First Volt battery pack comes off the line

Also may cost less than $ 40,000 US (but won't know till summer)

GM Exec: Chevy Volt May Cost Less Than Expected $40,000 Price - WSJ.com

 

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the $39,999.99 Chevy Volt!

In the early years of The Prius, the story is Toyota sold at a loss, sacrificing to establish the automobile.

One has to wonder whether an American car company, would be willing to do that. Or in GM's case, even be Able to do that.

***Taggart I love your tagline...I miss George Carlin, he was brilliant.

 

So what will all of the Prius Posters say about the high30K Price Tag? Many complain today about the Prius hitting 30K, I am not sure the Volt is worth 40K at this point.

I agree with ElectricMe in that GM should sell at less cost to make Market attraction and get it off the ground. But given the financials I don't know they can afford to do that at this time.....

And the LEAF, not sure I am all that thrilled about LEASING my Battery Pack for a high dollar amount....That's just Odd!

 

Fascinating!

When one sees this image, he probably wonder what will hold the car together: the frame or the battery?

One day, once we resolve the 100 years old battery problem, we will look at these pictures and wonder why we needed such a huge battery pack!

 

Why do I find this photo so funny? It's almost like I can hear one of them saying "I don't get it? Is this the Transmission or The Engine?".

 

Since GM already has extensive experience with electric motors and automotive battery-packs, this is far from the same situation... especially now that many of the electric-propulsion misconceptions are long gone.

Gas is no longer dirt cheap like it was back then either. For that matter, there was no concern of oil dependency or carbon emissions either.

Becoming profitable quickly is a requirement for GM too. They can't leverage off of other vehicles like Toyota did way back when. Loans must be paid. And of course, there is now competition.
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Yes John, but GM's extensive experience with electric motors and automotive battery packs is not "perceived" as being all that great. Who killed the electric car? Part of the reason they have reached the place they are in, is because they had no REAL benchmark ecologically efficient vehicles. GM's playing catch-up, and they need to establish a "Prius Like" product.

Yes, things have changed since Toyota initially released the Prius, I'm not saying the automotive enviroment isn't significantly different. When I ask, Would it even be possible for GM to sell The Volt at a loss? It is because I recognize that becoming profitable quickly is a requirement for GM.

The question will be, Toyota blazed a trail with the release and support and advancement of The Prius, as a relatively affordable "everymans" automobile. Can GM establish a reputation and a foothold, in what as you point out is now a competitive market, with a $40,000+ vehicle? That remains to be seen.

 

I don't believe the Chevy Volt will hurt Prius sales since the Prius is a proven car and the Volt isn't.

 

The huge battery pack limits the Volt as 4 seater.

Ken@Japan

 

what would something like that weigh? Looking at the design, if it had to be replaced, would the entire car need to be taken apart?

 

So if the battery pack assembly line is officially in operation ... that means GM has batteries.
They said the Volt won't be ready until late 2010. But, hey, the Volt already has batteries. That part is done. The assembly line is running. Batteries are rolling off of the assembly line.

What about the rest of the Volt - any word on the mass assembly of the rest of the Volt?

 

Not what the article said. The battery operation will begin production in the 4th quarter 2010. The article looks to be a big photo op and marketing blip for GM/Chevy & the Volt. What you're looking at is a test battery, possibly, for a pre-production car.

 

"How much the battery weigh?"

200kg, 360V.
gm-volt.com has lots of into on Volts.

 

does not seem like an issue to all... you guys should see what dealers have to do just to install official accessories - this looks like piece of cake ;-).

Out of harms way too for crashes, even though ADAC tested batteries and found them to be safe in direct crash...

 

The L.A. Times yesterday had a VERY interesting spin on the whole story. Sources said GM will be MANUFACTURING the batteries HERE in the U.S. ... WHAT? Manufacturing? Now THAT seemed too hard to believe & too good to be true.

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The problem has been people were focusing solely on the battery-pack weight itself.

When you add up everything else, you get a vehicle the size of a Cobalt (large Yaris) that weighs, get this... 850 pounds ...more than Prius.

That really skews older efficiency estimates, making the CS-mode (engine generated electricity) of around 40 MPG easier to understand.
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That's the magic question.

With the extremely low sales numbers of their once much touted TWO-MODE hybrid system (only 15,500 in 2 years), they have lots of damage control to tend to.

Expect their PR machine to be running in overdrive... which unfortunately will likely result in lots of degrading comments about the Toyota & Ford hybrids.
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i am not a volt advocate thats a no brainer
the volt is a full EV with maybe a range extender not a hybrid so the battery pack is bigger Yes