RUMOR: Could GM offer a lower-cost, 20-mile range Chevy Volt

As you acknowledge, the Leaf does EV better, so as part of the Volt appraisal we must include gas use. That is the only way it gets range. And if we start looking at its gas use we are faced with the undeniable picture that it is a poorly efficient car when running on gas. And that's even ignoring its high emissions. It "guzzles" gas when compared to a Prius. I believe the average Volt will see a substantial amount of its life run on gas. The probable reason a plug-in Prius won't get 35 miles range like the Volt is because the battery cost is too high and it's just a model that doesn't work. With battery costs where they are now it seems to make more sense to go pure EV like the Leaf or marginal EV like a Prius. The decent EV range of the Volt PLUS a full gasoline backup unit has brought its cost stratospheric.

 

I wish they promoted the Volt honestly without bashing the competition.

 

Heh. Talk is cheap. Unlike the Volt.

 

I cannot help but wonder why GM did not opt for a better ICE? Surely, in all their world-wide "kingdom" they have a better ICE? Even the Cruze is more efficient that the Volt on gasoline. They certainly could have bought the rights to another. GM and Toyota have teamed up in the past ... perhaps Toyota could have provided an ICE? I am less certain of this, but I think I read somewhere that Toyota originally acquired the Prius ICE from Suburu???? Not sure.

The thought comes to mind (as others have stated on PC) perhaps the Volt was intended to fail? Regardless .... the basic question of this thread .... smaller battery?, lower cost?, greater use of a crappy ICE? Would not the better stragedy be a bigger battery? Lower the cost with higher production (and get the unions to make concessions)? and LESS dependancy on the crappy ICE? Just wondering.

 

My guess is the ICE is fine. The poor gas economy is the result of using the ICE not for locomotion but to generate electricity, which is then converted into locomotion. It is an additional step that cannot do anything but invite further energy losses.

 

It wouldn't surprise me to find out the P.R. company that makes GM's "buy-American" "amber waves of grain" ... "flag waving" commercials are domiciled in Bombay.

Andy Grove - one of the higher up's from way back when Intel was just a start-up, did a great job recently explaining some of how U.S. companies (like G.M.) are screwing up:

http://www.stanford.edu/group/knowl...07/26/andy-grove-how-america-can-create-jobs/

 

Those amber waves of grain are imported from the Fertile Crescent. So are the livestock that symbolize our western culture. Cowboy up! lol

 

Unless/until tariffs or other legislation encourages/forces a mass of people to buy American when otherwise they wouldn't for the individual to do it they are really just hurting themselves, financially--this assumes they are actually paying more for an American product than an imported one of similar utility and quality, which often they would be doing.

 

In a rational market economy the local product has the advantage of less transport costs. The US energy subsidy hurts America in more ways than one.

 

GM said they compromised on the ice to get it to market quicker. The original design had a more efficient ICE. The Cruze gets a turbo version, but not better mileage. It under 30 in the city and 40 hwy, the volt 35 city/ 40 hwy. The eco cruze gets 42 highway but that is a lighter car.

GM had gotten their small efficient engines from suzuki. There were definitely better candidates out there for gm to buy, but I suspect it was a matter of gm wanting to make not buy the engine. I think buying one or licensing one would have made more sense.

This does seem like a volt bashing idea. The battery costs are coming down with volume, why would you make it smaller. This is what makes the volt a volt.

Unions already made the concessions. Next gen will have a different (hopefully better ice). I doubt the battery capacity will shrink, but the size and weight may with more battery R&D.

Its not exactly poor, its just not at prius levels. The problem is the ice. The losses in ICE to electricity to motor should be at most 20%. The engine is lacking DI, attikinson valve timing, and other advances that could make it much more efficient.

 

China subsidizes their fuel costs. The problem here is that a middle class American with a high school diploma is not competitive with a Chinese worker with as much education and demanding a tiny fraction of what the American does. Thus the trends are against the Americans' favor, but nothing happens overnight and things take time to move to China.

 

That would make sense.