Writing in his FastLane blog, GM Car Czar Bob Lutz revealed that he's taken Chevy's prototype electric – gas plug-in hybrid for a spin. "I drove an official 'engineering development vehicle' with the 16-kwh lithium-ion battery pack we’ve been testing for our E-Flex System and I have to say – pun half-intended – it was electrifying." Half-intended? Which half? But seriously Bob, how was it? "While the car is still most definitely a work in progress, the thrill of driving electrically — that instant, silent torque — is certainly present and accounted for! Of course, as you can imagine, I miss the throaty roar of an engine. Once we get this whole battery thing perfected, our friends at XM Satellite Radio may have to start an Internal Combustion Channel." No seriously, Bob, where are we with this Volt thing? "Don’t run to the Chevy dealer and order your Volt yet." C'mon Bob, really. "Eventually, if and when we settle on the right battery, our E-Flex System engineers will have a lot of integrating, tuning and tweaking to do before the Volt is ready for prime time." If? Oh, by the way, while MB decided to literally sign-off on the Malibu Volt mule (how great does that sound?), it should be pointed out (as the cheerleaders at gm-volt.com do) that Maximum Bob drove the prototype all of eight miles. Woo-hoo! [thanks to KixStart for the links]
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From Lutz himself: “Our battery teams in Warren and in Germany are working hard in our battery labs to determine that these batteries will work for the life of the vehicle. Still, the conditions in a real-world environment – where the battery is exposed to shaking, moisture and rapidly changing temperature conditions – are much more extreme than the controlled settings of the lab.”
First, a good environmental stress lab can and should put the batteries through worse conditions than ever would be experienced in the outside world. I used to do semiconductor accelerated life stress testing and I know what can and should be done. But Lutz has never done a minute of actual engineering in his life, so maybe he is clueless about what goes on in an environmental stress testing laboratory.
Meanwhile, the “idiots” at Toyota have over a million battery packs in the field in Prii. Surely they are smaller battery packs than the Volt envisions and use the prior generation NiMH chemistry, but real world high volume production experience is important and GM ain’t getting it.
I’m still frosted that Wagoner used Toyota’s San Antonio truck factory as an excuse for his team’s complete bungling ineptitude!
I still remember when the New Technology Vega was going to show those Japanese dolts how it was done. At least the Vega made it into volume production, something I’m skeptical the Volt will do.
No, what about the Hy-Wire hydrogen car GM was all lathered up about six years ago at it’s big 2002 Press Push?
For all of GM’s problems, the Volt has made remarkable progress in a short time. An 8 mile test drive is nothing to sneeze at, it’s not like Bob drove it around the block and then declared it ready for production. Sounds like his statements were grounded in the reality that there is still a ways to go.
I’m with Alex on this one. I agree with TTAC’s GM death watch as it pertains to their lamentable corporate strategy, but I think making a huge bet on the Volt is sensible, in a hail-Mary pass kind of way.
And I can forgive some hyperbole from Lutz regarding this product, which he did here. It’s not like his most outrageous statements from a few months ago.
For those that didn’t click the FastLane link, Maximum Bob signed the hood of the old Malibu recycled as a Volt “test mule”, with “We are making history today.”
What an ego. Just because The Suit Comes Down From On High and goes for an 8 mile test loop in an incomplete car that isn’t the equal of a 2001 Toyora Rav4-EV, they’re “making history TODAY.” Jay Leno has a 100-year-old Baker Electric that will go further than that.
To the best of my knowledge, the car doesn’t do the Range-Extension bit yet, it’s just a GM junker from a few years ago converted, at great expense, to battery power.
Well… I’ll look on the bright side… Maybe GM’s committed to recycling.
In the end, the key issue will be cost, not technology. If they can’t get the price well under $30,000, the sales volume won’t be enough to keep GM afloat.
Hopefully they’re not counting on the Volt to keep GM alive until 2020 or so.
If only it were the Volt he had been driving.
He drove a different car with the possible drive train that will power the Volt. Big difference there. Look at the problems Tesla has had and they don’t have the myriad layers of red tape to poke through that GM does.
Maybe Bob Putz should have taken one of the EV1s out of mothballs and taken it for a (longer than 8 mile) spin. That could have reminded him of the potential for millions of electrifying rides that we all could have been having by now.
I still say that GM should install holders for 500 “D” cells in the Volt, and sell it “Batteries Not Included”.
That way, they’ll hit the $30k mark, and not have to give a damn about battery tech — let the buyer decide between Duarcell of Energizer.
I think all the arm chair QB’s ought mark this point in time. Regardless of the spin by MANY websites, the facts remain. GM had the idea first and had it in the customers hands first. They had trouble seeing the future, as did/has many companies. Toyots saw the TUNDRA as the new “Wave” Not.
Alex is right, to many a bloggers lament.
Mule or not, it drove. Would it be more credible if some TTAC staffer was asked to drive it?
Hydrogen? Still alive and well, and ready for production. However, as the current fave manufacturer, (Honda), has discovered, the customer is “not yet ready for prime time.”
When anyone can get a hydrogen Gas station complete with Slim Jims and bottled water of any variety, then maybe EXXON will make it available.
GM may have the technology first but if you are talking about the Volt – it’s not in anybody’s hands yet. If you are talking about the EV1 I have to wonder why they don’t dust of the damn prints and start building them again – RIGHT NOW!
In fact, bring in one of the Beat twins and electrify one of those with EV1 technology. Then we’d have some good looks with a great EV package. Might loose a little range to the wind resistance.
Heck put out an Opel Speedster with the EV1 driveline in it and “beat” Tesla to the market at a lower price.
I still feel like GM does not WANT to sell an EV to anyone. Maybe I’m wrong, hope I am – and maybe they think they know their customers better than me – prob do. Maybe their stereotypical customer is like my Dad – always trying to stay close to the technological levels of his S-10 pickup, always on alert for “gimmicks” (technology too advanced for him like iPods or the internet), and resistant to change. Love the guy but he’s showing his age (generation).
What bothers me is the continuing FUD that GM issues anytime they are put on the spot with EV1 questions. Didn’t work (but it did), nobody bought ’em (never sold, only leased), battery tech wasn’t ready (but they owned the patents for the batteries in the Toyota RAV-4-EVs which are still running around California), and then they go and threaten a lawsuit when a university tries to resurrect an EV1 for demo-use (all of the handful of EV1s were “disabled” before donation to universities and museums).
At the same time I hope Toyota and Honda gets their collective heads out of their nether regions and gets an effective EV (like the Rav4-EV) back to market soon. I’ve got 160K miles on my CR-V, 152K miles on the VW Cabrio and I want to replace one of them with an EV in two years. Realistically I’ll prob just build one out of the Cabrio once my budget catches it’s breath.
gawdodirt: We’re supposed to be impressed or assuaged because the company who mass-produced an electric car and sold it in the 90’s has put an electric drivetrain in a Malibu mule?
The issue is not whether it drove or who drove it. That argument is a red herring.
go G.M!!!
I would love for them to make this car work!
and so should all Americans!
oops..I forgot
this is the U.S. car manufacturers bashing site…
sorry!
I just looked at GM-Volt…funny, they had an ad for lemon law legal representation…