To learn more about expected timing, location, and cadence of ramp-up for initial Chevy Volt production I turned to Jon Lauckner who is GM’s VP of global program management, considered a first deputy to Bob Lutz. Below are his answers to my questions.
When it comes to rolling out the car in the U.S., do you anticipate starting out with a small fleet and gaining information about how the car is functioning, like you are doing with the fuel cell Equinox, or are you just going to release it like you did the new non-hybrid Malibu?
First of all as part of the development program we typically have small amounts of a vehicle that we put out in the hands of people that drive them on a daily basis. Thats a part of our development program that occurs prior to production. We call that a “captured test fleet”. Captured, meaning we know where the cars are and we know who the drivers are, and test fleets because the cars aren’t in production yet but use the versions that we build at the tail end of the development cycle to really put them out there on a daily basis to get better understanding of whats going on with the vehicles.
We will be doing that with the Volt as well. We will have the typical development program that will result in a captured test fleet prior to starting production. And then once we reach production, then we will start ramping up. Again we haven’t decide exactly how we are going to do it, but I would anticipate that we will do it in a fairly measured way. And this is not unusual for us, we do this in Europe as well. In Europe its not unusual for Opel Vauxhall to start production in one market and then as they build volume in that market, they add additional ones down the line.
The point is it makes no sense if you’re ramping up production to have people frustrated because the car is in theory able to be sold in every area but they cant get their hands on one because the amount of volume is relatively small. So I’m sure that we’ll use a cadenced approach but typically we ramp up our plants reasonably quickly and beyond that its really way too early to talk about volumes and specific geographic areas.
Is the captured test fleet something that people would buy or will it be a leasing type of situation?
Typically we put these in the hands of GM folks, when we do it prior to the start of production , employees, people in the technical community, people who work in the plants, manufacturing. The idea is to put those with a small group of peole where you can get rapid feedback on what’s going on. Now thats the way we’ve done it for our regular production programs. What we do for the Volt could be a variation of that. There’s nothign to say that we couldn’t do a program much like project driveway.
This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 18th, 2008 at 6:00 am and is filed under Original GM-Volt Interviews, Production, Timeline. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
Mar 18th, 2008 (6:37 am)Good info Lyle, as usual!
If GM would decide to implement a Project Driveway for the Chevy Volt, I would most definitely like to offer to be a part of that program. I am in a great location to test both winter and summer characteristics, flat and hilly terrain, with both city and highway driving as part of my regular pattern. Most days the vehicle would be used in all electric mode, but two days per week the ICE would be utilized.
Plus, being from a computer hardware and software background, I would have little problem in being able to upload and download information to GM for their testing purposes. And I would have no problem with agreeing to regular written reports of my experiences.
If GM reps are reading this, I hope you would consider me as a testing candidate.
To everyone else, I apologize for the blatant attempt to get my hands on a first run Volt!
:-)
Mar 18th, 2008 (6:56 am)Good Morning Lyle ! I would hope that this plan will include you as part of this test drive for all the hard work you have done for GM ??
You could report to us on you daily experiences with the driving of the VOLT !!!
Have a Good Day.
Mar 18th, 2008 (7:18 am)I would be willing to do everything Jim I said he would do…
…and I am much sexier.
/the choice is clear
Mar 18th, 2008 (7:28 am)2 Tom M
I agree that, if only ONE of us here can get a Volt test fleet vehicle, it should certainly be our "master blogger", Lyle Dennis!
Mar 18th, 2008 (8:26 am)/raises hand
I’m an embedded software engineer. I would be more than willing to work with GM on a global changer like this. I live in center NY with four full seasons and hills all over.
Mar 18th, 2008 (8:34 am)As much as I want a date for the first Volts rolling into GM dealerships, I respect Lauckner’s approach. Until the mules have been tested, hard, the date really is just an educated guess. I have been reading auto trade magazines and hopefully by this summer, there will be a photo of one of the mules. After getting more than 500 comments on the input idea, I think it is obvious that GM has an incredible tool here. And Lyle should get one of the first Volts for making it happen.
Man, I can’t wait to plug my car in, home grown electricity sounds awfully good, just filled up my car with $3.42 a gallon gas this morning.
Mar 18th, 2008 (8:35 am)If GM would decide to implement a Project Driveway for the Chevy Volt, I would most definitely like to offer to be a part of that program. I am in a great location to test both winter and summer characteristics, flat and hilly terrain, with both city and highway driving as part of my regular pattern. Most days the vehicle would be used in all electric mode, but two days per week the ICE would be utilized.Plus, being from a computer hardware and software background, I would have little problem in being able to upload and download information to GM for their testing purposes. And I would have no problem with agreeing to regular written reports of my experiences.If GM reps are reading this, I hope you would consider me as a testing candidate.
Me To!! I’m in central NJ, way sexier, and have way higher hills than these other guys. I drive about 52 miles round trip to work, and i’m a systems admin so technology isn’t a problem at all.
Plus when i get me real Volt i’ll drive around with a vinyl decal on the back window that says Toyota Sucks!
Mar 18th, 2008 (8:48 am)That would be sweet if they had the gm-volt community test the volt. What a chance! This will have me dreaming all day.
Mar 18th, 2008 (8:58 am)Tom M & nasaman:
Lyle is going to be much too busy fixing this web site to test the Volt. It blew up after only 529 comments, after all….
statik:
I have been told I look pretty good in a tux, so I do not think the choice is so clear!
Jon P:
Write your own application. Stealing mine is just bad form!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!
Thanks guys. I needed a laugh today!! Especially since I can not get to go to Volt Nation tomorrow!
Mar 18th, 2008 (9:20 am)Lyle,
You might consider from now on locking down any thread that has over 300 posts and starting a continuing thread. Makes you wonder if it would have gone over 1k had it not crashed. Wow, is there interest in this vehicle or what?
Mar 18th, 2008 (9:30 am)The following is a letter that I wrote yesterday for the VoltNation meeting tomorrow.
VoltNation A Global Community Mar. 17, 2008 Bob Lutz Vice Chairman of Global Product Development General Motors Dear Bob, First, let me extend our thanks to you for creating the Chevy Volt concept car. We feel it is a futuristic vehicle that can reduce our cost of transportation, reduce tailpipe emissions, and help to eliminate our dependency on foreign oil. We look forward to this car and others with the E-Flex platform in the future. Many of us are following the development of the Volt through Lyle Dennis’s website GM-VOLT.com. I happen to be one of the lucky registrants who will attend the first ever VoltNation event in New York City this week. With 300 attendees, I realize it will be difficult to ask many questions or to get a great deal of individual attention, therefore, I am writing this letter, as I believe it will represent many of the members in VoltNation. On March 16th around 8 pm, Lyle posted a news item that GM’s Engineering Team for the Volt was asking for direct feedback regarding data options. By 3 pm the next day, there were over 350 responses! Obviously, there are quite a few “interested individuals” who follow the Volt’s progress. Why is there such a cult following for this vehicle? Part of the reason is the desire to create less pollution, which helps the environment. Another part of the reason is to reduce our dependency on foreign oil. But I believe the main reason for many of us is economics. In 1998, 10 years ago, I could buy gasoline for less than a dollar per gallon (about $0.95). Heating oil for the entire winter season was only $0.59 per gallon. Today, gasoline is between $3 and $4 per gallon, and heating oil is currently above $3.50! Although we do not appreciate the fact that these oil-based commodities have increased in price between 300 and 600% in 10 years, the real fear for most of us is the future. If China was to invade Taiwan, or Iran was to detonate a nuclear device, what would happen to the price of oil? Where would the price of gasoline stabilize, $5 per gallon, $10 per gallon? It is this instability in the world, combined with the volatility of oil prices that makes us realize that now is the time for the Chevy Volt. As I read through the 350 plus comments to GM’s request for feedback, I noticed some people stayed on-topic, while others strayed off-topic, however, many reiterated the sentiment that I also feel, we need this vehicle NOW! I understand that the Volt is considered by some in GM to be like the first mission to the moon; however, I take a somewhat different stance. First, I consider most of this vehicle to be within GM’s design envelope. The chassis, ICE, interior, and other portions of the vehicle are all similar to other GM products, and can be readily designed and built. I understand the need for a low wattage stereo system or other similar systems, but these still seem to be straightforward solutions as well. Obviously, the big risk lies in the development of robust Li-Ion batteries. However, the developments in battery technology seem to be progressing at a faster pace in the last few years than in the any time in recent history. EEStor claims to have an ultra capacitor that can store 18 kWh in a 100 lb cylinder. A researcher at Stanford University claims that the use of silicon nanowires can increase the capacity of Li-Ion batteries by a factor of 10. There are a number of new technologies that, although not proven, could become breakthrough technologies. Therefore, even batteries that are tested and supplied in the Volt for the 2010 introduction date may be outdated within a few years. Given this situation, I propose a symbiotic relationship that might be beneficial to both GM and the members of VoltNation. We, the members of VoltNation, are enthusiastic about the Volt and its prospects for the future. We are the types of people who would want to be the early adopters of new and innovative technology. We want to be a part of a movement that will change the automotive world. As you yourself have stated “the electrification of the automobile is inevitable”. I propose that you get the Volt into production as soon as possible, with the best batteries that can be made to support an early release, even if the batteries only do 25 miles AER and only last 75,000 miles (I will explain later). A mid-2009 time frame seems plausible. Production can start at low volumes, perhaps 2000 units per year, and ramp up in 2010 as you finalize the design. The advantage you achieve is early introduction, and a great deal of real-world data to support your “concurrent engineering activities”. VoltNation members live in differing locales all over the world, and have diverse backgrounds. Some members are in warm humid climates, while others live in colder dry climates. Some live in urban environments, while others live in rural environments. The occupation of the drivers could be as diverse as scientists to housewives. This will provide far more data on the Volt than just GM employees driving it around the Milford Proving Grounds. What this would mean for the members is a chance to drastically reduce their gasoline consumption, get familiar with electric vehicles, and take a more active part in the making of automobile history. This should also be a good public relations/advertising venue. For GM, besides collecting data from many diverse applications, they will be able to speed development, make a better quality product, and get some good media coverage as well. For the early adopters, I would suggest that they and GM sign a contract. In exchange for their efforts, the early adopters would have the option, within let’s say 5 years, to either upgrade the battery pack, or trade-in their Volt for a new one. The pricing for this upgrade would be determined by a formula based on mileage, vehicle condition, etc. With this system, the early adopters collect product test data, get the Volt into the public eye, and ensure that it is early to market. In exchange, they receive the option, within 5 years, to cost effectively upgrade to the latest technology, thus not experiencing large depreciations in their vehicles for being the early adopters. In summation, by working with an enthusiastic customer base, GM could receive help in its design and testing of the Chevy Volt, get the product to market sooner, and create an entire new Vision on how automobile companies will work with their customers to create superior products. It is my firm belief, that if this car can meet the efficiency and quality standards that the public expects, you will not be able to ramp up production fast enough, and the demand will exceed production for a number of years to come. Regards, Bill Rollins Professional Engineer and Loyal GM Customer
Mar 18th, 2008 (9:42 am)Thanks Lyle.
GMs approach seems to be a very resonable one that will saves much time, aggrivation, money and reputation in the long run. After all, we all want Volts that work. Nobody wants a reason to go to the dealership time and time again for repairs. (their coffee is not that good)
Is there any way to get these interviews on audio as well?
Mar 18th, 2008 (9:48 am)How accurate do you’all think this time line is?
Mar ’08: reveal the final design
April-May ’08: test mules
July ’08: press given test rides
Sept-Dec: GM employees (and select others) test fleet
Jan-Mar ’09: GM makes final decision on Volt compoents
Jan ’09: GM debuts first prototype of working Volt at Detroit Autoshow
April ’09-Feb ’10: GM retools and ensures suppliers are ready while complying with federal/state safety standards
Mar-May: Production begins
June ’10: retail availability of first Volts
Mar 18th, 2008 (9:48 am)BillR – I think your letter is great. It hits a lot of great points. If I can add an editorial comment, I think you could work to make it a little shorter though. These guys don’t have loads of time and I’m afraid you may lose them before they get to what the letter is really about. Keep it up though! It would be AMAZING if they bite!
Mar 18th, 2008 (9:52 am)#10 Bill R
Great letter! If I may, I prefer "groundswell of support" or "to "cult following." Also, we had over 500 responses - and likely more interested non-responders who didn’t want to be repetitive.
One other suggested edit; mention be specifically. I’m a Californian (i.e., the sexiest of the sexy), I live in a mild climate, and my commute is 0.7 miles one-way. My Volt will be healthy, tanned, and not stressed.
Mar 18th, 2008 (10:00 am)#12 Dave B
Woowie!
It is way too early in the morning to throw out a side-splitter like that! You have to warn us when your going to throw the comedy like that at us, hehe.
Mar 18th, 2008 (10:40 am)Hello all,
Like the rest of you, I think the success of the Volt will be critical to the country as we try to find reasonable solutions to our energy and oil problems. I have always wanted a domestic solution, and the fact the GM is in the forefront here is great; my Dad was a long time GM employee and I have always driven GM cars and trucks.
I would like to offer my commute for the test fleet. I drive 50 miles one way, from Hagerstown, MD to Gaithersburg, MD. I70 and I270 are hilly and we have both traffic and open roads. Most of all, I should be able to work out a situation where I could plug in and recharge during the day at work, so I would kick on the ICE twice a day (for about 10 miles each) after the batteries are drained twice a day. I work at NIST in the Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory, our job is to support US manufacturing industry in all ways possible. This offer is, of course, a personal interest of mine and personally I would certaintly be capable of providing any info necessary or required of me and would love to be able to help GM shake the car down.
Perhaps it would also be good to have one (or more) of these in the Washington DC area. Just a thought.
Hopefully GM will give this and the other offers here some consideration. See you all tomorrow at NYC!
Mar 18th, 2008 (11:09 am)Here is the March 13, 2008 TV program “Public Exposure” featuring the Seattle Electric Vehicle Association (SEVA). There is a good conversation about electric cars including the Volt. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBhIhdLKKTI
Mar 18th, 2008 (11:19 am)#16
Metro…you failed to mention how sexy you are. I’ll rate you a ‘threeve’ in your absence.
Mar 18th, 2008 (11:26 am)Darn!
I knew I forgot something!
Mar 18th, 2008 (11:56 am)And I am going to have to count out thomdbhomb, #14.
The idea of a test fleet is to beat them to death, to see how they hold up. Living in the land of milk and honey, with a 1.4 mile daily commute, a suntan, and no stress should be an automatic disqualifier!
It should not be hard to be sexy with a life like that!
After all, even the EV1 worked there……………..
Sorry about that, buddy.
Mar 18th, 2008 (12:10 pm)Hey, I have a 40 mile one way commute in the hot South Florida sun. I will be the stress tester for the hot side of things.
Yes and I am way hot myself, thus I should be the volt tester and I am a web developer so I could write the WiFi portal for the car as well
In all seriousness they should have a drawing of the gm-volt community for a test driver position.
Mar 18th, 2008 (12:17 pm)Shai Agassi, founder and CEO of Project Better Place, gave an amazing speech at a New Democrat Network meeting recently. Here’s the video at Autobloggreen.com: http://www.autobloggreen.com/2008/03/18/video-shai-agassis-amazing-speech-on-the-future-of-electric-ca/ Israel will be off oil within 10 years!
Mar 18th, 2008 (12:45 pm)I personally have a tough time picturing GM parcelling our cars gratis for people to "test". So here is my modest proposal.
I will lease one for a market level price and give them all the feedback they need.
I think that this is what Honda is doing with its fuel cell vehicles.
Mar 18th, 2008 (12:54 pm)Bill R, # 10, That is a very good letter and one that sums up exactly how I feel.
I’ll take a test car too. But I’m not sexy with my big Arab nose and fat body. But I travel 51 miles each way and will have to charge twice a day. I often sit in bumper to bumper traffic and will do so in freezing weather as well as hot humid weather. My commute is 97.1457% highway and I live on top of a big hill.
Mar 18th, 2008 (1:02 pm)#15 Statik:
Yeah, right.
#12 Dave B:
God send that you should be right, but nothing here is doing anything for my confidence that the Volt is going to appear in any quantities any time very soon.
By the time they produce enough for the likes of us to have a sniff, I think that you have to add at least a year to your timeline.
With gas closing in on $4/gal here in LA, I don’t know how many people are going to be willing to wait that long.
Mar 18th, 2008 (1:03 pm)Even if they do a Project Runway type rollout with the Volt, Lyle would not be the guy to get one: Why because most of these type rollouts expect problems but they do not want the public to know about them. The idea is fix them before they go to production but don’t want all their cards shown to competitors or the public that might negatively affect the sales of the final product. There are usually contractual obligations to keep your mouth shut and not reveal any of your experiences except to the company. Lyle would just die being contractually bound on one side & the entire GM-Volt following asking him to liable him self for tidbits of his experience. Give him a production Volt for sure but don’t give him something he cannot comment on, that would be inhumane torture. And do you want to force Lyle to give a sanitized / GM approved report? What is the use, might as well have GM PR write it themself if they are editing.
Mar 18th, 2008 (1:19 pm)I would enthusiastically volunteer to drive a Volt for the initial shakedown part of R&D. I can also keep my mouth shut regarding the details of the vehicle. The Volt is(metaphorically speaking) the beginning of a huge wave of electric vehicles that will encompass everything from the subcompact to electric Semis, busses, SUVs,muscle cars and anything else the buying public wants. We all want the Volt to succeed. This car may be a large part of saving the planet for future generations.
Mar 18th, 2008 (1:44 pm)I wonder if GM will give Lyle a free Volt. I’m sure Lyle wouldn’t mind and probably deserves it with all the press he’s given GM.
Mar 18th, 2008 (2:12 pm)27 Tim D
I’ve prepared a petition to GM to do just that tomorrow in NYC —but don’t tell anyone ’cause it’s a secret! (hehe) (Nah, no way to keep it a secret & get 250+ signatures!)
Mar 18th, 2008 (2:15 pm)MetrologyFirst, #16:
I grew up in Frederick, so I feel your pain on that commute. Thankfully you commute to Gaithersburg instead of Bethesda or Silver Spring. Not sure how long you have been doing it, but I know it has gotten a lot worse in the last 10 years or so.
Mar 18th, 2008 (2:18 pm)I’d throw my hat into the Volt ring. Since I live in Phoenix, we could certainly test the ability of the car to survive in the heat! I would also be willing to run the car at the racetrack we test our other cars at to get accurate numbers on performance capabilities
I also have the IT background as a systems analyst, software tester and programmer…yada, yada, but I’m lacking in the sexiness battle. Too tall and skinny to be "sexy". Hey, can we play a one-on-one basketball tourney to see who gets ‘em?? just kidding…
Mar 18th, 2008 (2:42 pm)Ok, I’m in too… Systems Administrator here, upstate NY (Saratoga Springs)with 4 seasons (and real winter), plenty of hills too, and I’m a shade tree motorcycle mechanic. I’d have no problems giving GM the all feedback they need, and more.
Oh… and the GM execs can come here in July and August for the horse racing to kick back and wine and dine whoever. Plus Lake George is only 30 mins away too. What a GREAT place to test the Volt!!!!
Sorry, had to try <evil grin>
Mar 18th, 2008 (3:07 pm)I have a driveway…hot weather testing in Florida via me.
Mar 18th, 2008 (3:17 pm)Sign me up for any form of early adopter, beta program.
You’ll get more feedback than you ever expected, whether you want it or not. Just ask any software product I’ve worked with in the last 23 years.
Mar 18th, 2008 (4:24 pm)I’m retired. If you give me a Volt to drive – I’ll take it to Walmart parking lots and put American flags on it play DVDs extolling its virtues.
Mar 18th, 2008 (4:34 pm)#31 Brian M
Been doing this drive for 20 years now. It has evolved over the years, but right now it is rather tough. Too expensive to live any closer.
A good test for the Volt, IMO! I’m not sure how more blatant I can be to make the case for a beta car. I could promise two full discharges per day, etc……….
I would lease it if necessary! The car would be quite safe inside the NIST fences. (Maybe that will help!)
See you all in NYC!
Mar 18th, 2008 (5:20 pm)Tim #18:
I watched the videos from the link.
Those guys want nothing to do with the E-REV solution as proposed by GM. And they think it will end up at $50K!
They want a straight EV, and that is OK, but not for the majority of people that want to buy this as a primary vehicle.
Mar 18th, 2008 (5:23 pm)thomdbhomb #15
I agree with you and congratulate BillR for his letter.
Nasaman I wish you a great success with your petition
Mar 18th, 2008 (6:00 pm)well, I’m an old, balding, fat guy, so if that ain’t sexy enough, I don’t know what is (lol). My "best" qualification is that I’m A) retired, so I COULD drive a lot, and B) a shrink, so GM could submit the reports from all the "above" for analysis (wink).
Mar 18th, 2008 (9:00 pm)Hope lyte is one of those captured testers. It woould make sense to test one here in NYC (I think Lyte is from NYC???). Here GM will get all the info by just running it through the FDR up to 125st then crosstown to the westside then all the way downtown to 14st. I think that will do with all those crazy cabbies roaming the streets.
Mar 19th, 2008 (4:35 pm)If GM decides to allow "regular folk" to beta test this vehicle I would love to join, provide plenty of feedback, and I offer the following consistent environment for testing one such vehicle:
1. 80+ Miles a day commute x 9 days across 2 weeks (10 miles in town, 70 miles highway) speeds ranging up to 75+.
(I leave at the coldest part of the day and I come home near the hottest part of the day. I also cross a mountain twice a day.)
I have many opportunities to baby the car or beat it up depending on what GM wants data on.
2. Additional Mileage: Plus around town driving, plus road trips.
3. Hot, Dry, Dusty, Windy, and Sunny Conditions during Summer. (New Mexico days of 100+ degrees F is about as bad as you can get in terms of extremes, except for maybe our neighbors in Arizona). Our burning hot afternoons and cold mornings would be a great way to test the longevity of batteries in adverse conditions.
4. We don’t get to 110 degrees F much, but I’ve seen it. On the other hand we have cold mornings and winter conditions.
5. I’m a software engineer by profession, an electrical engineer by education, a tech support guru by experience, and a consummate hobbyist that loves to tinker. I’m fully capable of taking measurements, understanding technical specs, and providing feedback that includes measured values.
I’m technically inclined and capable of following directions. I hope I can help.
Mar 21st, 2008 (2:13 pm)Don’t forget us old retired GM S employees. I would also like to test the Volt