GM Aims For 1,000 Chevrolet Volts On Road Before 2010

[Volty]

GM's initial goal of selling 1,000 Volts by the end of the decade hinges on developing a reliable, long-lasting battery.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=206...&refer=home

[Swanny1172]

I wish them the best of luck, but 1,000 cars isn't a real lofty goal. I read where one of their VP's said that they aren't expecting full production until 2015.

[Fibb222]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Swanny1172 @ Jun 26 2007, 07:56 AM) [snapback]468252[/snapback]</div>

I wish them the best of luck, but 1,000 cars isn't a real lofty goal. I read where one of their VP's said that they aren't expecting full production until 2015.
[/b]

But I'm glad to see a publicly stated goal for sales (no matter how small) before the end of the decade - which is right around the corner.

I wish GM all the luck in the world. It's nice to see that a lot of engineers are working on the project.

If GM succeeds, despite the EV-1 fiasco, they will have really redeemed themselves and have done a lot for the planet, and energy security.

Go GM!!

[MarinJohn]

I, too wish GM (really their employees) best of luck in reaching their goal. However, there are two or three qualifiers in the following sentences which I copied from the article:

GM's initial goal of selling 1,000 Volts by the end of the decade hinges on developing a reliable, long-lasting battery. If that target is met...

I see 'goal', 'hinges' and 'target'. With so many qualifiers following so close behind each other, combined with GM's record of poor quality and big promises and little follow thru I think this is just a fluff article. Like the bushivites, 'if you say it enough, they'll believe it' propaganda campaigns, this doesn't pass the smell test.

[JSH]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Swanny1172 @ Jun 26 2007, 09:56 AM) [snapback]468252[/snapback]</div>

I wish them the best of luck, but 1,000 cars isn't a real lofty goal. I read where one of their VP's said that they aren't expecting full production until 2015.
[/b]

1K cars is a lofty goal if they are building the fuel-cell version, but I agree, it's not impressive if it is the gasoline version.

On a different topic, could GM make the Volt now with current technology?

I was over at TDIclub and someone mentioned cheap Insights with dead batteries. (They were talking about swapping in a VW TDI engine to get 70 to 80 mpg and saving lots of weight by pulling out the hundreds of pounds of batteries) I pointed out the Insights battery is only 48 lbs and is made up of 120 1.2V, 6.5 Ah D cell NiMH batteries in series. I then looked on zbatteries.com and found you can get a 1.2 V, 10 Ah D cell for $6. So that is $720 to replace the Insight's battery pack. So much for expensive replacement batteries!

Now the Insight has a 1 KwH pack, the prius has a 2Kwh pack. The Prius will go about 2 miles on the battery. so figure 1 Kwh per mile. So for the volt to go 40 miles you would need 40x the Insight's battery pack or 4800 D cells. That is $28,800 not small change, but that is at the retail level buying one battery at a time. From my days in the automotive industry, the retail customer pays 7x OEM cost so that is only $4100 to GM. Expensive but not everly so, people would still buy it. So cost really isn't the issue for delaying the Volt, it could be done with NiMH batteries.

I think the issue is size and weight. The batteries alone, without connectors would weigh 1775 lb. The size would be big too. I know that D cell aren't ideal for this big of a battery pack, but remember GM sold off the patent to their large NiMH batteries so those are not available. So I think that GM is being straight when they say the battery technology isn't there yet. It was, but its not anymore

Comments?

[nerfer]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Swanny1172 @ Jun 26 2007, 09:56 AM) [snapback]468252[/snapback]</div>

I wish them the best of luck, but 1,000 cars isn't a real lofty goal. I read where one of their VP's said that they aren't expecting full production until 2015.
[/b]

They could sell 1000 of these cars in a month, even with current NiMH batteries. That might mean electric-only mode would be limited to something like 5 miles before the generator kicks in, but I am quite sure more than 1000 people would buy even a limited EV-only system like that. Their goal is limited either by gross misunderstanding of the marketplace or by constraints on production.

[hill]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jhinton @ Jun 26 2007, 12:16 PM) [snapback]468318[/snapback]</div>

1K cars is a lofty goal if they are building the fuel-cell version, but I agree, it's not impressive if it is the gasoline version.

On a different topic, could GM make the Volt now with current technology?

I was over at TDIclub and someone mentioned cheap Insights with dead batteries. (They were talking about swapping in a VW TDI engine to get 70 to 80 mpg and saving lots of weight by pulling out the hundreds of pounds of batteries) I pointed out the Insights battery is only 48 lbs and is made up of 120 1.2V, 6.5 Ah D cell NiMH batteries in series. I then looked on zbatteries.com and found you can get a 1.2 V, 10 Ah D cell for $6. So that is $720 to replace the Insight's battery pack. So much for expensive replacement batteries!

. . . . . . . . . .

I think the issue is size and weight. The batteries alone, without connectors would weigh 1775 lb. The size would be big too. . . . . . . . . . . . .

Comments?
[/b]

Yea, since the Rav4-ev batteries are no where near that weight ... and THEY have a 120 mile range, perhaps you want to crunch a few more numbers with that battery weight calculation

[efusco]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(nerfer @ Jun 26 2007, 12:02 PM) [snapback]468353[/snapback]</div>

They could sell 1000 of these cars in a month, even with current NiMH batteries. That might mean electric-only mode would be limited to something like 5 miles before the generator kicks in, but I am quite sure more than 1000 people would buy even a limited EV-only system like that. Their goal is limited either by gross misunderstanding of the marketplace or by constraints on production. [/b]

There's no reason they couldn't use existing NiMH batteries, just like or better than the ones used in the now 10 year old RAV4 EV-120 that can go 120miles. Use 1/3rd the amount of batteries in that, throw in your 1L ICE and off you go.

While better batteries could certainly reduce weight, improve cargo space, and perhaps provide more power/capacity the excuse that the technology doesn't exist doesn't hold water.

[hill]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Volty @ Jun 26 2007, 10:54 AM) [snapback]468249[/snapback]</div>

GM's initial goal of selling 1,000 Volts by the end of the decade hinges on developing a reliable, long-lasting battery.

http://www.chevyvoltforum.com/index.php?showtopic=103
[/b]

Volty, if in fact you are NOT malorn, are you a GM dealer as he is? Just wondering. While I'm wondering, do you even own a Prius? Or do you simply like to keep posting ... and posting ... and posting ... and posting GM's hype about that car that GM keeps claiming they'll make some day. But not today. Because the batteries are not ready. Sure, the EV1 had batteries that got the car 100 miles down the road ... as did the Rav4-ev. But a decade later ... with all the improvements in battery chemestry, GM's batteries are still not ready.
Not even for 40 miles. Where'd the other 60 miles go?

[FBear]

The problem with GM's wishful thinking is that they don't have the LION battery yet and GM is depending on some other company to do the R&D to a manufacture that battery. They have six months or less to basically have a working prototype Volt, so they can complete all the necessary testing to have this out in the showrooms by the fall of 2008. The way GM works that would take a major miracle.