Posted by Lyle in: Engineering, GM Q and A, Original GM-Volt Interviews, Prototypes with 69 Comments
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Frank Weber is the Chevy Volt vehicle line executive. I had a chance to sit down with him for some discussion while he was in New York at a recent event.
How is the mule development going?
The big step was when we finalized the mules vehicles at the end of August and delivered those on time at the end of August. These are the Cruze-mules using production-intent components. We wondered how they will behave, is there anything that we have not predicted? But so far as surprising as it is for us internally, we have not found anything that is fundamentally flawed.
You stumble over a hundred small development items, software talking to each other, and functions having to be clearly defined, and triggering points, etc, but there is no fundamental flaw that cannot be developed out of the system in the next two years.
So I say there is a lot of work still, but nothing that will prevent the promise of 2010. We still have development to do, and I don’t know what I don’t know, but at this point, I am confident.
So those production intent parts hadn’t existed before in a vehicle?
We had component tests, individually 6 months before those components went into vehicles. But there is always a difference from when you have a component in isolation to when you put them all together in a vehicle.
So is every component that will go into the final Volt, known, understood and finally engineered?
Finely engineered has different meanings for different people. The design since we are going into the development and validation phase it means that we’ll do adjustments, but we have currently for 80-90% of the vehicle, the component designs are available. These are then the in going components into our mule vehicles.
The next stage of our prototypes called integration vehicles, they are real prototypes, exterior, interior, everything. This is coming next summer. So we are currently working on the designs for those integration vehicle next summer, and when you look at that and you count backwards it means you have to have components in May, and to tool them a couple of months, so it means by January we have to have all the components designs and everything available and finalized.
So you don’t have enough time to observe the Cruze-mules much prior to that next stage?
We have some feedback. You have some learning from these Cruze mule vehicles to finally then finalize these designs and say here we have to do a software tweak or here we have to do some adjustments. There is some learning, but not extensive learning. In a traditional program you would probably test those mule cars for a year or two, but we said we have enough experience to develop this car in such a sort time scale. That is the risk element. We have always said this will be a high speed project and we’ve always openly said we are sharing the risk involved.
Do you oversee the assembly of the mules?
Yes. The mules are built at the tech center. It is a mini assembly plant we call our "prototype build operations." There you see them as the engine and powertrain are loaded into them. We have already tested the equipment, how you do the battery loading in the plant. When you look at the process, you have two marriages. In the assembly plant when the power cube is loaded into the car its called a marriage. In the Volt we have two marriages, the power cube and the battery.
Because we have never loaded batteries from underneath so we wanted to see that process . We had guys from manufacturing engineering came in that had equipment to test to lift 400 pounds with precision and the tolerance is very small. Its on a moving plate, it guides itself into position. and then is bolted into the underbody structure. I would say we now have a very robust process on how the battery assembly will work. What the tech time is, etc.
Are the battery packs also finalized?
We have frozen the design for the integration vehicles for next summer. Not only the external design of the packs but all of the internal components. The cooling system, electronics, the frames, the modules.
The software and the software functionality is defined. But what we call the calibration is still development work. What is the temperature band? When do you cool, when do you heat? All of those things need to be calibrated. This is why we need two winters and two summers on the development work. Basically the software is on the platform. The real development work is on the trigger points. The temperature outside needs to be known, the battery temperature needs to be known. Many many things need to be known.
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Nov 6th, 2008 (2:24 pm)Cool interview, nice job.
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Nov 6th, 2008 (2:44 pm)I just hope that there is no devil in the remaining details…
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Nov 6th, 2008 (2:45 pm)#1 dbK:
Second the motion.
At this point I am just trying my best to stay in IYCSANJDSAAA mode and stay away from issues like today’s trip to DC, discussed on the previous thread. I am just crossing my fingers and my toes and hoping as hard as I can that GM finds a way to stay afloat long enough to make this a reality.
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Nov 6th, 2008 (2:47 pm)I’m no economist but I think this is actually somewhat good news about GM’s default swap exposure not being as bad as it could be…
http://www.reuters.com/article/ousiv/idUSTRE4A4ATS20081105
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Nov 6th, 2008 (2:48 pm)This is good news.
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Nov 6th, 2008 (3:05 pm)With the amount of money that the government is spending on the bailout of the financial sector it should be a “no brainer” to spend a few hundred bilion more to keep the car companies, and the jobs that they represent, afloat.
As someone who works in IT, it sounds like they should have plenty of time to wring out the control software based on where they are now.
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Nov 6th, 2008 (3:05 pm)Before you ask, IYCSANJDSAAA is short for
If You Can’t Say Anything Nice…
Mules kick a$$!
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Nov 6th, 2008 (3:18 pm)I’m glad more people are being positive about the auto compainies receiving help. Manufacturing job loss will affect the entire country, not just Detroit. We are all in this together and it’s time to help one another out.
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Nov 6th, 2008 (3:22 pm)The build operation was the most interesting… to see they are also working on the building process and that it works is really interesting.
Thanks again Lyle.
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Nov 6th, 2008 (3:25 pm)#2 Murray
“I just hope that there is no devil in the remaining details…”
Oh, I bet there are many devils hiding in the software code right now. The question is whether the GM engineers will find them all before the release date. The Volt will be like the iPhone; you will have to update the software through iTunes every few weeks or so…
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Nov 6th, 2008 (3:27 pm)Bailing out the auto companies will save about a million related jobs. Bailing out the financial markets will just keep a few thousand crooks employed so they can screw us all again.
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Nov 6th, 2008 (3:28 pm)I like how they are iterating the designs, continually maturing the powertrain, so that the interior and exteriors can be finalized around it. First Malibu mules, then Cruze mules and finally total Volt prototypes to finalize calibration – sounds like they are getting very comfortable with this tech and the iterative development process. I found that when engineers know that they will have an opportunity to correct any mistakes, they can move many times faster, while allowing for only a little more risk.
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Nov 6th, 2008 (3:34 pm)I wouldn’t worry, I use Ubuntu Linux in my VM’s all the time. That thing has a ridiculous six-month development time between releases and some bugs have been killers, but it’s never been more then a week late, and that’s for an operating system that runs mostly on random, unknown hardware. If the hardware design has been frozen, software development will not take long.
Unless we have a REALLY big computer issue…
“Open the blasted door!”
“I’m sorry, Dave. I can’t do that…”
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Nov 6th, 2008 (3:42 pm)This brought up a thought for me that hopefully has not been gone over yet.
What kind of structure does the battery pack have to protect if from any road debris that someone may encounter and are unable to avoid.
Examples: blown tires, animals
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Nov 6th, 2008 (3:45 pm)Lyle,
I have this question for Mr. Weber.
With all these financial troubles GM is going through now, would not be wise for GM to produce a Prius like hybrid in order to make some money while working on Volt development?
It is scary what is happening to GM right now and I’m a little bit afraid that if things don’t get better fast enough, even Volt development will at the ned cope.
Note that no matter what, Chevy Volt is my next car.
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Nov 6th, 2008 (3:55 pm)This is very interesting news Lyle–still doesn’t answer when we’ll see a full-blown Volt mule. When is YOUR media ride? Don’t tell me next summer; they could cobble this together much quicker to start ADVERTISING which couldn’t hurt GM at all.
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Nov 6th, 2008 (3:56 pm)#7 ThombDbhomb:
Thank you sir! My mother would be thrilled.
#11 Gordon:
Right on brother. Tell it like it is! Alas, the !@#$# auto workers didn’t go to Yale or Harvard.
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Nov 6th, 2008 (4:28 pm)Even I get tired of all of th ‘GM finance talk’ every so often…we will get plenty tomorrow (I’ll predit EPS around -9 (ex items)…and cash burn around 6B, for the record)
Nice to see a ‘Volt themed’ article in between news drops furing ‘terror week’.
It is comforting to hear that development progress seems to be continuing without any major hiccups. Although, I can’t help but notice there is no mention if the ‘50 mules’ by end of 2008 is going to be met…or the 100 working prototypes next year is still the goal.
The ‘fleet’ may have had to be scaled back due to budget concerns. The focus now may be less about stress testing and using data to optimize the cars, but moreso just about working out kinks in the manufacturing process.
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Nov 6th, 2008 (4:47 pm)It is nice to start hearing about these steps coming about. I really want to keep us on track to see this vehicle (our Volt) put into the hands of consumers. Keep up the good work Lyle and GM.
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Nov 6th, 2008 (4:55 pm)#14 J Man
The battery pack is housed within a metal casing, if I remember correctly. It should withstand most “normal” road debris. Hopefully!!!!
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Nov 6th, 2008 (5:08 pm)“This is why we need two winters and two summers on the development work.”
*** *** ***
So does this mean winter 2008 and 2009 and summer 2009 and 2010? That sure is cutting it close.
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Nov 6th, 2008 (5:13 pm)# 14 J Man says:
“What kind of structure does the battery pack have to protect if from any road debris that someone may encounter and are unable to avoid.”
The actual cells that the battery pack is composed of are fully enclosed in a hard case of some type (don’t know what material). And there may well be a cap/cover that gets bolted over the battery bay once the pack is installed (in fact I would be surprised if there isn’t such a thing). So the battery should be very well-protected from the environment and outside debris.
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Nov 6th, 2008 (5:14 pm)Did you know Pelosi, and exs, of Ford,GM an Chrysler are in a meeting in washington today trying to get another 25 billion dollar bailout and Fox news is saying they most likely will get it
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Nov 6th, 2008 (5:19 pm)#21 Grizzly – “So does this mean winter 2008 and 2009 and summer 2009 and 2010? That sure is cutting it close.”
He probably means summer for 2008 and 2009. But even if it’s not it should not be that big a deal. He’s talking about software changes to account for decision points, and unlike hardware which has to be retooled those changes can be made very quickly. In fact you’d hope they could be updated at a later point in time. For this car the bugs are definitely not going to be dead things on the windshield.
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Nov 6th, 2008 (5:57 pm)Go Borax! If GM has to half the 40 mule team…
There will be a 20 mule team! In the old days before CAD design was more trial and error. Anyway with computer analysis there may not be a need for so many mules. That way the delay before production would be less as there will not be a need for so many mules. Am I repeating myself?
Red HHR (perfect first time)
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Nov 6th, 2008 (6:24 pm)#18 statik:
You make an interesting point about fewer “mules” and less stress testing.
Some days ago we had a discussion about the electric Minis being leased at $850/month, I think with no guarantee that they could be bought at the end of the lease. Someone said that Mini/BMW is getting the public to pay to do some of their testing for them.
I think I said it then, but I’ll say it again. I would be willing to do that. A lot of people have volunteered to be “beta testers”, or whatever the term is. I said before that I would pay for the use of the car and do whatever interface I had to do with a local dealer to work out the bugs. I don’t expect free transportation, and I would be willing to pay that much to demonstrate my committment to GM and the Volt. It’s that important to me. Maybe they could do it via Onstar, LOL.
I bet I’m not alone. Come on GM, I double dawg dare ya!
At risk of screwing up the “Volt themed” thread, I’m bound to note that North Carolina has been called for Obama, raising the electoral total to I believe 364. So, as much as it scared superstitious me, you guys were actually too conservative! I can picture you all at the talking head counter at CNN in the next election cycle!
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Nov 6th, 2008 (6:33 pm)Just to be clear, crooks on Wall Street (an oxymoron to be sure) notwithstanding…your government created this crisis with horrible
policy mandates and we just sent these lunatics (Frank, Dodd, Pelosi) back to guard the chicken coop. Definition of insanity…keep doing the same thing and expect a different result. I’ll buy a Volt, just hope GM is still kickin’ in a couple years. I also bought GM stock. Just doin’ my part. We need smarter politicians.
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Nov 6th, 2008 (6:42 pm)That photo? That’s Frank Weber? He looks an awful lot like Andrew Farah.
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Nov 6th, 2008 (7:05 pm)Has anybody seen any spy video of the Cruze mules in action? Are they roving around the proving grounds?
I mean I’m all happy that the mules are humming around out there, but it’s not all THAT exciting unless we actually get a better peek at the action!
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Nov 6th, 2008 (7:05 pm)#26 noel park said “At risk of screwing up the “Volt themed” thread, I’m bound to note that North Carolina has been called for Obama, raising the electoral total to I believe 364. ”
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Screwing it up a little more:
NC is a big state geographically and the results had a notably uneven geographical distribution. In the urban areas with large black or Hispanic population, and in places with large universities, Obama won by big margins. In business locations especially to the west around Charlotte (but outside the central city) and it rural couties, results strongly favored McCain. There are several counties that have huge military bases, mostly near the coast, and these were heavily McCain. So adding all that up the ultimate outcome was very close statewide, but the vote in any one place was nowhere near the average.
A sort of funny aspect is that Obama and his party are likely to subsidize GM. Then GM will mostly produce trucks and SUVs, not Volts, and in NC the trucks and SUVs are going to be sold mainly in the regions that voted for McCain. (The Obama counties are those that predominantly buy Hondas and Toyotas.)
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Nov 6th, 2008 (7:39 pm)#30 RB:
If GM goes back to producing mostly trucks and SUVs, not Volts, it will either cease to exist, or downsize so radically as to be unrecognizable.
I said once before that there is clearly an underlying market for trucks for businesses who have to have them, and maybe for die hard trailer pullers. If GM can’t figure out how to make money selling cars, maybe it can just shrink town to be a truck company, serving this core market. But even then, the market will demand better fuel economy, and they have just cancelled the design effort for their next generation.
Even so, it would be tough. There is so much overcapacity to build trucks in the US that I can see GM, Ford, Chrysler an\d Toyota cutting each other’s throats forever. Somebody suggested that GM could merge with Chrysler and shut down Chrysler’s truck production. Who knows? Note that Nissan has announced that they are going to stop making their Silverado sized pickup and sell rebadged Dodges (if any). They clearly see the handwriting.
If GM takes billions of dollars in taxpayer “loans” and then pursues this strategy, then I will lose the last of my loyalty to them.
The first $25 billion was supposed to be for projects which were demonstrably related to retooling to produce high mileage cars. If all of that goes away in the face of this real or manufactured cash flow crisis, then they will have blown their last best chance for survival, and shame on everybody involved, including me.
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Nov 6th, 2008 (7:43 pm)Great work, Lyle.
I would be interested to know how many miles they accrue on these mules, and how much data they log.
At VoltNation I believe that one engineer mentioned that they had literally 100’s of GB of data from the early Malibu mules that initially had the small NiMH batteries. With these new Cruze-based mules, they must be accumulating a s*@tload of data.
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Nov 6th, 2008 (7:45 pm)Here is an interesting press release from GM about 10 years ago. Perhaps, this is one of the reasons why GM is in deep trouble:
http://evnut.com/docs/GM%20EV1%20press%20release%2002041998.pdf
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Nov 6th, 2008 (8:06 pm)#32 BillR:
I keep reading about “Cruze-based mules”, but didn’t they say that the Cruze was going to be delayed for some indefinite period? What’s up with that?
#33 Young:
Hold on a second while I wipe the tears off my face.
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Nov 6th, 2008 (8:31 pm)#31 noel park “If GM goes back to producing mostly trucks and SUVs, not Volts, it will either cease to exist, or downsize so radically as to be unrecognizable.”
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Yes, I hear you, and I’ve had some of the same thoughts. But, Obama/Pelosi are talking about subsidizing the GM of the here and now. GM as it is now mainly makes and sells (when they do) trucks and SUVS, though of course some cars. The bailout, for better or worse, bails out the present company (present workers) doing what they are doing now, not some future redesigned company.
I realize that the first $25B was supposed to be for retooling, but I think that under some pressure the federal agency writing the rules has made that a very loose sort of requirement, almost a vanishing one. I don’t think the subsequent $25B they are now discussing has any such linkage in it. It is just a corporate bailout for whatever purpose.
I know, it seems really strange to me too, but that is what is happening as I best understand it.
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Nov 6th, 2008 (8:37 pm)#31 noel park ==> following from WSJ online posted now. Not yet certain, but we can get the direction.
A spokesman for Rep. Pelosi said it was “premature” to speculate on what kind of assistance lawmakers might approve. Under one proposal the Democratic leaders are studying, the new loans would have few requirements attached to them, Michigan Sen. Debbie Stabenow said in an interview Wednesday. “It would be my hope that this would be done similar to other areas in the financial-recovery package, where it’s more of an open line of credit to be able to help them through this financial crisis,” she said.
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Nov 6th, 2008 (8:39 pm)Sounds great, nice informative update. Best of luck GM.
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Nov 6th, 2008 (8:46 pm)#33 Young — Thanks for the great link.
Interesting how the hybrid electric was said to be about as far (in time) from Feb 1998 as the Volt is from us, now.
The difference is, now we have Lyle.
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Nov 6th, 2008 (8:58 pm)Noel @ 26:
Being a beta tester would be about $10,000 per year at teh mini rate–with no equity or promise to buy out the vehicle at the end. I’m not sure that would fly…
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Nov 6th, 2008 (9:38 pm)What GM needs to do do is turn the Volt upside down early on during assembly and drop the battery in from above and do all the connections, then reverse the volt upright. Give me a call if your having any problems Frank.
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Nov 6th, 2008 (10:20 pm)Lyle: Time to update the FAQs answers. You still have A123, working with Continental, and a company called CPI working with LG Chem as possble battery suppliers.
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Nov 6th, 2008 (11:06 pm)# 33 Young, thank you for the interesting link. It makes me very sad to think where GM could be it that had stayed with that program.
I just hope GM’s old commodore 64’s are up to the task of getting the bugs out of the volt software systems on time. Also I sure hope those battery’s don’t start dropping out of the bottom of the volts like the engines did out of the Corvair’s. I’m not trying to be a smart ass I just want the Volt to be right when it gets to market. Go Volt
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Nov 6th, 2008 (11:15 pm)NPNS = No Plug No Sale = No Money
GM needs money = Start selling the 2-mode Plug-In VUE = Money
Money = Volt = More Money
I have $60K cash waiting to buy two Plug-In VUE and another $35K for the Volt. I’m not hording because I’m worried about the economy. I refuse to buy 1900’s automotive technology when I know 2000’s technology is available. I can hold on to my $60K indefinitely. Can GM continue to lose sales indefinitely?
Just remember,
NPNS!
NPNS!
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Nov 6th, 2008 (11:17 pm)Great interview!
I’m going on record today for buying $2500 in GM at $5.6 something a share, under a roth IRA account. Ain’t much, but it’s a high risk bet.
My reasoning is this:
1. Union members make up a larger portion of the democratic base than Republican base.
2. Even the Republicans probably wouldn’t let GM go bankrupt, but the democrats certainly won’t.
3. GM has a head start over the competition.
4. GM is motivated (to survive). The Volt is their ‘hail mary.’
5. GM is capable of delivering EREV vehicles before the competition.
6. Maybe GM could fail in America yet survive overseas, they’re global?
7. Liberals hate oil because of environmental reasons.
8. The dollar is low thus our exports are automatically more competitive.
I think GM is now a high risk / high payoff bet at its current price, but the financial fundamentals do look quite bad.
If I was a GM employee asked to take concessions, I’d ask for stock in return, especially in a roth account.
Death to oil – http://www.oiljihad.org
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Nov 6th, 2008 (11:40 pm)I’m not sure but are stocks in a state ran company worth anything?
As I said in an earlier post, Pelosi and all three auto makers were in a meeting today to discuss another 25 billion more in loans or bailout, Probably for merger and when they can’t pay back all this money because they are still building gas cars that they can’t sell, I know they are supposed to retool but they are still building big cars
I wish they would listen !!! NO PLUG NO SALE, LJGTVWOTR
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Nov 6th, 2008 (11:44 pm)hi The Anti-Oil Jihadi #44,
I like your bet on GM. Share prices should bounce between $5 and $7 for several months ahead depending on the news cycle. Seems it’s all bad right now. I am still calling for $8 by May 09. And teens a year after.
The problem right now is that there are about 50 other stocks that are a sure bet to double in a years time. I feel this is what will hold GM down for a while. I will name two. MEA & ICA
Best of luck to all involved in the YES WE CAN GM attitude.
=D~
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Nov 7th, 2008 (12:17 am)I’m worried about this. I hope this isn’t true for the sake of GM and getting the western world away dependence on countries that don’t like us much and enriching the same.
The source is shaky, but its out there:
http://jalopnik.com/5078988/rumor-gm-to-put-chevy-volt-program-on-hold-cut-engineering-staff-tomorrow
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Nov 7th, 2008 (12:59 am)The over/under on GM declaring bankruptcy is measured in months — it makes your rumours about putting the Volt / EV-2 on hold kinda moot.
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Nov 7th, 2008 (3:08 am)Parkington says,
Maybe Volt is part of Obama’s big energy plan to put a million plug-in “hybrids” by 2015. Maybe he’s ordering a million Volts from GM!
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There is a chance Obama will take this route. Simply bypass the labor and recordkeeping involved in a “rebate plan” and go directly with a fixed price to the public. This would fit his style of thinking. Which is: “Yes, get it done. Yes, don’t waste while doing it”.
Yes we can?
=D~
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Nov 7th, 2008 (5:09 am)hi Bearclaw #8,
Manufacturing job loss will affect the entire country, not just Detroit. We are all in this together and it’s time to help one another out.
____________________________________
Say you own a donut shop.
You hire a supervisor for $100,000 a year. And three bakers each at $10 per hour M-F , $20 per hour on Saturday, and $30 per hour on Sunday. You will be able to break even after selling your one millionth donut per year.
You are open for 5 years and sell only 50,000 per year. So you try to sprinkle the donut tops with sugar. Still another two years of 50,000 in sales. So you decide to fire 1 baker, but keep the supervisor. The next year shows a slowing of monthly loss, yet only 25,000 in sales.
At this point you walk to the City Counsel building to make a statement. “Sirs, my donut business cannot survive in the current economic environment. Please give me a loan to extend my operations for 2 more years.”
=D~
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Nov 7th, 2008 (5:15 am)You that think GM can’t go bankrupt should check out history. The America steel industry which was once one of the top industries in America is only a shadow of what it used to be. What GM needs to do is:
1. stop making cars they can’t sell
2. shed workers, both white and blue collar until they stop losing money.
3. get a new union agreement that puts wages more in line with Japans
and the government needs to pass new labor laws that allows companies like GM to survive. When or if GM starts generating profits, the brainless idiots from the UAW union will be demanding big settlements. This can’t be permitted.
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Nov 7th, 2008 (8:03 am)FYI,
Tech time
should be
Takt time
this is the beat rate of the cars coming down the production line. For example, the assembler must install one battery every 2 minutes, or something. Then the takt (pronounced tack) time is 2 minutes.
Also
a sort time scale.
perhaps is
a short time scale
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Nov 7th, 2008 (8:09 am)“…This is why we need two winters and two summers on the development work. Basically the software is on the platform. The real development work is on the trigger points. The temperature outside needs to be known, the battery temperature needs to be known. Many many things need to be known.”
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Come off with the 2 winter/summer baloney. If he is saying they need to run in the REAL world to get these points, then I am even more pessimistic then ever that GM is not going to get this thing off the ground.
SImulations and thermal chambers should allow you to develop nearly 99% of any scenario. Then you get everything working in theory, take the Volt outside and have at it. When I read between the lines I think I see where GM is going with this design….
“..Many things need to be known”
Well no crap. But if you have experience with most of it (the environmental variables have been around for ever) then you should be close. You do not reinvent the wheel for this car (no pun intended, though it does make me laugh). I understand that this car will have some unique software alogrithms and will be a first for some things, but this is not the Apollo mission.
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Nov 7th, 2008 (8:25 am)Good morning,
Is everyone ready for a fun day? lol. Ford is out first.
Quarterly loss of 129 million….HELLO EX-SPECIAL ITEMS, I’m sure no one will read down further in the report, lol!
This number means ‘jack-squat,’ companies manipulate, companies deceive. Ford actually lost 2.98 BILLION, they pulled the same trick as GM, (when GM filed that 8-K a few weeks ago)…ie) booking ‘profits’ from shifting health care liabilities
What companies can’t hide, and the only thing that matters for a company this type of situation/market, is the cash burn. For Ford, that number is 7.7 BILLION.
Ford did actually PAY for a debt that came due in the quarter and some was used to offset incentives to pay for financing, which they no longer do (at least at the moment). Looking ahead, probably cash burn is in the 3-4 billion/quarter range.
A 3-4 billion loss per quarter in this economy is not as bad as it would seem. Ford has alot more cash reserves/access that that of its peers. They are still saying they are ok into 2011…which is more automaker optimistic double talk, but they are certainly good through to the end (or close to the end) of 2009.
Any direct news on knee-jerk reaction to numbers? Not much. They are cutting 2,500 jobs (about 10% more) from management…which is on top of the 15% they just did. Also they are dropping Q4 production by 40,000 more vehicles…more than they announced, oh–like, 6 weeks ago, lol (at the time that cut was for about 170K).
They are still droning on about offering early retirement packages to blue-collar workers, but that ship has saled. The people left are not taking the deals anymore, these people have decided that having a job or having the chance to keep your job is better than getting a one time fat check. I guess they are looking at their prospective job choices when they leave the automaker.
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Nov 7th, 2008 (8:25 am)50 Dave K
I could not agree more with your analogy.
Everyone wants to make this whole bailout business a complex issue with so many interwoven issues, that no mere mortal may understand. But in reality it is as simple as your analogy, and no more.
Once you set the precedent you will never stop the bleeding, but unfortunately the precedent has been set.
NBA: No Bailouts Allowed! period. end of discussion. Nada. Never.
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Nov 7th, 2008 (8:28 am)Statik
…but that ship has saled.
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Well maybe that ship has “saled”, or maybe they should sell the ship also
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Nov 7th, 2008 (8:42 am)Help !!! My posts with a link to :
Media Advisory: GM Q3-2008 Financial Results to be published Nov. 7
on the blog of GMeurope info/social media newsroom
cannot be posted. Moderation is still on ?
I’m particularly disturbed by such an announcement.
NPNS !! and sorry if my previous postings reappear.
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Nov 7th, 2008 (10:08 am)All the hardware is designed, integrated and tested in computers well before anything is manufactured or physically assembled so that greatly speeds up the hardware cycle and reduces time and cost. Mules are needed only to VERIFY the computer designs for hardware. The software and CAD engineers are VERY good so there will be few physical adjustments needed in the cruise mules.
The software is also designed and tested virtually, but the final adjustments need to be made using REAL data and not just VIRTUAL data and that’s why mules are needed for final tweaking of the set points for heating & cooling the pack etc.
GM knows that current gas prices will rise sharply once the FIAT dollar unwinds from the world market as it dies as the world’s reserve currency. They also realize that the future power source for cars will be electric and that E-Flex will be a huge part of that future due to range anxiety. This is why they refuse to cancel the Volt project.
If GM stay’s solvent through the coming economic collapse (yes, we just stated the process and more dollar liquidity/debt will only exasperate the problem), we WILL have Volts in 2011. How many, at what final retail price, and will there be anyone with enough credit to buy one is anyone’s guess.
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Nov 7th, 2008 (10:52 am)Like the error..seems egotistical where Lyle asks if its ” …finally engineered..” and he answers “Finely Engineered…”
LOL
(ok maybe just me…but LOL)
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Nov 7th, 2008 (11:14 am)In the early days of WWII, aircraft like the P-51 Mustang were built on the assembly line as it was in the final stages of design. They would bolt in an engine and fly it. Note the deficiencies, tweak the other planes on the line, then fly the next one. Once they had confidence it could perform close to spec, they cranked-up the assembly line. The early planes were underpowered and had their engines updated and replaced later. Having a do-or-die deadline focuses the mind like no other motivator can! I think GM’s burn rate of cash is forcing that focus even sharper than before. Even if GM goes under, there are great deal of assets (and IP) to be put to use. At this point, if GM goes under before the Volt is released, someone will snatch-up the assets and intellectual property for pennies on the dollar and make it happen. I think the Volt will happen with or without the existing GM.
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Nov 7th, 2008 (11:25 am)IN other news,, the Tesla was ranked as the number 2 invention for 2008,and the Chevy Volt #7
http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/completelist/0,,1852747,00.html
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Nov 7th, 2008 (11:53 am)Wow.
Just read that Toyota stock has dropped to about $39.00 a share (3810 Yen right now, from the high near $75.
I know it is better than GM, but shows how bad the market is right now, add the fact that Toy is extending 0% financing…man..401k plans are at a point where we may owe it money…
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Nov 7th, 2008 (12:13 pm)BobC #60 said:
“Having a do-or-die deadline focuses the mind like no other motivator can!”
That’s true but those were different times, the manufacturers didn’t have to worry about multi-billion dollar lawsuits if .01 percent of their planes caught on fire after an accident or multi-million dollar lawsuits if their coffee cup holders were used improperly
.
I note, in case anyone is interested, that estimates for torts litigation in the US were as high as $260billion per annum (in 2005), or around 2% of GDP (Tillinghast Towers Perrin, 2005 update – interestingly but not surprisingly, this study was referred to as a “phoney” study by the Association of Trial Lawyers of America). Other comprehensive estimates, inclusive of social (and accounting costs) place the true cost at more than three times this amount ($865billion; Pacific Research Institute – see Jackpot Justice – study available for down load at http://www.legalreforminthenews.com/PRI_JJ/07PRI_JackpotJustice_Launch.html ).
This stuff will be seen by history as one of the nails in the coffin of American productivity and industrial leadership – what a waste.
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Nov 7th, 2008 (12:25 pm)#59 Mitch “finally”… “finely”
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Yes, I saw that too. LOL.
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Nov 7th, 2008 (12:31 pm)WSJ now says
[GM] burned through $6.9 billion in cash during the quarter and said estimated liquidity the rest of the year “will approach the minimum amount necessary to operate.” GM, even with its latest planned restructuring efforts, estimated liquidity is seen falling “significantly short” of those levels.
Significantly short, in 2008, I think.
There is discussion of cutbacks in NA, but Volt is not directly mentioned.
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Nov 7th, 2008 (1:29 pm)Maybe I am missing something, but…
Instead of testing in actual winters and summers, couldn’t GM just adjust the indoor climate of the development room. I don’t think it would be too expensive. Perhaps the concern is whether you could recreate realistic winter and summer conditions?
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Nov 9th, 2008 (11:39 pm)Too bad GM was playing around with Hummer instead of thinking of the future. Now they are begging to congress for money. What a bunch of losers!
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Nov 10th, 2008 (3:31 am)#13 Grant
Unless we have a REALLY big computer issue…
“Open the blasted door!”
“I’m sorry, Dave. I can’t do that…”
Don’t worry Grant, that only happened because the government got involved and issued a separate set of instructions to HAL and . . .
/Oh boy, we’re so screwed.
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Nov 14th, 2008 (2:47 pm)DELETE THE GAS ENGINE INSTALL RING GEAR ON REAR WHEEL RIM PINION ON GENERATOR SHAFT WHEEL ROTATION CHARGES BATTERY OPTIMUM GEAR RATIOS REQED CONSIDER FULL CHARGE AFTER 20 TRAVEL MILES AND 20 MPH THE GEN KICKS IN KEEPING BATTERY CHARGED FOR EXTENDED RANGE CARS MOMENTUM AT 20 MPH + KINETIC ENERY AT WORK
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