Where to See the Volt in Washington
If you’re in Washington in the next few days, you might want to take a look at the Chevy Volt plug-in electric concept car, while it’s stationed there.
The schedule and locations are on FYI.
For the rest of us outside of the Washington area, we’ll be posting photos on Flickr soon.
– Christopher Barger, Director, Global Communications Technology
- Posted in Cars & Trucks, Volt
Tim
Mr. Barger,
I have 3 questions regarding the Volt and e-Flex
1) I would like to know if the Volt and e-flex could be used as an emergency standby generator/power supply for my home in case of an emergency, for power at my jobsite or while camping. This would require the standard 110v bidirectional plugs on each side of the car plus a 220v single phase receptacle under the hood for emergency standby generator use.
2) I also want to know if V2G capability will be built into the electronics as standard equipment. V2G is the Key to optimizing electric cars.
3) Will Bluetooth & GPS come standard so I can use my phone hands free through the car’s speaker system and use the GPS to optimize routing and battery use.
Thank you.
John
You all better get that Volt online soon, as the Saturn Aura Hybrid just got its tailpipe kicked.
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/Comparos/articleId=121755?tid=edmunds.il.home.photopanel..2.*
“The Aura is a big step forward for GM when it comes to the midsize sedan segment. Its Epsilon platform is a capable player dynamically and its interior is a huge leap ahead of previous efforts. Problem is, the target keeps moving. GM’s Japanese competition always seems to stay one step ahead when it comes to design and quality.”
Just in case you didn’t see that last bit, let me paste it in again, “GM’s Japanese competition always seems to stay one step ahead when it comes to design and quality.”
Get with it guys.
Frank Giovinazzzi
Hello all, I went to the DC event and shot a 2 minute video of Robert Boniface explaining the Chevy Volt. You can find it here.
AD
Dear “get with it”
Maybe GM and Ford can compete after the Japanese stop playing games with the business of doing business here in the United States.
Any nation that lies about the value of it’s currency will lie about anything. Considering how every other currency seems to go where the market goes why doesn’t the Yen?
Saying the Japanese have done good things for manaufacturing in the United States is like saying cancer is a great way to lose weight.
Eric Matthew Vest
Dear “Get with it”
The Saturn Aura won North American Car of the Year and is MotorWeek’s (PBS) best mid size family sedan pick. Your criticism is unjustified.
Dear Mr. Barger,
Do what is necessary to beat the competition to the market with a superior plug in hybrid.
joe l
I just saw an article that Toyota is public testing a plug in car in Japan and Europe. Looks like the Japanese are eating your lunch again.
John
Hey AD, almost every Toyota sold in the U.S. is manufactured in the U.S. Somebody’s got to provide American manufacturing workers with jobs building things Americans actually WANT.
And Toyota’s unveiling demonstration models of the plug-in Prius now, so GM better get with the program on the Volt, before it ends up YET ANOTHER ALSO RAN PRODUCT.
I’m pretty sure GM and Ford have done more than any foreign company to kill manufacturing in the U.S.
If GM and Ford could design fuel-efficient, fun to drive, long-lasting vehicles that people wanted to buy, there would be plenty of manufacturing jobs for everyone.
And don’t buy that nonsense about $1500 a car for health care costs making it hard for American companies to compete.
Name one Japanese car that doesn’t command at least a $2000 premium over its American competitors.
Come on GM, lobby for national health care and start making better cars.
Making unfulfilled promises and whining is not a worthwhile way to run a company.
Vernon Tice
(This note is for Bob Lutz and others.)
Based on the Tokyo announcement today (See http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/25/business/25toyota.html ) I believe it is time for GM to go to Plan B for the Volt. It is clear now that Tokyo is not going to sit around and let GM have a free ride in the PIHV market. I would be very surprised if they don’t have a Version 1.0 PIHV to market long before 2010 (maybe 2008??).
I think a Plan B Volt should be a “best can do now battery” even if it means a much shorter electric only distance (maybe 10 miles on a NiHd battery). You may have to do some engineering to allow for a easier battery replacement. Sell the Version 1.0 Volt by adding the price of the NiHd battery to the final priced Volt with a promise to replace it when the final version battery is available. This would allow you to get the Volt to market much sooner and give you very valuable customer feedback. If you wait until 2010, Tokyo will be on Version 2.0 and GM will have a hard time catching up.
PS - I would love to hear your feedback regarding this idea.
Joe Gakenheimer
Dear AD,
“Saying the Japanese have done good things for manufacturing in the United States is like saying cancer is a great way to lose weight.”
Yes and Toyoda are the most cancerous! Who knows how many good paying jobs they have cost this country? And I’m not talking about a few thousand, I am talking possibly 7 figures.
About the Volt, I am excited about it, but not so optimistic about the battery technology; we’ll see, maybe something like that would be worth purchasing by 2015.
Also, Toyoda does have a good idea about offering each model with a hybrid; the mild hybrid (upgrade a bit) might be a nice fit with a 1.2 - 1.6 litre 4 as a base for any future delta cars.
Edward Hayes
Make no mistake the Chevrolet Volt will be to the automobile industry what the Boeing 787 Dreamliner is to the aviation industry.
If as I expect GM delivers on all its goals and it goes through with its plans to design even more vehicles around this amazing power train, it will be a leap in automotive technology. The competition has no choice but to respond or risk falling a decade behind in this technology. But there is no question there will be casualties in the industry as many automakers just do not have the resources to compete in this burgeoning technology.
Coupled with GM’s unprecedented efforts to seal America’s energy independence and a $6 billion investment in Daewoo to expand its compact vehicle segment worldwide I think we are headed in the right direction.
Add that to GM’s strategic purchase of a diesel company in Italy and we have the makings of a super success story.
The HEED strategy, in which GM must take the lead in hybrid, hydrogen, electric, ethanol, and diesel propulsion technologies is dead on.
Angela
Ahhh…you mean Washington DC. I am in Washington. The “other” Washington. I won’t be seeing the Volt anytime soon, I guess. ;-P
Angela
Eric Matthew Vest
I am writing concerning John’s post on Toyota’s vehicles manufactured in the United States. Toyota only manufactures the Corolla, Camry, Avalon, Sienna, Tacoma, Tundra, and Sequoia in the United States. Even for these models, Toyota imports some of the units its sells in the United States. All other Scion, Toyota, and Lexus models are manufactured elsewhere. General Motors’ economic foot print in the United States is much larger than Toyota’s. General Motors’ administrative, engineering, research and development, and manufacturing operations in the United States are much larger than Toyota’s. When you take into account the economic multiplier effect, General Motors’ impact on the United States economy is much more significant than Toyota’s. Also, General Motors’ ownership is largely in the United States and Toyota’s ownership is largely in Japan. Therefore General Motors’ dividend and bond payments largely benefit the United States economy and Toyota’s dividend and bond payments largely benefit the Japanese economy. Also, do not make the mistake of thinking that General Motors’ dividend and bond payments just benefit the wealthy in the United States. General Motors’ ownership is largely institutional investors many of which are pension funds that benefit your working and middle class Americans.
Eric Matthew Vest
Dear Get With It John,
I just read “Going hybrid makes Tahoe a treat,” by James R. Healey in the Friday, July 27, 2007 edition of USA Today. Maybe you should read this article and adjust your mindset.
Stephen A.
I’m very enthusiastic about the Volt and I want to second Vernon Tice’s great idea (above, 7/25) regarding a rush-to-market Volt with a smaller battery, with a larger one available at a later date. The Japanese are not standing still on this one, and gas prices could spike in 2008, or even this year, making such a car a HOT seller.
I’d love to say GM beat the Japanese to it - and built a car that I would actually like to own.
Paul Wilfong
The Volt and e-flex are WONDERFUL, and people will definitely be buying the car. I wish it could become available before 2010. Also PLEASE consider producing an e-flex based HHR. That is what I will buy IMMEDIETELY. Even if it has less pep and less MPG. The Volt I will pursuade my 80 year old Dad and 18 year old Son to buy
(They don’t need the extra cargo space - I do…)
CM
I’ll “third” the ideas of Vernon Tice and Stephen A. Toyota is road testing their plug-in Prius, using a double size NiMH battery, more powerful electric motors, an 8 mile EV range, and a 60 mph EV speed.
NiMH has a lower energy density than LiIon, but it is durable and reliable enough for hybrids and plug-ins, and is available now.
You can bring out the longer range LiIon version later, when those batteries are ready.
Jim Boon
Just a few thoughts to share:
Keep the Camaro coming. Remember that the
market is hot for the Camaro body. I know it sounds complicated. If you make that body for the Volt car, that is a waste of body style; can’t you make it for both the Elec and the IC cars?
If you stay with electric and hybrid cars, the winner will have the right battery/engine balance and right now I expect GM to prevail. Looking forward to lithium-ion over nickel-metal.
In hybrid, the two-mode is most robust and ready for mass market.
A note of caution; Don’t lose Tim Grewe; over the last 25 years he is the brightest and most dedicated person I have ever met in regards to implementing technology in the automotive market
Then there is the HHR: its a good small car but not a match with the Honda Element. Inside space and utilitarian uses are important. Honda has the edge right now.
phill
Please GM, put the throttle down on the volt. If you don’t have engineers running around the clock on this you are crazy. This will be the largest breakthru and people will eat it up. Not to mention we can finally put our foot in the butt of the foreign oil interests. Myself and a lot of other Americans would spend additional money just to do it. Couple this car with aggressive solar and wind power production and we could have something…