Comments on: Give Your Direct Input to GM’s Volt Engineering Team on Vehicle Data Options!

By: Volt Chev

Volt Chev — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 00:04:46 +0000

New GM is retarded if they think an average Joe is gonna spend 40k on a ‘new’ type of vehicle… as if… If Ford could slap some batteries inside a frame I’m sure that they would outsell this stupidity. And please – make it look a little more like crap and change the promises and then introduce a Cadillac version… GM is clueless like asking the public what they will buy – do you people seriously want to sell vehicles through public opinion? Gimme a break – never got the choice to support the company and now I have to deal with this ongoing series of stupidity…

By: Joe

Joe — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 17:48:49 +0000

I don’t know about all of the “gadgets”. The on-board diagnostics terminal would be great but how many sensors are really needed to monitor a battery powered vehicle (obviously monitoring the electrical aspect ought to be a part of the dashboard instrumentation anyway).
What I would really like to see is a stowable solar panel incorporated into the car (like a tray in the trunk or under the rear bumper) that could be set up to “top off”, if not recharge, the battery without having to “plug” it in. I am at work at least nine hours a day while my vehicle sits in a parking lot baking in the sun. It would be great if I could “top off” the battery charge enough to get home without using the gasoline engine. My round trip commute is 52 miles, just over the 40 mile limit.

By: Drifter

Drifter — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 08:16:27 +0000

40 miles range?
what are they thinking?
just put a 3 times bigger battery in it!
120 miles range would be acceptable!
why do we need to buy the batteries fom LG?
GM cannot even make a friggin battery?
GM just got billions and they have to buy a battery?
pay me a billon and I build a plant for you idiots!
batteries are getting too hot – cool them you idiots!
batteries are expensive – built a robot factory and save transport costs!
damn friggin idiots at GM – that’s why the US is finished!
even Cessna build the new LSA in China – terrible!

By: pokey97988

pokey97988 — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 03:24:10 +0000

I personally would like to see OBDII, ABS, and air bag trouble codes output to an LCD screen on the dash so I don’t have to buy stupid scan tools. The diagnostic output would help the consumer fix simple problems like broken wires or bad sensors. I would pay extra for that feature and I’ll even help write the software, I’m a firmware developer.

By: Richard Poor

Richard Poor — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 14:35:31 +0000

GM has a reputation for gimmicks rather than reliable, long term quality or safety. If you fail to build the Volt or whatever without a 5 star crash rating, parts as reliable as a Lexus and paint and plastic equally durable, you will fail again. It is not esoteric mystery why people choose Japanese product the most. My wife and I have graduated from Chevrolet including pick up trucks to Toyota and Subaru. There is great satisfaction from owning and driving a safer and much more reliable vehicle. One miserable, 103F car cratering afternoon in Philly, EVERY broken down car was from the “Big 3″!

By: Bob Armstrong

Bob Armstrong — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 17:01:30 +0000

I wish the Volt were smaller with higher range. I’d prefer a truer commuter car,more like an updated EV-1. I like the iMiev Sport with all wheel ‘in wheel’ drive in the two front wheels, but made by GM.

Our country desperately needs electric cars charged by Solar/Wind/Nuclear/Hydro electricity. I’m glad you are making a plugin car. Thanks

By: Joe Martin

Joe Martin — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 05:18:55 +0000

You are right, there have been many advances to solar technology and I would love to see an option (maybe an add-on) where a solar panel could be connected.

I would think that the top of the car would be big enough to support a 300 watt solar panel, just based on current wattage/surface area ratios. Assuming most people have their cars parked for 8 hours a day, what would be enough solar capacity to give them an extra 12 miles of driving time by the time they are ready to head home. (8hr * 300w = 2.4KwH, and only 8KwH is used to drive 40 miles, 40 miles / 8KwH = 5 miles/KWh, 5 miles/KWh * 2.4KwH = 12 miles).

Also, I should note that a lot of people where I live take about an hour to drive to work and another hour back, the time driving would actually add another 3 miles of drive time. (once again 2hr * 300 = 0.6KwH * 5 mi/KWh = 3 miles)

This would effectively boost the range from 40 miles to 55 miles, and as you mentioned with the advances in thin solar technology, wouldn’t add hardly any weight to the vehicle.

By: Tony W

Tony W — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 03:00:29 +0000

My Chev truck (over 300,000 mi) sits in the parking lot at work all day long and gets pretty hot inside.
Solar panels don’t look like they use to. they are flexable and thin as paint.
Can the Volt re-charge for the trip home?

By: Eric E

Eric E — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 01:01:45 +0000

I sure wish I could log on to my car right now and check it’s status. Maybe I could sync it with my i-tunes library!

By: Engineer Joe

Engineer Joe — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 16:04:21 +0000

Praise to GM! The Volt is the right solution at the right time and will impact the world.

Volt owners will be like a social order of their own, and spread the word. GM needs to be ready to make lots of them things.

GM; we do need three things (besides the car) from you.
1. BIG tax break for us and for GM. Uncle Sam needs to help us to help you in this endeavor. It is in the county’s best interest.

2. Legislation for electric rate discount for night charging EVs. We’ve got plenty of generating capacity at night, and currently nothing to do with it. Buying electricity at night helps the utility companies out , makes them money, and is in the nation’s best interest.

3. This seems like a tiny thing, but for psychological reasons, and for the “spread-the-word” social movement which makes for home-run sales, it my be a big thing:

We need a little meter that tells us the cost of the electricity for our wall-plug charge.
When we go to the filling station, the meter on the pump tells me the cost of the purchase. With the Volt, we’re going to be plugging-in all over the place; at work, the grocery stores, the department stores, even the hamburger stands. How much should we pay for the juice? They aren’t going to know, so we need to tell them.
“That’s see, that’s six-fifty for the burgers, and here’s a buck tip, and I got eleven-cents worth of electricity from your plug…”
Maybe the readout could be on the car at the plug port. That’d be more costly, but cute.

I bet Volt owners are going to make those passionate EV1ers seem ho-hum.