wasteful practice? Where is the outcry? Here is another one. Pull up to a red light. Push your seat back just one notch. This should cause you to feel a slight stretch for the accelerator -- instead of being right on top of the floorboard. Then, when the light turns green, drive. By not jumping directly all the way to the floor, you accelerate just a hair slower. Yet again, the odds are quite, quite good that the vehicle behind you will almost hit you, 'jackrabbit' around you as soon as they can, and peel out so fast they are 2-3 car lengths in front of you in under 5 seconds. This is not unusual in these 'United' States - its almost expected. Why is this behavior not accountable? It wastes gas, does it not? Oh by the way -- the major complaint (as some of us seem to recall) against the EV1 was the fact that they didn't have enough power -- really. 'Altfuels' points out that they did have range -- but not power. Does that mean they could only go the average speed limit in an average town (40-50 mph), not 10-20 miles over the limit??

Just a thought, but maybe someone should start to consider improved driver education instead of expecting technology to do all our thinking for us. Sorry -- slightly off topic but thanks so much again for your comments, committment to the Volt, and for this forum. SG.

Yes, I agree with (Luke on March 30, 2007 03:17 PM) Beta test the Volt. Not only will you be giving drivers a chance to see the car out on the road, but every guy under the age of 30 has either heard of beta testing or is taking part in Halo 3 beta testing this summer (slightly unrelated product but the same concept). That would be the most amazing public relations stunt this decade imo!

NPR reports this morning that the pundits are saying that gas will shortly top $4 a gallon.

Speedy G:

I don't know who told you the EV1 didn't have enough power, but (by any reasonable definition of "enough") it just ain't so. The electric motor was rated at 137 HP; however, because an electric motor has all its torque available from a standing start (unlike an internal combustion engine that has to come up the torque curve), it accelerated off the line like a gasoline car with significantly more horsepower. There's a video out there (I'd give you a link, but I've had it with trying to get messages with links past this blog's spam filters) showing an EV1 beating a Miata and an original (4-cylinder) Z3 in a drag race; not Corvettes or Lamborghinis, but nobody kvetches about "ordinary" two-seaters like these being unable to keep up with traffic.

As for top speed, the vehicle was governed at 80 MPH. I didn't test this on the occasions when I rented an EV1, but I'm told that accelerating to 80 MPH was a very interesting experience: the car would push you back into your seat up to 80 MPH, at which point acceleration would suddenly cease and your seat would bounce you forward out of the cushions. As for the capabilities of the vehicle if ungoverned, a modified EV1 set a world speed record for production EVs of 183 MPH; the modifications consisted mainly of changing the gearing and adding a tailcone to reduce drag even below the already-slippery stock profile.

Most people still have the impression that electric vehicles were and, with rare exceptions like the Tesla roadster, still are glorified golf carts; I suspect that those who "seem to recall" that the EV1 was underpowered are simply drawing a logical conclusion from this incorrect impression. Advertising is the business of creating or changing impressions; the fact that this one still persists says volumes about how heavily (or not) automakers (including GM) advertised their electric vehicles several years ago.

GM clearly needs to do this to catch up with Toyota. I'd love to see auto leadership come back to America, and it ain't gonna come from bigger SUVs. This is the right way to go, Bob. You can see you have a lot of supporters, and a lot of people hoping GM can succeed here. If you had the Volt today, I'd trade in my 2002 Prius.

You're right, GM has the necessary talent but it is the attitude and culture of GM board of directors that needs to be addressed.

BUILD THE VOLT!
I'll be first in line to BUY!
F.Calder CT

Serial hybrids- which the Volt is have been around for years but abandoned. Now we have ample reasons to reintroduce them...global warming, high gas prices, oil wars, peak oil, amazing batteries etc.
Give me a pure electric and anyone can throw a genset in the trunk.
When volt meter shows alarm , then start the genset- crude but this is the Volt. Of course this would be automatic in the volt.
There are many lithium battery manufacturers from whom the batteries are ready NOW. Electrovaya has an SUV powered by their batteries with a range of over 300 miles.
I'm suspicious that GM has already displayed an "excuse" for not producing the Volt. If they don't , others will but I, like others would like to see an American company take the lead in the auto industry again.

If it is so incredibly important...you had the knowledge a decade ago...just start building EV1's again until the Volt becomes reality.

You have the designs, battery knowledge and engineering to build them again. This will hold off the skeptics until you finally roll the volt out on the red carpet....that is unless big oil pulls the carpet out from under your feet.

I like the volt concept better than anything else I have seen that is practicle given our current energy infrastructure. The charging engine and plug in answers most questions and the battery technology is being developed around the world. As new batteries are introduced it will enhance the plug in and recharging potential of the Volt concept vehicle. I drive a VW Golf diesel on Bio-diesel and would opt for a small diesel generator motor rather than gas. using BD it could provide a very good zero petro solution. GM has a lot of experience with EVs and I would hope could corner the market on this the most promising future personal transportation vehicle.

I just bought a 2000 Honda Insight - 7 year old Hybrid Gas/Electric (with a new battery at 80k miles). Why is the battery technology so hard for GM to reach, when similar small gas engine-charging-big-battery technology has been on production cars in the U.S. for over 7 years, and in Japan over 10 years?

The answer may be, US car makers took their eye off the ball in favor of quarterly SUV profits in the '90s, and dropped all the battery consortiums and development projects. Now they're getting their butts kicked, and quarterly profits tell them to dust off the battery labs again. I know - I've worked for one of the battery partner companies since '92.

The Insight is not a family car, (seats 2) but they sold 4,000 a year for 7 years! They have a wealth of experience vs. waiting until the perfect future technology comes out!

In any case, I would love to buy an American leading-edge low carb technology car. Get there and stay there!

Has GM ever considered talking with the US government about working together on battery technology? I would think NASA has done a lot of research on batteries. This would defray cost and be a win win for both the government and GM. Our government should do more to help out our auto industry.

Dear Mr. Lutz,

Make us proud and build this dang thing. The American car industry has turned into a joke in every car magazine. No excuses on this one, you have the talent and the American public want to see that we can still be innovative. I now own a new Honda Civic Hybrid and love it, true my mileage isn't quite what the sticker showed - but every car is that way. I drive it at 75-80mph (don't tell the police) commuting 100 miles everyday back and forth to work. The car is is solidly built, comfortable, cruises excellently even at these high speeds - and still I have averaged 41mpg after 15K miles and through a NE winter. I want to buy an American car in 3-4 years, but I won't buy anything that isn't competitive with the rest of the market. The Japanese cars are simply of higher quality and more innovative, and if you haven't noticed the Koreans are catching up. In fact I've driven a few Korean brands recently and they are better than what you can get for an American brand at the same price.

Regarding the battery concerns, we all understand that is the main issue - so build the Volt to be upgraded as new battery technologies develop. Time to market is most important, make the car "upgradeable" - take a lesson from the software industry...

GM will never make these things

Eaglecroft has it right... do it in stages with upgradeable battery options. We don't need the perfect battery from the starting gate. But I'm guessing that GM is committed to a relatively heavy vehicle and therefore, an advanced and expensive battery. The Volt doesn't look very wind-slippery either, according to my highly calibrated eye. What's wrong with releasing a commuter car using the EV1 platform and the series-hybrid design? The mileage would probably be damned impressive and the PR for an EV1 resurrection would be huge! The damned thing is practically built already--dust off the blueprints and get busy!

Mr Lutz, With the extreme climate changes, every home will need a reliable generator. The Volt could also double as a sizable gas power AC 110 v emergency generator, parked on my driveway. Another reason to consider a Volt. Tell that to your engineers and marketeers.
merci

Hi, I am 53 years old, and I think your new Korean concept cars are a great idea, only why did you make them so ugly? Your styling is ungainly and makes the cars look like they were styled in a foreign nightmare. I want and need a car like the mini diesel wagon, but it must have some common sense to it and not look like some cheap movie fake race car. I need practical, easy on the eyes, super effecient, maximum utility. You are allowing some marketing wet dream to ruin your cars for the masses. Honestly, these new cars look bloated and like they are about to lose their lunch! It is enough to make me go back to the Honda or Toyota dealership, and I really hate that! As far as the Volt goes, raise the roof a bit, and sign me up, I want one, NOW! I bet you I could build my own similar car in less time than you will take to get the Volt into production. You have so much engineering talent available you should have had this car out 20 years ago! Who is running/ruining your company now? I think a change of leadership is not only in order, but a necessity! It is nice you flaunt all this techno babble, but the proof is in the pudding, and for now I have to buy foreign. I hate you for this.

The concept cars by GM are certainly driving in the right direction. I believe the battery problem for electric engines will be solved in the next five years and if an update program, like up dating software for computers was put in place for bateries, maybe the electric cars could hit the road sooner. An improvement to range on electric cars might be accomplished by incorporating wind generated alternators and or a solar panel on the roof; how many hours does a car sit out in the sun at work, at school, or in the driveway?
I recently saw an add for a luxury performance car stating that the owners of this type of vehicle, were unwilling to give up anything, and therefore a car that had the ability to go from "zero to sixty miles an hour" in under so many seconds, must be considered.
The speed with which the Pacific Island Nations, whom American men and women died fighting for in WW II, and other Islands and costal properties around the globe will go from "zero to sixty feet under water" determined by how hard the auto makers of the World step on the "zero emissions accelerator!"

Thank you for the Volt promise! I keep reading about all these newly designed higly-innovative cars that will hit the market in 2010 and keep thinking that the future looks great. I also know what it is like in an Engineering setting when deadlines are given, it can be extremely good or very awful. I for one am holding my breath in anticipation of Volt's future. Thanks for your information!

THANK YOU !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! FOR MAKING THE VOLT!
I see you have half a million votes on your vote for the Volt page - so I DO BELIEVE NOW YOU WILL MAKE IT !!!!!!!!!

I agree with the poster above:

"As far as the Volt goes, raise the roof a bit, and sign me up, I want one, NOW!"

This drawing makes it look like a giant SUV with a teeny brain! We environmentally aware potential Volt buyers are more used to cars that look less agressive: like our civics and prius's.

We are not in love with looking evil. :-)

Hire designers with a more iPOD or Ikea type design sensibility for us "do gooders", and you will be the number one automaker in the world.

We'll buy it anyway if its electric, though! We do the right thing.

THAT IS THE BEST NEWS!!!!!

altfuels - I would agree. The performance (power, acceleration, top speed, etc.) of the EV1 was impressive. The main drawback was (is) the impression presented at the time the first vehicles were sold. (By the way - didn't mean to say I agreed with this impression; I do recall the top speed at around 180 which I don't usually reach).

Anyway- the hybrids seem to have gotten past this by explaination (just as you indicate). The impression is that the battery handles all low power operations while the gas 'power' is available when the driver wants it (ie for acceleration). Again- primarily the perception of the issue.

Also noting that automakers are exploring 'smart' vehicles. They drive themselves --- meaning they monitor proximity of other vehicles, road sensors to stay in the lane, and could eventually follow a pre-programmed course. This would of course eliminate the driver variation I was discussing before --- the vehicle would control speed, acceleration, deceleration, etc. Just more food for thought. SG.

Regarding "whofan" on April 8: The Federal Gov't is getting back into the act. But if GM is going to wait for the Feds to pave the way, then the Volt will not be very competitive by the time it comes out in 4 or 5 years.

April 10, 2007 -- The U.S. Department of Energy announced last week it will provide up to $14 million in funding for plug-in hybrid electric vehicle battery development.

The Energy Department will co-fund the $28 million request made by the United States Advanced Battery Consortium. Developing a low-cost, high-energy battery is what experts believe will lead to commercialization of plug-in hybrid vehicles. The USABC and the Energy Department will accept battery proposals for the grants.

The goal is to improve battery performance so vehicles can drive up to 40 miles of electric range without recharging, about the average daily commute. Fuel efficiency is part of President Bush's Advanced Energy Initiative.

"President Bush is committed to developing alternative fuels and energy-saving innovations for an improved and diversified array of vehicle technologies," said Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman. "By improving batteries for plug-in hybrids, we can help achieve the president's goal of reducing gasoline usage by 20 percent within the decade."

The electrochemical storage technology must be capable of meeting USABC's performance, weight, lifecycle and cost criteria. Potential to commercialize the proposed battery technologies and bring them to market quickly will also be a consideration. The PHEV Request for Proposal Information deadline for submission is May 31.

"Alas, the demands of space and crash testing may make my dream of the 2000 pound car undoable.
Posted by: noel park on April 3, 2007 07:26 PM"

The Honda Insight is under 1,900 pounds. Aluminum body. 50-70mpg. Sold in U.S. since late 1999.

You are the most horrible car company. You are the most oil-headed company there is out there. YOU ARE PATHETIC.
YOU ARE THE REASON FOR GLOBAL WARMING..
peace.

Wow. Some great posts here.
I sincerely hope that GM has finally seen the writing on the wall and will in fact bring the volt to market, FOR SALE, not lease, promote it excessively, and prove to the naysayers like myself that this is a credible platform that must happen now. GM has no choice in the matter.
I have spent many years promoting all kinds of electric vehicles. If you want serious off the line torque power, buy electric. If you have had it with off the chart gas prices, buy electric. If you think that EV's can't keep up with gas powered vehicles, look up the National Electric Drag Racing Association. Maybe look at A123 battery technology.
If you think EV's are a flash in the pan, think again. They aren't going away any time soon. The question is: Which mainstream automaker is going to come to market with a mass production highway rated all battery powered vehicle first? Tesla? AC Propulsion?
It comes down to this. You snooze, you loose.

Mr.Lutz,
I love the volt concept, finally a car that looks good that is better on the environment, but more importantly to the average American one that is easier on the pocket book, in the end that is what people are buying. There is always the fanatics that buy cars because they get "50" miles a gallon when really it barely gets better then my normal car and yet it is as ugly as anything I"ve seen, example the toyota prius, there is no way I would drive one just because it is so ugly looking. I'm a 24 year old male, I have a reputation to uphold. The volt is a great design. The new camero is amazing also. One request, please reinvent the 1967 GTO, do what your doing with the camero, the new gtos are cool but just relable those the g6's and redo the gto. That is the original muscle car and I think it should be a modern interpretation of the 67. that is my favorite car of all time and I hope I am lucky enough to be an owner someday. Shoot make the new gto and make it have the e-flex system. Electic cars go faster then their conterparts at the line anyways, reinvent the muscle car in the form of a new interpreted gto, the beginning of muscle cars and have it be the flag ship of your new e-flex system. I can dream can't I.

>>Which mainstream automaker is going to come to market with a mass production highway rated all battery powered vehicle first? Tesla? AC Propulsion?

The answer is: neither. Look up the Mitsubishi MiEV and Subaru R1E projects.
The Japanese auto brands that you have heard of, did great things once but have dwindled ?
Well, they made a few mistakes and are looking for new opportunities to deliver a swift kick in the nuts of Toyota and Honda. The new thing is: electrics.

GM is sitting idle, talking about battery technology barriers and doing PR, while Mitsu and Subaru have cars _IN TESTING_ and on the streets of Tokyo right now.

lo carb, 4/10, 9:49 PM:

Yeah, I know. Alas, the Insight has now been discontinued. Evidently not enough demand for a 2 seat car that small.

I actually tried to buy one right at the end, but my wife revolted. Too much of a culture shock change from her 1995 Impala SS!

I think that the larger market demands something bigger with 4 doors and more interior room. Thus the Prius, which is about the size of a Camry, and gets about 50 mpg (45?). The only way to get a 2900 pound car to that mileage seems to be a hybrid system. Maybe a diesel, if they can ever get emissions certified here.

My point was that Rick reported that the Aveo 5 door weighs about 2250 (right?). It's not too much of a stretch to get from there to 2000. At 2000 pounds with a more up to date engine and transmission, I could picture 45 mpg without the complication and cost of the hybrid system.

Bob,

The EV1 was killed. It could have been a massive success now that gas is regularly over $3/gallon. Folks that owned them, loved them.

If GM won't wake up from it's long slumber, Toyota will. A plug in Prius is on it's way.

GM thought that the Prius would cost Toyota a fortune and would loose money. So far that hasn't happened. GM had a MASSIVE lead when you came out with the EV1 and GM blew it.

Build the Volt. If you don't Toyota will again beat us to the punch and my favorite automaker, which is the only automaker I've ever bought a vehicle from (GM) will lose my business to Toyota with a plug in Prius because of all the red tape at GM to build the cars that we want, not the cars GM thinks we want.

Looking forward to picking up a Volt soon I hope.

Mr. Lutz

You already had a car, the EV1.

Bring it back and also sell the Volt. You'd be amazed at how well both would to...even the GM CEO said openly the killing of the EV1 was his biggest mistake.

"A error doesn't have to become a mistake until you refuse to correct it."

-JFK

PRIUS 100MPG PLUG IN COMING '08?

"A123 Systems has developed a small pack of lithium-ion batteries that can be retrofitted into the spare-tire well of a Toyota Prius. The batteries turn the Prius into a "plug-in hybrid," which can be recharged through an electrical outlet and run almost exclusively on electricity in the first 40 miles of driving. A screen in the center of the car's dashboard flashes its eye-popping fuel economy, sometimes 100 miles to the gallon and at other points 150 miles to the gallon."

Hurry up, GM!

noel park,honda only sells the NG civics in 2 states calif and ny. i have gas wells and would like to see GM build NG/gasoline powered impala sized car. GM did build some NG powered pickups but pulled them from the market.

Considering how you just dropped Rear Wheel Drive the moment the slightest difficulty came up, is it any surprise no one takes GM seriously when they say they are going to make the Volt? This thing is far too good of a product to be kept by GM. I'm breathlessly awaiting the announcement that you're dropping this one too.

Mr. Lutz,

The Volt idea, is a LONG TIME coming. Instead of waiting for a battery to hold the charge, for now, make it a plug in with a small biodiesel engine.

I own a 92 corvette that sits in my garage and is in mint shape. I like speed and power just like any american baby boomer but I would sacrafice it all to get rid of our dependency on oil from overseas.

We have the technology, lets really put it to use like we did in the 60s when the space race was on. There's one big difference now than then, we have stiffer competition and the stakes are a lot higher. This is a legacy we must not let our children or their children suffer with in the future. We need to speed this development process up, as though our lives depend on it. And they do!

You want to keep that number 1 position. This concept Volt and it's technology will inshrine you in that position forever.

I presently own a 2007 Chevy Equinox and just think it's a giant step for your company in the right direction for quality and performance. Keep going for the distance.

Stu

You had the ability 10 years ago to make this car work...build it already and regain the lead in the automotive world.

Dear Bob:
GM brought the original diesel-electric series hybrid to market 70 years ago- putting the "big three" steam locomotive companies out of business.
The NiMH batteries in the Toyota RAV4 are lasting for over 100K miles (I know- I bought TWO of them).
The EV1 was the best car GM ever built.
There are no technological hurdles left for GM to blame.
You could built my dream 4WD diesel PHEV truck with off-the-shelf parts this week if you wanted to.
This guy did (14 years ago):
Google: "Andy Frank" "hybrid Suburban"
So did these guys (14 years ago) for the US Army:
Google: "hybrid Hummer" "UQM"
Geez, it seems you guys just really don't want to.
You better hop to it, pal- or somebody else will.

Mr Lutz,

Please stick with this project to the end. I applaud you sticking your neck out on this one and I know you will find a way to see it through.

My family just purchased a Prius for BOTH the mileage AND the lower overall environmental impact we can make today. That and the fact that there currently are NO Plug In Hybrid Vehicles available from an auto manufacturer today. If a version of the VOLT existed today -- I would have loved to use my GM Card $$'s on the VOLT instead of buying the Prius.

Please make your 1st car using E-FLEX an immediately recognizable icon for a new thinking in transportation. (OK -- new thinking for cars.) Locomotives have been doing similar ideas - some engine turns the generator, which supplies power to the electric motors for 70 years, however the VOLT extends the concept with battery storage energy & allows a plug in recharge INDEPENDENT of the on board generator. Let's call it "an old idea with a new twist".

Just make sure that the 1st car shouts 'innovaitve'. Why? So that people will notice it AND ask owners questions about it. So that E-FLEX has an initial impact that is visible on the OUTSIDE as well as what is INSIDE of the vehicle.

For example -- I wouldn't recognize a "Saturn VUE greenline" as a hybrid: unless I looked at the back of it and notice the 'greenline' tag. Just looking at it from the front or sides, I probably wouldn't ask the owner questions about his hybrid. Same is true for other hybrids hiding in plain sight -- Ford Escape, Toyota Camry, Honda Accord come to mind. (By the way I can't wait for the Plug-In VUE either)

Your 1st E-FLEX vehicle needs to INSTANTLY catch the eye and have people wonder about it. You need to be able to recognize it and never confuse it with another vehicle. Perhaps people won't like the styling, but they will start wondering about what this car actually does to get the power to the pavement. Especially if have seen it on a TV commercial (or with Leno) or somewhere and want to know how it works OR how it sounds when you drive it OR how big the engine really is OR if they 'fit' inside. (Please make sure that it can fit a wide range of people sizes in front & back - I was suprised at the roominess of the Prius.) These are the kinds of questions I am getting on my Prius and I answer them as best I can. Imagine how many MORE questions the VOLT would generate if there were people driving them out on the real roads and not just having them out in auto shows.

A little good will can go a long way. If you want to get some 'street cred' from the EV communtiy (some GOOD PR) you will want to really show you are ready to make a difference today. Start with lower initial expectations. Start with the EV only range to 10 or 15 miles and build it using TODAY'S batteries with the OPTION to upgrade to TOMORROW's battery pack in the future.

Why allow an upgrade option? The convergence of technology and transportation requires you to MAKE a BOLD CHOICE to start small today. How -- by besting the current Prius and offering an affordable 5 seater that can go 10 to 15 miles in EV using todays batteries. Then make sure it will be upgradable. IF the owners want to spend more $, offer the benefits of a 40 mile EV range within the next 5 years -- once the battery technology get's to where you need it. Let those who want to 'go green' and 'use AC' start today -- before the next wave of imports adds that as standard.

Think about the "plug & play" standard upgradeability built into the computer you use daily... you wouldn't buy a computer you could never upgrade or add memory or disk space or battery life -- now is the time to remember that even a "car guy" can see the future includes upgrades that don't require a whole new purchase.

Of course the best way to do this is to figure out how to match the current Prius existing price... a challenge that will require creative thinking and use from the existing Chevy parts bin. As an added selling point, make sure that the engine(s) for E-FELX offer the maximum allowable TAX CREDIT --- that is slowing going away for the PRIUS.

So my formula for you would be to ...

Lower initial EV distance expectations to bring to market today.

Allow future battery upgrades as technology increases to keep pace with tomorrow.

Keep costs down with parts sharing - cobalt, malibu... to match current Prius MSRP.

Meet the lowest emmission standars and mileage required for maximum tax credit (and thus get more sales using the tax credit as the deal maker)

Keep style to generate interaction with owners and the general public.

Then don't forget that you have plenty of other 'brands' to build E-FLEX with a more 'traditional' looking vehicle.

A traditionally styled Buick for those who don't feel the need to flaunt a technology, but aren't afraid to plug in their car at night when gas is going up.

A sports rag-top Cadillac where you can go top down without engine noise.

You have my email -- feel free to contact me. I am always willing to talk to a real "car guy" - even if it's via EMAIL.

Keep the faith - your efforts on a project like the VOLT WILL make a difference in the future of transportation, our use of energy,the nations economy, and our environment.

Thanks
Mat Luoma

what happen to charging ahead with rwd?? o yea the goin got tough so u stoped that lol....now your charging ahead with the volt.....until u hit a bump in the road and hits the pause button....

stumbles away laughin.....Jim

I really do hope that you make the car, but I also hope you make it right:
1) Build it in the USA, NOT Mexico.
2)Stand by your product: Don't produce lemons (see 1978 Old Delta 88 diesel)

Like i said, I really hope you do make the car, but so far GM has NEVER missed an opportunity to miss an opportunity.

Dear Mr. Lutz,

The best way to communicate that you are serious about the elecric car is to get prototypes in the hands of people--out of sight out of mind if you know what I mean!!!
We are an outdoor education center that would love to work with you on trialling this--we have our own Hydro, so this could be an exciting synergy!

Mr. Lutz,

Think about it, one of the greatest tax revenues this government receives is the fuel tax. The government hasn't been able to figure a way to tax the electric used to charge a vehicle thru a power plug. Exxon Mobil will never find an alternative fuel to power our vehicles. The electric hybrid would be great for the public and the little guy if he could afford to buy one and be allowed to plug in at the current electric rate. An electric hybrid that has four wheel drive and a four wheel braking system that recharges the batteries when the brake peddle is depressed would make great sense. An electric hybrid with plug in that could charge up the batteries enough overnight to go the following days commute with two to four people would be the answer. A nice safe little car we can afford. What a dream. I am looking forward to retiring in about a year. I would like to buy this little car. I have been a GM car buyer all my life. I know GM can do it. Make it happen soon. Please!

I thought GM was on the skids, until they revealed this concept. It seems GM has fianlly pulled their heads out of the sand and taken note of Toyota's rise to prominence. Toyota has historically built cars that the public demanded, GM... not so much. But, if the VOLT becomes a production car, that may be a thing of the past.

Personally, I have never considered buying a GM car. But, if this VOLT goes to production, I will sell my current car in a heart-beat and become a proud GM owner. Until some of GM's progressive concept cars actually become a reality, I will remain fervently skeptical... please make the VOLT a reality!

Hello,
No matter what your plans are GM, there is only one thing to say. "I can not buy things you do not sell." Four years ago when I was looking for a car you had nothing I wanted and I bought a G35. Next year, I want something new and you will still be selling the same vehicles as you did back in 2003. We can not buy concepts!

You know something, it really doesn't matter.

You guys had the ability to build this 10 years ago. Now you are just going to use this little PR stunt to help give GM some credibility.

Face it, you aren't going to build this, you don't have plans to build this.

Instead of coming up with PR stunts, try being serious. You are now the number 2 automaker because you didn't take the market or its dealers serious.

Lutz ignorant, or lying.

Does he not know of the Toyota RAV4-EV, which goes (still) over 100 miles on a charge? And weighs more than the Volt?

Or the 1999 EV1, which went up to 160 miles on a charge, about 4 times that needed for the Volt?

Nickel Metal Hydride batteries would, of course, be good enough, but even Lead-acid batteries (Panasonic, not Delco) took the 1997 EV1 up to 110 miles on a charge.

So what is it, Mr. Lutz, are you ignorant of your own history, and of the existing Toyota RAV4-EV, which have adequate acceleration (nothing like the 1999 EV1, of course!).

'fess up, now. Is it just that you don't want to see, or are you hiding something??

You are welcome to tour our solar system and Toyota RAV4-EV, which work fine and do more than needed for what the Volt has in mind. And there are hundreds of them.

Open your eyes and look around! Our solar system powers two Toyota RAV4-EV and we still donate excess electric to the grid each year.

160,000 oil-free miles since 2003, and 300,000 oil-free miles in the EV1, Honda EV-Plus and Ford Ranger-EV. Lying, or can't see this??

Lutz censors remarks on this board; he does not want to hear the truth.
That's no wonder, look at the lamentable state GM is in.
If GM were serious about the Volt, as I wrote here earlier, it would simply bring it to market. The batteries in the 1999 EV1 carried it up to 160 miles, and it was heavier than the Volt. Nickel is cheaper than Lithium, and Nickel batteries are proven; but even the Panasonic lead-acid batteries in the 1997 EV1 took it up to 110 miles. The Toyota RAV4-EV, heavier and better than the Volt, goes up to 120 miles and most are close to 100,000 miles (last sold in Nov., 2002).
At least Toyota had the guts to sell a plug-in car, GM was too much of a wimp to sell the EV1.

Censorship won't help your case. Print my previous comment.

Editor
Tribune-Chronicle

RE: Volt talk has sparks flying at Lordstown, LARRY RINGLER, May 9

Dear Editor:

A great article about the future of the Lordstown plant. Unfortunately, if Lordstown employees are looking to produce GM's concept EV car, the Volt, they are bound to be disappointed.

Our country desperately needs a serial plug-in hybrid EV, such as the Volt, capable of driving at least 40 miles (or 80, or 100, depending on the battery option chosen) using an electric motor and batteries alone. For longer trips, a range-extending small gas, diesel or other Internal Combustion ("IC") engine chimes in only to provide more power for the batteries, just like a diesel-electric locomotive.

The plug-in series hybrid EV operates like a real EV for the first 40, 80 or 100 miles, which allows the driver to avoid IC fuel entirely on the daily grind. The Plug-in Hybrid EV is referred to as a "PHEV-40", for example, if it can go 40 miles without gasoline, or PHEV-120 if it can go 120 miles without gasoline. For longer trips, a very small, one-liter IC engine is capable of keeping it at highway speed, if the IC is only used to generate electric.

But automakers such as General Motors ("GM") have a long history of joining with oil companies in adamantly opposing plug-in cars. GM recognizes the public-relations benefit of a "green" car, but still has no intention of actually producing it.

GM Vice-Chairman Lutz admits that making the car itself is easy, but claims that the batteries are not available. Mr. Lutz claims that research into Lithium batteries is required before the Volt can get a range of 40 miles in all-electric mode. This is just plain false, and indicates that Mr. Lutz is either ignorant of existing and past EVs, or else is not telling the truth on purpose.

The Toyota RAV4-EV uses superior Panasonic Nickel Metal Hydride EV-95 batteries. Last sold in 2002, it runs up to 120 miles on a charge without any help from an IC engine. Adding a small gas, diesel or ethanol genset to this car would, in fact, make it superior to the Volt, with a 120-mile all-electric range and over 600 miles combined range. One intrepid Toyota RAV4-EV owner tows an IC genset in a small trailer, the "Long Ranger", and has created an instant PHEV-120 where Mr. Lutz claims he can't produce even a PHEV-40.

Can it be that Mr. Lutz is unaware of the hundreds of Toyota RAV4-EV on the road? Perhaps even a Vice-Chairman can be blind, but there's worse.

GM itself had an EV, the 1997 EV1, which used poor-quality Delco lead-acid batteries to attain a range of 60 miles. After replacement by good Panasonic batteries, the same car had a range of 110 miles. We know this, we had such a car, and loved the increase in range and added reliability.

The 1999 GM EV1, using lower-quality Ovonics Nickel Metal Hydride batteries, had a range of up to 160 miles on a charge, and great acceleration. Both these EV1, the Honda EV-plus, and the Toyota RAV4-EV, weighed more than the proposed Volt, so there's really no reason to avoid use of the same batteries (Panasonic lead-acid or Nickel Metal Hydride) to get much more than 40 miles all-electric range.

In fact, using the superior Panasonic EV-95 batteries, the Volt could be a PHEV-150. This is the car that America needs, and the question is why Mr. Lutz is stonewalling it.

But even worse facts impugn Mr. Lutz' credibility. GM, if it were serious about the Volt, would need customers. Mostly, GM ignores customers, so maybe that's intentional. But with a new technology, GM would want a core of early-adopters, to spread the word and increase demand. If it were serious, of course.

There was an EV fan club, dedicated to the GM EV1. With family members, supporters, and those who would have liked to lease an EV1 but were not able to get one, even for a while, this is a target demographic of more than 10,000 potential advocates, evangelists and buyers. Yet GM has made no effort to crank up the EV1 fan club, and has basically not bothered to rebuild bridges with its fans. Many EV1 drivers were incensed that GM would not even listen to them, let alone sell them the EV1; the natural course of business logic tells us that GM should start with this built-in market, nurturing the fan club, bringing the idea to the mainstream, holding club events, taking deposits.

But GM is not doing these things. GM is acting as if its destruction of the EV1 was completely separate from its re-creation of an EV via the Volt. This tells the objective observer that GM is giving the appearance of producing the Volt, but is not going to carry through with the reality of producing it.

Mr. Lutz has shown not only his unwillingness to address the issue of using lead-acid or Nickel Metal Hydride batteries, but has shown ignorance of battery technology. Lutz has stated that Nickel Metal Hydride is toxic, is too heavy for an EV, does not have the needed acceleration, and is too expensive.

Can Mr. Lutz be ignorant that it's Nickel-Cadmium that's toxic, not Nickel? Nickel or lead was not too heavy for the great acceleration of the EV1, and those weighed more than the proposed Volt. Nickel metal is cheaper than Lithium, and does not need expensive, uncertain research. Lithium has life-cycle cost issues, and may not last as long as Nickel batteries.

One might believe that GM were serious, if Mr. Lutz, or the other spokespersons, ever attempted to answer these issues. But they duck the facts, refuse to answer, or give non-responsive sneering replies to serious issues.

I challenge Mr. Lutz to visit our two Toyota RAV4-EV, which are completely charged up and powered from American electrons via our rooftop solar system. Let him drive in a Toyota RAV4-EV, one of the hundreds of others still running fine, and see for himself. Each year, we donate excess electric to the grid, while helping to meet daytime peak demand with our excess electric; at night, we slow-charge our RAV4-EV cars. So far we have over 470,000 oil-free miles on our EVs, over 170,000 of those miles on our two current Toyota RAV4-EV.

That's a challenge to Mr. Lutz: I know he's in Southern California from time to time, the Chevrolet dealers we picketed said that he comes around. Well, come around and see for yourself, Mr. Lutz, the plug-in EV is real, present and accounted for. It's GM and Mr. Lutz that are AWOL.

Will the Lordstown workers, loyal and steadfast, once again be disappointed by failed GM management? As usual, the GM line workers, who are the finest in the world, have to bear the brunt of GM management mistakes. The Lordstown plant workers are willing to make the sacrifices, willing to make the effort, to bring the PHEV car America needs to market. It's Mr. Lutz, and GM management, that's failing America.

I hope they will change course, and really produce the Volt. This is not rocket science; the EV1 was, essentially, delivered to GM in 1989. It can be produced right now, with lead-acid or Nickel Metal Hydride batteries until Lithium becomes available, if ever.

Sincerely,

Doug Korthof

cc. Bob Lutz, others

Mr. Lutz, GM Vice Chariman
and all blog readers.

I read of the GM VOLT with great anticipation. I bring to your attention a project to generate the electricity needed to power VOLT and other EVs in sufficient numbers to effect a transition to EVs in about the same time frame as GM may be able to market the Volt. The info site is http://mysite.verizon.net/res18elt.

It takes both new electrical power and a new vehicle to get the job done! The “ADAPT” project anticipates 2 hours of driving per 20 EVHP vehicles one per family...... ADAPT puts the necessary power n regional grids to keep LA (and all cities) lighted, air conditioned and a charged EV in every garage. Green is a good color.

Nick

Mr. Lutz,
Glad to hear VOLT is a go. Please consider a turbodiesel engine option promoting Biodiesel fuel to go with your ethanol engine option. The platform also seems ideal for a plugin Micro van for delivery and taxi use in large cities or rural mail delivery. The options seem endless. Need a soon to be retired codger. I am available. The young kids don't have all the neat ideas. You have proven that.

Mr Lutz,

To date, GM has never made a vehicle I would spend my hard earned dollars on. I'm not a tree-hugger, and I don't currently drive a hybrid. I actually drive a Porsche.

I do feel that we need to reduce our nation's dependence on foriegn oil, and providing vehicles like the Volt are a GREAT step in the right direction. Being able to be self-sufficient for short range commuting is an intelligent way to go.

You produce the Volt, keep the price where you'd stated it will be (or even less!), and have it perform to the specifications given...

AND I WILL BUY ONE.

Producing an affordable vehicle utilizing new technology should be understood as a difficult goal. To this end Tesla Motors seems to have a great idea; make a higher cost vehicle available to those that can afford it using this new technology with a goal towards making the technology more affordable as it's improved and then targeted towards a larger audience.

I can't help but feel that your current target market will result in you eventually pulling the plug or only receiving a tepid response because what you build won't be fun or particularly attractive due to all the cost cutting compromises.

I do not give a crap about electric vehicles or hybrids. All I want is a full size truck with a MANUAL transmission. Not these crappy hydramatics and junk Allisons. You already have a great looking truck in the new silverado, now just put me a REAL (manual) transmission in it, and I will gladly buy it.

GM can not afford to continue on without innovative technology

Mr Lutz,
Seems like everyone who pursues Lithium batteries gets wrapped around the axle and eventually gets run over (check Tesla's recent travails). It's a terrible business risk because the winning lithium chemistry that finally emerges (not to mention packaging and production process) is most likely one that has yet to be discovered. IN THE MEANTIME, if you can't clear the patents for the old EV1 NiMH batteries (GEE what would prompt a car company to dump patent rights to the best battery in history?) then try just 25 miles worth of spiral wound Lead-acid (maybe about 500 lbs). This would be the cheapest car in history to produce, and when the Lithium (or Unobtanium) batteries DO become available, you could get >100 mile range in the same space. My employer lets me charge my electric MR2 at work, so even 15 miles worth of charge would allow me to commute gasoline free, and the Volt gets 50MPG when generating its own power, so WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR.
Doctor Mark