A Reuters article in Planet Ark quotes GM's product chief and Vice Chairman Bob Lutz as saying that GM has set 2010 as the target date for introducing the Volt.
Lutz said the major uncertainty facing the Chevrolet Volt, a concept vehicle GM unveiled in January, was whether lithium-ion batteries can be developed to power it economically and safely.
A running Volt prototype is expected by the end of 2007.
GM has said it is aiming for the Volt to be able to run for 40 miles on pure electric power, meaning many commuters would be able to get through a day without using gasoline.
Lutz said GM's initial work had shown that the production version of the Volt would have to shed some of the bold styling cues of the concept, including the extreme front placement of the wheels.
More details about the Volt in this previous post.
very interesting. plugin serial hybrid from gM, that gets 40 miles on a charge.
this could save them from oblivion. this is going to make Toyota and Honda act. Toyota is stuck with the paralell techology, not very good for a plugin.
Honda has vast generator assets, they could go serial plugin to compete with GM. Will Toyota drop the ball?
Posted by: amazingdrx | March 07, 2007 at 12:29 AM
You would think that GM needs to settle on the battery in 2007 and mass battery production by 2008 for them to meet the 2010 rollout schedule.
Does this NEV mean that A123 has now been validated for EVs?
Posted by: Beek | March 07, 2007 at 01:54 AM
GM's Volt will certinaly push Toyota, Honda and others to do as much or more.
Good news for PHEVs ..... and HEVs.
Posted by: Harvey D. | March 07, 2007 at 10:05 AM
I would rather see the Volt released sooner, with shorter battery range, than wait until 2010. I need a new car in 2008. I would gladly purchase a Volt (27k-30k) with a shorter electric range and the ability to upgrade batteries as time goes by. I live in Palm Springs where there is plenty of sunshine for solar panels on the roof of my house to charge a PHEV all year long. My average daily driving is less than 20 miles, with occasional trips over 100 miles.
Posted by: SoCalMan | March 07, 2007 at 12:40 PM
That is what's nice about having companies like Tesla and Phoenix coming along. Mainly Tesla as they have the financial backing.
They can never compete with GM or Toyota on a production basis, at least not in the next 10 years. But they are totally committed to an all electric car. This will force GM and Toyota to continue to pursue the tech and actually produce cars. Once the battery tech improves a little more and the understanding of how to manage them improves, Hybrids won't be as viable because you essentially still have a ICE. With all of the maintenence issues that go along with it.
The best source is pure electric from a performance, maintenence and effeciency standpoint. Nothing else comes close. The volt sounds like a total nightmare when you consider it needs an electric motor, with batteries, a diesel generator and an ICE with turbo. It does have an impressive range but that can and will be achieved with better battery tech in say 5-10 years.
In the short run if you wanted to extend your range you could haul a generator on a small trailer.
Of course it's the improvement in the battery tech that has made any of this possible because of the longer range from each charge.
Posted by: John A | March 09, 2007 at 10:59 PM