GM to Road Test Volt Batteries in July

[efusco]

GM to road test Volt battery packs in July | Reuters.com

GM to road test Volt battery packs in July
Thu Mar 13, 2008 4:51 PM ET

GOLETA, Calif., March 13 (Reuters) - General Motors Corp <GM.N> will road test lithium-ion battery packs for the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid beginning in July, slightly later than expected, Chief Executive Bob Lutz said on Thursday.
In an interview with Reuters, Lutz also said that GM may not name a battery supplier for the Volt's next-generation lithium-ion power supply until the second half of the year.
"We were hoping to do that in the first half," he said when asked when GM would name a battery supplier. "That may also be a little bit longer now, as we need a better handle on who has the technological capability we need and who is going to have the production capability." (Reporting by Nichola Groom, editing by Leslie Gevirtz)

[JimN]

Did Lutz convince The Pope to postpone Easter? Wasn't the Volt supposed to be on dealer lots this spring or did he not specify the year?

[Tech_Guy]

Is it my imagination, or is GM going out of their way to very slowly develop the Chevrolet Volt? They seem to be getting quite a bit of mileage out of their advertising campaign telling the public how progressive they are and making it sound like the general availability of the Volt is right around the corner...

Keith

[efusco]

Originally Posted by JimN

Did Lutz convince The Pope to postpone Easter? Wasn't the Volt supposed to be on dealer lots this spring or did he not specify the year?

I believe the earliest they said it would be available was late '09 as a 2010 MY. They've pushed that back to early 2010 and I wouldn't be suprised if it were later than that when we actually see it.

Frankly I think this is laudable. They're self-imposing pressure to get this thing to market by making all these press releases...this isn't a single flippant announcement at a press conference...it's been very public, they can't blame someone else for forcing them to build something they don't believe in. If this fails their reputation may become irreparable. If you see my post about the Auto Insight Online Community you'll see a teaser about some info they've released to us about the Volt...I believe, from what I've seen publicly and privately in that community that GM is geniuinely interested in getting this thing to market.

[daniel]

Originally Posted by efusco

I believe the earliest they said it would be available was late '09 as a 2010 MY. They've pushed that back to early 2010 and I wouldn't be suprised if it were later than that when we actually see it.
...

I wouldn't be surprised either if it were later than that. A lot later. In fact, I will be surprised if we see it in my lifetime. I'll bet they've already choreographed their entire public relations campaign, including their reasons for canceling the project in the end. I'll bet they've got an excuse so convincing that the average American car buyer will accept it and give them credit for having tried. I think that's what it's all about: Convincing the public that they're trying.

I'll bet the Zap-X becomes available for sale to the public before the Volt. Hmm. Maybe I'll start a poll.

[hill]

Originally Posted by JimN

Did Lutz convince The Pope to postpone Easter? Wasn't the Volt supposed to be on dealer lots this spring or did he not specify the year?

Yes, the Pope DID get involved, apparently.

Bob Lutz, the Chevy Volt and the Easter Bunny

I'm still holding Wagnor Lutz to their every promise, being the big 215 pound dope that I am.

[daniel]

So Lutz has 8 days to demonstrate that the Volt idea can propel a Chevy Malibu 40 miles on electric alone, or he'll have egg on his face. Does anybody believe that he's got the car all ready and is just waiting for Easter Sunday to sock it to the naysayers?

Or is he going to say, "We'd have been able to do it if those nasty Japanese had let us use their battery technology!"? The funny thing is that they could have done it with the technology available NOW! It just really seems to me that if they cannot even hand-build a mule that goes 40 miles on electric, it's because they really do not want to.

40 miles just isn't that much. My Xebra did that when it had the seven lead batteries. Sure, they weighed 700 lbs, but all we're talking about here is a demo mule. GM could have built the car with lead batteries and claimed to have "demonstrated" the feasibility of the concept. For that matter, they could build an actual working prototype with existing lithium batteries, "demonstrated" the concept, and then promised to market the car as soon as the batteries were a bit cheaper.

But they didn't.

Somebody who believes in GM, please tell me, other than the cost of the batteries, what technology is lacking for them to built a proof-of-concept Volt? So, with all the money they're willing to spend on publicity, why have they not built even so much as a proof-of-concept mule vehicle? Unless they really don't want to and never intended to in the first place.

[jayman]

Originally Posted by daniel

So, with all the money they're willing to spend on publicity, why have they not built even so much as a proof-of-concept mule vehicle? Unless they really don't want to and never intended to in the first place.

Seems I recall a certain forum member starting a "smoke and mirrors" thread awhile back. Hmmmm.

[C.RICKEY HIROSE]

Originally Posted by efusco

GM to road test Volt battery packs in July*|*Reuters.com

GM to road test Volt battery packs in July
Thu Mar 13, 2008 4:51 PM ET

GOLETA, Calif., March 13 (Reuters) - General Motors Corp <GM.N> will road test lithium-ion battery packs for the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid beginning in July, slightly later than expected, Chief Executive Bob Lutz said on Thursday.
In an interview with Reuters, Lutz also said that GM may not name a battery supplier for the Volt's next-generation lithium-ion power supply until the second half of the year.
"We were hoping to do that in the first half," he said when asked when GM would name a battery supplier. "That may also be a little bit longer now, as we need a better handle on who has the technological capability we need and who is going to have the production capability." (Reporting by Nichola Groom, editing by Leslie Gevirtz)

I thought that GM has announced the Volts LiOn battery supplier to be Hitachi of Japan and ordered 100.000 from them already?

[C.RICKEY HIROSE]

Originally Posted by hill

Yes, the Pope DID get involved, apparently.

Bob Lutz, the Chevy Volt and the Easter Bunny

I'm still holding Wagnor Lutz to their every promise, being the big 215 pound dope that I am.

Fighting Words
Mr. Lutz then took on naysayers of GM's advanced technology plans -- throwing barbs equally at competitors, environmentalists, the oil industry, and Democrats. The most direct attack was levied at Toyota. Lutz referred to comments made by his counterpart at Toyota, Kazuo Okamoto, executive vice president of R&D and product development. Okamoto questioned GM's ability to deliver on its plans for the Chevy Volt at the recent Tokyo Auto Show. The two companies have been waging a war of words over competing plans for hybrid and electric vehicles. According to Lutz, Okamoto accused GM of using the Volt concept as a marketing ruse, and chatacterized the lithium battery-powered Volt as "completely wacky" and "nonsense

Hmmm, Toyota's corporate guys such as Kazuo Okamoto,does not comment lightly in public using these words.

Toyota has been working dilligently in enhancing its electric power only driving range for its soon to come out Prius LiOn powertrain, but so far reliable battery alone cruising range has been limited to about 30 miles.

Interesting to see if GM can deliver this usable range on the Volt as stated. Apparently Toyota Scientists do not think so.