All Eyes on the Volt
By Bob Boniface
Director of Design for Chevrolet Volt, GM
Earlier today, I spent some time discussing the development of the Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric vehicle at the Management Briefing Seminars in Traverse City, Mich. My team has put a lot of effort into creating a beautifully designed, fun-to-drive vehicle – inside and out. The beauty of the Volt’s design is much more than just surface deep, the interior and exterior design is an important element of the vehicles overall mission to be one of Chevrolet’s most energy efficient vehicles - ever.
Why are our efforts in the design studio so important? When you’re driving down the road, it takes energy to slice through the air that is pushing against the car. That force is known as drag and it can account for up to 20 percent of the energy consumed in an average vehicle. One of the challenges as a designer is to reduce aero drag, while still creating a design that is compelling. We do that by experimenting with different angles and curves and then testing the car in our wind tunnel, which blasts air at the car to measure the effect of drag.
Aerodynamics is extremely important for an electric vehicle like the Volt, which is designed to drive up to 40 miles using only electricity to power the car. By minimizing aero drag, we can maximize the range of the battery. So, it shouldn’t come as any surprise that my exterior design team spent countless hours in the wind tunnel with our aerodynamicist to refine the Volt’s exterior. We believe this was time well spent - when you’re trying to extend gas-free driving of the vehicle, you’ll take all the efficiency you can get.
(Take a look at this video, which you can also see in our video sidebar, inside the wind tunnel.)
We believe the Chevrolet Volt’s exterior design is an attractive balance between aerodynamic performance and styling. Included below is a detailed image of the driver-side front quarter of the vehicle. If you look closely, you can see the rounded and flushed front fascia, tapered corners and closed grille are aesthetically beautiful and functional, enabling air to move easily around the car. In the end, we believe the vehicle is both aesthetically pleasing and extremely efficient.
The pictures below also showcase many of the exciting styling elements and design themes carried over from the concept vehicle to the production model design. Let us know what you think of the photos by leaving a comment.
- Posted in Volt
Mike-o-Matic
The production design looks good! Well, the eight square feet I’ve seen anyway. More pics please!
Keep going Bob & Co.! We’re all pulling for a home run with the Volt!
GM releases new Chevrolet Volt teaser photos | Auto Unleashed
[...] Source: GM Fast Lane [...]
motorman
when you plug in the desired C of D number into the computer the car shape will always come out the same. i don’t look for anything earth shaking in the shape of the car.
edvard
This car just keeps looking better and better. I love the details in the lights. Very unusual design.
I have one comment in regards to how the Volt is being marketed though. As much as I dislike being unnecessarily negative, I feel that the lid was lifted off the Volt and a few other GM models like the Camaro way too early. I understand why GM is doing this, which is to build up an early fan base and following of these cars. But to me, if you look at how other companies like Apple reveal their products, they do so fairly late, or right before the product is actually made available for public consumption. Remember the Iphone? People went NUTS over that thing. That’s Apple’s shtick: Nobody knows what they’re going to introduce, but people expect them to introduce something crazy every few years.
Secondly, when you introduce future products early, the competition jumps on a competing product right away. I’ve noticed that Toyota has been tight-lipped about the 2010 Prius. Hardly anyone knows what it even looks like or what kind of MPGs it is going to get. I’ve seen just a few unconfirmed sketches which range from looking incredibly hideous to really cool looking. Bit all I can tell you is that the Prius crowd is already whipped into a frenzy about what it might be. That anticipation alone is reason enough to consider unveiling concepts closer to actual product launch.
Anyhow, don’t get me wrong- the Volt looks great. But I’d advise timing concept launches later than so prematurely.
Vlad
The front lights look really futuristic, I doubt they’ll make it onto the production model. And I see some Saab influence, but that’s ok, the car doesn’t look bad at all. Congrats!
bluebaby
Hey guys don’t wash down the original design, this is starting to look like the Malibu lens, keep it looking like the concept as far as the headlamps.
Thanks
Young
I have stayed away from GM cars after the EV1 days, but I will buy a Volt (not lease) when it comes out. I like the looks. Nice job.
-VT-
From what I can see it appears to look great! Buuuutttt I’m not a fan of this teasing, I wanna see some full body photos!!
Euroclydon
“When you’re driving down the road, it takes energy to slice through the air that is pushing against the car. That force is known as drag and it can account for up to 20 percent of the energy consumed in an average vehicle.”
Don’t be so patronizing. We know what drag is. Depending on speed, it can actually account for a lot more than 20%. With each doubling of speed, drag quadruples.
Jim Mbongo
Good job GM. Keep going GM.
Rum Doodle
How will Volt owners pay road taxes?
Has GM yet discussed with the politicians and bureaucrats how they plan to collect road taxes when a Volt owner recharges the battery? Of course when we buy liquid fuels, the Feds and states take a cut as a road tax. (And that’s fair, the money to build and repair roads has to come from somewhere.)
* But if I recharge a Volt from an electrical outlet in my garage, and never drive more than 40 miles between charges, I won’t be buying any liquid fuels, and the feds and the state where I live won’t be collecting any road tax from me. It seems fair that Volt owners continue to pay their share of road taxes, so how will Volt owners do that?
* Will some state agency have to install a “road tax meter” on the electrical outlet from which I recharge the battery of my Volt?
* Or will each Volt need a built-in recorder that stores data on how much electricity is consumed, and then forward that data to the department of revenue in the owner’s home state so a road tax can be computed and collected?
* if there is a “road tax meter” in my garage, what will happen to me if I run an extension cord from my workshop to circumvent paying the road tax on the electricity my Volt uses?
* If the place where I work puts electrical outlets in the parking lot to let me recharge at work, will those need to have a “road tax meter?” Will my workplace have to start another bureaucracy to collect and forward the road tax they collect when the owners of plug-in hybrids recharge while at work?
* If I stop at a Motel 6 on a road trip, and they let me recharge, will they have to collect and forward a “road tax” for the electricity I use?
It only seems fair that Volt owners continue to pay their share of road taxes, but exactly how we will do that is a problem the Feds and state politicians will have to soon address.
Douglas
Great looking car, the only superficial qualm I have is the fake grill, lose it for me, or make an alternative option. its an easy change I assume. What’s there looks low-tech and tasteless to my eyes. Either redesign the pattern or make it different some other way. I am an engineering student, not a design buff, but I feel it would help. The rest is impeccable (what little there is to see). Just my comment on what I am seeing, as you asked.
Mike Murphy
The Volt is going to be a key car for us. Will there be any plans for every dealer to get at least one of the first production Volts? I think we can make a case to have the first of a given dealer’s allocation of the Volts remain in dealer inventorys for a month or so for display/test drive purposes. This would give dealers and GM a chance to have people see and drive the car. It would also give GM a chance for more pre-orders and to work out potential issues before the first production units get into customer’ hands.
Given what I can see, the picture of the production version is better than the concept.
SteveF
Bob,
Really looking good. Cannot wait to see the whole car. When will the whole car be shown, have heard Paris Auto Show or the LA Auto show, which one?
Noel
As a GM dealer employee and a loyal GM buyer since 1986,I think its great news…..but….I am hoping its not too late. GM has lost a lot of credibility in lots of eyes as more and more buyers turn to Toyotas and Hondas. I just hope you guys get this right and make a huge impact. What concerns me is the price tag. I wonder just how many families can afford 40-50 grand for this car? It has always amazed me that Toyota gave us the Prius that gets 48 mpg city and GM has not produced anything remotely close to that. The Hybrid Tahoe seems like a bust as our dealer cant give them away.
The Volt looks good and I really hope it does well but as mentioned above,those are my concerns.
Let me ask you this Bob……what are Chevy dealers going to offer the public as far as fuel efficient cars until 2010???? I am not talking about the 30-32 mpg range…..how about cars that get 35-42 mpg? Only then will you start winning the battle. As I only drive 6 miles to work a day,my HHR at 30-32 mpg is plenty for me,but for others its not. Good luck with the Volt but again at 40-50 grand,I hope you have other models coming out as a back up plan. Just my 2 cents. I am still a GM buyer and always will be but you need to gain back a lot of lost trust. GM to me will always be a piece of Americana,its a shame alot of others lost that feeling……
Joe Bono
Get the price point right and this WILL be a grand slam. Throw in some solar panels on your roof to charge it at night and watch the cost of commuting cut in 1/2. Pocket book wins & Environment Wins.
Jack Frosch
I’d be interested to know how the Volt’s Cd (Coefficient of Drag) compares with that of the Prius’
The Finer Points of the Chevy Volt « Earth2Tech
[...] hybrid drivetrain, but relatively little attention has been paid to the car’s aerodynamics. In a blog post on GM’s FastLane, Bob Boniface, director of design for the Volt, points out the various streamlined features, even [...]
Paul James
Great! Too bad it isn’t out this year. I would buy it in a heartbeat.
Damon Michaels
Get rid of any unnecessary trim.
Don’t make your Bow Tie too large like Ford with on the F Series P/U’s. It looks dopey on the F series.
GM designer flashes photos of Chevy Volt | Daily Technology News
[...] a company blog post, Bob Boniface, who is the director of design for the Volt, released photos of the exterior. The [...]
mike w
Wow, what a looker. Even with the razzle dazzle tape I can see the high rear deck and sultry fenders. The details look understated but heated. Great job! What’s the Cd? Flat bottom too?
ArtInvent
As far as appearance goes, the real trick will be getting it to not look like a Prius; that will be difficult because the shape of the Prius is simply what works best and if efficiency is paramount, aerodynamics doesn’t leave you with a lot of options other than details and cosmetics.
This car is still over two years away, and that’s assuming there are no additional delays. That’s a very long time. Putting out these little snippets that really don’t show anything keeps the name of the car in the news, I guess. Frankly I think GM ought to be trying it’s hardest to move the release date up. By late 2010 the competition will probably have a plug-in available as well. I would love to buy one of these but there will certainly be other options at that point.
Marcus
One thing I can definitely say I’m not worried about is the road taxes. Believe me, they’ll figure it out, it’s not worth spending your time thinking about.
Looks like great work, I can’t wait to buy one. I’m on the unofficial wait list at gm-volt.com with 35000+ like minded (and hopefully deep-pocketed) people anticipating the release of this car. We all can’t wait to see the rest of it sometime soon.
James
Can’t wait for it, but same as Douglas, please get rid or change the grill.
Steven
Wow, those wind tunnel shots are cool, but I did’t realize the Volt was going to be quite that small!
Zapp
I am scared. Those two shots tell me nothing about the section of the car I am worried about. I don’t want a Prius with a bowtie.
I’m not trying to troll here, but if the Volt comes out looking like an airfoil cross-section with some aggressive front fascia, I’m out.
I really don’t care if it is the difference between 30 miles electric and 40 miles electric. I really, really don’t.
Un-impressed
Another hideous looking vehicle from GM. No wonder you guys can’t compete with foreign car companies. Go hire some designers who are not slack-jawed rednecks who think big & bulky is better.
Rum Doodle
~ “Throw in some solar panels on your roof to charge it at night.”
You do realize I hope that solar panels will be useless at night.
Gary Dikkers
Mike Murphy said: “Will there be any plans for every dealer to get at least one of the first production Volts?”
Mike,
GM needs a new distribution model, and what they should do is take their dealers out of the picture and let consumers order the Volt over the Internet as though it were a computer, iPod, digital camera, or some other item of consumer electronics.
Unfortunately, consumer dissatisfaction with their dealers has been a contributor to GM’s downfall, and changing that business model should be part of GM’s strategy of reinventing itself.
Recovery and Forensic » Blog Archive » GM designer flashes photos of Chevy Volt
[...] a company blog post, Bob Boniface, who is the director of design for the Volt, released photos of the exterior. The [...]
DaveP
Overall, I like the look, but I’m concerned about the fakey grill. Generally, fakey things stuck on a car (fake hood scoops, fake “power” bulges, etc.) seem like a good idea at first, but over time they just tend to look… fake.
If the car doesn’t need a grill, maybe it shouldn’t have a faked one. Of course, there’s something to be said for texturing, perhaps a solid sheet in the grill area would look weird. I haven’t seen enough of the car to really say in context.
Just something to think about.
Bel Air
The interior of this vehicle is as crucial to the future on GM as the drive system. GM needs to have this critical vehicle have a refined, attractive, high quality interior. Fit and finish really, really matter. The interior of the new Malibu is only acceptable. GM needs to do a lot better than that if it wants to stay alive. If GM does it right, the Volt will be my next car.
KT
Thanks for the teaser photos. Congrats on your herculean efforts…we’re pulling for you! Just don’t abandon us, again, like you did with the EV-1…!
KT
…and the EV-2.
Stew
Euroclydon
“When you’re driving down the road, it takes energy to slice through the air that is pushing against the car. That force is known as drag and it can account for up to 20 percent of the energy consumed in an average vehicle.”
Don’t be so patronizing. We know what drag is. Depending on speed, it can actually account for a lot more than 20%. With each doubling of speed, drag quadruples.
LOL, I was thinking the same thing.
———————————————————————
Regarding taxes: Yeah, don’t worry. They’ll figure out a way to collect. I tell you what though, if I was the owner of a Volt and the taxes ended up being collected via OnStar reporting to GM how much electricity was fed in to the recharging system, I would jam a screwdriver through the OnStar PCB faster than it could say “I’m sorry Dave, I’m afraid I can’t do that.”
———————————————————————
One last thought. It’s irriating hearing everyone with all these little trade offs with All Electric Range. Some want more aggressive styling, some want more aggressive wheels and tires, yet more want the Volt to practically have performance on par with the new Camaro. Why is this? Maybe because of the exciting sporty styling of the concept. Folks, if everyone got their way with all these little trade offs, the Volt would have about a 3 mile AER.
The Volt’s primary mission is to provide maximum efficiency. It is an economy car for crying out loud, go buy a dang ICE car if don’t want that. I would like GM to give me 100 miles of AER, not being happy with 30 instead of 40 so it looks cool, like an earlier post said. I just don’t get that mentality.
sknabt
The economics need work. The Volt will cost $40,000 to make. Figure the sticker is closer to $50k than $40k. In 10 years/150,000 miles you’re looking at $10,000+ for replacement batteries or dumping a car with no resale value. It’s priced more like a Caddy than a Chevy.
If this is GM’s future the economy of scale needs to drop the price quickly.
I agree with another commenter GM needs affordable, well-designed, high fuel economy cars they can produce in huge volume.
Why exactly does the puny Chevy Aveo equipped with an automatic get a mediocre 23/32 mpg?
scott failing
it looks very good, is it a hybred.or electric. more full car picks.head lighs taller,needed for on comming cars to see. and needed day time running lights. i hope near 5 mph bumpers would be nice. limit crome. go more japanees or euro styeing. would be a change and plus in in tough market future. how much basic. up grade model.very good entery care good luck. hope you guys do well.up dated in side i hope. hope to hear more take care scott david f….
Adam
Very nice looking, so far! I like it. I’m glad to see GM continuing to release designs that make the foreign car companies look ‘ho-hum.’
Michael
It is a puzzlement. It’s all well and good to release a couple of teaser shots of the “final” design for the Volt, BUT… The Volt is STILL vaporware. The batteries still don’t work as promised, and we have no guarantee on that 2010 debut (I’m still leery of that date). And please, let’s not fool ourselves. That Chevy look is not going to go down well with people who can afford $40-$50K. (I’d make the bowtie as small as possible for this group–they won’t be caught dead in a Chevy, after all.)
It is a puzzlement. The first plug-in hybrid won’t come from GM but Toyota, which has quietly perfected the technology (again). In less time, Toyota has gone further than GM, but without the fanfare and vaporware. The Apple example is apt–it doesn’t say anything until it’s ready to deliver (albeit with the occasional major blunder of releasing three major efforts simultaneously in June). GM has been touting the Volt for 3 years, and it’s still “officially” two years away (but could be longer if they can’t get the batteries finished in time).
It is a puzzlement. GM had the technology right with the EV-1. Why didn’t it just update and perfect that? Oh yeah, that’s right. GM made a deal with (what is now) Exxon-Mobil to kill it. And look how the oil companies repaid GM–by nearly bankrupting the company and killing the SUVs.
It is a puzzlement… (apologies to Oscar Hammerstein II).
Euroclydon
~ “It is an economy car for crying out loud.”
Stew,
An economy car? Not at what now appears will be a price point of around $45k.
David
“GM needs a new distribution model, and what they should do is take their dealers out of the picture and let consumers order the Volt over the Internet as though it were a computer, iPod, digital camera, or some other item of consumer electronics.
Unfortunately, consumer dissatisfaction with their dealers has been a contributor to GM’s downfall, and changing that business model should be part of GM’s strategy of reinventing itself.”
Dealers are independent businesses engaged in a contractual arrangement with General Motors. That contract gives them rights sell, market, and service products sold by General Motors. Going outside of that agreement would take longer and be more difficult than the entire process of creating and selling the Volt in the first place and the likely end result would be failure directed by a court telling GM they had to honor their end of the contract.
By the way; you might want to review this JD Power Service Quality study in regard to your comments about GM’s dealers failing in their responsibilities. It appears that Toyota and Scion dealers are the ones that seem to have the problem today.
http://www.jdpower.com/corporate/news/releases/pressrelease.aspx?ID=2008091
Greencar
Looks good. I like the blue under the fog lights. LOVE the headlighs reminds me of the the new Camero. I think the blue pinstriping inside would match it perfectly, or something like the Riviera Concept inside would work too.
Tim
Euroclydon,
Just because you know what drag is, doesn’t mean that everyone that reads this blog does. I bet a large majority do, but I also bet that there are some that don’t. Don’t make blanket statements speaking for everyone. You say “which each doubling of speed drag quadruples”, well, I knew that, so I’m going to say, don’t be so patronizing.
Rum Doodle,
It shouldn’t be GM’s problem to worry about the road taxes. That’s the governments job. GM’s job to make cars, it’s the governments job to figure out how to collect taxes. Your statement would be better served on some IRS blog.
Zapp,
If you don’t care about the difference between 30 miles all electric, and 40 miles all electric, why are you even considereing buying a plug in? Why not just buy a conventional ICE car? This car is designed for maximum electric range, and fuel economy, not to be the flashiest car on the road. I agree with Stew, it’s an economy car.
Michael,
What makes you think the Volt is vaporware? There are working test mules with the batteries in them. Yeah, we have no guarantee on the 2010 release date, but every car manufacturer has had delays. Even perfect Toyota. I hope the Volt isn’t delayed, but there is always that possiblity.
Also, why do you think people who can afford $40-50k won’t want a Chevy? Chevy sells plenty of $50k Corvettes. They sell plenty of $70k Z06’s They will sell all $100k ZR1’s and they sell plenty of $40k Tahoe’s and Silverado’s. And don’t tell me “it’s because people don’t think of a Vette as a Chevy”. Please. If you want to play that game, then those same people will just think of the Volt as a GM, and not as a Chevy, just like the Vette.
Lastly, what makes you 100% certian that Toyota has already perfected the technology? (Yes, past tense, as you stated in your post). If it’s perfected, why don’t they have it out yet? Also, do you work for Toyota? How do you know exactly what they are have done? And how do you know that GM made a deal with Exxon-Mobil to kill the EV-1? From Michael Moore’s video, or are you some ex-high ranking GM executive that has a bitter taste in your mouth?
Gary,
If there were no dealers, how would people get a test drive? How would they know what type of a car they want? That’s one reason I buy very few things off the internet. Whatever I’m buying I want to hold it, touch it, and see it in 3 dimentions. Regardless of that, it would cost billions to get rid of the dealers, so I don’t think that’s going to happen anytime soon.
Euroclydon (again),
The Volt is supposed to be an economy car. Yes it’s going to be expensive at first (hopefully the price will come down quickly), but it’s still an economy car. It gets good (fuel) economy.
Noel
Let me ask this question also and if it appears stupid,then I apologize.
Since it will be a plug in to recharge overnight…….what do those of us that live in apartment buildings or those of us that dont park next to their house supposed to do if want to buy one?? Not buy one? There are alot of potential buyers that dont have a driveway or own a home. Then what? I know the answer would be then you cant have it because its not practical to own but that wouldnt be a vewry good answer.Just curious………
Fred
I think it looks fantastic so far. It’s basically everything the Volt should be. It’s really beautiful and elegant but at the same time it’s bold and distinctive. I also really like how it has a sort of futuristic / apple quality to it. It LOOKS like it’s an advanced and expensive car. A lot more so than the show car.
chevonly
OK WHEN CAN I GO THE THE DEALER AND PUT DOWN MY DEPOSIT FOR THIS GAME CHANGING CAR IM SOLD.
chiefpontiac
Rum Doodle: Let me guess, your paycheck is for 40 hours a week preventing a shovel from falling over.
Simply the fact that people have bought less gas to date this year than same period last year has already put road repair budgets in a whirl across the country. Sheesh, try to save yourself a buck and Big Brother says we’re not spending enough.Considering for the “Air Car” there is no such thing as free air anymore I would expect Motel 6 to put a coin operated plug-in for your overnight stay. In fact, realistically all the electric and hybrid cars on the planet ought to have a non-standard plug so that I don’t run an extension cord from my neighbor’s house and recharge on his dime.
Luis O
The more I see, the more Iike it. I have started to save money to buy one when they come out. I do have a question. I drive 48 miles each way to and from work, and have access to electricity at work as well. Will the car take 2 daily charges with out a problem?
MACHINEHEAD
@ Rum Doodle
Why would it be GM’s responsiblity to discuss road taxes with the government? The Government has mandated higher fuel economy and GM is giving them what they have asked for, why should GM be concerned about road taxes?
It’s incredible that a car company like GM is trying to produce a game changing vehicle that will benefit almost everyone, and yet people still find reasons to critisize it. Toyota does not have a plug in like someone has mentioned, nor have they perfected one yet. It is actually reported that Toyota may stick to metal hydride batteries in their next prius because they don’t have proper LioN batteries. Even so, I think it will be posted soon that this is somhow better than what GM is doing with the Volt.
Can it be that hard to give GM some credit for its efforts?
Nick
Looks watered down from the original concept, ORDINARY.
I guess if you really want the body to be aerodynamic you’ll be driving a streamline dolphin (i.e. Aptera).
The propulsion is the interesting part. All electric power train and the ICE just for recharging is a good idea for the present need to extend the range. I’d prefer ALL electric please, just waiting on batteries.
But if GM really wants to save their Trucks/SUV sales, they should partner with Johnathan Goodwin that can convert current Duramax diesels to increase mileage and horsepower, and at the same time reduce emissions.
Most important for this project to succeed is AFFORDABILITY. If the average family can’t afford it, it’ll fade away before it even hits the market.
GMisCARKING
For those of you who think that a $40,000 Volt is expensive, well the lithium-ion battery alone costs $15,000!!!! And think about you, you may not need to refuel a single drop of gas for the rest of your life!!!! The price per barrel of oil may jump to 200, 300 or even 600. And price per gallon may rise to 12, just like in Europe!!!! That’s one BAD habit of American consumers: trying to lowball while they are getting a quality vehicle that’s well worth the price they pay. It’s the same reason while GM’s only makes 145 dollars out of every car in the USA.
Speaking of alternatives, Ford has begun making its Fiesta subcompact in Germany, which will be availabe here in 2010. It will compete with Chevrolet Aveo. Now, I wish Ford will regain its market share in the US and take back the number 2 spot from Toyota. I really dont know when will GM ever learn to bring the Corsa over here and make the car in Mexico or Lordstown. The new Ford Focus will be here, and if Ford wil also bring the Ford Ka minicar here( same size as Chevrolet Beat and smart forTwo ), Ford will become the leader of fuel-efficient, stylish compact car segment in the US. There’s no doubt about it.
Nate
Motorman,
That isn’t necessarily true. The CD will not always produce the same shape. Though it could be said the shapes will be similar and most likely very airplane like. (Big surprise)
Nate
Edvard,
I agree GM may have let the cat out of the bag to soon. I think that certainly was the case with the Solstice…. its been a futuristic car for almost 6-7 years now and its only been on the street for what, two years at most.
The volt is nice but range is their biggest downfall right now.
People went Nuts over the iPhone because their design teams are amazing. if GM had Apple design teams people would go nutts over the Volt too. Then again an iPhone isn’t to far out of reach for most consumers… How about an Apple-GM partnership?
GM needs to announce a product and say “Its on sale today” like Steve Jobs does. The problem is GM has in the past looked toward feedback from their customers before releasing a product. There is a huge difference in the way Apple works and GM does. GM needs better leaders with better foresight then…. things will work fairly well for them.
Nate
Nate
Felix
I share many of the posted concerns such as dealer / manufacturer trust. It’s common knowledge the “smart” choice would be to buy an asian fuel efficient and highly reliable car and avoid dealing with terrible service thats prevalent for average folks. What have you done to deal with that?
Why couldn’t you partner with Tesla instead of compete against them? They don’t have bad service and quality history and they created the recent enthusiasm for EV’s. They just need GM-like funding and manufacturing resources.
The styling is nice but not unique enough in my opinion. Don’t play it up if it’s nothing absolutely remarkable. At least the Prius introduced an interesting one-box design. Aerodynamic development has been used for decades, we don’t need to see airflow tests. Show me the mule’ s performance or something that’s going to knock my socks off. Design it for ultra low costs because you know costs will escalate by the time you build it. Please give me a reason to take the risk in 2 years…
EVehicle
Road Use Taxes
Not sure what other states may do but in Georgia we solved the problem by collecting an additional fee for the Alternative Fuel tag for electric vehicles ($25) which covered the approximate amount of the annual state taxes on fuel. State was happy, the electric utilities were happy and so were the owners. FYI, this AF plate also identifies vehicles that are allowed to be in the HOV lanes as a SOV.
Bob Tasa
>Great looking car, the only superficial qualm I have is the fake grill, lose it for me, or make an >alternative option. its an easy change I assume. What’s there looks low-tech and tasteless to my >eyes.
I agree with you. The grill somehow looks cheap.
How about a slightly sunken grill that is textured black? or even better and more
futuristic a grill that has some led lights that would give you a glow at night..
Gereon (Germany)
“Another hideous looking vehicle from GM. No wonder you guys can’t compete with foreign car companies.”
What a senseless statement. After all that talk of crisis regarding GM, let’s not forget, that GM’s market-share in the US is on par or even higher than Volkswagen’s market-share in Germany! If you put it this way, VW also isn’t competitive over here! Sorry, but I rarely did read such a nonsense at this blog…
Car Fan
I fear the show car was so cheated in proportion that the production car will be a disappointment when it is launched despite the great efforts of the team.
Can’t say i get the fake grille and the pale un-exciting color.
and the price? $40,000?? come on guys!! i can get two Priuses for that!!
Chris R
Sknabt
The only reason I can see for the existence of the Aveo, at least in it’s current form is to sell more Cobalts. People come into a Chevy dealer looking at the Aveo, discover that they can get a bigger car for nearly the same money and almost exactly the same fuel mileage and instead of buying the Aveo, they drive off in a new Cobalt. That might explain why I see about five times more Cobalts on the road than Aveos.
Sarath K
At long last GM has got the message and once again it is going to shine in the Galaxy of car makers. I have always owned American made cars for many reasons, and mostly GM cars. I never went along with the Japanese or German brainwashing as to how good their technology is. Bob Lutz next time the Jpanese start bragging about the superiority of the Prius drive train ask them why an American company “Solomon Industries” filed a patent infrigment lawsuite for stealing the idea for the Prius drive train off their patent. In fact the first Mars lander wheel motors were designed from a Solomon Industries patent. And too ask them why they employ many Americans in their design teams.
I also would like to make a suggestion with regards to the location of the charging point on the Volt. Instead of locating the charging point on the side of the car, two charging points should be provided one in front and one at the rear. This way no one is going to damage the socket or the plug if for some reason they forget to unplug the cable and decide to drive off. This will happen for sure and the owner is going to curse GM for a poor design. With the charging point on the car located in front and the rear the plug in cable can easily come off when the vehicle pulls out causing no damage.
After riding in a Prius I have wondered why the Japanese have so many displays on their LCD screen is this really necessary? or is it just Gee Wiz stuff that the Japanese are so fond of. I think the more complex you make the electronics more prone to trouble and more expensive the repairs. Which in turn gives GM a bad reputation. So please keep it Simple only provide the systems that are really necessary. The many screens that are in the Prius display are too distracting and I feel totally unnecessary. Talk to your many customers do some surveys and find out the needs of the customer, Use the proven and time tested technology that you already have. Please do not copy the Japanese.
GM made a very wise decision in going to a series hybrid. This is decidedly a better way to go since now you can adjust your ICE used for charging the Battery pack for optimum performance and not worry about the lead foot drivers. Also it is a better design for future developments such as Wheel Motors that I hope GM is working on.
With regards to the initial pricing I think the Federal government should step in. They did this for the Prius a Japanese car why not for the Volt an American product. Look at the money we will save by not having to buy so much of imported oil from those who wish us nothing but harm. The Feds should support this program 100% and we should demand that they do. Also many decades ago a person was able to purchase a Chevy for about $1000.00 but just like everything else prices keep going up and the Volt specially is a game changer so the price is going to be a little high but the marketplace will make the necessary adjustments up or down, it is not going to be any different from anything else.
GM also should look at other types of engines as replacement for the ICE on the Volt.
Specially the Rotary engine called the Radmax which has only a few moving parts and has a tremendous Power to Weight ratio and the ability to run on any type of fuel.
American ingenuity is there all we need is the will to implement. Best of luck GM this time you guys are on the right track.
Joe D, Cleveland OH
Mr. Boniface,
I just visited the Crawford Auto Museum at the Western Reserve Historical Society in Cleveland, Ohio yesterday, and what did I see? None other than a brand new condition EV1 on display!!! I thought GM had taken all of them back and destroyed them. Well, apparently, you missed one! Why don’t you take this one back and instead of destroying it, use it? If you don’t want it, I’ll make you or the WRHS an offer - that is, if GM still even owns it. (I asked the WRHS who actually owns the vehicle and they really didn’t know). Maybe you don’t know it exists and it went under the radar when you were out crushing all the lease returns, even those from customers who offered to buy them at top dollar. Can I have it?
Rum Doodle,
The whole idea of going gas-less is to not have to pay ANY taxes….. PERIOD!!!!! You sound like you’re some crazy politician. You are scaring me!
Gereon (Germany)
“I am hoping its not too late. GM has lost a lot of credibility in lots of eyes as more and more buyers turn to Toyotas and Hondas.” - Noel
Hi Noel,
I understand your concerns, however I wouldn’t be that pessimistic. Of course the US-market still is (and remains) the World’s largest car-market, but nevertheless, it’s not the ONLY important market. If GM does the marketing right, they will roast the European competition, considering that we probably will approach 10$/Gallon in the next few years. VW also announced a PHEV-Golf in the meanwhile, but to my knowledge it will hit the road at least one year later than the Chevy Volt and its Opel-sibling, whereas the Volkswagen-PHEV reportedly will have lower capabilities (electric range) than GM’s E-Flex-system. The European manufacturers, especially the Germans, due to their Dieselmania, still oversleep electric propulsion-concepts. Until today you can’t even buy a mild hybrid from the Europeans. I also have some doubt, that even the hybrid-experienced Japanese will be able to provide anything, really on par with the Volt at the same time.
Rum Doodle
~ “The whole idea of going gas-less is to not have to pay ANY taxes….. PERIOD!!!!! You sound like you’re some crazy politician. You are scaring me!”
Joe D.
No politician, just being realistic.
I assume you’d like to drive your Volt on relatively good roads, and you’d like those roads to be cleared of snow in the winter. The tax money to build and maintain them has to come from somewhere. If everyone drove an electric car, fuel tax revenue would plummet, so someone has to figure out to collect road taxes form electrics such as the Volt.
Rum Doodle
~ “Why would it be GM’s responsiblity to discuss road taxes with the government? “
Machinehead,
It’s not GM’s responsibility per se, but if they are truly forward looking, it’s something they should be thinking about.
The bureaucrats will come up with a solution, but it would be to GMs benefit if they were part of the solution and didn’t have something forced upon them.
Rum Doodle
~ “With regards to the initial pricing I think the Federal government should step in. The Feds should support this program 100% and we should demand that they do.”
Sarah,
All things are possible with enough subsidies. (I’d certainly like to have the Feds pay for my Volt.) But remember, “One person’s subsidy is another person’s tax.”
edvard
I was listening to the news today and the story was about GM and Toyota. Apparently, Toyota has announced that they will be releasing a FLEET of plug in hybrid vehicles at the same time as the Volt. That would have me concerned. Let’s say that Toyota releases the equivalent of a Corolla, Camry, RAV-4, and Yaris, except that they also happen to be plug in hybrids. They’re obviously going for a more conventional, pedestrian approach. You see where I’m going with this?
If GM simply releases the Volt, it will indeed be a specialized vehicle that might sell well. But how would a $40,000 car like the Volt compare to a $20,000 plug in Corolla? My gut feeling says that the soccer moms, day-to-day commuters, and young families will be buying Corollas.
There is something to be said about NOT showcasing the technology up front and simply providing a normal car that does what its engineered to do: Get you to point A and B and doing so with great fuel efficiency. I’ve mentioned this before and I’ll mention it again, GM needs to not only have the Volt, but it also needs to integrate this platform into ordinary cars as well. Otherwise, Toyota is going to trump the cards again. Diversify your offerings.
Brady Turley
Noel
I did see an article in some magazine, I think its called wired, where this guy wants to build wireless recharge systems. Im not too sure its the best idea in the world, but it might work. If that is the case, there could be a little parking meter infront of the building, put in your coins and let it charge. On the other hand, you do have a little gas motor that will recharge the batteries.
On that note, if the volt has a small gas motor, then why is there no functional grill? How do you cool the motor and keep the a/c cool?
Sarath K
Rum Doodle
Would you rather have the Feds provide a tax incentive to reduce the burden of the perceived high price of the Volt that will reduce our dependance on imported foreign oil. Or send Billions of dollars every year out of this country to someone hell bent on
distroying us useing our money?
Sheth
It’s amazing to me that so many people are commenting on the Volt’s price as if it’s set in stone. The $40k number was mentioned but we have no idea what the car will actually cost in two years. As technology advances, prices fall. It’s possible that the car will cost $40k loaded but I doubt GM really plans to start prices at $40k even if they need to in order to make money. Furthermore, Obama has embraced the idea of a huge tax break for plug in cars and I am willng to bet such a thing will come to fruition.
Those who believe Toyota and others can simply catch up simply because GM is releasing info about the Volt are clueless. Engineering a Volt competitor is a littlel more involved than simply following GM’s press releases. Toyota has already announced it plans to have a plug in ready for COMMERCIAL leasing by 2010 so they will NOT be able to field a true Volt competitor for some time. Toyota is betting on expanding its Synergy Drive for now, in fact they were all but dismissing Li Ion batteries for cars a few months back.
“Apparently, Toyota has announced that they will be releasing a FLEET of plug in hybrid vehicles at the same time as the Volt. ”
You are mistaken, TOyota will have plug ins available for FLEET use. Toyota hasnt even confirmed which vehicle will get plug in tech first. GM has already made two definite produce announcements.
Noel,
You ask what options will GM have before the Volt and the answer is the Cobalt/G5 XFE and Aveo. In 2010 the Cruze will be out and it will get far better mileage than Cobalt. In addition GM will have the Vue hybrid as well as Aura/Malibu Hybrids. You are grossly exaggerating Toyota and Honda’s advantage when it comes to mileage. The Cobalt XFE gets better highway mileage than the Corolla or Civic. The regular cobalt with auto is only about 2mpg less effiecient than Civic and Corolla in spite of offering 155hp standard.
Sheth
“GM needs to not only have the Volt, but it also needs to integrate this platform into ordinary cars as well. Otherwise, Toyota is going to trump the cards again. Diversify your offerings.”
Its always helpful to be familar with GM’s portfolio before commenting. Toyota has ONE hybrid system available and GM has two plus the upcoming E-flex. As of right now GM sells 5 hybrids which means that only Toyota offers more options. For 2009 GM will offer 4 additional hybrids. Unlike Toyota GM has a hybrid system that works with heavy vehicles such as large SUVs and pickups. GM has already announced that the next generation of it’s mild hybrid system will take up less space and offer greater efficiency. Once you combine that system with 6 speed automatic transmissions you will likely see highway mileage greater than that offered iin comparable full hybrid cars like Altima and Camry. This system will debut in 2010. As for E-flex, it’s apparent that GM plans to use it for Chevy, Opel and Saturn models in the future so this is not going to be a Volt only platform.
Sheth
“I agree with another commenter GM needs affordable, well-designed, high fuel economy cars they can produce in huge volume.
Why exactly does the puny Chevy Aveo equipped with an automatic get a mediocre 23/32 mpg?”
The Cobalt XFE gets 37mpg on the highway- more than Corolla or civic. The cruze is coming in two years.
For 2009 the Aveo with auto gets 25/34. Also the Aura/Malibu get 22/33 for 2009 which is better than camry or accord.
Rum Doodle
~ “It’s amazing to me that so many people are commenting on the Volt’s price as if it’s set in stone. The $40k number was mentioned but we have no idea what the car will actually cost in two years.”
Of course it’s not set in stone. GM has been quiet about the cost (probably since there are still so many unknowns about the Volt). Since none of us know either what the car will cost, all we can do is speculate and state our uninformed opinions. That’s part of the fun of the Internet — we all get an opinion no matter how uninformed or incorrect it might be.
But if it does end up as high as $45K, the Volt won’t do anything to solve our energy problems. To do that it would have to be priced low enough that hundreds of thousands of ordinary Jill and Joe Sixpacks can afford it — not just a relative handful of celebrities, rich people, and techno-geeks.
Noel
SHETH:
Thanks for the reply. I work for a Chevy dealer.I run the parts dept for 22 years.I drive nothing but GM cars.I know of the Cobalt XFE.Problem is no one else does. We never sold one,GM does not market it well….actually not at all…..the Aveo is junk imo. I agree about the Vue and thats good news but my main focus is Chevy since that is who employs me,not Saturn. I live and work in a very LARGE suburb 8 miles from NYC. This are was once dominated by GM cars/trucks but is now literally a sea of Hondas and Toyotas. I know the mileage differences,how I should have worded is that the general public does not.Much of the population ignorantly thinks if you own a Honda/Toyota you magically get great mileage or it does not breakdown. Impala and Malibu is a better car than the Camry to me.GM is right up there as far as MPG with the other lines for the most part….but….thats never mentioned,only thing mentioned is the SUV/TRUCK mpg and how we make gas guzzlers……Toyota,Nissan,Honda,Hyundai all make suv’s that suck on mpg. The Chevy Tahoe is best in class as far mpg goes. This is never mentioned though,its all left out in advertisements.Its absolutely horrible. People need to wake up. The imports are not all that.I live in America,I support an American company. The imports will always be imports no matter what
We just sold an 08 Cobalt SS…….260 horsepower, 30 mpg……..I’d take this over a Civic any day of the week. Cobalts get a bad rap as junk for some reason……Cobalts are actually really good,dependable cars.Consumer Reports is GM’s biggest enemy. They are constantly praising Toyota/Honda and downing GM…..Its actually sickening.
The answer is not only the Aveo or Cobalt XFE…..we as dealers trying to survive need more production models mass produced that can achieve …say…..36-42 mpg…..cars that reallt attract a customer……they need to be out next year….not maybe 2010. Dealers may not be able to survive until then. We are a large,large auto group that has Chevy,Ford,Subaru(2 stores),Honda(3 stores),Acura,Kia,Hyundai,Toyota,Nissan and Scion…..Most are separate stores.Chevy was number 1at one time…….Its time to get back there again.
Rum Doodle
~ “Would you rather have the Feds provide a tax incentive to reduce the burden of the perceived high price of the Volt that will reduce our dependence on imported foreign oil.”
Sarah,
Subsidies and tax credits can be used to favorably shape the actions of our society. A subsidy that changes how we use imported oil, could be a good thing, but it has to be done carefully and have limits.
Too many subsidies become so embedded they are impossible to get rid of because of political issues. Look at how badly the subsidies for corn ethanol have turned out. Corn ethanol does nothing to reduce our dependence on foreign oil and has the unintended consequence of raising the price of food. But we will never be able to get rid of the corn and ethanol subsidies because of the many politicians, lobbyists, and special interests they benefit. And unfortunately, the subsidies for those corn ethanol special interest groups are really a tax on everyone else.
Figure out how subsidies and tax credits could work for the Volt that would accomplish their intended purpose, wouldn’t become a tool of special interests, and that we can get rid of when they’ve served their purpose, and I would go for it.
Joe D, Cleveland OH
“I assume you’d like to drive your Volt on relatively good roads, and you’d like those roads to be cleared of snow in the winter. The tax money to build and maintain them has to come from somewhere. If everyone drove an electric car, fuel tax revenue would plummet, so someone has to figure out to collect road taxes form electrics such as the Volt.”
Rum Doodle,
The roads are maintained by the taxes I already pay by my income tax, property tax, toll road fees, sales tax, and any other tax tax and sur tax and this tax and that tax. F&%# more taxes!!!!!! If that becomes the case, believe you me, I will NOT buy a Volt and I think many more people will think twice about buying one if there’s even a hint of these crazy taxes you speak of.
The politicians are full of whacked out ideas as it is. Don’t give them any more (I can just see Pellosi rubbing her hands right after she read what you typed - FOOL!!!)
Raoul
To me, it seems like the Cd (aerodynamics) is getting the short end of the stick.
Cars like the Aptera and the VW 1 liter are able to get MUCH more mileage by focusing on the aerodynamics.
It was obvious with the concept that GM is more into making it looking “cool” (and of course, “cool” is subjective and inconsistent), then in really building a world changing vehicle.
Yes, cars like the Aptera will always appeal to only a limited number of people. But it’s the fact that they realized that aerodynamics is the most important thing when making a battery powered vehicle, and that drove their entire design process. They never made a single model or concept until the vehicle had been aerodynamically evolved and tested in computer simulations. Because of that, the Aptera needs a much smaller battery pack (which is the most expensive part of a battery powered vehicle). That in turn makes the whole vehicle lighter, and even more efficient.
All that said, I hope the Volt succeeds.
Oh, and no, I don’t work for Aptera (or any other automotive company).
jody wheeler
Frankly, I haven’t given up on the excitement division of Pontiac. I still want my tire shredding, V8 growling G8 GXP with a 6-speed manual thank you. Any word on when I can find one at my local dealer? Will AWD ever be an option on this car?
And thanks to volt nation for saving enough gas on the planet to make sure I’ll still have plenty for my G8.
George
Its really great to see first glimpses of Volt. It seems GM really addressing the need of time. Wish Volt very best and GM may produce sufficient units to cater the demand.
Sheth
“But if it does end up as high as $45K, the Volt won’t do anything to solve our energy problems. To do that it would have to be priced low enough that hundreds of thousands of ordinary Jill and Joe Sixpacks can afford it — not just a relative handful of celebrities, rich people, and techno-geeks.”
The Volt will not be a high volume model initially and GM has said this repeatedly. If you believe the Volt will single handedly reduce our dependence on foreign oil you are mistaken. The Volt is about technological leadership, not overtaking the Camry in sales. GM is just trying to get the car out on time to show it is trying to lead when it comes to fuel efficiency. GM has never claimed this car will be cheap or available in massive numbers in 2010.
Noel:
Have you been watching TV lately? I have seen numerous Chevy ads touting the mileage of the XFE. In fact, I have seen some during the Olympics. Sorry, but your assertion that GM doesnt advertise the mileage of it’s vehicles isn’t accurate. Furhermore, it appears to me that GM has wisely cut back on SUV advertising to focus on cars. I can’t tell you the last time I have seen a TV ad for a Tahoe or Yukon (except hybrids) so I would say GM is not trying to be known as a purveyor of gas guzzlers.
I think it’s also important to remember there aren’t many cars that get 42mpg available right now. If you subtract the Prius and Civic hybrid your list of 40mpg+ vehicles gets rather short so I’m not sure why you are inferring GM is so far behind when it comes to fuel efficiency. I think we all realize that it takes years to develop and produce a new car. If the Cruze is planned for 2010 that is when it will be available. I don’t think it’s realistic for GM to magically make the car appear next year.
Rum Doodle
~ “If you believe the Volt will single handedly reduce our dependence on foreign oil you are mistaken.”
No, I don’t believe the Volt will single-handedly reduce our dependence on foreign oil — especially at the price point it’s likely to come in at.
GM CEO Rick Wagoner was on the Charlie Rose Show* last night, where Mr Rose asked him directly what the price of the Volt would be. Mr Wagoner waffled a bit and wouldn’t let himself be pinned down, but did mention the number $40,000.
Unfortunately, at $40K, the Volt will be only a niche player in the market.
* Mr Lutz’s interview with Charlie Rose will be on tonight.
edvard
Noel pointed out the primary problem that’s already been discussed many times, but still remains: Generational perception. I’m a perfect example of such a person. My parents owned numerous GM cars and trucks when they were younger: a 76′ Malibu, an 82′ Buick Riviera, and a 75′ GMC. These cars had problems. Afterwards they bought Toyotas and Nissans which never gave us problems.This was back when the quality gap between Japanese and American cars was immense and the reliability of what Toyota produced was just about rock-solid.
From the time I was a child until even now, My parents drilled it into my head that if I wanted a reliable car or truck, go with a Toyota and that what GM and Ford built would ALWAYS give you problems. When you’re young and impressionable, you listen to your parents, and subsequently you follow what they say. For me, anything domestic branded was out of the question until I rented two GM cars when I got married. I thought they were great cars and was surprised at how great a fuel economy they got. So from my own observations, I would consider a GM car or truck if I were in the market.
But the problem is that if you look at cities like SF, ( where I live), NYC, Chicago, and so on, they are full of young professionals who were raised the same way as I was, and subsequently all drive Toyotas and Hondas. Secondly, as someone who was born and raised in the South where there is still some degree of nationalism and patriotism as well as some importance placed on domestically produced manufactured goods, the total opposite seems to be true out here in SF, where people seem to be… let’s just say somewhat less patriotic and therefor not as concerned about the national origins of a product. In fact, I’ll go as far as to say that people out here in general intentionally buy imported cars because they feel that by doing so, it makes them appear to be smart.
So from what I see, the problem for GM and probably Ford and Chrysler as well is that they not only have this perception problem to overcome, but they also need to find ways to make people such as those living in large cities feel smart about buying them. The Volt is definitely a huge step in that direction. So perhaps looking for other ways to leverage that aspect would be in order.
Sheth
“Unfortunately, at $40K, the Volt will be only a niche player in the market. ”
In its first few years you are probably right. This isn’t really news to anyone but some people are so excited about the Volt that they have ignored some of the facts about the car. If this technology were easy to manage and cheap to produce I’m sure everyone would be building a Volt. If were GM I would much rather overestimate the price than give a lowball figure that may be hard to acheive. Maybe they are saying $40k to make the actual price seem like a bargain in 2010.
Blue Wing
“The Volt will not be a high volume model initially and GM has said this repeatedly.”
Sheth,
I’m not so sure GM didn’t originally consider the Volt to be a future high-volume model. First reports were that they expected it to come in at less than $30,000. If they thought from the get-go that the Volt would be an expensive, premium, low-volume model, wouldn’t they have called it the Cadillac Volt?
Shawn Dawson
Road Taxes,
Hi Rum. The answer to your question is simple and not nearly as complicated as installing road tax meters in all electrical outlets.
When you renew your car registration each year (or however often is done in your state), you state the odometer reading. Your road use fees can be calculated based on the number of miles you traveled during the year.
Another system being tested in Oregon calculates miles traveled with a GPS in the car. This would allow you to track mileage on a monthly or quarterly basis or more frequent basis, have it read wirelessly at equipped gas stations and then pay the tax then.
It get’s a bit tricky sorting out gas use versus electric use. That is, if you use the gas engine on the Volt then you are already paying the gas tax, so it is double taxation to pay it again based on miles. I see two solutions for this
1) Have tax-exempt stations for certain cars which will pay fees based on miles driven, not gas tax. This would probably have to be enforced with the GPS system noted above rather than just a simple odometer reading when you renew the registration.
2) Get rid of the gas tax altogether and have *all* cars pay based on miles (plus other factors, such as car weight, which impacts road deterioration).
Option 2 seems like a huge change for all the cars out there, and paying once a year will be impossible for many people who cannot budget for it. Installing GPS systems on all the cars would be intrusive and expensive. So I like option 1) above.
-Shawn
BobT
Got this from the Wall Street Journal.
>Toyota’s Bob Carter, said in an interview that his company
>makes a profit on its Prius hybrids,
>which recently exceeded sales of one million units globally.
Now the Prius is making a profit and sells 1 million units. WOW can GM think this
big with Volt and bring down the price to the Prius level? That would make the car
sell beyond their wildest expectations.
Well the future is yet to unfold and marketing/sales and price points can be changed
much faster than engineering and completing a new product.
So good luck!
Shawn Dawson
Ok, I read more, and I’m greatly concerned about the cost.
I’ve been looking at all electric and electric hybrids for 6 months now. I’m ready for my next car to be one. I’d like to buy within the next year, but I could wait for the Volt to roll out.
However, I thought the target price for the Volt for the consumer was supposed to be under $30K. Going over $30K is a huge financial barrier for the masses. A teacher who grosses $32K has a hard time spending more than a year’s salary on a car, no matter how good it is. A car that is at $40K won’t work.
The Aptera models are both under 30K, and if they roll them out in places other than California (I live in Oregon), then I’d opt for that over the volt based sole on price.
To be clear, I do want to buy a Volt. I believe in buying American. But I can’t afford $40K.
Another alternative is to simply do a conversion myself. A used, small pickups is cheap, and from what I’ve read, I can convert one to a nice electric vehicle for under $20K including the high end lithium-ion battery pack. Or I can go for the lead acid battery for a lot less money than that.
Perhaps tax credits or other types of subsidies will come into play to get the cost to the consumer down. If not, then I’ll be looking at alternatives to the Volt.
-Shawn
Andrew
“Joe Bono
Get the price point right and this WILL be a grand slam. Throw in some solar panels on your roof to charge it at night and watch the cost of commuting cut in 1/2. Pocket book wins & Environment Wins.”
Solar panels require sunlight.
Nate
Bob Tasa,
Sorry I can’t agree. the grill is fine. Personally I find the idea of a grill to be rediculously outdated. It was needed in old cars equiped with normal radiators. But the reality is these holes in the front of the car combined with the (usual) lack of airflow design under the hood add to the drag of the vehicle. If GM puts grills on this thing it better make the air box inside nicer then that of most airplanes I’ve seen. The grill is just a whale of an aerodynamic loss (pun intended).
Time to move to the modern era… grills are obsolete there are better , lower drag ways to cool a vehicle then using a grill.
I do like the idea of putting a light bar up front (aka a continuous section of headlights) similar to yesteryears mercury’s.
Nate
Roger
Is there a “Gold Source” for information on GM Electric Vehicle technology leadership? This would be for customers or employees and provide data to respond to various questions from friends and neighbors. An example question might be, “Why does the Tesla Roadster go 250 miles on a charge while the GM Volt only goes 40 miles?”
Brady Turley
Nate,
How do you propose we cool the cars if there is no grill?
Bob Tasa
Nate
I don’t like or dislike grills but the silver thing in the front of the volt
cheapens the look. Why? I don’t know for sure but it does to me.
Bob
Sheth
“First reports were that they expected it to come in at less than $30,000. If they thought from the get-go that the Volt would be an expensive, premium, low-volume model, wouldn’t they have called it the Cadillac Volt?”
The price is one issue, the production numbers are another. GM has never claimed this car would be sold in huge numbers in its first few years. The reason it’s not the Cadillac Volt is because GM is making Chevy it’s primary hybrid/fuel saving division. This is why Chevy already has 3 hybrids, the Aveo and the Cobalt XFE. Cadillac only has one hybrid and GM hasn’t even confirmed a second one. Regardless of price, the Volt fits in with Chevy’s mission. YOu don’t see many Cadillacs sold based on great fuel economy.
David
Roger,
The Tesla *might* go 250 miles on a charge but it’s also half the weight of the volt, carries half the passengers, and carries 1/4 of the cargo - and at 250 miles it’s done for a number of hours if you can find a place to plug it in. The Volt will continue to operate as a vehicle as long as fuel is available at a gas station and takes as long to regenerate as it takes to put 10 gallons of gas in the gas tank.
I would suspect in normal driving most customers will see far less range out of the Tesla roadster than 250 miles. Probably half of that distance is more realistic.
David
I also forgot to mention that the Volt (even at the highest price point speculated at) is - less than - half the price of the Tesla.
David
As far as the radiator is concerned. .. Even the Tesla has a “normal radiator” and hence has a “grille”. A lithium-ion battery requires cooling so it has to have a heat exchanger as well as the inverter system also requires a heat exchanger or “radiator”.
BCC
Is the 20% number before or after energy lost as heat in an internal combustion engine? If not, I’m surprised it’d be that low. Given that the main losses aside from drivetrain losses (from the fuel tank to the wheels) are aero drag, rolling resistance, and energy needed to accelerate (which is ultimately lost as heat w/o regen braking), I would think the fraction due to aero drag would be much larger than 20%. If the number includes drivetrain losses, I think the number needs to be recalculated with the much more efficient electric drivetrain.
BCC
Brady,
It’s an electric drive. Its cooling requirements are much different (read: lower) than a typical drivetrain. Internal combustion engines typically are around 20% efficient; electric engines are more in the 90% range. That’s a big difference in cooling load! Sure, there’s the range extender, but that will be smaller and presumably more efficiently run than a typical ICE.
Tim
Mr. Boniface,
I now own a ‘98 Park Ave and a ‘02 Silverado but speaking of small cars, I once had a ’88 Honda Accord hatchback with split fold rear seats that folded flat and a “trunk” space cover which could be easily removed and stored behind the front seats.
I LOVED that car because it offered a large FLAT open area like a pickup so that I could carry bulky items in a small car. Ever try to push a box forward from the rear of a car but the carpeted seat backs slanted upward? Oh, my back!
E-Flex will change the world but will the Volt design incorporate these very convenient features?
Thank you,
Tim from Richmond, Virginia
Brady Turley
yes, being the electric cooling is nice and such, but what happens when the gas motor kicks on? How does it get cooled down without a grill? Also, modern engines are more around the 25% range in efficiency.
nasaman
Bob Boniface -
The Volt’s front end design shown above is gorgeous …with one major caveat! As several others here have already mentioned, the fake upper grills are a huge styling mistake, one that IMO nearly everyone will eventually come to dislike! Why not instead employ GM’s existing simple, inexpensive actuator-operated mechanisms (louvers) behind the grills shown to control air flow into the Volt’s under-hood area?
As you know, the actuator-controlled spring-loaded mechanisms I’m talking about are based on very simple, reliable, existing GM technology intended for exactly this purpose ….i.e., closing a vehicle’s grill openings as vehicle speeds increase to provide BOTH reduced drag as speed increases AND improved cooling under low-speed, high ambient temperature conditions. They were included on the Cadillac Provoq concept revealed early this year as shown in this high resolution photo….
http://www.autobloggreen.com/photos/ces-2008-cadillac-provoq-live-reveal-2/569301/full/
The Volt’s 1.4L gas engine, comfort A/C, the battery cooling loop (if separate from the comfort A/C), as well as all motors/generators/controllers which could collectively dissipate several hundred watts ALL must be cooled under worse-case conditions such as…. battery discharged (gas engine running) when stalled in heavy traffic or stopped in Death Valley at ambient temps of 120 F or more. I recognize that the large blacked-out grill below the Volt’s “bumper area” would very likely admit enough fan-forced air to cool the radiators placed directly behind it. But the increased aerodynamic drag caused by admitting air into the under-hood area of the car, whether done through this low-mounted, blacked-out grill or through the high-mounted grills, simply CANNOT be insignificant!
I strongly suggest this matter be carefully worse-case analyzed before any decision is finalized that avoids use of GM’s existing, inexpensive actuator-operated mechanisms to control air flow into the Volt’s under-hood area! Breakdowns in hot summer traffic stalled on Phoenix or Houston freeways and with the A/C on full blast would be DISASTROUS to GM’s reputation and to Volt sales!!!
John
I’m not a car enthusiast at all, just an average consumer, but i love the look and tech of the car. I’ll be buying one for sure, I already got my vanity plates picked out.
Blue Wing
“Regardless of price, the Volt fits in with Chevy’s mission.”
Isn’t it Chevy’s primary mission to be the car for the masses? The car for average, middle-class and lower middle-class working people who need reliable, dependable transportation? At $40,000 or more, and perhaps only 10,000 units per year, the Volt will hardly be a car for the masses.
Perhaps GM should re-brand it as the Cadillac Volt and then they could quit worrying about the car’s price point.
Ted
I’d like to know why the Volt, which is still under development, is anticipated to only travel 40 miles on baateery power when the Tesla, which is already in production, can travel over 200 miles on a charge. I realize the Tesla is far more expensive, but most of that is due to the limited production runs. Why notuse the existing technology and up the range on the Volt ?
Mike
Wow, from the pics it blows the ugly as hell prius out of the water!!!
Shawn Dawson
Blue Wing,
I agree with you. We need an American electric car for the masses. The masses cannot afford a car over $30,000.
-Shawn
Brian
I hope the designers do not screw up important details that are important to me to see in a new car design. They better not carryover the bad things I dislike in the new Malibu/CTS/G8. The MOST important thing I need to see in a car design is a thin, extremely thin A pillar and flush door frames with flush and concealed weatherstripping. The Malibu/CTS/G8 and most GM car don’t have it, with the Pontiac Vibe coming the closest to being right in this area of all GM product line. Look at Accord or Mazda 6 for A-pillar/Door frame designs done right. Must have windshield wipers to park out of the line of sight to the field of vision of the road ahead. There is lots of CofD penalty if wipers park like in an old Grand Am/G6 or Cobalt, get them below the hood surface, it’s only logical. I like lots of glass with lower belt line because it opens up a car to make it feel open with great 360 degree visibility. Keep B and C Pillars thin to not block visibility. Bringing glass lower such as at the trunk pic is a great way to do it so tight parallel parking is easier since you can see where you’re backing up into. Get the interior right and make it ergonomic with high quality materials. High end switches, buttons and knobs - which means no GM part bin items that exist, not even CTS parts, will be acceptable to me in this product. This interior should be benchmarking an ‘09 Acura RL and have a nav screen - too bad Camaro and G8 don’t have it - OnStar is garbage.
BobT
Both Mitubishi and Nisan are buying battery plants.
If Gm is serious about this will they create a Battery
line as well as a car line?
After a good nights sleep I was wondering about
the mpg of the volt and its price.
Tesla is coming out with a lower cost sedan.
Mitsubishi will have a low cost Miev probably by
2010 and Ford has been making progress with its
current SUV hybrid which GM has not comparison for.
This car gives me great hope that GM can pull out of
its nose dive but.. 2010 isnt here yet and there seems to
be a line of people going in your direction with models in production
now. This doesnt even include the companies like the one that is
modifying the Saturn Sky for 25K into a 100plus
all electric. Then there is a former GM guy who makes electric
conversions like the TZero. GM sure has it work cut out for them.
A 40K price point may make this car a complete flop by the
time it hits show room floors.
Maybe behind the curtain you need to have a wider range
of chocies than the Volt.
Alias
The Volt is one of the much looked forward to autos in the EV sector. People are looking forward to vehicles such as this and the Alias to change people’s perceptions about EVs as being strange looking, with limited range and applicability.
Gary Dikkers
Will the Volt be able to serve as an emergency power supply?
Mr Boniface,
I’ve thrown this question onto to the table in this forum before, but so far no one on the Volt design team has responded:
* Are you building into the Volt the capablity to serve as an emergency electrical power source during events such as hurricanes, blizzards, thunderstorms, civil disturbances, prairie fires, etc, that might cause disruptions in the electrical grid?
If I owned a Volt and lost electricity at my house for a couple of days because of a blizard, it would be comforting if I could plug an extension cord into an outlet on the side of the car (or under the hood) and power my house at some basic level for a day or two. The energy in that big battery in the Volt should be enough to let me burn a few light bulbs, keep the refrigerator running, and perhaps even power the TV. And if the power outage continues for several days, I could always fire up the ICE in my Volt and draw electricity from the generator set. People in the deep, hot humid south, might even be able to run their home’s A/C for awhile from the electricity stored in the Volt’s battery?
Have you thought about providing that capability in the Volt?
It seems that would add much value to the car, for relatively little investment on your part. It would require little more than installing an outlet and an inverter/rectifier to convert the battery’s DC voltage to 110 v AC.
V/R
Gary Dikkers
Euroclydon
A question about the crash-worthiness of the case for the Li-ion batteries: Will it be robust enough to keep from bursting open in a head-on crash at high speed, or if T-boned in an intersection?
If the battery case bursts open and scatters the contents, will local first responders and EMS people need any special training to deal with the scattered lithium material?
Semi-trucks hauling Li-ion batteries need to display a special HAZMAT symbol on the outside to warn first responders what they are dealing with. Will a Volt need to display a HAZMAT symbol to give the responders to a Volt crash site the proper head’s up?
Gereon (Germany)
“and the price? $40,000?? come on guys!! i can get two Priuses for that!!”
Please…! That’s comparing cherries to apples. In comparison to the Chevy Volt the fuel-consumption of a Prius will remind you of a M1 Abrams.
Euroclydon
“That’s comparing cherries to apples.”
Cherries are small, have pits, and are usually red. On the other hand, apples come in many colors, are larger than cherries, and have seeds instead of pits. Both taste good. Both make very good pies.
It’s rather easy to compare cherries to apples.
getalifeagain
From what I see, I like it.
Jonathon NIerengarten
I’ve never bought a brand new GM car, though I’ve bought used ones, and I’ve been a fan. However, with gas costing what it does, and the desire to appear economically friendly in order to avoid tire-slashings in San Francisco, this car is amazing. 40 miles? I never drive more than 20. I’ll never fill it up after the day I drive it off the lot (hyperbole of course, road trips will still happen). The best part about this car is that, unlike Chevies of the past, this car can appeal to both the working class and the aristocrat Lexus Liberals. Just like a $20k Prius is most common seen coupled with a rich exec, the converse will be true with the Volt…
Andy4hou
Although I have never been a fan of GM vehicles; your concept has me very excited…. and following it very closely. Please don’t miss the mark and don’t forget the masses.
bill
Wow, just wow……billions - and GM comes up with……Honda Accord. No wonder you are in the position you are in
I just bought a new Malibu and looks like I was lucky…..got out in time before this Volt stuff spreads.
Where is the old Volt….apparently someone grounded it out.
Doug
I saw the full picture today of the production Volt. I have to say, I think that while the technology is great. The car looks very vanilla and generic looking. The original Volt was pretty good looking and it looked quite distinctive. I think GM is making a big mistake with the very conservative styling.
Planck's Constant
“I think GM is making a big mistake with the very conservative styling.”
Doug,
The change is because the engineers had to get realistic when their hand was forced by the laws of aerodynamics. The stylists who drew up the concept car don’t have to worry about aerodynamics ~ engineers do.
Production photos of Chevy Volt show big changes from concept car
Eric Rice
The Chevy Volt WAS high on my list of replacements for my 2005 Colorado Z71, because for once, it looked like GM was going to hit a home run making a tough, stylish hybrid that could attract all of those who want the economy, but not wanting to drive around in the mundane Prius-esque cars. Design matters. For all the work that went into this, it probably would have been best to make the Aveo or Malibu a hybrid. Starting from scratch with a heritage-less car (a hybrid camaro might be a hard sell), was a stellar opportunity.
Very disappointed, GM.
Planck's Constant
“The car looks very vanilla and generic looking. The original Volt was pretty good looking and it looked quite distinctive.”
Doug,
What happened is that the stylists ran head-on into the laws of aerodynamics. Apparently, air flowed around the original conceptual design as though it were a brick, and it had a very high drag coefficient ~ much too high for a car that is supposed to be able to go a long ways on not much energy. Those pragmatic engineers had to wake up the stylists. Efficiency rules over style.
On the upside, the Volt no longer looks like something that would have been at home in that 1980’s Disney Sci-Fi movie Tron. Tron Light Cycle
On the downside, aerodynamics will more and more control what future cars look like.
Doc Hanna
The chevy volt concept looked sleek, muscular, and edgy. It was beautiful. It was ‘hot’. I imagined people lining up at dealerships to be the first on their block to have that car, even without knowing what was under the hood, and even without looking at the MPG values on the window sticker. After the curb appeal drew them in to the show room or the test drive, the amazing technology would just be icing on the cake.
Sure, there is a segment of the market that are so ‘green’ they just want an efficient car, regardless of how it looks, but time and again history has shown that when it comes to cars, people want to buy cars that look great (these days that means sleek, muscular, and edgy - everything the Volt concept exemplifies).
Now, I understand GM has amazing engineers, and while they may believe they are serving the best interests of the company by suppressing the beautiful styling of the concept car in the name of aerodynamic efficiencies, this will likely turn out to be a serious business mistake.
You may say that ‘Efficiency rules over style’, but you will see that doing so will be at the expense of Sales.
Planck's Constant
“…but time and again history has shown that when it comes to cars, people want to buy cars that look great (these days that means sleek, muscular, and edgy)”
Doc,
This isn’t 1957 or 1969. We now live in a world where more and more of the world’s population are fighting to move into the middle class, and that is putting more and more of a strain on the world’s limited resources.
Efficiency MUST rule over style. A handful of successful companies may be able to combine both, but efficiency must be the first priority.
Stan
I admire the gamble of developing the e-flex drive, but the real Volt design is a just horrible result. I never admired the Prius styling and was looking forward to something more sporty. Now I am thinking the next Prius and new Honda Insight actually look more cool. You guys could have done much better. I actually like the flextreme Opel design much better and it would have been more easy to translate to reality I think. It should be brought over as a Saturn - now that would get the Prius and Insight buyers looking. The Volt just lacks that ‘certain something’ and at $40K it has no exoticism except under the hood. Shame, Shame Shame! All this hype for two years and this is what we get ….
Wingo Wango
“I actually like the flextreme Opel design much better..It should be brought over as a Saturn - now that would get the Prius and Insight buyers looking.”
It should be brought over as an Opel.
Doc Hanna
There’s a resounding theme from the commentary seen on this blog site. GM’s management NEEDS to see that this is a glimpse into what they will encounter in showrooms across the country when the production Volt hits the market.
The message is simply this: Even if the production car is very efficient, FAR fewer people will buy it if it doesn’t have the curb appeal of the concept.
Recently, it seemed the mantra being chanted at GM was ‘Funtionality rules over style’. One result was the Pontiac Aztec. That car was arguably one of the most functional cars available and, styling aside, ’should’ have been a polular favorite among active young adults. In reality, sales were horrible. Why? Because style rules over sales.
In comes Bob Lutz, with a clear understanding of how important beauty is in selling cars. He drives home the idea that you have to appeal to the consumers’ emotions. They have to fall in love with the car at first sight, or many of them will buy somebody else’s product.
Don’t make the same mistake with the Volt as you did with the Aztec. If you you truly believe that ‘Efficiency must rule over style’, be prepared to see a competitor’s product with slightly less efficiency but far better styling outpace you in the marketplace.
Tom
So your saying we get a Chevy “Prius” for $40,000. Wow GM, people are supposed to but this? How completely different than the concept can you get. I guess they both use batteries. I feel like my time was been wasted watching this car come into development. Rather, I’ve gone from excited and willing to purchase one to completely removing the possbility of ever considering this thing.
If the only thing you care about is MPG and that’s it, go buy a moped and stay off the interstates.
Well, now we know what is going to bankrupt GM at least.
bruce
Everybody loved the concept car so lets change it altogether!! GM had it right with the concept, please change it back ….
Vincent Stanford
My family has four GM Cars, and I am very interested in the Volt. But the 40k price gives me pause.
Have you thought of offering two Volt models? Say, the E20 and a Volt E40 model?
The E20 could have the batteries for 20 miles and less weight than the E40. Seems like that would offer people options for a lower weight, lower priced, and higher performanceversion of the Volt.
People who want the electric range could still buy the E40. This would also allow more Volts to be made and sold with the battery manufacturing capability now on line.
Dave
GM cars- strong