GM's R&D head says Voltec powertrain not suitable for vehicles bigger, smaller than Volt

I'll translate that statement into English:

"We don't want to build electric cars or cars that burn less fossil fuel. We're building the Volt because we had to counteract the bad publicity over Who Killed the Electric Car? but the project stops with the Volt. We won't build anything bigger or smaller, even though for China we're building a Volt-style crossover with a smaller battery and a bigger gas tank."

 

wow are you cynical.

 

I have to agree with Malorn for once here. They're also building it to compete with the Prius. Other than that, everything else you said was spot on.

 

Yep. I am. I've seen nothing in my life to lead me anywhere but cynicism. We always seem to repeat the mistakes of the past, so I expect us to continue repeating the mistakes of the past.

 

Sad for GM and its employees and dealers.

Funny, the Tesla Model S is 19 inches longer than a Volt. Luxury saloon?

 

Yes, but the Model S is a full-on electric vehicle. The Volt is burdened with a useless gas engine while in EV mode, and a useless battery in CS mode. It does everything poorly and nothing well.

 

What would you say about a car that had a 100 mile EV range, that was only used for 20 miles ? One hell of a burden, no ?

The Volt is stillborn, and GM is dead and brain dead. But logic perseveres.

 

While I'm in no position to challenge your statement ... I suspect there is another reason. In my mind GM really want to continue to build muscle cars ... period! ... Corvettes, Camero, and sedans that qualify for NASCAR. GM get's enormous "press" that translates into sales from these cars. I do not see Volt's "racing" around Daytona, or ... if you ever see one, it will have a 650 hp gasoline performance mill stuffed beneath it's hood.

These big, powerful cars are also very profitable. It might be that GM will make just sufficient Volt's to offset gas guzzlers to meet CAFE requirements.

And, I am always suspicious that is a union connection somewhere, but do not know where.

 

Take my situation (all numbers are round-trip): 3 miles to the store most days; 5 miles to the gym 3 days a week; 20 miles to middle parts of town a couple of times a week; 30 miles to downtown once a week, 35 to 40 if I have several errands in different parts of town; 50 miles occasionally to Coeur d'Alene; 60 miles on rare occasions to visit the guy who is fixing my electric Porsche. And since in ten years the range will be 80%, and I always leave at least a 10-mile buffer and winter could eat ten miles of range for heating, this 100-mile car would be perfect for me for a very long time. And having extra battery capacity means the batteries will last longer due to shallower discharge cycles.

I put 20 miles on the reservation "survey" because 30 miles was not an option, and 50 miles is rare for me. My normal drive is 5 to 30 miles.

 

GM tells us what we need, rather than offering choice.

Isn't this a perfect example of that?

Whether or not the vehicle issue is true, they still have no intention of offering a different capacity battery or different size engine for Volt itself.

Living just a few miles from work, why must you be required to purchase 40-mile capacity? No choice is bad, for consumers and business.
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You are free to purchase plug ins from any of the other manufacturers.

When Toyota starts shipping a plug in Prius (years from now) you can pick from the many different battery sizes they will be offering.

 

i'll take one that does 20 miles!

 

Luxury Saloon? no... it's called a full size car compared to a car based on a small car. Add to that the Model S is a pure ev platform, which adds even more room.

 

The point is that GM claims that the Volt is as big a car as you can have an EV with a gasoline engine to recharge the battery, because of the weight factor. But the Tesla Model S is bigger and so is its battery.

 

Yet most people seem content with driving their 400, 500, even 600 mile range gasoline cars about 20 miles per day. Ah... and how about those who buy and drive 300, 400, 500 HP cars... and use only about 50-100 HP for all their driving? And those who purchase the towing package because it comes with the neat brush guards... those who purchase 4WD because they like the higher ride and and the bigger tires. Ug. Lots of burden to go around, I guess.

 

You might want to reread what you wrote: "GM claims that the Volt is as big a car as you can have an EV with a gasoline engine to recharge the battery". The Tesla Model S Does not have a gasoline engine. So the weight and space taken up by the ICE can be devoted to a bigger battery. Also Tesla will uses one of the densest (if that's a word) batteries made to date.

If you compared the Volt to say a Fisker Karma that would make a lot more credible and logical argument against GM. I can see what GM is saying, but I think it was stated totally wrong. The Er-EV could be used in a different sized car, but they would have to redesign/use many different components. If they stated the voltaic system as it is configured can't be used in a larger car, that would make perfect sense.

 

There are 5,000+hp tug boats that are now hybrid ... lots & lots of batteries. So, GM's latest claim is hard to reconcile.

 

since GM hasn't changed any of their management, why would anyone think they have changed? They have always opposed EVs, and pretty much any type of fuel saving technology. Until the managment muscle car guys are gone/die off, GM won't change. they have pulled another EV1, spent billions on R&D, and will build 1 car with it, won't incorporate any of the technolgy they developed in any other cars in their product line, really what is the point? They are "virtually crushing" the Volt, just as they physically crushed the EV1

 

I'm sorry, but I do not think it was wise for GM to invest such huge amount of time and money for one vehicle (or one size vehicle). Economy of scale requires that you meet several market niches with the same power train. Even if Mr. Taub misspoke, it is difficult to see how GM is going to be an EV player.

The "comparison" of the Model S to the Volt was only in terms of how large and heavy an EV can be. The Fisker Karma is a serial hybrid like the Volt. Its larger and heavier than the Volt. You don't have to make a comparison with other manufacturers to believe GM made a big mistake in not making its Voltec power train suitable for a wide range of vehicles.