Volt chief engineer takes first drive in integration prototype [w/VIDEO]

[cwerdna]

Volt chief engineer takes first drive in integration prototype [w/VIDEO]

[TonyPSchaefer]

There's something about that styling, the little windows front and back, the long spoiler, the hatchback and that antenna. Something that reminds me of something. The Honda Insight, perhaps?

In all seriousness, I really want this thing to get made. Enough with the hype, let's get it in the showrooms and let's mass produce these things and let's get hybrids and EVs even more mainstream.

[ljbad4life]

maybe because of it's pre production status, but I really don't like the way it looks. It looks too like everything else in a bad way (it really looks like a cruze). I don't think a 40k car should look like a sub 20k car but thats a plague GM has always suffered. I'm also really disappointed that they used that 4 cylinder instead of the 2 cylinder they started out with (which turned into a 3 cylinder then they settled on the four). I hope GM goes all out on the interior too, I've seen the concept for the dash, which is beautiful just hope the materials feel "beautiful" too.

Edit* why hasn't the Volt ever been driven with the range extender going? that makes me think that the ICE range extender may be the hold up in getting the volt to production faster.

[daniel]

Dream on! Evan will be driving his Tesla Model S before anyone can actually buy a Volt. And if they ever do build the Volt (I bet they won't) it will probably get about 25 mpg when the ICE kicks in, after 7 or 8 miles.

[DaveinOlyWA]

didnt see enough detail to make a determination... to be honest with ya, as much press as i have seen concerning this car, i really truly dont know much about it.

now is it just me? have i discounted what i have heard and simply forgotten about it?? heck what is the size of the pack? the size of the motor, the range??

ok, granted some of it i forgot was because the numbers kept changing, so if i think hard, i do remember a vehicle that has a 10 to 40 mile EV range and will cost $22,000 to $45,000

ok, that brings it all into focus no problem

[ljbad4life]

Originally Posted by DaveinOlyWA

didnt see enough detail to make a determination... to be honest with ya, as much press as i have seen concerning this car, i really truly dont know much about it.

now is it just me? have i discounted what i have heard and simply forgotten about it?? heck what is the size of the pack? the size of the motor, the range??

ok, granted some of it i forgot was because the numbers kept changing, so if i think hard, i do remember a vehicle that has a 10 to 40 mile EV range and will cost $22,000 to $45,000

ok, that brings it all into focus no problem

Well this is what I know for sure at this point. The volt will be based on the cruze (small sized car about the size of a corolla). It is expected to cost 40k base (there is a 7500 tax credit)and will seat 4 people. The size of the pack is supposed to be 16kwH (which is the threshold for the tax credit). The EV range is 40 miles.

What kept changing is the size of the range extender which started out as 2 then went to 3 then went to 4 cylinders(which is 1.4L). GM wanted to develop a specialized 2 cylinder, but decided that the 2 didnt generate enough energy so they went to 3 cylinders, which was perfect balance between energy generation and weight. GM decide it was costing too much money to develop a dedicated ICE range extender so they decide to use an "off the shelf" engine and that was the 4 cylinder. oddly enough is the smallest engine gm builds.

In my opinion The choice of the 4 cylinder forced GM to go back to the drawing board for the battery components and electric motors (the extra weight means more power from the motors and more power from the batteries....They needed a different battery chemistry.... even higher density of the batteries with and even higher discharge rate.). Since that 4 is not designed to sit at rest for long periods of time, I think that gm has to retool it anyway and should've just went with the 3 cylinder

[hill]

Got to see the new camaro a few days ago in the wild, and after seeing the Volt (early build, but production planed body), its style is very much camaro-esq. Lots of press, but when will they build it, if ever ...

Originally Posted by daniel

Dream on! Evan will be driving his Tesla Model S before anyone can actually buy a Volt. And if they ever do build the Volt (I bet they won't) it will probably get about 25 mpg when the ICE kicks in, after 7 or 8 miles.

Daniel, I saw one of your cars while at the event where the Volt was being shown off ... only it was on a much more 'nostalgic' version.



What do you think ... you like?

.

[Tideland Prius]

Originally Posted by ljbad4life

maybe because of it's pre production status, but I really don't like the way it looks. It looks too like everything else in a bad way (it really looks like a cruze). I don't think a 40k car should look like a sub 20k car but thats a plague GM has always suffered. I'm also really disappointed that they used that 4 cylinder instead of the 2 cylinder they started out with (which turned into a 3 cylinder then they settled on the four). I hope GM goes all out on the interior too, I've seen the concept for the dash, which is beautiful just hope the materials feel "beautiful" too.

Edit* why hasn't the Volt ever been driven with the range extender going? that makes me think that the ICE range extender may be the hold up in getting the volt to production faster.

Well a 4 cylinder will be quieter and smoother than a 2 or 3 cylinder engine.


Good job on GM's part. It's finally in the pre-production stage (as they call it. It still seems like a prototype stage unless those two terms are used interchangeably)

[DaveinOlyWA]

sorry but i think we have to examine a few items. the Volt's options or line of thinking that says a 2 cylinder motor will be enough to recharge means they are still thinking in the dark ages. well, i guess after SEVERAL months of testing, they found out they were wrong. shall i provide a link that gave an APRIL 2008 date where the volt would be available for sale to the public?

then we have Toyota... what did they do to get better mileage?? go to a smaller (which makes sense right??) engine?? well actually they put in a bigger stronger engine AND made the car bigger and heavier.... well that wont work (says gm) ya well, anyway... not the point.

my post above made with sarcasm that seems to have been missed points out that gm is developing the Volt with no real technical basis behind it. its like they drew lots out of a $ 25,000 hat, got a design, tested it and found it didnt work, so they had to draw out of the $30,000 hat and that didnt work and so on....

so i stopped keeping track of their announcements because it simply has become clear that it does not matter what they say the volt will be if it ever is, only what it is when it shows up.

but now gm is saying they will have something that will cost nearly twice as much and have 33% less EV range. ok, still sounds good but it has no more substance than the lyrics to "Stairway to Heaven" which btw, also sounds good. now i suppose you u need to guess at what i would rather hear?

[The Electric Me]

The car looks great in my opinion. I'm just worried that it seems The Volt has become the symbolic front runner as benchmark for GM's ability to bounce back and remain a viable class leading automobile producer. That's a lot of pressure to put on a plug in, extended range hybrid.

Within the confines of Prius Chat, I think you have a disproportionate number of people who are "in" to alternative automobiles. Which is great, but for GM's sake they need a huge hit, and I'm just not sure The Volt can be that hit. Given the general public (still ICE focused) and those that live in Condo's and Apartments, which make "pluging in" problematic, even if The Volt became the better mousetrap, I'm not sure there are enough "better" mice. From an utilitarian standpoint, it's going to be expensive for what it will offer in pure driving performance and for performance as a automobile outside of it's hybrid and plug in capabilities.

It just seems to me like symbolicly GM is putting a lot of eggs in The Volt basket, and I really hope it works. But look at Toyotas model. Slow building of a infrastructure of owners and product recognition. A decade plus of refinement. Even though it frustrates many people, careful consideration to market viability, mass production capability and product durability, delays Lithium Ion batteries, while they slowly look at developing plug in's as a mass produced automobile. Again, the pace frustrates many people, but as an automobile producer, I think Toyotas approach is correct. While I fear, The Volt is now being hurried and used as a symbol, and as a product it enters a very volatile and uncertain segment of the consumer market.

Good Luck GM, I'd love The Volt to be fantastic and if it ended up changing the automotive world and rebounding GM? I'd be happy.