GM-VOLT : Chevy Volt Electric Car Site

The next major Volt milestone has been achieved.

GM has confirmed receiving the first Chevy Volt specific lithium-ion prototype battery pack from the Continental/A123 Systems production team. The pack was delivered to GM’s Mainz Kastel laboratory in Germany on the morning of January 31st.

GM already has at least two prototype packs from the LG Chem/Compact Power production team since the first was delivered on October 31st.

The Conti/A123 pack was expected in January and is thus on-time, therfore keeping the entire vehicles production schedule on track.

GM had planned to evaluate both teams packs until this summer when they will decide on moving either one or both towards production.

Todays is an extremely important landmark in the Chevy Volt development story as it further validates the concept, now that two independent teams have shown they can build properly behaving 16kWh lithium-ion packs.

GM Vice-Chairman Bob Lutz told reporters in Flint, Michigan on Tuesday that the Volt remains on-schedule.

He said:

“We’re going to prove the skeptics wrong,”

and

“I hope to drive the 40 miles electrically by March or April and by June we’ll have running prototypes for the press.”

And for those of you wondering about the first prototype packs from A123/Continental…I have heard delivery is immediately imminent…stay tuned.

Source (ABC12.com)

GM CEO Wagoner and CFO Henderson

GM CFO Fritz Henderson had a luncheon with reporters yesterday and made a couple of financial comments.

He indicated that although the housing crisis will be a drag on the economy, and that the government needs to soothe public fears, he does not believe a recession is underway.

He also indicated that due to less manufacturing capacity and therefore tighter inventories and increasing costs of raw materials, combined with increased spending on new high technologies, that car prices may increase. He couldn’t specify when that increase might occur.

Sources (Reuters) and (AP)

Bob Lutz is clearly a guy who tells it like it is. When GMs father of the Volt gives an interview about the car its always worth listening closely, as what you get will be highly factual.

The Lansing State Journal published a very brief Q and A with Mr. Lutz, and thats where this nugget was found.

As we know to allow maximum battery range in the Volt, aerodynamic efficiency has to come first. In second place is to minimize electrical draw.

Per Mr.Lutz:

We are working on low-voltage draw windshield wipers. And even more interesting – and I didn’t know this – these high-powered stereo systems that everybody is putting in their car now? Those have a tremendous electrical draw and will actually affect your mileage if you crank the volume up loud enough. All of that stuff, plus all of the software we have to write for the interaction of the various elements of the car with each other.

Source (Lansing State Journal)

What are some of the safety issue of this car, are they different than standard cars, are you going to have to do different kinds of crash test safety?

We already have a standard program of very rigorous tests. Well run crashtests of all sorts, because frankly were looking to sell this vehicle globally. So we know that we’ll have to meet all the U.S. regulatory requirements for crash, we have to meet all the European regulatory requirements for crash, the one’s that exist in China and all the other countries around the world. So we are going to run a huge series of tests on tis thing which is pretty much what we do for any passenger car or truck that we build.

Clearly the fact that we have a battery pack running down the middle of the car we will definitely pay attention to whats going on in that particular area. But thats not such a bad place. If you want to put a battery somewhere thats not such a bad place to put it, because its quite well protected with a lot of crush space around it.

So again too early to talk about how all thats going to play out but clearly were building simulation models in that area too, and we know that we have to take care of all this stuff. We have to look after all of the aspects of safety; charging it, crash, you name it.

Is the car planned to have a 50:50 weight balance as has been quoted?

Maybe they (the journalist) talked to me and got slightly off track, but heres what I would say, maybe we can get this one accurate. Typically a front drive car has upwards of 60 to 65% of its weight on the front axle, OK, because its got a drive system in the front and an engine, and a passenger compartment, but relatively unladen in the rear so they tend to be more biased with front end mass. Now I’ve got a sizable battery pack, maybe 160 kg, maybe a little more, maybe a little less, and I’m going to put that right in the middle of the car. That will most certainly change the front to rear weight distribution, right? So the whole car will weigh more but the weight distribution will be less mass on the front axle as a percentage of the total. Because Ive taken and Ive put this relatively large mass right down the middle of the vehicle almost dead in the middle of the two axles.

Where will the combustion engine sit?

In the motor compartment in the front where it always is (together with the electric motor). They will both be in the motor compartment. So again if you think about it thats the kind of mass and kind of location that we have in our front drive vehicles, so again its probably going to be a vehicle that has 60 to 65% of the mass on the front axle. But then I put this mass in the middle and although the vehicle will weigh more overall the mass distribution will be better.

So not necessarily 50:50?

No, not 50:50 but clearly shifted in that direction.

Today we have hit a major milestone. 10,000 people have signed up on our waiting list, expressing their desire to buy a Chevy Volt. This site was started on January 12, 2007 in response to GM unveiling the Chevy Volt five days earlier. It was my intent to create a place where like-minded people interested in driving this car could convene to observe and discuss the development and eventually create an ownership community.

Even more importantly, it was my hope that this site could serve as a beacon to GM, continuously showing them how enthusiastic and how ready the public is for such a car. I didn’t want them to let the concept die, as the initial reports after the unveiling suggested it might.

I didn’t realize how meaningful this site would become. In June, GM reached out to me and invited me to their headquarters for the first time, allowing me to interview engineers directly involved in the Volt project. From there, I’ve had the opportunity to interview many GM and battery executives along the way, all the while striving to provide the latest and most accurate information. It’s come so far that I’ve even met and interviewed CEO Rick Wagoner and Vice-Chairman Bob Lutz.

I think so far the site has been a success. GM knows well about us and their executives regularly admit they read the site.

There have certainly been ups and downs, and the effort has at times been trying, but remains fun and exciting. I’ve been called everything from a cult-leader to a shill. Nonetheless we carry on. The fact is I am a Volt enthusiast. I want the world to drive electric cars, and as an American, I want GM to lead the way. It’s my right to feel that way. Everyone is entitled to their opinions and all can have a voice here.

We need to spread the word. Many people still do not know about this car, and its potential benefits. Tell your friends and families about it, and send them to GM-Volt.com.

Next goal 20,000.