Will the Electric Volt Recharge GM?
After taking a PR licking for killing off its experimental electric car, the EV1, GM got alt fuel religion and ramped up work on the Volt, a battery powered sedan slated to arrive in dealer showrooms in May 2010.
Frank Weber, the executive in charge of making sure the Volt gets built, showed me that 111 KW's of power could compete with horsepower as we hit the track in a pre-production tester. He assured me that you needn't worry about driving off with the cord still plugged in -- it won't start unless it's unplugged -- but will the public pony up an estimated $40,000 to put the Volt's electric ponies in their garages?
Even though a $7,500 government subsidy will bring the Volt's sticker jolt down to $32,500 and the company's engineers may squeeze some more cost savings out of the car without sacrificing its considerable charms, it's unclear if this will be enough to transform hordes of techno-intrigued lookers into buyers. But if it remains a low-volume, "halo car," it's still going to have an impact. Which coincidentally was the name for the concept car that led to the EV1.
One ride-along and quick tour of the engineers' assembly line mock up, where they're bolting a few Volts together to help them figure out how to build these revolutionary vehicles before the cars go into production at GM's Detroit Hamtramck assembly plant in the Spring, isn't enough to qualify as an expert on this car or the viability of alternative power systems. But, the car's torquey, smooth performance is unlike the halting, wimpy ride of my beloved Prius. Can I say -- it's electrifying?
The Volt's electric power is impressively immediate -- no lag. There are no gears. Its 100 mph top end is a factor of battery size and Weber said that a 200 mph Volt would be, "no problem." But we probably won't be seeing Volts competing at the Daytona 500 any time soon since the car's range on pure electric power is only 40 miles before you need to plug it in for a recharge.
Which according to the US Department of Transportation is enough for about 80% of Americans to make it from home to work and back without a recharge. The other 20% might be able to plug-in at work or rely on the small on-board gasoline engine to get them home. You'll also need the engine for the occasional trip to visit grandma or to tool up the coast, which should give you another 250 plus miles of road time. Unfortunately, the gasoline engine doesn't recharge the battery and you'd have to top off the tank to continue your journey or pull over to jolt your Volt with some electricity. Unlike a flashlight battery, the big, heavy, (400 pound), tee-shaped Volt power source is not something you can easily swap out. Some of the Volt's competitors (Shai Agassi's Better Place) see quick-change batteries as the key to the electric car future.
Agassi envisions drivers tooling into a gas/service station and exchanging their depleted batteries for a fully recharged battery pack in about the same amount of time it takes to top off a fuel tank today. Like King Gillette, who made a fortune selling disposable razor blades and not the razors, Agassi hopes to make money leasing batteries to consumers around the world as he partners with carmakers who adopt his technology, and governments who underwrite the creation of the necessary infrastructure and enact tax incentives, to drive buyers to electric vehicles.
Finding a plug for Volt buyers who are homeowners will be easy but will be a challenge for apartment dwellers, condo owners, or travelers. The Volt is set up to accept power from typical 110 outlets but Weber said "220 would be provide a faster charge." So you might want to have the electrician put a 220 outlet in the garage. If you're garageless -- you're either going to have to rely on the kindness of your employer providing a daily dose of kilowatts or a combination of public charging stations that might be built (do I hear infrastructure?) or long extension cords dangling out of apartment windows.
Exactly what kind of mileage you will experience after you master the art of replenishing the power source is a tricky question. GM issued a press release claiming that you can "expect 230 Mpg in city driving." But this figure is arrived at applying a laborious alchemical transmutation developed by the EPA "that uses kilowatt hours per 100 miles traveled to define the electrical efficiency of plug-ins," according to GM's statement. Exactly how electrical current used translates to MPG is "difficult" to determine according to a GM source and the company wasn't ready to divulge the mileage you can "expect" from using the gasoline engine alone. But, no matter how you do the math, the Volt will get better mileage than a typical SUV.
If the Volt's new technology doesn't charge your batteries GM is hoping buyers consider the line up of 25 new fuel-sipping cars it has in the pipeline, like its Toyota Corolla fighting Chevrolet Cruze (also due in the Spring of 2010), or its 32 Mpg Equinox crossover (better mileage than the Toyota Rav4) that CEO Fritz Henderson describes as, "smokin' hot."
To lead GM's marketing and communications charge into a fuel-efficient future, the company brought back "America's oldest car executive," the 77 year-old, Bob Lutz. The controversial, always quotable, Lutz has a storied career that's taken him to top-level posts in a number of American and European automakers. He made his mark championing high horsepower vehicles like the Dodge Viper and the car that triggered the SUV revolution the Ford Explorer. Some see Lutz as an odd choice for helping the company convince the world it's gone green and that it's not "going back to doing business as usual."
The ruggedly handsome, impeccably tailored exec still strikes a Pattonesque ramrod straight posture that immediately telegraphs his guy's guy, Marine pilot background. The gravely voice, straight out of central casting, and his movie star, military demeanor aren't what gives some observers pause, it's his staunch belief that global warming is, to paraphrase Henry Ford, "bunk." Lutz has used other more colorful language to describe his disdain for most mainstream climate scientists (including the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) but suffice it to say, he sees, "no correlation between CO2 and temperature, whatsoever," as he said when addressing an audience GM assembled this week to introduce its changed self.
After a somewhat convoluted defense of his position that included blaming "sunspots," Lutz slipped into complete Marine mode when talking about his response to the Commander In Chief's a.k.a. President Obama's order (actually Congress's law) that vehicles attain 35 Mpg. He said "I salute and say 'Yes sir.'"
Lutz and the rest of GM have their marching orders, and a company free of debt, but will they be able to take the hill and truly liberate the automaker from its self destructive past?
Follow Michael Rose on Twitter: www.twitter.com/MichaellRose
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Why is GM led by 1980s thinking idiots? I can just hear the brain trust at GM now. Exec #1: "The country is clamoring for an electric car. What shall we do?" Exec #2: "I know, lets' build a car that gets terrific gas mileage that runs on a battery, gets great mileage between charges and has the whistles and bells most Americans have become accustomed to." Exec #1: "But what about the price?" Exec #2: "Why worry about price. As long as it sounds trendy and hip to own, they will pay whatever we ask." Exec #1: "So what shall we charge for it?" Exec #2: "I don't know, how about $45,000?" #Exec #1: "No, no, no. We will list it at $45,000 but only build a few thousand of them to drive up demand among the yuppies which will allow our dealers to ask whatever they want for them." Exec #2: Great idea, I gotta run. I could use a lift, my Hummer is in the shop." Exec #1: No problem, I'll meet you down stairs with the Lexus." Exec #2 "Where is the Caddie?" Exec #1 "Are you kidding? I can't afford to drive it to work."
Supply is already projected as limited in the first year at 10,000 units, I think. They're to go to four times that in subsequent years.
As to price, if you deduct the savings from basically never going to a gas station again, and if you value your time at all, it starts to look like a bit cheaper vehicle indeed.
And I'm not sure that you couldn't claim it as part of a household photovoltaics system and get the tax credit of up to 30 percent with no limit -- might be worth calling your CPA if you're so inclined.
Why is GM led by 1980s thinking idiots? I can just hear the brain trust at GM now. Exec #1: "The country is clamoring for an electric car. What shall we do?" Exec #2: "I know, lets' build a car that gets terrific gas mileage that runs on a battery, gets great mileage between charges and has most of the whistles and bells Americans have become accustomed to." Exec #1: "But what about the price?" Exec #2: "Why worry about price. As long as it sounds trendy and hip to own, they will pay whatever we ask." Exec #1: "So what shall we charge for it?" Exec #2: "I don't know, how about $45,000?" #Exec #1: "No, no, no. We will list it at $45,000 but only build a few thousand of them to drive up demand among the yuppies which will allow our dealers to ask whatever they want for them." Exec #2: Great idea, time to go home. I could use a lift, the Hummer is in the shop." Exec #1: No problem, I'll meet you down stairs with the Lexus."
Comparing the CEO of Tesla motors and Bob Lutz, you get an understanding of WHY GM is failing.
ALL this money and effort to keep old white guys employed at top management. Meanwhile, young visionary leadership is producing practical electric car technology. Most of the conflict today is between old sedentary men and young visionary leadership , whether it's war, healthcare, environmental issues or politics. Change comes when most of the old white guys die off.
I watched the gm guy on Ed last night and when ed asked him about the high price tag, the gm guy said a bunch of mush about this car having alot of bells and whistles, not to mention the technology. Seems to me the logical follow up was, Why don't you simultaneously make a stripped down economy model with the same technology to make it a little more affordable for more people. More affordable for more people = more sales. And I don't understand about the 40mile battery, the Tahoe hybrid has battery technology that recharges when you brake.
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Sorry I missed the Ed piece last night. The Volt does have regenerative braking. I should have made that clear. My fault. Thanks for bringing that up. But I was told it's not enough to really recharge a depleted engine. And unlike a Prius style hybrid, the gasoline engine doesn't top off the battery. Instead, it powers a generator that creates electricity so the car is always electric powered.
Will this "recharge" GM, no! Day late, dollar short, no track record, costs too much for what you get. This is clearly a marketing ploy and if they have not fixed the quality issues this will be way too late to save the company..
The Volt has already screwed the pooch.
The typical American car buyer can spend about $15K to purchase a car. If married; then that typical married couple can spend about $24K.
This is Camry territory, and Toyota is a large company in the US precisely because they sell a lot of Camrys -- AND a lot of $15K Corollas.
At $40K, GM has priced the Volt out of the kind of large auto market that they need. In other words; GM can't sell enough Volts to get out of hot water. The Volt would need to cost about $15K less than it does.
Will the price drop? Not likely, but who cares? They need those early sales. It looks like the new GM didn't do their market research any better than the old GM did.
tt77
At over 40K it better be electrifying!
The GM Volt is a stunning car, I hope people can afford to buy it. It could be the car that turns GM around, I certainly hope so. American car sales are a sign of how our economy is doing.
As it relies on our electrical grid, why isn't ANY of the press mentioning its ultimately COAL powered environmental footprint?
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How the electrical power is created is an important issue. If it's created by safe renewables it's a good thing. Otherwise, as you point out, it's just shifting the carbon source.
Because hopefully the grid is going to rely more and more on renewables. In 50 years coal will have gone the way of wood.
As for the Volt it will have a niche, but will not be a great seller. The range has to be upwards of 150 miles at least before it will start to catch on. There are all kind of smart minds working on the expansion of battery tech so that may not be that far down the road, but 40 miles on a charge? That does not impress.
Infinity MPG under 40 total miles of driving doesn't impress!? Let's see... infinity MPG compared to 50, 100, 1000 mpg is still... infinity times better
"Unfortunately, the gasoline engine doesn't recharge the battery...
Nonsense! Recharging the battery is EXACTLY what the gasoline engine in the Volt does.
What the gasoline motor does NOT do is turn the drive shaft. It turns a generator.
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There was some dispute and confusion about this at the GM briefing. The word was that it doesn't really recharge the battery, as in a hybrid, but the motor does create electricity that propels the car when the battery hits half full.
That wouldn't work well. Someone at GM seems confused.
One of the main sources of the increased efficiency in hybrid cars, of all kinds, is the de-coupling of the combustion motor from the drive shaft. In a regular car, the gasoline motor needs to supply widely varying amounts of torque, at widely varying RPM's. No combustion engine is efficient under all these different conditions.
Unless GM has changed the design, the gasoline-powered motor in the Volt was undersized for acceleration, to keep it lightweight. It was intended to run more or less steadily, at a constant speed and load. The engine was tuned to be most efficient at that one speed. It was to generate electricity at the AVERAGE rate that the car is expected to need while driving.
But we don't just motor down the street at 35 MPH. We stop at traffic lights, we climb hills, we get on highways. If there was no way to store and release energy from the gasoline motor in a battery, that motor would HAVE to turn at different rates. Which defeats the purpose.
So much for the American Muscle Car. Soon we will be a nation of Eco hippies running our extension cords out our energy efficient windows to charge our impractical but government mandated cars.
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There's always the 24 Mpg new Camaro but it's clear we have to do something about global climate change and our dependence on fossil fuels. Even the military is worried about the impact of global warming and they're also worried about our need to source oil from unfriendly -- in the words of James Woolsey, former CIA chief "people who want to kill us" -- countries that we pay for with money from China. Have a look at what Woolsey has to say: http://www
Don't worry, you'll get over knocking down straw men eventually.
You deserve stronger words of personal disparagement than HuffPost will allow me.
I'll bet you that within just a few years, the fastest cars you and I will see on the road, will be electric cars -- and they will be very fast indeed... faster than muscle cars ever were.
Go read a book.
tt77
Not so fast. . .
Here's the link to the National Electric Drag Racing Association.
http://www
Electric cars can smoke off the line, with no smoke . . . !
Check some of the top speeds -- not bad for a new technology. A few more capacitors to make 'em jump and, well. . .
I'm interested in buying a Chevy Volt. It needs a great zero-to-60 time, a luxury-class finish, and that $7,500 Federal tax credit. If so, GM will sell as many as they can make.
Tesla Motors in San Jose has already prototyped a luxury sedan just like you described.
It will sell for a few thousand dollars more than the Volt, and I'll bet they will sell as many as they can build. At $40K, The Volt better be more than a Chevrolet.
tt77
I've not heard of any Tesla design being considered that would sell for less than $75,000 or so, and of course, as an all-electric vehicle will have limited range of ~120 miles.
The advantage of the Volt is that it is not range-limited.
NO
Channeling the GOP now, are we?
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