Grab our RSS Feed

Lutz: Forty-Mile Electric Range Mules in March or April

January 31st, 2008 | Posted in: Production, Timeline

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)

Popularity: 5%

(8 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

Loading ...

Posted by: Lyle

73 Responses to “Lutz: Forty-Mile Electric Range Mules in March or April”

GM Fan Says:
January 31st, 2008 at 12:49 am

Looks like battery test is going well at Warren, but I am kind of suspicious of Bob Lutz, this guy is credibility is as good as George W. Bush. No wonder GM is falling behind and may well have to fold its business and liquidate. Those PHEV will of course never come. Toyota has a superior management team and rarely made any blunt dicisions, while Detroit raely made any right choices. I once lived in San Francisco, or my god, people here only buy Toyota and Honda when it comes to cars (not SUV or truck), when truck and SUV is included, Detroit has a market share of 15%. Shame on them.

I know the Changzhou/China factory where A123 made their batteries have problem recently, mainly the consistency of their battery is poorer than Panasonic EV, I will evaluate the 32 series my self, I had someone steal a few batteries from the product line, I opened it and it showed manual processes, which is NO good!

I long lost faith in GM, may their employee get jobs somewhere else and leave GM losing legacy behind!!! May god bless America except The State of Michigan!
Brian M Says:
January 31st, 2008 at 12:53 am

Sounds like he is planning on sticking to his “Easter Bunny” comments from a few months ago… good news!
David L Says:
January 31st, 2008 at 12:53 am

I guess the rumors about a “sliding timeline” are proving to be untrue … I look forward to the press reviews (at http://www.gm-volt.com of course :-)) of the prototypes!
David L Says:
January 31st, 2008 at 12:57 am

Does anyone know if any of the components for the Volt will be manufactured at GM factories in Canada?
Brian M Says:
January 31st, 2008 at 1:07 am

Is this the first indication that the mules will have a 40 mile range?

If the mules are old Malibus with a not-so-good CD (at least not as good as the production Volt) does that mean the Volt will maybe have a farther range? I think it sounds like battery development is going much better than suspected.
john1701a Says:
January 31st, 2008 at 2:04 am

GM fuel-cell vehicles are already available for the press. That undisputable success doesn’t actually bring the vehicle production date any closer. The challenge of delivering it at a low cost still exists. How will this be any different for Volt?
AusMartin Says:
January 31st, 2008 at 3:34 am

All Fuel cells - especially Hydrogen ones are waste of time - energy wise. Far better for Plug in cars fitted with lifetime batteries.
Much more energy and pollution efficient.

Only ones pushing Hydrogen fuel cells are really the Oil companies pushing the status quo. People are far smarter.

Plus there are so many start up new car companies for electrics only that the competion will be HOT as it’s been neglected by the major brands. So how about a electric ONLY version of the Volt ?
Now that would be of great interest for most city people including me.
I’d buy one tomorrow if it existed in a normal price range.
Sentinel Says:
January 31st, 2008 at 6:24 am

Lutz also said…

In addition, the company says it’s moving forward with the 100-mile-per-gallon electric Volt, which Lutz says will be out in late 2010.
It will be perhaps a little costlier than first anticipated, but will be out, Lutz says, despite the naysayers.

(Source ABC12.com)
mmcc Says:
January 31st, 2008 at 6:29 am

I found this interview with Bob from yesterday. Some good info but it looks like we are going to be paying more than $30k.

http://www.topix.net/content/kri/2008/01/q-a-bob-lutz-vice-chairman
Estero Says:
January 31st, 2008 at 6:59 am

Great news! Thanks, Lyle!

BTW thanks also for the recent changes; Post # and location of ID of person posting.
Estero Says:
January 31st, 2008 at 7:09 am

Lyle,

Any chance GM might have 2 of those mules? Perhaps Lutz could drive one on that 40 mile trip with you driving the other?
Kay Says:
January 31st, 2008 at 7:46 am

#7 “Only ones pushing Hydrogen fuel cells are really the Oil companies pushing the status quo. People are far smarter. ”

A person is smart, people are dumb.
Brian Says:
January 31st, 2008 at 7:47 am

GM Fan,

I read your post about 3 times and I have to say, I have no idea what your point was. MichiganToDie in disguise? %^)

Anyway, I am stoked about the A123 packs. Exciting times!
I really hope GM knocks this one out of the ballpark.
Rashiid Amul Says:
January 31st, 2008 at 8:00 am

Lyle,

Thank you very much for the comment numbers.
Now how about the “quote” link?
Rashiid Amul Says:
January 31st, 2008 at 8:07 am

Thanks mmcc #9 for that link. That was an interesting interview.
GXT Says:
January 31st, 2008 at 8:26 am

That article linked in post #9 is telling.

When asked if lithium ion is ready, Bob basically gives an answer saying that it isn’t (although in typical Lutz style he seems to think that he is showing the opposite). Too bad the reporter is your typical pansy reporter and doesn’t follow up with a “So, you are saying it ISN’T ready?”
jeff Says:
January 31st, 2008 at 9:02 am

E-flex and plug in is truly the future, like every thing else price will come down in technowlege!! The market will dictate this. Lutz is a funny guy, sometimes you have to wonder if he should just shut up. I mean when he yaps his mouth about 30k plus for the volt, how many people hanging on to a hooptie toss in the towel and by a prius. That just get tired of waiting for a good sign. I myself allways support the home team!! There’s a lot of truth in what he says though oil is done.hydrogen isn’t feasable at least the way big oil wants it.Bring on the startups,and really 40mi,plus thats a slam dunk!!for a company like gm, I could do that with leadacid in my backyard and an old light weight hooptie. I really want to know the specs and target price.In the begining they said comparable to tojo thats my bet!!! 25kand 40plus on ev I’ll buy two!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Brian Says:
January 31st, 2008 at 9:05 am

“You can’t look at this business purely intellectually. You’ve got to look at it artistically, too. The part of the business that causes people to want cars or not want cars is art.”

This is perhaps why they are not taking a malibu/aveo/cobalt and throwing some batteries in it. I agree with that I suppose, I’m just too anxious.
Ben Says:
January 31st, 2008 at 9:51 am

I guess we’ll see. But if they can get the mules running 40 miles, I’d think that with all the talk about super-duper aerodynamics that the production vehicle might go even farther, right?
Firefly Says:
January 31st, 2008 at 10:08 am

From a business standpoint, you must understand that Bob Lutz actually has a very difficult job-to bring a little excitement and style to product development. Someone said earlier that GM should just “fold up, liquidate and just give up”(for lack of better terms). Let me ask you this, would you be happy if every car in America came from somewhere else? I guess the thought that an American company just might be able to pull off something innovative in its own right is just damning to some people. I’ll admit that Toyota has a pretty well proven track record. But that doesn’t mean that GM is garbage. If GM was so bad, or if the Volt was such a waste of time, energy, materials, then why do you waste YOUR time at a car show to even look at the Chevy booth, to find the Volt, bother to go home and online to find if there is a website just to spread negativity in the face of others who support and would like to see an American company produce something worthwhile? I have oftentimes found that a person who has absolutely no interest in something doesn’t even bother to comment on it, nor do research for it. The fact that you are even posting here shows that you think about it. If it’s on your mind for 2 seconds then I guess Bob Lutz has done his job.

I think that deep down inside some people have fallen to the stigma that the Japanese are the best and that every domestic product is trash or “God bless America except Michigan”. As far as I’m concerned, you have a right to your opinion, but at least I take solace in the fact that your tax dollars are still helping my economy, regardless of what kind of car you buy. Simply put, if you think American cars/ GM are garbage, don’t post…problem solved.

Great job, Lyle. I hope you are the first consumer to test a prototype. That way, I’ll have the views of a consumer similar to myself.
Neutron Flux Says:
January 31st, 2008 at 10:11 am

If the mules go 40 all electric, that just means they have a little extra juice to spare for radio, fans, electronics that will be added in the Volt, not present in the mule, complements of the aerodynamic improvement over the mule. Don’t get your hopes up to high.
nasaman Says:
January 31st, 2008 at 10:23 am

mmcc 9:

Your link to yesterday’s interview has an interesting response from Lutz when asked, “Is the lithium-ion battery technology mature enough for a vehicle of this type?”….

Lutz: “All this talk about lithium-ion batteries being a problem IS JUST A CROCK (my emphasis). At GM we’re hiring battery scientists like there’s no tomorrow and working with a lot of universities.”

It seems inconsistent to say “it’s a crock” and in the next sentence say, “we’re hiring battery scientists like there’s no tomorrow”! I think his point is that GM is putting so much emphasis on the Volt’s Lithium-Ion batteries that there’s really no reason to expect problems ….i.e., they’ll have already discovered any anomalies & made sure their suppliers avoid them. ….So I find his reaction here reassuring.
pstoller78 Says:
January 31st, 2008 at 10:28 am

#16 Here is the full quote from the article you had mentioned. You should really look into a career in politics with the amount of spin you were trying to apply.

Bob Lutz in no way admitted the batteries were not ready, hiring scientists and continuing research in no way indicates that the batteries are not ready, it shows they are committed to improving them further. Remember the better they can make the batteries the fewer of them that will be needed, in the long run it could save them tons of money.

Is the lithium-ion battery technology mature enough for a vehicle of this type?

All this talk about lithium-ion batteries being a problem is just a crock. At GM we’re hiring battery scientists like there’s no tomorrow and working with a lot of universities. Stanford University has done work; they’re claiming they can get 10 times the energy storage capacity in a lithium-ion battery.
Mark in WI Says:
January 31st, 2008 at 10:35 am

#16 I’m not sure what you’re talking about. The reporter asked Lutz if Lithium-Ion is ready, and he replied that all this talk about it NOT being ready, “is a crock.” By citing the Stanford study and talking about hiring scientists, what he is saying is that there is even greater potential there. He is NOT saying that Lithium is not ready now. People here tend to over-interpret everything, and always to the negative.
Dave B Says:
January 31st, 2008 at 10:38 am

Wow, mules by March or April? Hope Lutz doesn’t have egg on his face. Thanks Lyle.
Mark Bartosik Says:
January 31st, 2008 at 10:39 am

FYI Post numbers not appearing in Fire Fox (v2.0.0.11), they are there in Internet Explorer.
I’m happy to use IE for the site.
Ray Says:
January 31st, 2008 at 10:42 am

Mules by Easter? You could send one to me in Alberta Canada right now and I will let everyone know just how well the “Volt” would perform here when it is currently -30 C with a wind chill of -48 C. It would be interesting to see just how much battery life there would be in those conditions… Definately need a really good heater here. My 07 Malibu Maxx still starts without being plugged in. (it’s not happy but is still able to start).. Lyle…. this is the place for your mule testing.. send one up here….I’ll give it some REAL LIFE testing..oh and I’ll keep my MAXX around.. (just in case)
John Says:
January 31st, 2008 at 10:46 am

Nobody messes with Maximum Bob Lutz.

The Volt will come when it comes and cost what it costs. It’ll be the best there is, because that’s GM for you.

Nat Geo had an article in the 80s about the decline of the car industry in the US. Even in all that, it quoted the Japanese as saying that “even more than the Europeans, we fear the Americans” because when they get their act together, they are unbeatable.
Wrigley Says:
January 31st, 2008 at 10:51 am

the Volt is amounting to more than i expected and i expected much!

i’ve been a loyal honda buyer for 20 years but i won’t be buying another honda. toyota pissed me off with their resistance to plug ins and honda pissed me off with their resistance to flex in this market. besides my 2005 accord is having all sorts of pissy problems. i am quite happy to see gm kicking their butts.
Rashiid Amul Says:
January 31st, 2008 at 10:52 am

Mark Bartosik # 25. I use Firefox (v2.0.0.11) and have no problems seeing the Post numbers. I NEVER use IE.
GM Toyota Says:
January 31st, 2008 at 11:12 am

“At GM we’re hiring battery scientists like there’s no tomorrow”, that is just stupid non-sense, the fact is GM get people’s resume and just cheat on those Chinese/Indians, instead, they select American with marginal ability and especially female. The same thing can be said about Duracell, they got 140 resumes, and finally select Jennifer **** who graduated from gwu.edu and did postdoc at Penn State, she completely had no clue about battery even after 12 month, the same thing happens at GM, because their purpose is to balance the ratio between female and male. GM has a racial policy towards Asian or black employees

GM is dying, so is america’s automobile business. I hope China will take over USA in key technologies. Lucent, Xerox, Kodak, GM, Ford are all dying and replaced by Asian competitors.
David G Says:
January 31st, 2008 at 11:15 am

I’m eager to hear of delivery of the A-123 packs! And looking forward to reports about the mules, production prototypes, etc. 2.5 years seems like such a long time when you’re watching/waiting. I’m sure it seems like no time at all when you’re the one trying to get the car into production…

Lyle - I’m looking forward to good coverage of the progress as it unfolds. Keep up the good work!

I wonder when they’re going to release photos of the final design?
Statik Says:
January 31st, 2008 at 11:16 am

I for one will be watching this timeline intently. It is very telling. I notice he is still using words like “I hope to drive the 40 miles.” Sure alot of initial ‘hype dates on timelines’ have been missed, but we all expected that. This is a real world, real consequences mark, if they hit it then GM is on the right path….if they miss they are a house on the side if the road.

I think most of us deep down expect to NOT see a 40 mile mule by Easter.

I will be here March 27th to eat my words if it happens…that only seems fair, as I myself have been riding GM pretty hard on what I consider to be some abysmal development since they introduced the Volt.

I wish them good luck.
Grizzly Says:
January 31st, 2008 at 11:28 am

Yeah Bob,

I’m still wondering about those prototypes from A123/Conti. If GM doesn’t see them in 2 weeks, I don’t think Lyle should fret about the next topic to headline this blog.

I considered A123 to be the favorite some time ago, and there really needs to be 2 horses in the Li-ion race.

Good luck.
mmcc Says:
January 31st, 2008 at 11:54 am

Rashiid Amul #29
Same here… no problems with Fire Fox.
Jason The Saj Says:
January 31st, 2008 at 11:57 am

Batteries…ready?

Depends on what you mean. If you mean are there batteries out there, (ready), that can propel the Chevy Volt for 40, 60, even 80 miles? Yes…

But if by ready you mean, are the batteries readily available at a low enough production cost. Than the answer is probably - no!

In fact, I think that’s the whole issue when Lutz says they’ll probably have to release the Volt in the $30K+ range - at least initially. They’re probably hoping to drop the price within a year or two due to both increased production and reduced cost of manufacturing for the newer tech.

But there is another reason that the Chevy Volt is no longer going to cost $25,000. Congress keeps over-spending and deflating the value of the currency (and there are no signs of them stopping - except for the slight chance of Ron Paul being elected). This devaluation of currency, essentially eradicates our savings (is it any wonder Americans don’t save anymore - why should they?) but the other reality is that you now need more dollars to purchase most products. (ie: gas, cars, land, gold).

So the earlier quoted $25,000 price is hard to meet with the dollar’s declines. If I was planning on paying some Malaysian company to manufacture batteries at $10 million/yr. And the dollar plummets 25%, they’re now going to want $12.5 million. And the price of the Volt goes up.

And please, don’t blame and bash Bush. This has been going on since we left the gold standard. And it’s far more Congress’ fault than anyone else. Clinton slowed it a bit, but that was only because President Clinton and Newt Gingrich were able to pass the “line-item veto”.

So yes, expect car prices to go up. Expect most prices except for those tech items moving from nuveau to commodity to go up. In other words, you’ll see the price of BluRay players decline over the next decade. But you’ll see everything else that’s already a commodity increase in price. Including cars…and include the Chevy Volt.
Tom M Says:
January 31st, 2008 at 12:45 pm

#30 GM/Toyota
I can tell by your wording you are asian. No Problem! But your claim is false and baseless. We kicked butts in August of 1945, and we’ll do it again. You fail to realize one thing about Americans. We have great resolve and when the going gets tough, the tough get going. We’ll build it, you just wait and see !!
God Bless America: Go VOLT !!!
noel park Says:
January 31st, 2008 at 12:47 pm

I agree with others in being concerned about the evident price creep.

Certainly many of us will find the resources to pay what we have to, within some level of reason, to be early adopters of this technology. The problem I see is that Toyota, et al, will price the next generation Prius, and the rumored Fit sized Honda hybrid, $10,000+ cheaper than the Volt. I doubt if GM can sell anything like 100,000 Volts the first year in that face of that kind of price competition.

Toyota dealers are running ads in LA right now for 2008 package 2 Priuses for $21,900, so it is a real possibility.

All the more reason to work on some sort of substantial tax credit help from the Feds and the states.
Jake Says:
January 31st, 2008 at 2:35 pm

How about we hold off on guessing the production Volt’s range based on what Bob Lutz (!!) wants the mules’ range to be. We have NO data on this, better leave it up to GM’s engineers and we’ll find out eventually. At this rate we’ll see the mules get 38 miles on a charge, and people will start screaming foul because Mr. Lutz “claimed” 40 miles. Then people will extrapolate this “poor” performance to the production car, and claim another failure for GM.

I don’t mean to rag on everyone (believe me, I am very excited about this car), but let’s not get ahead of ourselves OK? Patience is a virtue.

I am very eager for the A123 packs to come in. I guess you could say I am rooting for A123…but may the best battery win!
Hermie Says:
January 31st, 2008 at 3:21 pm

You’re spot on again Noel (30): ” All the more reason to work on some sort of substantial tax credit help from the Feds and the states”
The idea of initiating a campaign toward this end was brought up on another thread but I never saw any follow-up. Hopefully GM is using some of their backdoor political capital to lay some groundwork toward this. A grassroots campaign could be effective but money still talks. This pathetic impending stimulous package should have been geared toward something this useful instead of a million imported flatscreen TV’s and billions in credit card payments.

Oh, by the way, GM Toyota (30), I hope you are somebody’s idea of a prank post. Just in case you’re not, I would have to say that your bitterness at being passed over could best be assuaged by trying your own education process again. It doesn’t matter how intelligent you think you are if you can’t articulate a simple thought. We’re all tired of racists calling people racists and I’m sure we could start up a campaign to buy you a one way ticket to China if you would like.
mmcc Says:
January 31st, 2008 at 3:33 pm

Here’s an article from mlive.com concerning hybrids in general. Towards the bottom of the page, Brett Smith of the Center for Automotive Research, mentions the Volt when speaking of plug-in hybrids. His statement is counter to what Lutz is saying about the Li-ion battery….”The lithium-ion battery is nowhere near ready for showtime.”

http://www.mlive.com/business/index.ssf/2008/01/hybrids_to_gain_share_slowly.html
Jean-Charles Jacquemin Says:
January 31st, 2008 at 3:39 pm

Thanks Lyle and others for those citations of Bob Lutz.

Thanks also for the rsetoration of numbering comments. (I see them with Firefox)

Well, as time passes by, I observe that some commentators do not share our common culture of open but respectful discussion with others.

I hope that we can keep this blog at a good level of exchange of informations, questions , cooperative learning and all the good things internet allows.

But it would be a sad thing if some comments become so upseting and non respectful for others that some of us would not come back.
I must say I’m disturbed by comments like #30 and it has been difficult for me in such a situation to continue to read all the contributions.

I think personnaly that we sould ignore rude and impolite comments. Their authors wil then be discouraged.
mmcc Says:
January 31st, 2008 at 3:47 pm

And yet another link to Bob Lutz from mlive.com. Here he was speaking at the Hundred Club of Flint…. pretty upbeat.

http://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2008/01/will_gms_greatness_be_restored.html
TKG Says:
January 31st, 2008 at 3:58 pm

So does this mean the mules won’t have windshield wipers?
Jon P. Says:
January 31st, 2008 at 4:46 pm

“I read your post about 3 times and I have to say, I have no idea what your point was.
MichiganToDie in disguise? ”

It’s so obvious it’s him, he’s the only person with such a infintile hold on the english language.

Honestly it sounds like Lutz has heard something positive, why else would he be talking smack. Maybe the battery packs are testing really well.
Hopefully
No matter what i’m buying one of these, because if i wait for ver 2.0, or it to become popular, evil-do-ers might get a chance to supress this car. If 25k people are on the waiting list, with 15k ready to sign, it will be hard for GM to not see the obvious demand.
Jim D Says:
January 31st, 2008 at 4:52 pm

they wont test on rainy days…
Wise Golden Says:
January 31st, 2008 at 5:11 pm

Am I correct in thinking that the “mules” will not actually be Volts, but will be the chassis of another car similar in weight and size, fitted with the drive system of a Volt? Does anyone know?
David L Says:
January 31st, 2008 at 5:24 pm

#’ 25, 29 and 34 - Nice choice on your Web browser. I’ve found that with Firefox, the posting numbers periodically appear then disappear … I expect that someone is tweaking a CSS.
George K Says:
January 31st, 2008 at 5:43 pm

#41 MMCC
“The lithium-ion battery is nowhere near ready for showtime.”

When you look around, you can still find people still saying “it can’t be done”. That’s what Toyota was saying until, just this month, before they showcased their PHEVs.

“Lance also said the pack, the first from LG Chem/CPI, dubbed “MRD 1A”, had already gone through more than 100 such cycles. He told me that within 2 weeks of it’s arrival there last Halloween, he already had enough data to know the pack had met all of his expectations and he expressed rock-solid confidence that the pack could handle the needs of the car.”

This was one of the battery interviews Lyle conducted recently. GM-Volt Exclusive: Inside the GM Chevy Volt/E-Flex Battery Lab

It sure looks like they are not “no where near ready”.
noel park Says:
January 31st, 2008 at 5:44 pm

Jean-Charles, #42:

Please try not to take this stuff too seriously. At first I really thought that it was somebody trying to be funny. Actually it is pretty funny, if you can keep it in perspective. Now I am coming to agree that it must be some current or former GM employee with a grudge. Anyway, I just “LOL”

Don’t get discouraged. Your insightful comments, and your observation post in Europe, are much too valuable to lose.
Adam Says:
January 31st, 2008 at 5:46 pm

THE OIL COMPANIES TRIUMPH AGAIN.

An article from the Detroit News 1/31/08:

A version of an energy bill passed by the House would have given consumers a $3,000 tax break to buy a plug-in hybrid. Lauckner said federal tax incentives would be “very helpful.”

The incentives prompt consumers to adopt new technology early on, Lauckner said. The tax breaks, however, were dropped from the final version of the energy bill over an objection by the oil industry to rolling back some of their tax breaks.

WHO’S SIDE IS THE FEDERAL GOVT ON? - OH YEAH, GREED.
Hello Says:
January 31st, 2008 at 6:32 pm

I am a pro american and very religious but I really feel sad whenever I see ‘In God we trust’ on the dollar bill and compare that with whats going on in US as part of daily lives of many people (Pre marital sex,
Gay marriages, Nude clubs etc..). People have become so much involved in this that they are not even feeling guilty and straying away from the path of the god and what the country believe i.e.
‘In God we trust’.

I believe this is part of the reason why USA is losing grip in many areas and for the financial turmoil. Foreigners are thriving on the weakness and the lethargy US has.

We need a Manhattan like project to bring prosperity back to US and the Glory it had in the golden days. Its time to identify and rectify our problems and work together and make USA better place to live and enjoy.

Go Volt Go! God is with you. I think GM has repented of what they did to americans and also hurting the feelings of americans by making an american automobile as bad as it can get and allowing others to thrive.

May God bless America and help every individual to succeed in what they do to change themselves and the Country and bring it back to the path of Victory.

When GOD is withus whihc can be against us ?
john1701a Says:
January 31st, 2008 at 6:36 pm

>> When you look around, you can still find people still saying “it can’t be done”.

Really? Who? EV1 and Prius provided proof years ago that battery & motor use is realistic for personal vehicle use.

The only skepticism I’ve heard is PRICE.

Making it affordable has been the challenge all along.
mmcc Says:
January 31st, 2008 at 6:41 pm

George K #48
I agree. It seems like the battery testing is moving along really well and performance is as expected. I can’t wait for the day that a Prius owner asks what kind of mileage I get with my Volt and I can reply… I don’t know, haven’t put gas in it yet.
mien green Says:
January 31st, 2008 at 6:46 pm

Looks like the number of trolls frequencing this website is increasing. Perhaps they feel threatened.
Talks Says:
January 31st, 2008 at 6:56 pm

Latest Q&A with Bob Lutz.

http://www.star-telegram.com/business/story/443994.html

Will it cost less than $35,000?

Bob:
My goal was under $30,000. That’s not going to happen
SuperSchupp Says:
January 31st, 2008 at 7:01 pm

Don’t get me wrong, cheaper is better, but 30k isn’t a deal breaker for me, if the car is worth it.
Van Says:
January 31st, 2008 at 7:02 pm

It is one thing for Mr. Lutz to “hope” to drive 40 miles electrically in March or April, and quite another for Lyle to report the actual AER in a normal drive cycle that includes stop and go and freeway travel at speeds greater than 60 MPH by the end of June.
Mich 99 Says:
January 31st, 2008 at 7:08 pm

GM FAN #1

You can kiss my A$$ and and lick my ball$
Rashiid Amul Says:
January 31st, 2008 at 7:11 pm

Jean-Charles Jacquemin #42, Apparently I miss a post today.
Please don’t leave. Some people can be very cruel, especially when they are angry. As Noel says, you can’t take these people seriously.
Ignore them. A vast majority of us here enjoy your comments.
Thank you for sharing your views.

Now having said that, you said in your post above, “I must say I’m disturbed by comments like #30 and it has been difficult for me in such a situation to continue to read all the contributions.”

My comments in #30 was directed at Microsoft and was meant to only stress that I prefer Firefox over Internet Explorer. Now if you feel differently, that is perfectly fine with me. I will still read your posts just as long as you don’t mind that I use Firefox.
Talks Says:
January 31st, 2008 at 7:29 pm

Breaking News!

GM received the first battery pack from A123/Continental today.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080131/BIZ/801310505/1361
www.eisemann-theater.com Says:
January 31st, 2008 at 7:40 pm

Its funny GMfan #1

Why is he on this site if he is not scared of GM.

He prob bought a prius and now will have a second class car.

Oh well some people never learn the American Engineering is the best in the world. We taught toyota how to build cars.

Greg
Larry Parylla Says:
January 31st, 2008 at 8:44 pm

I have a lease on a Lexus hybrid SUV that runs out in 21 months, I hope this car is ready by them. I also have a 96 Corvette that I can use for a few months while I wait but I need a full size vehicle. So this thing has to be ready in two years for it to do me any good. And I refuse to be forced to pay over list so GM better have a good supply
Grizzly Says:
January 31st, 2008 at 8:53 pm

Talks #61

Thanks for the link. It appears that the Conti packs went to a GM facility in Europe, maybe that’s why we haven’t heard much.

On to the test mules!
Larry Parylla Says:
January 31st, 2008 at 8:57 pm

Electric only is no good for me, Although I almost never drive more than 40 miles I just moved to SC from NY and I will be making about 3 to 5 trips a year and there could be rare times when I want to go for a little weekend getaway of a couple hundred miles. so being limited to 40 miles without a backup is oout of the question, I need an engine to get me back home because I don’t want to wind up stranded
George K Says:
January 31st, 2008 at 10:51 pm

Jean-Charles Jacquemin #42

“I think personnaly that we sould ignore rude and impolite comments. Their authors will then be discouraged.”

Lyle, can these type of comments be given a code, such as
“r and i”, for rude and impolite?
Goodbye Says:
February 1st, 2008 at 12:15 am

hello#52,

Please keep the conversation on the topic cars. It’s people like you who keep me out of church.
Rodger Says:
February 1st, 2008 at 1:48 am

he US has the greatest miltary in the world we can have the greatest cars in the world. The Chevy Volt is a good step toward this goal. I wish I could work on the project and help solve some of the problems. It’s time we got behind GM and cheer them on.
Jean-Charles Jacquemin Says:
February 1st, 2008 at 10:58 am

Noel #50, Rashiid #60,

Thanks for your comments, I’ll stay.

Sorry Rashiid, it’s me who missed a number that was #31( from GM Toyota ) not #30 (yours) that I was writing about. I greatly and always appreciate your comments, sorry again.
Rashiid Amul Says:
February 1st, 2008 at 11:19 am

Jean-Charles Jacquemin #69. Trust me, my friend, I did NOT take offense. I knew you messed up the number. I was only joking with you.
You are a good guy. No issues here. I look forward to your comments as well.
AusMartin Says:
February 1st, 2008 at 3:17 pm

#62 Yeah Right …. ?

“Oh well some people never learn the American Engineering is the best in the world. We taught toyota how to build cars. Greg”

- Same type of thinking from a recent past GM president that nearly sank GM. Read up on GM’s history please.

It was however the Japanese that refined the manufacturing process, especially Toyota. Thats why all manufactures have their own implementation of TPS Toyota Production System.
Sure they took US Ideas, but they are the ones that got it together to set the facts straight. I work in manufacturing and there is plenty of literature about this. Remeber NUMMI ? GM learning from Toyota ? Design is one aspect, but refining of design for manufacture & the manufacturing processes are another.

Please remember that there are OTHER countries than the USA.
They also do have clever people which benifits all of us world wide in progress.

Never look down on people, learn from them it may save your job & your factory where you work.
Mike Says:
February 1st, 2008 at 8:45 pm

Hey Ray (post 27), I’ll work on a rotating test schedule for us Alberta folks that want to get our hands on the Volt. It should be a nice car to have if it can handle a slight chill. Let’s hope it does!
phillip easton Says:
February 7th, 2008 at 8:04 am

If built as advertised this will lead to the rvitalization of the american car market! If built on a large scale this can eventually eliminate our need for foreign oil,this can be done as it has been for many decades with diesel electric subs pre ww2 up until today,I would love to park one next to my 07 corvette!

Lutz: Forty-Mile Electric Range Mules in March or April

73 Responses to “Lutz: Forty-Mile Electric Range Mules in March or April”

Leave a Reply

Recent Posts