Volt Nation a Success

43 Responses to “Volt Nation a Success”

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   cybereye Says:
   March 20th, 2008 at 12:21 am

   what? That it… come on spill the beans. ok joke on the side. I’m looking forward the up comming post when your ready.  
   
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   Texas Says:
   March 20th, 2008 at 12:24 am

   Congratulations on the success! I’m really looking forward to the news and video.  
   
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   Eric E Says:
   March 20th, 2008 at 12:29 am

   I’m starting to vibrate with anticipation! 
   Its good to here that it was a success…can’t wait for the info to start flowing.  
   
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   Jeff J Says:
   March 20th, 2008 at 12:38 am

   Great news , I am glad that I can watch the video , we have all been watching this site closely all day for  posts .  Thanks again Lyle you really have started something Good !!!  
   
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   Grizzly Says:
   March 20th, 2008 at 2:25 am

   What would it have hurt to have brought the production aero Volt rather than the original concept?    I guess they’ll unveil it as soon as they’re ready.

   Good to hear the event was such a success.

      
   
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   NZDavid Says:
   March 20th, 2008 at 3:44 am

   Left/Right hand drive, 230 Volt charging. I’m ssoooooooo excited. of to the forum sight to see what’s the haps.  
   
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   mmcc Says:
   March 20th, 2008 at 4:11 am

   Chevy has updated their Volt page over the last day or so…

   http://www.chevrolet.com/electriccar/  
   
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   Rashiid Amul Says:
   March 20th, 2008 at 6:38 am

   VoltNation was awesome.  We got to talk to the engineers one-on-one.  Great time.  I met Lyle and his wife.  Very very nice people.

   The Volt will have a 12v battery for things like wiper motor, windshield washer, and the other little motors that GM doesn’t have time to reinvent for Volt 1.0.  I have no idea what kind of battery this is or how it will be charged.  I don’t know why it couldn’t be Lithium Ion and be charged like everything else.

   Heat: Yes there will be heat and A/C, but there is a trade off on range.  Don’t know what much, but we will be able to control it with an ECO button.  The hotter you want it in the car, the less range you are going to get.  Same with cooling.

   No key needed in the ignition.  Works off a FOB.  You just need to be close.  They are also going to notify the driver when the car is ready to be driven.  I guess this is a problem with the Prius?  There apparently isn’t a way to know the car is ready to drive?  Something like that anyway.

   It will have 110v and 220v at the same time.  That means I can choose either way on-the-fly.

   GM realizes the car needs to be perfect out of the gate.
   They also realize they will get slammed if not.

   They say they don’t have a price yet.  
   
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   GM Volt Fan Says:
   March 20th, 2008 at 6:44 am

   Check this out:  http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080320/BUSINESS01/803200434/1014

   It looks like Volt Nation was a success alright.  Way to go Lyle!  You are making a difference in getting the word out about the Volt and electric cars in general.  You must feel a bit like Henry Ford and the other automobile pioneers in the early 1900s.

   Jeez.  November 2010 can’t get here fast enough.  I can’t wait to test drive one.  I think GM has a smash hit car on its hands.  They better start thinking about contingency plans to scale up their manufacturing plant in a hurry to meet demand for the Volt if thousands of people have to be put on waiting lists.  I’m sure GM wouldn’t mind having problems like that … people upset with them because they can’t make enough cars fast enough.    
   
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    ETM Says:
    March 20th, 2008 at 6:46 am

    94.5% chance of 2010 arrival.

    To be a US export!

    Did I hear correctly?  "50 mile EV range at start of life (40 end of life)"  
    
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    GM Volt Fan Says:
    March 20th, 2008 at 7:26 am

    Here’s some more media coverage of the Volt Nation meeting.  It mentions some of us bloggers who were there like "nasaman" who flew up from Florida. 

    http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/Story?id=4485292&page=1

    That must have been a cool auto show.  I’m going to have to go to the next auto show that is near me and check out the Volt in person.  I’m not going to be able to wait until 2010, I know that.    
    
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    Jim F. Says:
    March 20th, 2008 at 7:35 am

    Way to go, guys!  I Googled "New York Auto Show" and got several references to the Volt Nation meeting.  Can’t wait for the details of the face-to-face meetings with execs and the Volt team.  
    
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    BillR Says:
    March 20th, 2008 at 8:04 am

    I have just returned from the NY Auto Show, and it was a great experience!

    I want to extend my gratitude to Lyle for all his hard work over the past year, and also to the GM staff who were very courteous and helpful.

    A few items that I would mention:

    – Bob Lutz called this type of meeting "unprecedented"
    – He mentioned a 0-60 time of 7 seconds
    – His has high confidence in the batteries based on tests to date
    – The generation I Volt is their primary concern, and other options like solar panels, a "performance" version with a larger motor, or other features will have to wait for future generations
    – The discussion on pricing was vague, but I believe, if I read between the lines, that they see value in this car (i.e. much lower energy costs), and the pricing may reflect this value.
    – In the breakout discussion groups, the engineers were very open and conversant.  I asked some very specific, technical questions, however, I don’t feel the answers should be provided in a forum where the competition could get the information.  The answers were that revealing!  
    
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    Estero Says:
    March 20th, 2008 at 8:37 am

    #13 BillR said "In the breakout discussion groups, the engineers were very open and conversant.  I asked some very specific, technical questions, however, I don’t feel the answers should be provided in a forum where the competition could get the information.  The answers were that revealing!"

    I’m really a little disappointed that you feel that way, unless of course your signed some sort of GM non-disclosure agreement.  It appears to be a little self serving ("I have a Secret and I’m not going to tell" mentality) to hold back on information that GM freely gave you.  GM is apparently not too concerned with this information getting into the hands of the competition, so why would you be so concerned?  
    
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    Estero Says:
    March 20th, 2008 at 8:48 am

    #8 Rashiid Amul

    Thanks!  It will take a little time to digest the Heat and A/C information.

    You said "It will have 110v and 220v at the same time.  That means I can choose either way on-the-fly."

    Could you expand on that a little?  Are we talking about plug-in recharging capability or something else entirely?  
    
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    john1701a Says:
    March 20th, 2008 at 8:51 am

    >> No key needed in the ignition.  Works off a FOB.  You just need to be close.  They are also going to notify the driver when the car is ready to be driven.  I guess this is a problem with the Prius?  There apparently isn’t a way to know the car is ready to drive?  Something like that anyway.
    
    Huh?  I’ve never heard of any misconception related to the FOB over the past 4.5 years nor ever encountered any problem while using mine (94,500 miles).  Something was misunderstood.

    Anywho, congrats on this milestone.  A support community is really important during initial rollout.  It helps a lot to prevent/extinguish misconceptions and keep those waiting for delivery from going nuts in the meantime.  (Patience is essential.)  
    
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    Rashiid Amul Says:
    March 20th, 2008 at 8:51 am

    #15, Estero.  Sorry about being too vague.  Yes on the recharging aspect.  I have 110v in my garge now, but will consider running 220v.  As I understand it, the car will "magically" know what voltage you are using to charge it, each time you plug it in.  
    
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    Rashiid Amul Says:
    March 20th, 2008 at 8:54 am

    John1701a, #16.  The way it was explained to me, some drivers of the Prius don’t know when the car is ready to drive.  In a standard ICE car, we hear the motor running and then we drive it.  But in the Prius, being totally quiet, drivers don’t know when to drive it. 

    To me, that sounds strange.  I would have simply assumed that I sit down, put my seatbelt on, and start driving.  Nothing to it.  I will admit I have never sat in a Prius, so I ask you, does any of this make sense?  I’m just repeating what I was told last night.  
    
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    Estero Says:
    March 20th, 2008 at 9:02 am

    #8 Rashiid Amul said "The Volt will have a 12v battery for things like wiper motor, windshield washer, and the other little motors that GM doesn’t have time to reinvent for Volt 1.0.  I have no idea what kind of battery this is or how it will be charged.  I don’t know why it couldn’t be Lithium Ion and be charged like everything else."

    Does anyone else have more information on the 12V Battery?  If it is not Lithium Ion, perhaps GM ought to take a look at the Firefly Energy deep cycle Oasis Group 31 battery using their Microcell foam technology.  The battery goes into full production in the summer of 2008.  
    
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    Jon P. Says:
    March 20th, 2008 at 9:04 am

    Wow i got to ask Bob Lutz a question. Honestly i know he’s just a regular guy but it was like meeting a rockstar.

    Here’s what i asked him:
    " Mr. Lutz, it’s widely reported that toyota sold the first 3 years of the prius at a loss in order to get the car out to market. Is that a possibility in GM’s pricing plan, or does every Volt need to be profitable from day 1."

    His answer was totally Lutz and took about 10 minutes to answer, but he took a question from me, which i’m pretty sure most VP’s of fortune 500 companies don’t take questions from consumers on pricing, it was awesome.

    Lutz:     a summary not the actual quote

    First off you have to understand that Toyota is a privately held company and for them to make that decision is alot easier than GM which has to answer to the shareholders, and it’s board.
    Then he went into how GM could of made parellel hybrids decades ago, but people didn’t want them, and it didn’t seem like the right decision fiscaly. Then he went on to say that it was the wrong decision for other reasons, including allowing Toyota to get ahead on technology.
    **** Then he says we have gone to the board and explained to them why we need to lose money on this for the 1st few years. Then he says that GM knows they will have to take a loss on the Volt for the 1st few years in order to get the car out. He further said that the boards position "build the car no matter what".

    After the Q & A i talked to Jon Lauacher in detail a couple of notes on that.

    He noted that it would take "a huge setback for the Volt not to be built" these sentiments seemed to be shared by all of the GM guys. Honestly i’m 100% sold on the fact they will produce this car.

    I asked him about the battery being modular so if i buy a Volt 1.0 i’ll be able to upgrade later as the battery technology gets better. He said if they stayed with the same chemistry, they would stick with the same physical design (which would allow me to swap for an upgrade later). But that li-ion technolgy was changing so fast they didn’t know if that was possible. He also talked about a 2-stage battery that had li-ion cells for normal loads, and a ultra capacitor stack for big loads (i.e uphill, redline the throttle, etc.). Which wouldn’t allow me to upgrade to that because it would be physically different and the connectors wouldn’t meet up.
    We talked about if they still felt confident on the ICE getting the equivalent of 50mpg, he said that they haven’t nailed it down because until the mules are built there not sure if there going to need 1, 2, or 3 set rpm’s for running the generator under different circumstances.

    All in all it was amazing, everything we debate here on a daily basis we got to ask the guys directly. I mean it got to 1 point where i had no more questions so i just stood by (can’t remember his name the GM engineer with the french accent who knew everything about the volt) and listened to him answer other peoples questions. It was a total success, they answered hard questions, and totally reinforced their attitude of transparency on this project.

    To quote something i heard lyle say to a reporter when asked about GM’s sincerity in bringing this car to market:
    "At this point it would be hard for GM to back away from this" .

    Lyle thanks for making it possible for regular guys like me to ask the VP of GM questions regarding the Volt.  
    
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    john1701a Says:
    March 20th, 2008 at 9:07 am

    I think the misunderstanding has nothing to do with the FOB.  You shift to "D" or "R" and go.  Perhaps it is placement of the indicator first-time drivers get confused about.  
    
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    Estero Says:
    March 20th, 2008 at 9:07 am

    #18 Rashiid Amul.  None of that makes sense to me either.  I would have made the same assumption as you.   
    
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    Estero Says:
    March 20th, 2008 at 9:12 am

    Did anyone pick up any information on the transmission?  I had originally thought traction control would probably be needed but there would be no need for a transmission.  But, I’ve been hearing lately that a multi-gear transmission is being planned.

    Any information would be greatly appreciated.  
    
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    Estero Says:
    March 20th, 2008 at 9:15 am

    Did anyone think to ask about the transmission lever being replaced with "push button" control, somewhat like the Dodge, etc. of years gone by?  
    
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    BillR Says:
    March 20th, 2008 at 10:03 am

    #14 Estero

    Sorry to burst your bubble, but in some instances, I think the GM engineers, in their enthusiasm, may have revealed too much.  In these conversations, they believe they are speaking to enthusiaists, not competitors.

    If you want, email me with a phone number, and I will tell you about these discussions.  
    
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    Jeffrey Says:
    March 20th, 2008 at 10:26 am

    #18 Rashiid, #21 Estero:

    I’ve seen some people at my work be confused by this very thing on our fleet Prius – where the confusion stems from is the use of the Start button.  Yes, the car works via a FOB, but you have to hit the start button at the same time as you push the brake for the car to "initialize" if you will, allowing you to drive.  It can also take several seconds for the gas engine to engage once the car is ready, so that audio cue is gone also.  If you don’t have the brake all the way engaged when you push the start button, all the lights/displays turn on, but the car won’t go.  I thought there was a visual indicator of some sort on the dash that told you when the car was ready to drive, but I can’t remember…

    Until you’ve driven one a few times, the starting process can be confusing to some, especially if you’re in a hurry or not paying attention…  Hope that helps!  
    
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    David L Says:
    March 20th, 2008 at 10:38 am

    #25 Jeffery wrote:

    Until you’ve driven one a few times, the starting process can be confusing to some, especially if you’re in a hurry or not paying attention…

    Yeah, that was my experience the first time I drove a Prius. My workplace purchases a new Prius each year as part of the fleet. I think that the feedback when starting has improved in recent years over the "older" model Priuses.  
    
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    Rashiid Amul Says:
    March 20th, 2008 at 11:03 am

    Jeffrey, #26.  Thank you for that explanation.  It now makes sense.  GM wants to make it perfectly clear that the car is ready to be driven.  So maybe they will use a visual or audio cue.  I had no idea the Prius had to be "initialized".  I just assumed to put it in drive and go.  My thinking is that it was always on, but just not doing anything.  I didn’t know it was actually turned off.  
    
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    Rob Neighbour Says:
    March 20th, 2008 at 11:18 am

    Lyle,  we wanted to thank you for making the opportunity to view the Volt happen.  What we did not expect was the access to the high levels of the development team that were there.  I’d honestly expected only people from some outside communications agency contracted to "handle" us early-adopters, and instead got the grand buffet.  I have to say that talking to these people, and LISTENING to them, and their hopes and dreams, was magnificent. 

    I’m hoping that GM realizes the potential ally in the EAA(Electric Auto Association).  As they clearly represent the first 2-3 years of buyers, you’d think that they’d make contact, and set up surveys, focus groups, attend EVents, or otherwise connect with the marvelous EV community.  I bet they do!

    Thanks again.

    Rob  
    
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    john1701a Says:
    March 20th, 2008 at 11:19 am

    >> to make that decision is alot easier

    Don’t forget that gas was only 99 cents back then.  They had lots of time.  So it was easy to limit supply, keeping losses to a minimum.  Now it is an entirely different market. 

    >> he went into how GM could of made parellel hybrids decades ago
    
    Again, hybrids like Prius aren’t parallel (ASSIST).  They are series-parallel (FULL).  There’s a huge difference.

    More recent examples from Toyota are the Crown & Estima hybrids.  That ASSIST design was later abandoned in favor of FULL instead.  Of course, GM is still introducing them with BAS.  They are with the other in Two-Mode too.  So how much attention Volt will get is a rather intriguing topic.  
    
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    Schmeltz Says:
    March 20th, 2008 at 11:29 am

    I can’t speak for everyone else here, but when I read the headline this morning, "Volt Nation a Success", well, that just made my day!  Thanks to all who attended, and thanks to Lyle for making this happen!  
    
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    Estero Says:
    March 20th, 2008 at 11:33 am

    #25 BillR said "#14 Estero
    Sorry to burst your bubble, but in some instances, I think the GM engineers, in their enthusiasm, may have revealed too much.  In these conversations, they believe they are speaking to enthusiaists, not competitors.If you want, email me with a phone number, and I will tell you about these discussions."

    BillR, if there are things you saw, heard and learned at the VoltNation Conference and wish to share that with the rest of us, we are all "ears".  If, on the other hand, you learned "too much" from some GM engineers, why don’t you just keep it to yourself?  Don’t come on this Forum telling the rest of us you learned things that you can’t share because it is just "too sensitive".  That is self serving!  Enough said!  
    
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    Rich Frechette Says:
    March 20th, 2008 at 11:35 am

    Lyle,
    I was one of the 300 who attended the Volt Town Hall yesterday (took the train down from CT to NYC). I have to thank you so much for arranging this opportunity. I also was surprised at how open, forthcoming, and downright appreciative the GM executives were. The feelings seemed definitely genuine. Those of us who were able to attend feel the same I am sure.

    With the possibility that the Volt could be a huge hit when it gets close to release and the fact they will probably have a limited production run first year, will GM honor the waiting list you have put together through your website? I would be disappointed if we were to be forgotten when the Volt is released at the end of 2010.
    It would be also very cool to be the only person in town to own one!Thanks again for all your hard work!Rich  
    
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    Estero Says:
    March 20th, 2008 at 11:43 am

    I echo the comments of #33 Rich Frechette when he said "With the possibility that the Volt could be a huge hit when it gets close to release and the fact they will probably have a limited production run first year, will GM honor the waiting list you have put together through your website? I would be disappointed if we were to be forgotten when the Volt is released at the end of 2010.  It would be also very cool to be the only person in town to own one! "

    I am retired and live in a 55+ community is SW Florida.  I would just love to be the 1st in our community to own one and show it off to all our friends and neighbors.  It would be the talk of our community and would likely generate quite a few sales from those living on fixed incomes.  
    
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    Estero Says:
    March 20th, 2008 at 12:02 pm

    I hope GM does not forget the "retirees" as potential customers.  The Volt and other E-Flex vehicles are a perfect fit for retirees since their average daily commute is well under the 40-mile range.

    Many retirees already drive "golf carts" around their community and refer to their cars as Dr. Cars.  They drive to/from the Dr., grocery stores, shopping and restaurants.  Many of them would only have to purchase gas for a Volt type vehicle once or twice a year or for those occasional long trips.  
    
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    Jeff M Says:
    March 20th, 2008 at 12:11 pm

    Congrats everyone on the success of the meetup!  I’m surprised folks went just for the Volt meetup and didn’t stay to see the rest of the auto show (competition)?  
    
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    Rich Frechette Says:
    March 20th, 2008 at 2:20 pm

    In response to #36 Jeff M’s question: There wasn’t much time to see the other cars at the show. They didn’t admit us until about 3:15 or so. Then the QA session ran from 4:30-5:30 and the mingling with the GM execs was from 5:30-6:30. They wanted us out by 7:00. I did wander a bit on the way out and it was awesome.  So many cars…could have spent all day in there!  
    
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    Frank Says:
    March 20th, 2008 at 4:22 pm

    GM should do a road show (Volt nation) and vist all the US and give more prople a chance to talk to the GM folks, show films of the car, discuss plans, and look over a prototype, maybe see it drive…  
    
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    mmoore Says:
    March 20th, 2008 at 5:15 pm

    Lyle, when is the next Volt Nation (West) out here in Southern California?  
    
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    Rob Neighbour Says:
    March 20th, 2008 at 9:14 pm

    Dutch Mandel over at Autoweek (Geez, he’s been there forever….) published a snarky negative comment about the Volt show in NYC. Here’s a link.  
    Low voltage – AutoWeek Magazine

    Apparently, people aren’t forgetting Mr. Lutz’s comments about Global Warming very quickly.  
    
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    BillR Says:
    March 20th, 2008 at 9:29 pm

    #32 Estero

    Just because you couldn’t attend the VoltNation meeting, doesn’t mean you have to get hostile.

    I have provided information on what was revealed at the show.  I also indicated that had you attended, you may have learned a great deal more than will be posted on the website.  It’s that simple.  No self-serving, no bragging, just the facts.

    I was fortunate enough to get in early for the extended invitation.  Perhaps next time you will get the opportunity.  
    
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    james Says:
    March 21st, 2008 at 12:29 pm

    i was at the event and was encouraged by what the chevy execs and engineers had to say…great job organizing everything!it was cool getting to meet other volt enthusiasts and chatting people up2010 can’t get here soon enough  
    
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    volt com Says:
    June 2nd, 2008 at 5:25 pm

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