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Saturn Flextreme E-Flex Concept Vehicle

January 14th, 2008 | Posted in: E-Flex

satflex1.jpg

Today GM is introducing the Saturn Flextreme concept. Similar to it’s Opel cousin, the vehicle uses an all-electric drivetrain powered by a lithium-ion battery capable of 34 miles of range and has a 3 hour recharge time. The on-board generator is diesel powered.

Read full release below:

THE SATURN FLEXTREME PLUG-IN CONCEPT: EFFICIENCY NEVER LOOKED SO GOOD

• Sleek, sporty compact concept vehicle hints at Saturn’s future design direction
• Extended-range electric vehicle features GM’s E-Flex System and provides up to 34 miles of all-electric, emissions-free range
• Customer-friendly innovations include FlexDoors® and FlexLoad® features

DETROIT – Saturn demonstrates that clean, practical transportation and stunning design can go hand-in-hand with the electric-drive Saturn Flextreme concept, introduced today at the North American International Auto Show. Featuring General Motors’ breakthrough E-Flex electric propulsion technology that provides up to 34 miles of all-electric, emissions-free range, as well as a sleek, monocab design, the Flextreme looks as clean as it drives.

With multiple aesthetic and functional innovations such as cameras that replace side-view mirrors and unconventional doors that allow easy entry and exit, Flextreme signals that the distinguishing features of Saturn’s portfolio will continue in future product introductions: striking, European-inspired designs; and a commitment to providing customers with functional, efficient vehicles that respect the environment.

“Clean design, innovative features and environmental technology are hallmarks of Saturn’s newly revitalized portfolio,” said Saturn General Manager Jill Lajdziak. “The Flextreme concept demonstrates how these design-driven, innovative attributes will be applied in our next generation of vehicles, and it shows that unconventional thinking can result in great cars.”

A collaborative effort between Saturn and GM’s European Opel brand, the Flextreme concept was developed to showcase the future design direction of both brands, which share many similar customer traits. This design partnership has resulted in several highly successful production vehicles in the U.S. and Europe such as the Saturn Aura; the Saturn Sky and Opel GT; Saturn Vue and Opel Antara; and the Saturn Astra and Opel Astra. The Flextreme concept debuted as an Opel at the 2007 Frankfurt Auto Show.

The Flextreme also represents Saturn’s ongoing commitment to deliver vehicles that use less fuel and produce fewer emissions. Unlike conventional vehicles and gas-electric hybrids, the Saturn Flextreme concept features GM’s E-Flex System that uses an electric motor powered by a lithium-ion battery to propel it for up to 34 miles of electric-drive-only range. The battery can be recharged at a household outlet in just three hours. On the road, a clean and efficient 1.3L turbo-diesel onboard engine generates additional electricity to replenish the battery and extend the vehicle’s driving range. Fully charged, the Flextreme’s 34-mile, all-electric driving range is enough for most daily commuters in the U.S. to travel without using any fuel or emitting any CO2.

Saturn’s commitment to innovation and clean transportation is further illustrated by the two high-tech electric Segway® Personal Transporters ingeniously packaged below the Flextreme’s cargo floor. With a twist of the handlebar-mounted release, the handlebar retracts and rotates downward for easy loading into the rear compartment. Once docked, the batteries of these modified Segways can be charged along with the Flextreme’s batteries.

Exterior design that dares to be different

The Saturn Flextreme concept highlights the new elements of Saturn design language: more sculpted surfacing molding, clear style elements such as narrow, boomerang-shaped lights and a sloping feature line in the side graphics.

Aerodynamic details and lightweight materials help enhance the fuel savings of the electric-drive system. For example, the bottom edge of the windshield is pulled far forward so that the hood, with its characteristic crease, is very short. The integrated power socket is in the cowl panel.

The front grille and rims are covered by lightweight, polycarbonate transparent trim, which improves aerodynamics while maintaining visual aesthetics. Special light alloy wheels look like conventional wheels, yet are designed to avoid energy-robbing air turbulence.

Like the wheel design, the large, boomerang-like curved front light units are visually deceptive, and continue a theme that began with the Opel GTC Concept at the Geneva Motor Show. The vertically oriented front lights “slice up” the front end in an unusual manner. The LED headlamp unit houses a lightweight crossbeam, fog lamps and air intake for brake cooling, which are comparatively small. The curved rear lights are completely integrated into the tailgate and hidden beneath rear glass. If one of the tailgate doors is opened, an additional parking light switches on so that the Flextreme can be easily seen in the dark.

All windows, including the windshield, are made of lightweight polycarbonate, as is a large part of the roof. The Flextreme’s panoramic windshield provides a bright and spacious interior and stretches over most of the roof, which is reinforced by a spine-like composite structure that extends to the rear floor.

Innovative doors open up new possibilities

In keeping with Saturn’s philosophy of challenging conventional thinking, the Flextreme concept design team set out to create a vehicle that combined GM’s E-Flex chassis with a body style that is dynamic, yet efficiently makes the best use of space. To do so, it uses the FlexDoors® and FlexLoad® systems, two innovative, customer-focused solutions that enhance the Flextreme’s functionality.

With the FlexDoors system, access to the rear cargo area is through two butterfly-style rear tailgate doors that individually swing open upward along the central axis of the vehicle. This thoughtful feature allows the Flextreme’s trunk to be accessible from the side when parked tightly against a wall or another vehicle, or when a bicycle rack is fitted on the rear.

The rear doors are another key distinguishing feature of the Flextreme. While the front doors open in the conventional manner, the rear doors are rear-hinged. And as there is no center roof pillar (B-pillar), opening both doors on one side creates a large opening for easy entry. For families, this feature is especially useful when securing child seats and children into the rear seating positions.

High-tech interior features enhance convenience

The FlexLoad underfloor luggage compartment may be the Flextreme’s most customer-friendly feature. A practical yet flexible stowage option that extends and retracts electronically, it eliminates having to lift luggage up, over and into a trunk. In the Flextreme concept on display, the rechargeable Segway® Personal Transporters are docked in this underfloor luggage compartment.

Also inside the Flextreme concept are honeycomb structures that offer low weight and high rigidity. These functional, geometric structures can be found in the instrument panel’s lower portion, cabin floor, cargo floor and above the center tunnel where the lithium-ion batteries are located.

The seats use lightweight construction and are anchored to the car’s floor by a single track rather than the usual two, creating more foot space in the rear. Refined upholstery gives the seats a light and elegant look, with some parts in fabric/mesh and corners made of especially soft material. The steering wheel hub houses another high-tech feature: a full-size driver air bag packaged with a special vacuum technique that reduces its overall volume.

Large, panoramic, configurable displays are set directly under the windshield. They can show a complete, all-around view of the car’s surroundings, using the two side cameras (one front-facing, one rear-facing) that replace the conventional side mirrors. The displays can also show information about vehicle systems such as the audio system, phone and other equipment.

All the right touches
A second display on the center console features touch-screen operation. At the top, the programmable, one-touch buttons are designed like computer shortcuts. They provide easy access to various intuitive menus, including air conditioning, communi¬cation/infotainment and navigation functions. The buttons can be freely programmed and adapted to new infotainment systems. Further down is the Flextreme’s touch-screen drive selector gate, with three driving positions: D, P and R (drive, park and reverse). The gears can also be comfortably selected via touch-screen control.

A clever storage system at the front and back of the center tunnel allows front and rear passengers to stow items such as mobile phones, MP3 players, iPods and PDAs in two drawers. The best part about this system is that the electrical devices can be recharged in the drawers by induction, and Bluetooth-capable systems can transmit their data to the onboard infotainment system.

E-Flex System reduces emissions, trips to the gas station

The Saturn Flextreme concept is part of GM’s ongoing commitment to develop vehicles that reduce emissions and the automobile’s dependency on petroleum. Unlike conventional vehicles and gas-electric hybrids, GM’s E-Flex System uses an electric motor, powered by a lithium-ion battery, to propel the Flextreme for up to 34 miles of all-electric and emissions-free range. The onboard engine creates additional electricity to extend the vehicle’s driving range to a total of 444 miles (715 km).

GM has initiated production engineering for the E-Flex System. Production timing depends on continued advancement of key enabling technologies; specifically, the development of lithium-ion batteries for hybrid and electric vehicle applications.

While the featured fuel in Saturn Flextreme concept is diesel, GM’s E-Flex System has previously been shown in gasoline and hydrogen fuel cell concepts.

# # #

Posted by: Lyle

46 Responses to “Saturn Flextreme E-Flex Concept Vehicle”


  1. Tom
    Vote -1 Vote +1Tom     Says:
    January 14th, 2008 at 6:26 am

    Before everybody starts complaining that GM should only spend its time and resources developing the Volt and not these one-off cars, let me reiterate that there’s only a certain number of people and a certain amount of money you can throw at a project and beyond that it won’t get done any faster. (And may get done much slower.)

    I’m sure working on the Saturn and Caddy isn’t slowing down the Volt project.


  2. Jean-Charles Jacquemin
    Vote -1 Vote +1Jean-Charles Jacquemin     Says:
    January 14th, 2008 at 6:55 am

    So, the Flextreme concept is officaly in the US now, when reading carefully the press release, I do not find any difference with the Opel Flextreme press release.

    Are we at last going to truly world models and benefit from returns to scale that would keep the price of the cars low. Time will tell, but a do not see any progress since the presentation of the Opel Flextreme in September.


  3. Kagato
    Vote -1 Vote +1Kagato     Says:
    January 14th, 2008 at 7:57 am

    SOLD!

    I’ll buy one right now.

    gimme.
    gimme.
    gimme.


  4. nasaman
    Vote -1 Vote +1nasaman     Says:
    January 14th, 2008 at 8:15 am

    [quote comment="26992"]SOLD!

    I’ll buy one right now.

    gimme.
    gimme.
    gimme.[/quote]

    ME TOO …I’M IN LOVE!!! This concept car is ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS & it’s perfect as a Saturn concept! Saturn customers tend to be like me (nerdier than most) & therefore more interested in innovative designs. Much as I love their VUE plug-in, if Saturn goes forward with the Flextreme, I’ll really be torn between the two!

    …Uhhh, no I won’t, I’ll buy one of EACH!!! :) :) :)


  5. Rashiid Amul
    Vote -1 Vote +1Rashiid Amul     Says:
    January 14th, 2008 at 8:53 am

    Wow! This vehicle is beautiful! I want it now.


  6. Dave B
    Vote -1 Vote +1Dave B     Says:
    January 14th, 2008 at 8:55 am

    I like that it’s a diesel…34 miles though is getting a little light on the EV range. That’s BARELY enough to cover my commute to and from work.


  7. Canuk
    Vote -1 Vote +1Canuk     Says:
    January 14th, 2008 at 8:59 am

    SHARP! I hope that this saturn makes it to market as soon as the volt. It looks way better than the volt, and it’s functionality is better suited to families. Hopefully, the diesel range extender will survive too, thus reducing fuel consumption.


  8. Dave G
    Vote -1 Vote +1Dave G     Says:
    January 14th, 2008 at 9:00 am

    I like this body style much better than the Volt.

    The main problems for me are:
    1) Diesel is scarce and more expensive.
    2) The 2 rear hatches make loading large items difficult.
    3) 220v, 3-hour charging requires special cables and outlets.
    4) A little more stoage area in the back would be nice.

    Fix this and it would be my perfect car. If GM can make a hatchback or small station wagon look this good, sign me up!

    As for storage, make sure it can handle a Marshall half-stack, like this:
    http://www.americanmusical.com/item–i-MAR-STACK16.html
    with the rear seats down. Also, make sure it will fit an 80 pound dog in the back with the rear seats up.


  9. Dave G
    Vote -1 Vote +1Dave G     Says:
    January 14th, 2008 at 9:17 am

    [quote comment="26983"]Before everybody starts complaining that GM should only spend its time and resources developing the Volt and not these one-off cars, let me reiterate that there’s only a certain number of people and a certain amount of money you can throw at a project and beyond that it won’t get done any faster. (And may get done much slower.)

    I’m sure working on the Saturn and Caddy isn’t slowing down the Volt project.[/quote]
    For the Saturn Flextreme, all they did is change the logo on the grille!

    If they did decide to make the Flextreme production in the U.S., I think early 2012 would be a good target. Like I’ve said before, development usually works like a pipeline. Marketing and concept cars are at the beginning, testing and manufacturing issues are at the end. There are usually different people involved with every phase of development.

    For example, the Volt concept car is done. The guys that built that are doing other things already.

    Within 6-9 months, the guys that are doing the Volts production body and interior design will probably be done, so they’ll be moving on to another car then. Why not the Flextreme?

    I believe the Flextreme could be built a year or so after the Volt without any significant risk to the Volt schedule.


  10. OptimisticMF
    Vote -1 Vote +1OptimisticMF     Says:
    January 14th, 2008 at 9:52 am

    Hooray for diesel, finally someone is listening…


  11. bill
    Vote -1 Vote +1bill     Says:
    January 14th, 2008 at 10:18 am

    They are still pushing the Segway as an option do people use these in Europe? I just can’t see them justifying the cost for them to offer them as even an option in North America .I have never even seen one in Canada.I realise it is still just a concept but it make the hole concept less realistic some how.


  12. bill
    Vote -1 Vote +1bill     Says:
    January 14th, 2008 at 10:32 am

    Actually that compartment would be ideal for the motorized scooters that have become so prevalent. I could see this car becoming very popular just for that reason alone!


  13. Brian M
    Vote -1 Vote +1Brian M     Says:
    January 14th, 2008 at 11:05 am

    So is this the “Saturn surprise” we were waiting for? I like it, but it’s not much of a surprise. Seriously, who didn’t see this coming as soon as Opel introduced it? (In case you don’t know, Saturn is now basically the American branch of Opel).


  14. Canuk
    Vote -1 Vote +1Canuk     Says:
    January 14th, 2008 at 11:19 am

    I think it would be good if GM offered the ability to charge up the the car with a 240v system. I particularly liked the inductive paddle system that was part of the “Magnecharger” that was used on the EV1. I would seriously consider installing it in my garage to fast charge it in 3 vs. 6 hrs. This way, I could have my car ready for the next day’s commute before I go to bed at night. This way, I would not have any concerns about being asleep if a charger/battery induced fire occured in the garage. Also, this system gives a quicker turn around if you need the car again sooner than later, and since the paddle has no exposed conductors it is inherently safer, and is not subject to corrosion (a problem for us here in southern Ontario, Canada)


  15. Jim G
    Vote -1 Vote +1Jim G     Says:
    January 14th, 2008 at 11:40 am

    [quote comment="27029"]They are still pushing the Segway as an option…?[/quote]

    That was my thought too. I don’t know anyone who would be interested in a Segway. You would think a concept car would be pushing the latest tech, not something that is already on its way out. How embarrassing.


  16. Jim G
    Vote -1 Vote +1Jim G     Says:
    January 14th, 2008 at 11:49 am

    [quote comment="27033"]So is this the “Saturn surprise” we were waiting for?[/quote]

    Can it really be this much of a letdown? There is absolutely no difference. They can’t even TRY to make it look a little different. Check out the above photo side by side with this one:

    http://auto-presse.de/newssys/galerie/19673/19673_report_w486.jpg

    (from this October press release: http://auto-presse.de/concept-news.php?action=view&newsid=19673)

    Lyle, are you just playing in photoshop again, like the Tesla?


  17. noel park
    Vote -1 Vote +1noel park     Says:
    January 14th, 2008 at 12:10 pm

    Very cool. I love the no outside mirrors! Also the diesel. What do you think will be the EPA city cycle mileage of this, especially if they can factor in the electric only portion of the trip?

    This release if full of good and forward thinking ideas about car packaging, never mind the innovative power system.

    If and when GM will actually produce cars this innovative and attractive, spectacularly good things will happen to their business.


  18. Glenn
    Vote -1 Vote +1Glenn     Says:
    January 14th, 2008 at 12:37 pm

    #10 OptimisticMF Says:

    “Hooray for diesel, finally someone is listening…”

    My problem with gasoline is that I’ll have to buy stabilizer to add to every tank because with a car like this I’ll use about a gallon a month.

    My first choice would be natural gas or propane.


  19. SilverBlade
    Vote -1 Vote +1SilverBlade     Says:
    January 14th, 2008 at 1:00 pm

    I want one..

    Where do I sign up?


  20. RB
    Vote -1 Vote +1RB     Says:
    January 14th, 2008 at 2:15 pm

    I love this car.
    I


  21. carlivar
    Vote -1 Vote +1carlivar     Says:
    January 14th, 2008 at 3:24 pm

    I’d buy this over the Volt purely because it’s diesel.

    Whoever said diesel is too scarce and expensive, you are wrong. I drove a diesel car for a few years (2002 VW Jetta TDI). No problems whatsoever. I got about 45mpg. Over 600 miles on a tank.

    And you can also do an easy conversion to let it run on vegetable oil. Then you just buy veggie oil at any supermarket! How’s that for availability? Best prices at Costco.


  22. bruce g
    Vote -1 Vote +1bruce g     Says:
    January 14th, 2008 at 3:33 pm

    Hmmm,
    I must say GM are consistent in their “subject to availability of Li Ion batteries.
    Does any one know how to fasttrack these batteries as a globally available resource?
    Get the United Nations involved?
    Ask the Russians to help?
    Get Roosevelt and Churchill to hold a meeting?


  23. bruce g
    Vote -1 Vote +1bruce g     Says:
    January 14th, 2008 at 3:36 pm

    …and in fairness to GM,
    They are making it clear they hve no intention of assisting with global supplies of batteries, someone elses problem.
    They are assisting with E85 though and possibly Hydrogen…


  24. Glen Jenkins
    Vote -1 Vote +1Glen Jenkins     Says:
    January 14th, 2008 at 5:43 pm

    Ok, I want mine in early 2011 when my Lexus RX300 is 10 years old, I’m waiting for GM/Opel to produce this and will not buy a replacement gas guzzler till these come out, so I’m depending on GM to move me from being a Lexus customer to a new GM one. OK, guys, engineer away and let’s see the cars on the market before my RX hits 200K miles.
    Glen


  25. Luke
    Vote -1 Vote +1Luke     Says:
    January 14th, 2008 at 6:05 pm

    Once they get ride of the concept-kitsch, I’d prefer one of these over the Volt. More cargo room, and a diesel are both selling points for me.

    But, in it’s current form, it’s not ready for everyday use. The segways and the glass ceiling have to go — they cost money and look like they hurt the utility. Though the under-trunk storage space seems like a great idea. The diesel range-extender stays. I’d probably prefer a conventional hatch-back or station-wagon rear-door for the back. The suicide doors look like they’d be irritating — I’d rather have a 2-part gull-wing doors on the sides instead, which would keep it looking futuristic and keep it from looking like a minivan. Again, the diesel stays — biodiesel is the only renewable that I can buy around here.

    I like small cars, and I like utility. This might be a sweet spot — if GM actually builds the darned thing. Or the Volt. If not, that Volvo ReCharge looks pretty nice, too. Failing that, a Honda Accord Diesel would be nice. Or a Jetta Sportwagen…


  26. noel park
    Vote -1 Vote +1noel park     Says:
    January 14th, 2008 at 7:42 pm

    Luke, #25:

    I absolutely agree with you on the diesel, the Segways, the glass ceiling, and the doors.


  27. Donan Iacovone
    Vote -1 Vote +1Donan Iacovone     Says:
    January 14th, 2008 at 9:51 pm

    Dave G.

    Diesel is neither scarce (def. Not plentiful or abundant; in small quantity in proportion to the demand; not easily to be procured; rare; uncommon.) considering over 40% of all fuel stations carry diesel nor expensive (diesel has been lower than 87 octane gas many times and just now has hovered at or above premium gas prices. This is cyclical and will reverse itself again and again. Diesel is a better answer than E85 and hydrogen (currently no infrastructure). Try adding something positive about Saturn’s venture to make positive gains in the way of fuel mileage and reduction of NOX and CO2. If I drove such a vehicle to work, I would achieve an average of 135 mpg and the cost of charging at night. Not bad at all I’d say.


  28. butters
    Vote -1 Vote +1butters     Says:
    January 14th, 2008 at 10:33 pm

    I really the like the exterior design! It looks considerably more aerodynamic than I imagine the Volt will be even after the production modifications. Peripheral-view cameras are sweet. Polycarbonate windows are light and rugged. Side door configuration will make it much easier to load my amp stack into the back seat.

    Why less range that the Volt? This looks like it could be a bit smaller and lighter than the Volt, so it must have a smaller ~12KWh battery pack. Is that enough of difference to reduce the height of the pack and allow 5 seats? Does this use the same 160hp/120KW induction motor as the Volt?


  29. Kermit
    Vote -1 Vote +1Kermit     Says:
    January 14th, 2008 at 10:53 pm

    I mostly agree with post number 25. The polycarbonate roof might look futuristic but I live in the sunbelt. It would turn the vehicle into a giant solar oven. I currently drive a 2005 Toyota Matrix due to the Mercury Mystique having one more malfunction to many. The Matrix has great utility. With the smooth plastic backed seats folded down I can put my 70 lb boxers collapsed kennel in the back along with her also and all my luggage and conveniently load it all through the conventional hatchback(no cargo obstructing pillar in the middle). If it just got a little better mileage or was a plugin I would love it. Other than these changes and ditching the segways I like the Saturn’s design better than the Volt’s. The all electric range is a bit shorter but the quick recharge speed makes up for it for me.


  30. Kevin R
    Vote -1 Vote +1Kevin R     Says:
    January 15th, 2008 at 10:17 am

    Sorry….it’s ugly. Looks like a bug that needs to be squashed! I look at the Volt and there is a sexiness to it, it looks fast and on the prowl…the Saturn…ugggh. I wouldn’t even consider it. Another design I’m sure would win me over but not that one.


  31. Silent Ounce
    Vote -1 Vote +1Silent Ounce     Says:
    January 15th, 2008 at 10:58 am

    When are they going to start figuring in the emissions cost of the electrical power you’re charging it with? It’s all BS. Unless you’re getting your home power via nuclear/wind/water etc, then you’re adding just as much polution, if not more, into the environment by driving one of these plug-ins. Why is this fact never mentioned? I’m not an expert, but I’d imagine that the “carbon footprint” of one of these vehicles is actually worse than a normal hybrid when you take that into account.


  32. Kevin R
    Vote -1 Vote +1Kevin R     Says:
    January 15th, 2008 at 11:30 am

    Silent Ounce (31)

    You really need to read the research on this. You’re really off base. It is far more efficient to generate power at a power plant than to have millions of vehicles running around with their own power plants. The projected cost of recharging the Volt is around $300-400 per year of use. The carbon footprint is negligible hence the reason for the Volt. All of the information is on this site or google it.


  33. jason smith
    Vote -1 Vote +1jason smith     Says:
    January 15th, 2008 at 11:47 am

    After years of marketing gimmicks and false promises with no actual production, I will be driving either a new Prius or Civic Hybrid, and not waiting until we have no oil to drive some “concept” vehicle from GM…….otherwise, the “concept” looks like it would be the next step away from a carbon-based economy…unless, of course, GM is in league with big oil and Bush, which is by now pretty obvious….and no change will come from an American car company….if, in fact, GM was not selling gas-guzzlers and SUVs as their main focus, even at the latest car shows, and still using “patriotic” jingoism as their main selling point, along with the fact that you are not “American” unless you drive one of our their gas-guzzling, environmental destroying, crater-creating, pedestrian-endangering behemoths….this newest gimmickry might actually be believable….


  34. Jeff M
    Vote -1 Vote +1Jeff M     Says:
    January 15th, 2008 at 5:52 pm

    For those that don’t know, diesel is the same as home heating oil #2… the difference is the latter usually had die added to make it red to catch anyone trying to use it for transportation since it’s not taxed like diesel/gasoline. It’s also why it usually tends to go up when home heating oil prices go up (cold winters).

    I’m not sure about now, but in the past when I didn’t consider buying most American brands, I did consider buying a Saturn as that branch of GM seemed to have a better reputation for quality.


  35. Jeff M
    Vote -1 Vote +1Jeff M     Says:
    January 15th, 2008 at 6:06 pm

    #31… just for the case of argument assume the power company pollutes just as much as an equivlent vehicle with an internal combustion engine… it’s still a major improvement as it moves that pollution out from congested cities where it causes major health problems and resultant deaths.

    However as Kevin said, it’s more efficient to generate electricity, send it along the grid to a charger charging a plug-in’s batteries and then from there to the electric motor, than an internal combusion engine that you’re lucky is 25% energy efficient.

    It’s also easier to control pollution from a few thousand power plants than hundreds of millions of tail pipes. Also the national average of the power grid has only 52% coming from coal (at least it’s domestic and not sending money to Saudi Arabia which sends it to terrorists), 2% oil, etc. 99.9% of transportation today is via oil.

    From a consumer stand point, an EV, or a series (range extended) hybrid like the Volt is a lot more reliable with a lot less maintenence due to significantly fewew moving parts (a pure EV has 70-90% less depending on the design) and uses lots less consumerables (electric motors don’t use engine oil, don’t need coolant, spark plugs, etc, not to mention gasoline).

    I also suggest you read Sherry Boschert’s book “Plug-in Hybrids”


  36. Ron
    Vote -1 Vote +1Ron     Says:
    January 16th, 2008 at 5:18 am

    Well, Lemme tell ya…If the Volt comes out with a turbo diesel generator I’ll get one, but if it doesn’t, I’ll be getting a Saturn I guess. It’s all about CO2 people. Gas and E85 are both CO2 sources. A diesel, with a new teflon gas line to run biodiesel emits less CO2 than a Volt you charged up at home. How you ask? Because it is being charged by a biodiesel, which emits no CO2, where the charged electric car is living on coal. If the car is going to raise the maximum eyebrows with its marketing campaigne, a diesel option must exist. Remember the new beetle’s debut? They sold like ipods!


  37. Kevin R
    Vote -1 Vote +1Kevin R     Says:
    January 16th, 2008 at 8:21 am

    Ron is correct but there needs to be a bit of clarification. Burn any fuel and you create CO2…biodiesel included. However, since biodiesel is made from plants the life cycle makes it carbon neutral. See the highlights below about biodiesel. The comment that the electric car “is living on coal” is a misnomer. All electricity production is not ‘coal’ based. Much of it comes from hydro, nuclear, wind and and in increasing quantities, solar. Here in Michigan we have just had two huge wind farms installed that are producing enormous quantities of energy (Michigan is one of the major states where constant winds of 5mph or more blow consistently due to the Great Lakes). Many people I know are installing solar energy panels and small windmills to create electricity for our homes. So OUR electric cars will not be ‘living on coal’. Here is the breakdown on biodiesel…it’s a good read.

    The following provided by:

    Journey to Forever website URL is included (http://journeytoforever.org/).

    Using vegetable oils or animal fats as fuel for motor vehicles is in effect running them on solar energy. All biofuels, including ethanol, are derived from the conversion of sunlight to energy (carbohydrates) that takes place in the green leaves of plants.

    Plants take up carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere; burning plant (or animal) products in an engine or burning it any other way releases the CO2 uptake back into the atmosphere, to be taken up again by other plants. The CO2 is recycled, atmospheric CO2 levels remain constant.

    Thus biofuels do not increase global warming — unlike fossil fuels, which release large amounts of new (or rather very old) CO2 which has been locked away from the atmosphere for aeons.

    In fact biodiesel can actually help reduce CO2 levels in the atmosphere: for example, growing soybeans takes nearly four times as much CO2 out of the atmosphere as the amount of CO2 released in the exhaust from burning soybean oil biodiesel.


  38. Jackson
    Vote -1 Vote +1Jackson     Says:
    January 16th, 2008 at 11:45 am

    One consequence of an electric drive is the flexibility of layout for whatever is used as the generator. There is no need to carefully engineer driveshaft and transmission paths, since the mechanical energy is not needed to propel the vehicle directly. I would expect this to make switching generator types much less of a headache for automakers than is the case for optional engines today: making the diesel or gas generator (or something else!) almost a plug-in item for any of the GM flexible-hybrid variants.

    Has anybody looked into tiny turbine-generators?

    Here’s another thought: electric drive also allows for auxiliary, “helper” charging schemes, such as thermoelectric co-generation (using heat from the engine to produce electricity directly), or solar cells on the roof (much preferable to that solar-oven greenhouse on the Flextreme).

    My daily commute is longer than 34 miles, and covers a large mix of road-types. It would be useful to me if the hybrid could somehow know (via GPS?) when it is getting on a high-speed, limited access highway to automatically start the engine, rather than using up the battery in the morning and then cranking the engine to come home. Or maybe the engine could be set to come on whenever the vehicle tops a certain speed (as an option to stretch electrical endurance). Or, maybe just a “turn on engine now” button.

    It might not be too soon to start asking employers what their stand might be on charging employees’ plug-ins at work. By reducing their fuel bill, it would amount to a (mostly) free raise, and they could claim “green consciousness.”

    As someone said above, the real deal is strategic, not environmental: if you want to travel today, you MUST use oil. Breaking this dependency could change everything.

    Perhaps the environmental issue is more of a chicken-and-egg thing: with a large fleet of electric cars, there’d be more incentive to use them as load levellers for the electric power industry (since they’d be mostly charged at night); “baseline” electrical capacity is less likely to need petroleum than peak-generation capcacity. Large, more efficient power plants would lead to better air quailty. Also, increasing numbers of electric vehicles could drive electricity producers to consider green alternatives more quickly.

    Instead of Segways, how about an auxiliary lithium battery to bring the electric-only range up?


  39. Kermit
    Vote -1 Vote +1Kermit     Says:
    January 16th, 2008 at 5:22 pm

    As a side note it would be nice if the sound system is completely ipod capable. In other wise you plug it in not depend on bluetooth or wireless connection. CD’s are going the way of the dinasaurs.

    No need for segways especially if it jacks up the price. Of course it needs to meet all 50 states emission standards.


  40. Volt Enthusiast 1st hand report of visit to the Warehouse - PriusChat Forums
    Vote -1 Vote +1Volt Enthusiast 1st hand report of visit to the Warehouse - PriusChat Forums     Says:
    January 17th, 2008 at 12:22 am

    [...] Re: Volt Enthusiast 1st hand report of visit to the Warehouse Lutz says he’d like to have mule for test drives by Easter more like June. Easter is Mid March this year. June is, well a few months after that. If you expand the ratio they’d like to have the Volt ready by 2010 but more like……? Click "home" and you get this: From Lutz: "


  41. Bruce Mortland
    Vote -1 Vote +1Bruce Mortland     Says:
    January 19th, 2008 at 4:27 pm

    I have to say, I’m disappointed that GM isn’t bringing over the small European diesels, specifically the Opels.

    Diesel fuel has a bad rep, but the new technologies allow it to burn clean and efficiently. I have a VW Jetta that my best ever was 58.2MPG. We could make huge strides in fuel economy if we wer to bring over small diesels.

    And I can only imagine fuel economy if we were to tie it to a hybrid drivetrain.


  42. dsg
    Vote -1 Vote +1dsg     Says:
    January 31st, 2008 at 3:28 pm

    how much is the flextreme??

    anonymous


  43. jason
    Vote -1 Vote +1jason     Says:
    February 3rd, 2008 at 4:28 pm

    hey i really lie the look and what i have read about this car and i really want 1 i just have 1 question can anyone tell me the cost?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!!!!


  44. jason
    Vote -1 Vote +1jason     Says:
    February 3rd, 2008 at 4:29 pm

    hey i really like the look and what i have read about this car and i really want 1 i just have 1 question can anyone tell me the cost?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!!!!


  45. GM-VOLT : Chevy Volt Concept Site » Blog Archive » GM Would Share Volt E-Flex Technology Among Brands
    Vote -1 Vote +1GM-VOLT : Chevy Volt Concept Site » Blog Archive » GM Would Share Volt E-Flex Technology Among Brands     Says:
    February 11th, 2008 at 6:01 am

    [...] E-Flex technology.  This shouldn’t of course surprise us as GM has indeed already shown us Saturn Flextreme and Cadillac Provoq [...]


  46. Volt and the GM Opel Flextreme « Thar Be Dragons
    Vote -1 Vote +1Volt and the GM Opel Flextreme « Thar Be Dragons     Says:
    July 26th, 2008 at 4:31 pm

    [...] Saturn has announced a (concept) version. I would not be surprised if GM is allow this to slip to allocate resources to [...]

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