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GM Aims to ‘Wow’ Customers With Seamless and Intuitive Chevy Volt Driving Experience

March 16th, 2009 | Posted in: Engineering, Features, Original GM-Volt Interviews, Prototypes

People who follow the Volt development closely know that GM has about 35 mules clad in Chevy Cruze bodies. These have been undergoing extensive continuous daily testing for months. By the summer we will see the arrival of the first full Volt interior and exterior prototypes, and likely begin to see public test drives.

I had the chance to ask Jon Lauckner who is GM’s VP of global program management what has been happening with control development on the current Volt mules.

GM has already “laid out all of the concepts that we want to use and written a lot of the preliminary code,” said Lauckner. He notes the car’s behavior “has to be software driven” and that all the code has already been “put into our mule cars and we’re evaluating and testing it.”

GM has apparently figured out most of how the vehicle will behave. “I would say that conceptually we’re most of the way there if not all of the way there,” in terms of behavioral programming said Lauckner, “but there’s a lot of work to be done still to make sure that the whole thing operates seamlessly.”

Lauckner feels it is imperative GM makes this car absolutely perfect. He said “we need an experience where people say ‘Wow’ this is really something special. These guys have put a lot of thought into the technology, a lot of thought into the interface between me as a driver and how the car behaving that it tells me the kind of information I need know when I need to know it and that it operates very intuitively.”

“That’s the level of refinement that requires very little explanation for people to understand exactly what going on,” he said.

He says having the car operate completely intuitively and with very little driver explanation is “the reason why we do development.” He says GM really has to “love this thing a little bit to make sure that you not only get it that it actually works but you get it working in such a way that its completely intuitive.”

As to why this development process seems so long to us he said “we need the time with the car and we need the time over a wide variety of conditions to simulate certain things, so that we can see just exactly how the car is going to behave and what sort of information the driver is going to get to make sure everything works in as seamless a way as we can possibly make it.”

Posted by: Lyle

170 Responses to “GM Aims to ‘Wow’ Customers With Seamless and Intuitive Chevy Volt Driving Experience”

Gsned57 Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 6:27 am

#1 Sweet

I think they are %100 correct. If this car is supposed to change the way car buyers feel about GM it better come off perfect. It can’t reinforce the notion that American quality is inferior to Toyota and Honda. Good luck GM, Although I want my EV yesterday and may vent a little that it’s taking so long I want the volt to succeed. Take your time and get it done right

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charlie h Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 6:33 am

The process takes so long because they must avoid experiences like this:

http://www.greenhybrid.com/discuss/f69/tahoe-yukon-hybrid-problems-brake-loss-service-traction-control-service-stabilitrak-21103/

at all costs.

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NZDavid Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 6:50 am

Well, I’ve said said it before, and I will say it again.

GM really needs to get Lyle Dennis behind the wheel of a mule, like NOW

And then the production version. . .

I really don’t know how to say it simpler than this.

PS: GM last year I saw our PM and spent FIVE minutes of a 35 minute appointment talking about the Volt and the need for EV friendly legislation. I will simply NOT put my neck on the line again, until Lyle gets his drive. Don’t take too long, I’m setting up an appointment with the Energy Minister soon.

Still good to read Volt related news, don’t mean to sound too grumpy, but I missed the first of Flight of the Conchords new season tonight. Grrrh.

LJGTVWOTR
NO Plug, NO sale.

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Rashiid Amul Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 6:57 am

They are exactly right. This car has to be perfect.

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Rashiid Amul Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 6:59 am

NZDavid,

Wait. You had a private meeting with your Prime Minister?
How well connected are you, my friend?

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RB Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 7:01 am

The post says ” By the summer we will see the arrival of the first full Volt interior and exterior prototypes, and likely begin to see public test drives.”
——————————————————-

Now just to be clear on the timing, does “By the summer” mean summer of 2009 or summer of 2010? And does “summer” mean “start of summer” (say around June) or “end of summer” (around October)? (smile here)

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Dave G Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 7:03 am

Great news.

Lyle, thanks for a wonderful site.

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RB Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 7:07 am

Not to be skeptical or anything, but I am wondering if the text GM has already “laid out all of the concepts that we want to use and written a lot of the preliminary code,” said Lauckner means that GM has actually done anything, or just thought about what they are going to do when they resume working on the Volt.

I know that Mr Lauckner often speaks with elusive wording, kind of the opposite of Frank Weber, so interpretation of Lauckner commentary is anything but straightforward.

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Dave G Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 7:13 am

From the article: Lauckner feels it is imperative GM makes this car absolutely perfect.
————————————————————————————–
The more I look the Volt’s charge port cover design, the more it scares me. See here for video of current charge port design:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXD30uA1th0

With the current Volt charge port design, I think there will be many problems plugging in outside during the winter. It may even be a problem in the rain over time. It looks as though the Volt charge port was designed only for charging in garages.

Where I live, people have garages, but many of them are filled with stuff, and most cars are parked in driveways. We get a lot of wet snow and freezing rain in the winter. How is that going to work?

If GM wants the Volt to be perfect, the charge port has to be re-designed to work outside in the snow or freezing rain.

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Dave B Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 7:36 am

Guys, perfect is a tall order. What first gen vehicle is perfect? Ugh, just get this thing into production without a bankruptcy please…

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Tagamet Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 7:44 am

NZDAVID
Best of luck with the upcoming meeting! I know the last one was a challenge, but it sounds like you’re wearing them down. Keep up the great work.
Be well,
Tag
PS Rashiid – Nzdavid has low friends in high places (g). Seriously he’s “A VOICE” in his country.

LJGTVWOTR!! NPNS WORLD Energy Independence day 4/7/2010

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Tagamet Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 8:00 am

RE “perfect”:

I think that the Volt has to be as close to perfect as any high end car. It CAN’T be perfect – nothing is, but it needs to be operationally bullet-proof (even a vest leaves a heck of a mark), but, seperate from that needs to make NO new demands on the driver (which I think is the point of the article (Intuitive= code for “in no need for thought or action from the driver).
JMO,
Be well,
Tag
LJGTVWOTR!! NPNS World Energy Independence Day 4/7/2010 (or 9/12/2010)

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Rashiid Amul Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 8:11 am

Dave G # 9
We get a lot of wet snow and freezing rain in the winter. How is that going to work?

——–
Agreed. I think freezing rain will seal that door nice and tight.

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john1701a Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 8:12 am

It looks as though the Volt charge port was designed only for charging in garages.
_______________________________

My car is routinely covered with a coating of wet salt & sand during the winter. That normal in Minnesota. So even in the garage, there’s still a problem. How that’s dealt with should be interesting.

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Dave G Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 8:22 am

The cover for the plug port should be similar to the cover for the gas cap – a relatively loosely fitting 5″ door with an inside hinge. Under that, there should be another flap or twist cap that covers the plug contacts. The outer door should have a small notch along the bottom so that it can be closed over the extension cable to protect from the elements when charging. This type of design seems really obvious to me.

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Joe Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 8:23 am

Dave G Says:@9

“The more I look the Volt’s charge port cover design, the more it scares me. See here for video of current charge port design:”

*******************************************************************************

This design might not be what will end up on the car. Besides, if GM can build the rest of the Volt, I have faith they will build a well design charge port.
So rest your fear.

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Eco Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 8:28 am

Perfect and GM…I’ll hold my tongue.

The point of the Volt is to win back customers that, like me, had horrific experiences with prior GM products. So in one sense they are right, it has to work better than anything on the market. Not as good, it must be better, because it’s new.

Now GM needs to take their “open and honest approach” to the service department.

Anyone looking to buy a Volt should be able to look at real data on repairs, online, to see how the car is performing compared to a Cruz or a Maxima or whatever, on a running cost of ownership basis.

Claims of any US carmaker of having closed the reliability gap can be closed with one and only one thing: REAL data. Not consumer reports, not the consumer survey they talk about on their ads. I want REAL data that the company itself stands behind.

The underlying reason? To undermine the dealership that lives to rob you blind.

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sudhaman Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 8:35 am

ha ha ha we are going to have the prototype soon but GM must use those batteries made by MIT. that could make volt biggest success not only in america but also throughout the world

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old man Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 8:50 am

I do think there must be something about the charging port that protects it from the elements. [sure didn't see what it was in the video] Just seems to me that somebody in the design dept. had to have experienced a Detroit winter.
Regarding a test drive for Lyle, AGREED! But if you really want to test the systems, donate one to a high school drivers ed class for a couple of weeks followed by a bunch of 17 year old boys for another couple of weeks, I’m sure it can be toed afterwords.

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statik Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 8:57 am

#6 RB said:

Now just to be clear on the timing, does “By the summer” mean summer of 2009 or summer of 2010? And does “summer” mean “start of summer” (say around June) or “end of summer” (around October)? (smile here)
========================
Your so cynical RB. I mean really, your posts are always so negative, hehe.

It is kinda amusing how we now just have this loose ’summer’ goal for the prototype…I guess after orginally saying late 07, then mid 08, then ’soonish’ from Wagoner at the 2008 annual meeting, they are getting a little tired of missing the deadlines.

I think you are also right about this comment showing the lack of progress—”I would say that conceptually we’re most of the way there if not all of the way there…but there’s a lot of work to be done still to make sure that the whole thing operates seamlessly” I mean we are like 19-20 months to production? Not good.

As far as I can tell everything everywhere at GM has stopped the day after the Q3 board meeting, including the Volt. The mules themselves are the perfect example, there was supposed to be 50 of them, 1 per week made until the year’s end, but no new mules were made almost to the day of that meeting. SInce then all we have had is delays and cancellations of various steps (and other GM projects).

I’m not saying this is the wrong move for them, GM really doesn’t know where it is right now, or how to go forward. Hopefully this whole gov’t bailout/C11 thing actually gets decided in 15 days (march 31st deadline) and we can avoid playing the game of ‘what did he really mean when he said that’. We just have to sit tight.

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NZDavid Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 8:58 am

Rashiid @5, Tagamet @11.

Not that well connected it took five months to get the meet! I only did it because Lyle was urging us to get in touch with our senator/congressman and push EV’s. The purpose of the meeting was to talk about energy, and the Volt just fitted in.

Sometimes I feel like ‘the voice’ over here!

/sigh, still only 8 here on the wait list so my chances for a Holden Volt look pretty good, me thinks. hehe.

PS: Recession over for me, I have a new job. Not developing wind farms, and pays less, but still it’s income.

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maharguitar Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 8:58 am

Control system software is very finicky and can drive you insane. The typical process is to develop software models for each of the physical components. You develop your control code using these models. Once they are working, you try it on real hardware and then you try to figure out why the real thing behaves so differently from the software models. Often the models do not exactly represent the actual components and you have to adjust them.

For example, the control input to power curve of an electric motor might have a slight flat spot in the middle. But that flat spot might be at different power outputs for different motors. You then have to adjust your control code to deal with this variation in a way that the user won’t notice. So now your nice elegant algorithm has an exception in it for that pesky flat spot. But alas, the flat spot moves if it is cold and rainy.

You go to your motor engineers and ask if they can do anything about that flat spot and you are likely to get “What flat spot?” as an answer. You show them your data and they say “No one would ever feel such a slight variation in the power”. In the mean time, your test drivers as saying “Why does it keep losing power near 3000 RPM?”. So, you write some code that continuously characterizes the performance of the motors and automatically adjust the control software. The test drivers come back and say. “The performance was great yesterday and now that its raining the performance is crap for the first 10 minutes until the car figures out that its cold out”. You go to the designers and ask. “Can I have an outside temperature, pressure and humidity sensors?”. They’ll say, sure if you want to add $250 to the price of the car.

I made this story up but is does reflect the sort of things that control engineers have to go through. The aviation guys have been working on the for decades and sometimes airplanes still to weird things. My favorite is when the F22 fighters first tried to fly from Hawaii to Okanawa and had to turn back because the planes had never flown across the international date line before and the nav system went all weird. This led the fleet command to comment that we had the best figher in the western hemisphere.

So. Don’t be surprised if the control software is the gating item for the Volt. Expect to get regular updates from your OnStar system even after the car is released. Fortunately, everybody gets on year of OnStar with their purchase price.

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NZDavid Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 9:04 am

Statik & RB

Summer here starts in November so they have plenty of time. Heck its only just gone Autumn.

maharguitar, we don’t get onstar in NZ, so they will have to have a manual system of updates as well.

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statik Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 9:05 am

SIde note:

Just seen a ditty on CNBC with GM, thought I would pass it along. They had Tony Clarke on (President of NA operations), he says that march sales are tracking ‘about the same’ as january and february.

He also reiterated that the additional money GM requested from the gov’t would be adequate to get them through if it stabilizes at 11 million vehicles sold in NA, but it is around 9.5, GM would leave the door open for more money…and he said they were going to do ‘everything’ to increase sales in Q2 (not sure what that means).

As FYI, the SAAR is tracking at about 9 million annualized units so far in 2009, so I believe he was coming on tv to prime the market a bit.

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Todd Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 9:06 am

Lyle, is GM putting together an emergency response team for the release of the Volt? They have so much riding on this car that I would think they would have a team ready for anything that may go wrong. Since this is new technology, I wouldn’t mind if something went wrong if they responded quickly to resolve it. If I have to wait for a dealer to figure out what to do and my Volt is setting around doing nothing for weeks while a solution is found to whatever problem, well that would pretty much kill an future GM purchases.

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Bob Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 9:06 am

In the article title, did you mean to write “Seamless and Intuitive?” Methinks “Seemless” is a typo…

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Edwin Mang Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 9:13 am

It seems that this whole financial meltdown has some very good return . The thrill of victory and some sour memorys . But the number of loosers are few . I may even be able to purchase a new Volt . ( Just on the return on my GM stock ) Now if we can just get GMAC to sell some of the loans on cars to the banks we can get this flight off the ground . Lighten the load OK .

God Bless

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maharguitar Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 9:14 am

GM definitely has a quality perception problem that is going to take a lot more than the Volt to fix.

I remember reading in a car magazine some time in the early 90’s about the NUMMI plant in California. This plant is a joint venture between GM and Toyota. They were making Toyota Tercels and Chevy Novas on the same line. The difference between these two cars was almost zero. Just the shape of the body panels and some trim were different.

The repair rate, lemon law returns and customer satisfaction numbers numbers were drastically different, however. It turns out that the Chevy earned a 3 in customer satisfaction while the Toyota earned a 5. If I recall correctly, the article said that customers would view the things that failed on the Chevy as yet another example of shoddy American workmanship but they would view the same things failing in the Toyota as “Oh well, sometimes cars break”.

I tried to do a Google search to reference the article and couldn’t find anything. I read it a long time ago and I don’t remember which magazine it was or much else about who wrote it.

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NZDavid Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 9:15 am

Statik, so what you really mean to say is; the chances of sales going up 30% for the last three quarters of the year is about as good as AIG giving up bonuses for the year?

Go GSB, go VOLT.

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DonC Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 9:18 am

RB & statik – On the schedule.

GM is right on schedule. The announced plan has always been that the drive train and the exterior would meet in the summer of 2009. As for the software, the longer the actual coding takes the worse the development process. If you do it right you spend 2/3 of the time planning it and 1/3 writing it. At this point I think this will not be an issue. They can tweak this right up to the summer of 2010 and they probably will.

As for stopping at the end of the Q3, that is incorrect. As I’ve mentioned before, there were interviews with guys working in the new production section and they said that other than the Volt there wasn’t anything going on. When the President keeps talking about the introduction of your new car you don’t stop working on it.

In a related vein, check out the NY Times for an interesting article on the GM situation. (Can’t post the links they get eaten but go to Autos). Apparently the bondholders and the Administration are playing chicken. The bondholders don’t want to convert the notes to stock because they think Obama won’t go the bankruptcy route. The UAW won’t make any more concessions until the bondholders do. (BTW the addition of the bankruptcy lawyer is said to be “coincidental — or is that conincidental” in that he was being consulted before). But in either case the outlines of the reorganization are being thrashed out and, one way or another, it will get worked out. (The biggest delay would be the union contract and if the UAW is on board then a bankruptcy could be a quick process if there is DIP financing).

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statik Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 9:20 am

#3 NZDavid said:

PS: GM last year I saw our PM and spent FIVE minutes of a 35 minute appointment talking about the Volt and the need for EV friendly legislation. I will simply NOT put my neck on the line again, until Lyle gets his drive. Don’t take too long, I’m setting up an appointment with the Energy Minister soon.
————————
#23 NZDavid said: Statik & RB

Summer here starts in November so they have plenty of time. Heck its only just gone Autumn.
===================

By the way Dave, did you see this weeks FOTC? The Prime Minister of New Zealand decided to start ‘New Zealand Town’ in New York (ala Little Italy)…it was mostly just Gary the Sheep, but also featured Lucy Lawless, lol. Not a bad episode.

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SteveK Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 9:20 am

This reminds me of the attitude that Steve Jobs has always possessed and has ingrained in the culture of Apple. Of course one cannot assume this is now general at GM—but if there are enough people with that attitude developing the volt (especially the leadership) then we really might see something terrific. It will be a long road back for GM, but this is what is needed to get started on it.

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DonC Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 9:24 am

NZDavid — Congrats on the new job. That didn’t take any time!

Dave G – Not seeing the issue with the plug. It’s recessed and the sliding cover keeps things very protected when the car is on the road. Maybe this is because of my experience in Alaska. There the weather is bad, plugs were often outside, all the plugs were exposed, and no one ever had a problem. My question would be whether the slider might get stuck.

Tagamet — Nice to hear from the father of LJGTVWOTR!

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Tim Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 9:26 am

Act in haste, repent in leisure!

GM only has ONE shot at this. If they screw it up, Voltec and GM are DEAD.

No more crappy GM cars… EVER!

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John C. Briggs Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 9:27 am

Seem´less
a. 1. Unseemly.

seam·less (smls)
adj.
1. Having no seams: seamless stockings.
2. Perfectly consistent: a seamless plot in the novel.

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Jim I Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 9:27 am

Software can and will be tweaked up until the very last minute. And as maharguitar #22 said. There will be updates on a regular basis, once the real world drivers get their hands on the vehicles.

That is why I think it would be smart for GM to sell the first units to customers that really will understand that they will be beta testers, and will put up with a few bugs in the system, as long as they are taken care of quickly…. Can you imagine the damage if some snooty movie star “diva” went on TV and bad mouthed the Volt, just because on some small software bug that was actually fixed the next day after the error report came in?

I truly believe that the people here on Lyle’s list would be the best first adopters of the Volt technology for GM. Think about it GM, OK???

Go GM! Go GM Volt Team!!!

NPNS

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NZDavid Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 9:36 am

Statik says By the way Dave, did you see this weeks FOTC? The Prime Minister of New Zealand decided to start ‘New Zealand Town’ in New York (ala Little Italy)…it was mostly just Gary the Sheep, but also featured Lucy Lawless, lol. Not a bad episode.

Nope, I missed last nights episode.

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MarkinWI Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 9:37 am

Statik @#31/ NZ David – Wait a second. I watched “Wingmen” on Saturday night. We had “NZtown” last week. We must get stuff a week ahead of you guys. No wonder you Commonwealthers hate the U.S. Our companies steal your talent and then we add insult to injury by giving you the episodes a week late.

BTW – I won’t wreck “Wingmen” for you. There were a couple of truly priceless moments there.

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Van Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 9:39 am

Translation, we are slow-playing the Volt development because the program might get cut in Chapter 11.

Translation, we are making the perfect the enemy of the adequate.

Translation, we must make the Volt as seamless as the Prius.

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Adrian Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 9:45 am

The snarky comment is, if they are going for perfect on the Volt, what is their standard goal for other cars? How less than perfect have they been shooting for all these years?

The goal should always be perfect. If you aim low you get what you aim for. I am not saying you will ever get 100% correct, but it is a mind set from beginning to end.

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statik Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 9:45 am

#30 DonC siad:

RB & statik – On the schedule.

GM is right on schedule. The announced plan has always been that the drive train and the exterior would meet in the summer of 2009. As for the software, the longer the actual coding takes the worse the development process. If you do it right you spend 2/3 of the time planning it and 1/3 writing it. At this point I think this will not be an issue. They can tweak this right up to the summer of 2010 and they probably will.

As for stopping at the end of the Q3, that is incorrect. As I’ve mentioned before, there were interviews with guys working in the new production section and they said that other than the Volt there wasn’t anything going on. When the President keeps talking about the introduction of your new car you don’t stop working on it.
========================
Sorry, going to have to disagree here Don. GM is right on schedule? GM has done nothing but miss deadlines. We are over two years in– all we have a couple dozen shells with a misfunctioning electric drive system…and production is supposed to begin in like 18 months. How could they have done less?

The plan was not always to have the first working prototype for summer of 2009, remember this thread?:

“GM Reiterates 2010 Target Launch Date/ Working Prototype By End of 2007″
http://gm-volt.com/2007/03/06/gm-reiterates-2010-target-launch-date/

You think when GM started out they penciled in a date of just 12 months before production was to begin to have the first working production intent prototype?

Also, I am not saying that people on the Volt project have stopped coming in to work…or they have stopped testing…or fidgeting around the office since that Q3 meeting, they are keeping themselves busy, and doing what they can.

What I said was anything real, physical has stopped. ie) anything that costs money has stopped. They cancelled building out mules to the year’s end as soon as that meeting was done (supposed to go to Christmas break and 50 units), they fired all the contract engineers in Warren, they cancelled the engine factory they had committed to only a couple months before, and they have done nothing, in any respect to actually produce the Volt with relation to any production capacity…the Hamtramck assembly line is still just a junk heep.

All they have done is put out a detail-less press release saying they chose a battery guy, and they are going to use the same wheel guy they always do.

I’m also not saying this is not the right thing for them to do at this stage…they need clarity before actually dumping off a billion dollars on the project (and they need the billion dollars as well, lol)

/as always though…time will tell all tales

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statik Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 9:50 am

#38 MarkinWI said:

Statik @#31/ NZ David – Wait a second. I watched “Wingmen” on Saturday night. We had “NZtown” last week. We must get stuff a week ahead of you guys. No wonder you Commonwealthers hate the U.S. Our companies steal your talent and then we add insult to injury by giving you the episodes a week late.

BTW – I won’t wreck “Wingmen” for you. There were a couple of truly priceless moments there.
———————————
Actually, I was pretty ill there for a few days, I just watched over the weekend on demand…haven’t queued up this weeks…yet.

/glad to here it is a good one, anymore karaoke? lol
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNvCso5HgRE

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Tagamet Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 9:53 am

DonC@33 said in small part:

“…Tagamet — Nice to hear from the father of LJGTVWOTR!”

Thank-you, kind Sir.
ALWAYS here in spirit, most often physically, too.
Be well,
Tag
LJGTVWOTR!!**********NPNS**********World Energy Independence Day 4/7/2010 (or 9/12/2010)

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statik Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 9:55 am

#30 DonC
#41 statik (me)

Re: schedules and other stuff
————-
I really didn’t want to go down that road, sorry to the rest of the board on that one. I should have just let my post in #20 stand by itself, it said enough. (somehow my edit function seems to have disappeared this week)

/nothing to see…please continue on
(=

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StevePA Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 10:01 am

#21 NZDavid

Congrats on landing the new gig, and so quickly.

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NZDavid Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 10:01 am

FOTC Tour Tue, 21& 22 Apr 8 pm Massey Hall Toronto.
For those that live near there.

/What was this thread about again?

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k-dawg Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 10:12 am

@Statik regarding “all work has stopped since Q3″

My company just shipped equipment to Hamtramck last week. And from talking with the GM install person who was at our plant doing the startup, all of the engineers are “extremely busy” working on the Volt line. My company was also recently bidding on part of the project for the Volt Family 0 engine. We ended up not losing the bid to a competitor, but I have to believe they working on it.

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MarkinWI Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 10:15 am

Statik @#42 – There are some priceless Mel moments. I will say no more.

NZ David @#46 – Um, there are Volt’s disguised as Cruzes. GM is on schedule, or not. Slow is good, or not.

Congrats on the job. Wind power in NZ’s time will come. Wasn’t there some problem with hydro power coming up short on the South Island last year because water levels were too low? The Otago has more wind than could ever be captured. Thought I was going to get blown off the hilltop at St. John’s Observatory and sent down into the lake. Oh, well. Enjoy the skiing season.

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RB Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 10:15 am

#20 statik says
Your so cynical RB. I mean really, your posts are always so negative, hehe.
——————————————————

It’s because I’ve had such a good tutor. (smile)

Remember that in the greatest American sport (baseball) one of the more unusual aspects is that when one’s own side is at bat, one has a couple of dozen other people just sitting and watching the other side, looking at every little detail of how they stand and lean and talk, thinking that what they do once, they might do again. Fascinating, and can be applied to more than baseball too.

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N Riley Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 10:18 am

Time spent by GM now will save time and dollars later. GM knows that it must get this car right or they will turn off a large portion of their market. They have a lot of convincing to do. The Volt, if done correctly, will go a long way towards changing people’s minds about
GM. Of course, there will always be some that will hate GM for their own particular reasons no matter what GM does. It is just human nature to hate something for whatever reason. If a person has a reason to hate or just dislike an auto company, they ought to really reexamine their thinking. Auto companies are not evil. They are just trying to do the best job they can. The problem with some auto companies, including GM, is that they let the bottom line rule when it is the customer they should be thinking of more than how much money they can make. If you satisfy your customers, the money will come in more and more sales. Just ask Toyota and Honda.

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RB Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 10:18 am

#21 NZDavid —> Great congratulations on the new job!

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NZDavid Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 10:36 am

MarkinWI @ 48 says: Congrats on the job. Wind power in NZ’s time will come. Wasn’t there some problem with hydro power coming up short on the South Island last year because water levels were too low?
Yes you are correct, we had a massive problem with Hydro last year. the seasonal variability is about 20% compared with wind at 10%.

In May we instituted massive load shedding measures which was effective in reducing demand.

Thank God, we didn’t have to tell 1 million new EV owners to go easy!
http://www.electricityinfo.co.nz/comitFta/ftaPage.hydrology

EDIT: Thanks RB.

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noel park Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 10:48 am

#5 Rashiid Amul:

Yeah, I can’t even get an appointment with the dog catcher, LOL. If one can’t be influential, the next best thing is to have influential friends. Even if they are on “The Far Side Of the World”.

#12 NZDavid:

Let me add my good wishes as well. Best news I’ve heard today. I daresay it gives us all a bit of a boost in morale.

#36 Jim I:

Second the motion.

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Texas Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 10:50 am

Who were all those posters a while back that said the software was the easy part? Not if you want it to drive well and not behave like an electric bumper car.

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RB Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 10:59 am

#54 Texas says Who were all those posters a while back that said the software was the easy part? Not if you want it to drive well and not behave like an electric bumper car.
————————————————

Actually what I remember of the posts here is that most were saying how difficult perfecting the software was going to be, considering the multiple interactions in the system. A few were optimistic about developing 1st gen software that worked and then perfecting some of the more complex functions over time.

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noel park Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 11:00 am

As to the car being “intuitive”, I sure hope so. One thing I hate about most newer cars and light trucks is that they seem to add layers of gee-whiz complication just to show that they can.

We have a one ton pickup with about 6 different routines you can program for the central locking, ditto for turning the lights on and off, instant gas mileage readout (you don’t want to know), and so on and so on. I hate it. Somebody has to spend manhours to design and develop this stuff. All consumer products seem to continually trend in this direction. Then you get a thick set of instructions which you have to pore through to figure out how to use stuff you didn’t need in the first place. Spare me. There was a great Dilbert strip about this very issue this weekend.

KISS, Simplicate And Add Lightness, What Ain’t There Don’t Give You No Trouble. Words to live by Volt designers.

Maybe I’ll start signing myself LtJackSparrow!

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N Riley Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 11:11 am

#9 Dave G

Thanks for the link to the video. I did notice one thing GM (or who ever supplied the people for the video) did. The people looked like they were about 5′ to 5′ 2″ tall. Real short men and women to make the Volt look bigger than it really is. Interesting, but common, marketing tool. Make you product look longer, wider and taller than it actually is. Anyone else notice that?

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N Riley Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 11:19 am

I think the charge port is a neat idea. Problem is that in the real world neat ideas usually suck. I don’t have a problem with it because I will be charging in a car port. I park on the left side of the car port and there is an electrical outlet on my side. There is also one on the other side of the car port for my wife, but she would have to pull a cord over, around or under. We could drop one from the ceiling for her.

GM does need to rethink the type of charging port. I can see where this one is going to give a lot of people trouble. Just do a manual lift cover that raises up and at the same time helps shield the charging port as the cord is plugged in. There are a lot of smart automotive engineers working at GM. Surely they can improve on this design. What happens if the little electric motor gives out or can’t open the port if it is frozen? Come on, GM, do some more thinking on this.

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Timaaayyy!!! Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 11:20 am

Filler. Yada yada yada.

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Schmeltz Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 11:30 am

I’m glad to see that GM wants to make this car great. You can see some pride in Laukner’s comments–that’s a good thing.

What GM needs now is two fundamental things: Money and clarity regarding their future. Once they have those, I think it will do a great deal to move things along with this program and the whole company in totality. It’s got to be hard to wake-up every morning as a GM employee and not know if your Company will even exist in a few weeks.

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The Grump Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 11:32 am

GM to America

Hi. I know we’ve come to you in the past for the financial help we needed to help make us America’s #1 selling car again. However, we ran out of money, and we need America to help us again.

We are on the verge, for the first time in history, of creating a car where gasoline would truly be optional. But without financial support from people like you, the dream of a gasoline free future may die.

We now need about a half a trillion dollars to run GM until summer. The alternative is unthinkable. Not only would the world slide into an unrecoverable depression, but in order to protect our trade secrets, we would have to burn and bury all the research on the Volt project like we did to protect the secrets of the EV-1. Let me be blunt with America – give us the money we need, or the Volt project ends now.

We are prepared for the worst. All Volt mules have been moved to an undisclosed car disposal facility, in case the worst happens, and GM is forced to declare bankruptcy. However, I’m sure the American people will make the right choice, and give GM more money. Nothing less than the future of humanity rests on this decision.

Yours truly, Rick Wagoner.
——————————————————
And that concludes the news this evening. Good night, and good luck.

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CaptJackSparrow Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 11:34 am

“Seamless” & “Intuitive”

WTF?
A steering wheel, electric drive w/batteries & BMS, brakes and all 4 wheels. That’s KISS and that makes it “Seamless” & “Intuitive”

Why put more shlt on the car than needed? What else are thy adding to it to make the price higher? I understand the BMS portion is necessary for good management of the battery but cmon, quit adding crap that has the possibility of failure.

Just build my Volt Dangit!!!

No Power Windows
No Power Adjust Seats
No Power Side view mirrors
No Power Sunroof (Actually No Sunroof at all)
No Power Door Locks
No Power Trunk lock
No Radio (Remember that fiasco? – Get an iPod)
No Heated Seats
No OnStar!!!

Make the garbage I listed as an “Upgrade” for those who want these creature comforts.

Standard Features:
AC
Heater
Defogger Front/Rear

Back to Basics Boys!

I’ll take my Volt with No Generator, No ICE, ShAkEn not StirreD…

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Edwin Mang Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 11:46 am

It may not seem like a good Idea but you go to a used car dealer and they detail the car , looks do sell .

God Bless

Tiger

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k-dawg Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 11:54 am

I dont really have a commment on the software. Unlike some, i do want all the bells & whistles and the latest technology in my car. And i want it all to integrate seamlessly.

Another article in the Free Press today regarding bankrupcy.

http://www.freep.com/article/20090316/BUSINESS01/90316031/Obama+auto+task+force++Bankruptcy+not+our+goal

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Rashiid Amul Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 12:03 pm

NZDavid,

Congrats on the new job. Wind farm developing?
Sounds cool.

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CaptJackSparrow Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 12:05 pm

OK, OPEC says they’re doing their part to help the economy
and quote…

“”challenged” the U.S. and other countries to “clean up the financial mess they have made.” Since cutting production following the collapse of demand last year, the cartel’s Secretary General, Abdullah el Badri, reckons they have gifted the world $2 trillion dollars worth of stimulus. Aren’t they the generous and altruistic ones.”

http://www.autobloggreen.com/2009/03/16/opec-doing-its-part-for-economy-urges-u-s-to-do-same/

We need EV’s NOW!

I’ll take my Volt with No Generator, No ICE, ShAkEn not StirreD…

(Quote)
The Pollyanna (George in Berkeley) Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 12:08 pm

As a software developer, I know that software’s not always that easy to tweak. Fixing one little line of code often breaks another — hate that! Planning and keeping it maintainable are the keys. I’d sure “fence off” a lot of the core code and let them only tweak the pretty parts (like the UI).

Lyle — another interesting story — can’t wait to see a real prototype. I am thrilled, over-the-moon, rediculously optimistic about this car and think years from people win mark the Volt as the turning point in American automotive resurgence. Go GM!

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Jim From Colorado Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 12:14 pm

CaptJackSparrow #62 is totally correct in imploring GM to keep it simple, at least at first. The potential software integration and battery problems may be formidable when the car is first released to the public. If you add all sorts of unnecessary electronics on top of the new technology it could make the Volt look a repair nightmare. Make the first one as simple as possible.

What is wrong with GM management? Why hasn’t Lyle had a chance to drive one of the mules? Nobody on this website expects them to be perfect. We just want a progress report from somebody we trust. GM has already let some of the media and the government takes it for a spin. How about taking care of your number one booster and the thousands of potential customers that read this website daily? Lyle has done more to bring the Volt to the public’s attention than anything that GM advertising has done. Ford and Tesla have already given Lyle a chance to drive their cars. What is GM afraid of?

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noel park Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 12:21 pm

#64 k-dawg:

Thanks for the link. Is it just me, or is he saying that they are backing off the 3/31 deadline? And that is going to motivated the bondholders how?

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DonC Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 12:34 pm

#41 statik

Why am I not surprised you’re disagreeing? Ba ha ha ha ha ha ha! (I am however mystified by you thought to apologize).

You’re confusing the different prototypes. The prototype referred to back in early 2007 were the “Malimules” or whatever they were called. This was the prototype for the drive train. The current “Cruzemule” prototypes mate the production intent drive train with the production intent chassis. The prototype in the summer of 2009 will mate the production intent chassis with the production intent drive train and all the production intent parts.

Additionally, I don’t understand your concern about the number of Cruzemule prototypes. Prototypes are the quintessential embodiment of the 80/20 rule. You always get virtually all the useful information from the first few prototypes, and adding more gives you increasingly little. My guess is that GM could have used 10 Cruze prototypes and gotten 98% of the information they would get from the next 100.

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RB Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 12:37 pm

#64 k-dawg and #69 noel park

Thank you for the link to the news story on GM.

It certainly read as though the 3/31 deadline was gone with the wind.

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Sasparilla Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 12:40 pm

Go GM. Something to note though, as opposed to being “perfect”, they should probably use the term “the best possible” (or something like that). Make no doubt, there will be software issues that have to be fixed in the Volt after its release in 2010.

Anyone who’s been involved with complex software development (and the Volt will be a very complex software driven machine) knows that saying they’re going to make it perfect is not possible – but they can get it refined and most bugs worked out of it before the Volt gets to the public as it sounds like their pushing down this track already – and GM is smart enough to know it needs to do this.

I’m sure GM will have to make periodic software updates to the Volt after its released in 2010 (not something most people are used to doing with their vehicles).

(Quote)
DonC Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 12:45 pm

#69 Noel Park

They can’t back off the deadline. It’s a legal issue. Actually it seems that decision has already been made. I’ve mentioned before that when the President says EVs will roll off US assembly lines with Korean batteries he’s telegraphing what he’s going to do.

The open question is whether GM will have to declare bankruptcy. The translation on this is as follows: The bondholders are being PITAs. While we would like to avoid bankruptcy, if we have to do it the hard way we will and they won’t like the result.

The interesting info — thanks for the cite k-dawg — is that they’re also looking at helping the supply chain. I’ve wondered about this. Since a main reason to keep GM and Chrysler afloat is to keep the supply chain from collapsing, and with it, other manufacturers, having GM and Chrysler survive while the supply chain goes under isn’t a desirable outcome. At best it doesn’t help, and at worst it’s a practical impossibility.

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CaptJackSparrow Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 12:54 pm

Looks like the new Camaro’s are going to roll off the assembly line at 29MPG….

http://www.autobloggreen.com/2009/03/16/2010-camaro-takes-advantage-of-six-speed-for-29-mpg-highway-rati/

Hmmm….
I wonder if everyone knew the loans were so they could roll out old technology ICE vehicles.

(Quote)
Unni Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 12:57 pm

Some links :

http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/mar09/8068

http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/mar09/7928
One on a perception on volt and second on How green is plug-in.

The software driven car is good and i like the idea of automatic updates. I see a future problem of car viruses and hack firmwares but that does not stop us from going towards it. Imagine somebody can control all cars and every movement from a central place and some machine/ a terrorist took full control over it ?

Planning assassinations just with a small virus in car software ?

In normal network devices, there are 3 stages .
ex cisco device
ROMmon prompt , boot prompt and the prompt after loading the required image.

Wondering what are the modes in volt for this ?

Second is if my car breaks down at some place due to a software corruption, can i connect my mobile phone to a car interface and upgrade the software over my gprs connection ?

Third : Is there an onstar upgrade option ( like last resort of loading image using aux/console for a cisco router )

Forth : If no networks available , do i have limp mode for running the car with a ROM image ( a minimal foot print ).

Fifth : Is there going to be automatic updates or we have to go to dealer and upgrade (or a concept of trusteed network and volt will use VIN and passwords ?? )

Sixth : Open API for Volt for applications development because i can program volt to do things ?

(Quote)
Rashiid Amul Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 1:00 pm

From the article,

GM Aims to ‘Wow’ Customers With Seamless and Intuitive Chevy Volt Driving Experience

——
The first time I floor the pedal and my head smacks against the head rest, I will be “Wowed”. I just hope it has enough power to do that.

(Quote)
Tronticon Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 1:10 pm

If you’re interested in seeing the Volt in action.. GM has some promo video on a Transformers site along with some pix!

http://www.gm.com/experience/autoshows-events/autobots/index.html

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MDDave Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 1:28 pm

Maybe this is the problem with GM… Most of the points about quality and intuitiveness that Jon Lauckner makes should apply to all of their products, not just the Volt.

(Quote)
ccombs Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 1:33 pm

I am very glad they aren’t listening to some on this site and rushing it.

They only have one chance, and they have to wow us.*

*By us I mean the public, I think we are already hooked.

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noel park Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 1:33 pm

#73 DonC:

Well I devoutly hope that you are right. I did take careful note of your previous comment about the President, EVs and Korean (ugh, but another topic for another time) batteries. I have heard him say similar things several times as well. I am cautiously optimistic that his people have a plan to make it happen.

They must intend to see to it that at least the Volt program is salvaged out of whatever “reorganization” takes place, whether in or out of C11.

I have gone on here at great length in the past about the near miracles of production achieved by GM under the “command economy” model of WWII. I firmly believe that President Carter was right the energy independence is “the moral equivalent of war” even if we have twiddled out thumbs in the ensuing 30 years.

As far as I am concerned, if the taxpayers are going to save GM they, through their President and government, have every right in the world to “command” GM – LJGTVWOTR.

Again, I devoutly hope that you are right.

(Quote)
DonC Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 1:34 pm

#62 CaptJackSparrow says “Why put more shlt on the car than needed?”

Nissan has done what you’ve asked with the Versa. Under $10K with just about every option gone. Adding them back in runs about $2500.

This may work out, though I doubt it, but saving $2.5K on a $40K car is probably not a great marketing move. LOL

(Quote)
noel park Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 1:37 pm

#76 Rashiid Amul:

As a lifelong racing and high performance car enthusiast, in the Year of Our Lord of 2009, I would offer the following.

The first time I get in my Volt and drive to work without the engine starting I will be wowed. I don’t care if little old ladies in K-cars pass me on the freeway!

(Quote)
Dave G Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 1:51 pm

#75 Unni Says: Some links :
http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/mar09/8068
————————————————————————————–
Thanks for the link.

The gist of this article aligns with the Ford funded Carnegie Mellon University study, which says you should plug-in during the day as much as possible, or even stop driving every 7 miles to plug-in. I’m sure customers will love the inconvenience almost as much as the rolling blackouts if PHEVs go mainstream.

Jeremy Michalek also uses a cost of $1000 per kilowatt-hour of capacity for the battery, and says cost that may be low. Meanwhile, the division of LG that’s making the current Volt battery pack (CPI) said that the cost is $1000 per available kilowatt-hour, which translates to $500/kWh of total capacity. CPI also says the price will be $125-$250 per total kWh in the next 5-10 years.

This IEEE article smells like a hatchet-job.

(Quote)
GXT Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 2:09 pm

74. CaptJackSparrow wrote:
Looks like the new Camaro’s are going to roll off the assembly line at 29MPG….

http://www.autobloggreen.com/2009/03/16/2010-camaro-takes-advantage-of-six-speed-for-29-mpg-highway-rati/

Hmmm….
I wonder if everyone knew the loans were so they could roll out old technology ICE vehicles.
————————————————————————————-

Well GM needs to make money sometime… especially if they intend to sell the Volt at any reasonable volume.

Full disclosure:
V6 MT 17/29
V6 AT 18/29
V8 MT 16/24
V8 AT 16/25

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Tagamet Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 2:13 pm

As long as being (slightly) off topic is Chic, here’s an article on Nanocapacitors with Big-Energy Storage from the MIT site (highly recommend their free daily email):
http://www.technologyreview.com/energy/22297/
Be well,
Tag

LJGTVWOTR!!**********NPNS**********Energy Independence Day 7/4/2010

(Quote)
Gary Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 2:19 pm

This car’s release should be as flawless as possible, and avoid the situation where is there is an issue, the media will be on it like stink on you-know-what.

There are a lot of bitter ex-GM owners here. My experiences have been fine. My girlfriend’s car is around 400,000 kms now and is still moving. A co-worker has a old beat-up Toyota pickup that he says never dies, but he puts $1,000-1,500 per year in repairs on it. I think I can take any car and make it last forever with that repair/maintenance budget.

(Quote)
N Riley Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 2:24 pm

#60 Schmeltz

“It’s got to be hard to wake-up every morning as a GM employee and not know if your Company will even exist in a few weeks.”
—————————–

I have been living with that prospect since October 2001. We have been selling off parts of our company in bits and pieces (both small and large). I expect to see the last parts sold off by mid-summer and my job to end shortly after. Could come a month or two sooner. It is not a good way to work – never knowing if today is the day they announce the final phase out. Good thing I hit 65 this January. Now I can live off you working stiffs after my job ends and I start collecting my Social Security check. Signed up for Part A Medicare in January.

I am not looking forward to retirement. I had hoped to work until I was between 68 and 70. I love my job. What is left of it. At least my salary has remained untouched.

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CDAVIS Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 2:34 pm

______________________________________________________
#66 CaptJackSparrow Says:
OK, OPEC says they’re doing their part to help the economy
and quote…”challenged” the U.S. and other countries to “clean up the financial mess they have made.” Since cutting production following the collapse of demand last year, the cartel’s Secretary General, Abdullah el Badri, reckons they have gifted the world $2 trillion dollars worth of stimulus. Aren’t they the generous and altruistic ones.
—–

It is amazing that the Saudis consider their “allowing” oil to sell below $150/brl ($4/gallon gas) as a gift to the world and that we should be appreciative of their magnamity.

To bad the Saudis are not as generous in their treatment of old women.

Saudis order 40 lashes for 75 year old woman for mingling:
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/03/09/saudi.arabia.lashes/?iref=hpmostpop
______________________________________________________
Electric Cars + Nuclear Energy = American Energy Independence!
______________________________________________________

(Quote)
Koz Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 2:34 pm

Is it 4/7 or 7/4 Temagat?

Sorry, couldn’t resist, especially since they are usually mine.

(Quote)
Schmeltz Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 2:45 pm

#87 N. Riley:
I’m sorry to hear the discouraging news about your company’s future. It sounds like the Company was declining for quite some time. Maybe just to cheer you up…possibly your local Chevrolet dealer could use a new Volt salesman in the near future?

(Quote)
bruce g Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 2:47 pm

Rashid #5
That was my first laugh for the morning.
In a small community like New Zealand, if you dont know the Prime Minister then you probably know his sister.
Thank you ,

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RB Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 2:48 pm

#76 Rashiid Amul said
The first time I floor the pedal and my head smacks against the head rest, I will be “Wowed”. I just hope it has enough power to do that.
——————————–

We wish

(Quote)
RB Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 2:52 pm

#87 N.Riley said, regarding his company I expect to see the last parts sold off by mid-summer and my job to end shortly after.
—————————

It is a tough situation. Trying to be hopeful, I am thinking that “it ain’t over until it’s over”, so maybe something good will happen between now and then, and the good people like yourself will be able to carry on.

(Quote)
GM Volt Fan Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 2:56 pm

This is the kind of post I like to read about. The GM Volt design team is really putting in the hard work to make the Volt an all around great car. All the little details are being well thought out. Lots of people are giving their feedback, etc.

I want people to like the Volt inside and out … regardless of the advanced technology under the hood. A lot of people probably won’t understand how it all works anyway. They’ll just know that they like how it looks. How it feels when you drive it. What other people think when they see you driving one. Things like that.

I’m sure GM has marketing experts who know the main things that motivate different segments of the market to buy their cars. I think GM needs to make sure that the Volt impresses the automotive press and the car review magazines like Consumer Reports and JD Power, etc. If those guys like the Volt, that will get a lot of people in showrooms to check it out.

(Quote)
Jake Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 3:09 pm

I’ve had the companies I worked for fold 3 times in my career. 2 times with absolutely no notice or warning signs and no severance. Each time it turned out to be the best thing for me as I went on to bigger and better things.

What those experiences taught me:

Company loyalty is a thing of the past. You are no more valuable to a company than a desk, and just as easily replaced.

Always be on the lookout for opportunites and have contingency plans.

Always be improving your skills/training/education. Never feel safe, no matter what your position.

(Quote)
Shawn Marshall Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 3:09 pm

Guitar

Good post on coding control software. Thanks.

Cap’n Jack, I’m with you – I’d take a battery pack in a tin lizzy.

(Quote)
CaptJackSparrow Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 3:20 pm

@GM Volt Fan 94

“I’m sure GM has marketing experts who know the main things that motivate different segments of the market to buy their cars.”

Dude, 95% of the people I have spoken to have no Idea what the “GM Volt” is.
The most I have seen is less than5 seconds after a commercial for their Hybrid SUV’s.

(Quote)
bruce g Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 3:29 pm

While Im musing on New Zealand politics, and politicians, you could easily see them in Wellington in places such as the late night diner called “The Green Parrot”
They dont have any body guards and probably happily talk about anything.
And then there are numerous bars where the same holds.

lol

(Quote)
statik Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 3:36 pm

#70 DonC

Again, I don’t think we really need to go down the road of success and failure, schedules and timelines….thats what I was apologizing for.

I didn’t want to take the thread too far off Lyle’s intended course. I’m content to let time settle who is right or wrong. And as always, I am more than happy to admit I was in error if that does intend prove true…because that means I get a fancy new Volt, hehe.

/have a good one…cheers

(Quote)
Zack henery Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 4:09 pm

Who ever made the comment that people who own Japanese cars think problems are normal is totally right.

My neighbor has a Toyota and it breaks all the time. He has a major leak and it smells like a toilet because the dealler cant find where the leak is and the carpets get wet..

However he thinks it’s normal and puts air freshener in the car???

When I said I like my ford explorer which has been perfect he said to me.

“Oh ford is bad you need to buy a Toyota”

I was thinking of the failed logic people have. If it’s foreign it’s allowed to have problems……

So funny just like consumer distorts how flawed that magazine is.

(Quote)
DonC Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 4:10 pm

#85 Tagamet – Very interesting. First we had the 10X increase in capacity on the anode with silicon nanowires and now we have this. Nano technology is opening up some interesting avenues.

#87 N. Riley – So sorry to hear about your workplace. Hopefully you can continue in your job or find something else you enjoy doing. We sure don’t want to support you!

#99 statik – Given how unrelenting it has to be to find a topic every day, my guess is that Lyle is OK with things drifting off track. Some days are just going to be more interesting than others.

(Quote)
noel park Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 4:12 pm

#87 N Riley:

Well look at the saga of NZDavid, right here on this blog. The cream (aka GM-Volt.com bloggers) always rises to the top. I picture you as being unemplyed just about as long as NZDavid was.

(Quote)
CaptJackSparrow Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 4:24 pm

@Zack henery 100

That’s funny, I own a 2002 Ford Explorer and an Import. They both have been in the shop. No doubt about that. My Import had shock/struts replaced just last week.
My 2002 Ford Explorer on the other hand has had major repars and some minor things fixed. The very last thing that broke was the ignition cylinder cover for the keyhole. Before that it was the power window master switch control box before that the rear passenger window fell off it’s trach and damaged the trach doing it, before that the rear AC module went out, before that the tranny had to be rebuilt.

I hate my phukin 2002 Ford Explorer.
That’s just my experience though. If someone asked me about my Ford Explorer, guess what my “word of mouth” is going to tell?

In my opinion, every mfgr has a crap year/car. I don’t care if it is import or domestic. Just like the genre of people, we all have our trash.

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RichardG Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 4:53 pm

Fickle consumers. The low price of gas is taking on toll on hybrid sales.

From the Chicago Tribune: http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-biz-hybrid-sales-march16,0,5173041.story?page=1

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Mark Z Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 4:54 pm

No matter how perfect and seamless the VOLT driving experience will be, there will be critics. You can’t please everyone and GM should ignore the critics and enjoy designing and building the best E-REV vehicle using today’s technology. I certainly look forward to purchasing and driving an electric car that plugs in and fuels up.

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john1701a Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 5:18 pm

No matter how perfect and seamless the VOLT driving experience will be, there will be critics.
____________________________

The smoooooooth and quiet acceleration will be hated by who have always judged “performance” based on the roar of an engine.

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chevonly Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 5:19 pm

Dear Dave G:
I will be very happy to hook you up, the DUMBIST THING YOU CAN DO IS PLAY WITH A LIVE 120VOLT OR 220 VOLT CIRCUIT IN THE POURING RAIN, I can see you now smoke and flames shooting out of your ears as the current passes through your body to mother earth ground.
I think it would be great to park your limited production Volt outside at night when anyone with a tow truck or flatbed can steel it.
Proof positive that GM will have to make the electrical connection idiot proof.

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Bob G Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 5:42 pm

#62 CaptJackSparrow Says,” … Make the garbage I listed as an “Upgrade” for those who want these creature comforts.”

I agree with keeping it simple, but one man’s “garbage” is another man’s gold. We get very few sunny days here (Seattle), and I want the sunroof open to enjoy them. But I *don’t* want the cost and range penalties for air conditioning that I will rarely use.

————————————————————————

#75 Unni Says, “…Sixth : Open API for Volt for applications development because i can program volt to do things ?”

Great idea! Third party software developers could provide choices for applications (e.g., instrument cluster ’skins,’ navigation, media player, fake engine noise-maker, etc.), and tech-savvy users could customize their Volts to their particular lifestyles.

By exposing the APIs, GM only needs to develop the basics. The aftermarket can take care of the add-on bells and whistles. This could save GM cost and schedule, while being a big selling point for the car.

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Timaaayyy!!! Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 5:53 pm

#85 Tagamet

Thanks for the link. Got this out of it, too:

http://www.technologyreview.com/read_article.aspx?id=22116&ch=specialsections&sc=&pg=2

Progress continues to be made along the whole non-petrol cycle.

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CaptJackSparrow Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 5:56 pm

Hey, I have a question. When the Volt hits showrooms, and when you go for a test drive, will they make sure the battery charge is low so you can feel the ICE fire up or will it be 100% charged and your test drive will be only on battery? Or will they keep it depleted so the ICE will always stay on?

Just a thought.

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Bob G Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 6:00 pm

#9 Dave G Says, ” … With the current Volt charge port design, I think there will be many problems plugging in outside during the winter.”

Solution: Since there are only 10,000, send the first Volts only to temperate climates. Then I’d be more likely to get one sooner.

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john1701a Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 6:00 pm

When the Volt hits showrooms
_______________________

So… people will end up waiting even longer for delivery because dealers need something for their showroom?

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noel park Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 6:07 pm

#104 Richard G:

Yeah, I hoped that would mean that the Suburbans and Silverados would start flying off the lots again, and everything would be hunky-dory. Evidently not. I think that people who do not have to buy cars aren’t, and those who do are buying cheap cars.

How many times have we been through this cycle? It’s gonna happen again. On the other hand, it’s great for me. My wife can just keep driving her beloved Impala at $2/gallon until the Volt finally appears – I hope.

#108 Bob G:

Yeah great. We could program in our own warning for blind people who can’t hear the Volt coming. I’m torn between a nice soothing voice murmuring “Excuse me, excuse me, excuse me”, and Sister Mary Elephant screaming “Now class, now class, WAKE UP!!” Kind of like your own personal ring tone, LOL.

Sorry to open this particular Pandora’s box again, but I just couldn’t resist.

Actually, the aftermarket will not get within 100 feet of my Volt.

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CaptJackSparrow Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 6:07 pm

@john1701a 112

So… people will end up waiting even longer for delivery because dealers need something for their showroom?

I’m sure they’ll allocate at least one car for test drives. If not all of what they have till they’re all sold.
I get mine first though.

fyi, I like all your data you are keeping on your Prius. When I get my Volt, I’m going to try and do the same thing. Key word is “Try”.
p

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CaptJackSparrow Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 6:10 pm

Opening any API’s to the system is a big fat No No.

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noel park Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 6:11 pm

#111 Bob G:

That’s what I’m talking about!!

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Dave G Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 6:25 pm

#107 chevonly Says: DUMBIST THING YOU CAN DO IS PLAY WITH A LIVE 120VOLT OR 220 VOLT CIRCUIT IN THE POURING RAIN
————————————————————————————–
So does this rule out charge ports at the mall or local 7/11?

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noel park Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 6:34 pm

#117 Dave G:

All the more reasons to send them to temperate climates, LOL. Although it’s so temperate here that the whole place is about to dry up and blow away. No worries plugging your Volt in in the rain though.

As the planet warms, the zone of Volt electrocution will migrate north. If that’s any consolation.

Maybe they can furnish a good thick pair of rubber gloves and boots to carry around in the trunk of each Volt. Not to worry. We’ll think of something.

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statik Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 6:36 pm

#101 DonC said:

#99 statik – Given how unrelenting it has to be to find a topic every day, my guess is that Lyle is OK with things drifting off track. Some days are just going to be more interesting than others.
===========================
If that is the case, we are huge asses…er assets to the site.

(=

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CaptJackSparrow Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 6:41 pm

@statik 119

“we are huge asses”

HEY, I resemble that remark!

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Eloh Gnub Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 6:48 pm

leave my name out of it!

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Dan Petit Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 6:53 pm

Here in Austin, TX, I think the entire city would want to sign up to have the opportunity to drive the Volt. I hope to be the first on any list if there is one, and, if there is a list of cities, I hope Austin Texas is one of the first.
I think I would like the opportunity to look under the hood, and, to have the honor to meet some of the terrific people that helped design it.

********************************************************************************
GM is the green electric motoring and environmental hero here.
********************************************************************************
Dan Petit. Austin TX.

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Bob G Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 6:54 pm

#113 noel park Says, “…Actually, the aftermarket will not get within 100 feet of my Volt.”

That’s the beauty of open APIs: *you* can make that choice for your car, and *I* can make a different choice for my car!

————————————————————

#115 CaptJackSparrow Says, “Opening any API’s to the system is a big fat No No.”

No insult intended, but that sounds like the old GM talking. I think this is an opportunity to really “hit the ball out of the park” with the tech-savvy crowd (who tend to drive foreign cars for this reason).

GM wouldn’t be expected to expose all APIs (i.e., not anything affecting warranty or safety), but just enough so that third-party applications could give your car a custom look and feel (GUI stuff, like the examples I listed).

Besides, if GM takes a fascist approach (like Apple & the iPhone), then hackers will try to find a way to “jail-break” the Volt operating system too. Or worse yet, the tech crowd will continue to buy foreign cars because of the perception that GM technology is stagnant and obsolete.

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CaptJackSparrow Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 7:00 pm

@Bob G 123
“then hackers will try to find a way to “jail-break” the Volt operating system too.”

That would be me.
If you don’t give me an inch, I wont take a mile. I’d find a way to squeak out the rest of the 30% soc the binaries are preventing me from getting.

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Doom Beeter Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 7:23 pm

Todd Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 9:06 am

“Lyle, is GM putting together an emergency response team for the release of the Volt? They have so much riding on this car that I would think they would have a team ready for anything that may go wrong.”

It’s a reasonable thought. But with proper dealer training, EVs -even brand new technology are mechanically simpler than ICE. And you can be sure that GM will train their techs very well pre-launch.

So much riding on Volt?? Don’t think so. This is a big company. They’ve got 4-5 iterations of their E-drive technology in the works. And despite the anti-business press they’re not doing so bad….

http://autonews.desinformado.com/2009/01/gm-announces-2008-global-sales-of-835-million-vehicles/

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RB Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 7:53 pm

#107 chevonly says
I think it would be great to park your limited production Volt outside at night when anyone with a tow truck or flatbed can steel it.
———————————————

Yes, that’s just exactly where my Volt is going to be. Indeed if I had a garage I would put the Volt in it, but as I do not, it will have to be outside, in the rain, vulnerable and alone.

But I’m just the same as millions of others, and all together we are a big part of the market. We put in gas in the rain, and we can charge in the rain. We are tough.

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Arch Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 8:06 pm

I think the Volt will WORK for GM. Dealers will have to pay to upgrade mechanics. Independent shops will not be able to work on a Volt because they do not have the information. GM and its dealers should make out just fine on this new technology. The question is how will the owners of the Volt make out?

Take Care
Arch

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statik Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 10:04 pm

Just thought I would mention the lead story over at TTAC, unsubstantiated, but still disconcerting as they have a pretty decent track record with being ‘ahead’ of the curve:
——————————
Wild Ass Rumor of the Day: Volt Battery = Epic Fail?

Inside sources reiterate what we’ve heard before: the mission critical battery for GM’s plug-in Hail Mary hybrid gas electric Volt is not achieving its performance requirements. Not even close. In fact, we’ve heard that the battery is failing to meet ANY of its targets: range, recharge time, battery life expectancy, cold weather performance, cost, nada. That said, this is a rumor [see: question mark above]. Therefore, we invite representatives of GM to contact TTAC to spin the story until we pass out from dizziness. I mean, assure GM’s many stakeholders that mass production of the single most important vehicle in their portfolio– if not the last– will begin on the date promised. Wait; what was that date again?

(link is marked as spam, so you have to search it out yourselves)

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Jay Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 10:27 pm

I can not wait for cars like this

http://www.ucubd.com/Index.aspx?id=1149&cid=x01000103

those cars to hit show rooms

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Jay Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 10:27 pm

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Jeff Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 10:43 pm

Maybe if GM wasn’t coming out with a new Hummer pickup that nobody can afford, a new Camaro, and a new Corvette that nobody can afford, they would be able to focus on the area that they are getting the pants beat off of them and what consumers are going for in mass – fuel efficient, alternative-fuel, RELIABLE vehicles.

I paid my dues in the late 80s/early 90s with a Chevy Beretta/Corsica. I said never again – cracked block (under warranty), dead EPROM computer, cracked door hinge, heater core, and about 15 other repairs (2 per year).

GM cars can have all the features in the world. If it’s not enough to convince consumers and previous GM victims that the quality and reliability are different, it spells doom.

Honda already has the 100% no fossil fuel vehicle technology FUEL CELL powered car in production for fleet use! Even Bush called for the development of fuel cell technology about 2 years ago. Electric vehicles still use some gas, Hybrids still depend on gas. The Volt can only go a few dozen miles on electric?

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unni Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 10:59 pm

#131 , good of you have a look on :
http://www.chevrolet.com/fuelcell/

http://www.cleanfleetreport.com/2008/04/gm-takes-lead-with-100-hydrogen-equinoxes/

Hondas get publicity for free.

On Open API, i am sure GM has those (thatz why they can have volt, ampera, holden volt etc – just skins ), question is only exposing.

Another patentable idea is use of volt genrator “e out” function : e out means electric out : when you are out for camping, or there is a power shortage in home, we can use this port and run volt as a genarator ( give me the patent idea submission money and pay after it gets apporoved)

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CaptJackSparrow Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 11:15 pm

@RB 126

Just pull off the hub caps of the car like the one driven to WA. It will reduce the “Risk” of theft.
=oP

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baller Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 11:17 pm

Too bad that there was already a fully functional electrical car that was available to consumers some six years ago. The EV1 had a range of about 200 miles on one charge and could go up to 75 mile per hour. Tell me why was it that GM decided to confiscate all these cars and destroy them. Its because at the time oil was much more profitable then the electric alternative. Personally I think American cars are trash, I think that I will wait until Honda comes out with a full electric before I buy one. American cars are just too unreliable.

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Girugamesh Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 11:22 pm

So I really think that anyone who believes that this is going to save GM is not really thinking at all. No one will buy a car in this economy, and the fact that they have been developing this car for quite some time now and they still are not meeting benchmarks is not encouraging. As far as Hydrogen Fuel cell, they are still years off and they are no way as cost effective as simple lithium ion technology which has been proven to work in the past, and recharging stations would be easy to install not only at filling stations but homes as well. I would like to see some money from the government going into R and D but the times seem to be a little tough and it is unlikley that there will be an electric car on the market that was effective as the EV1 for some years.

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Jeff Says:
March 17th, 2009 at 1:00 am

With 50+% of car sales in Europe being diesel, they could have easily brought diesel over here for an instant 20% economy increase. Imagine diesel with hybrid technology. That would fill the gap until fuel cell/hydrogen becomes practical. VW was able build a 3 cylinder TDI diesel Lupo that got 99 mpg back in 2001. A regular show room edition of Lupo turns in 60-70 mpg. So tell me, whats so special about the Volt?

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Doug Says:
March 17th, 2009 at 1:29 am

I had an EV-1 and loved it, except: (1) the high pressure tires caused severe rear-end hop-out from bumps on high speed curves…it would be dangerous for inexperienced drivers, (2) plugging in a dirty or wet charging paddle when dressed in a business suit was an inconvenience, (3) the REAL range was ~125 miles, even with the NiMh batteries, (3) the vehicle was out of service frequently for updates and repairs. That being said, it was a fun car to drive.
I now drive a Toyota Camry Hybrid as a 2nd car…not as fun to drive and still wedded to gasoline. I will seriously consider the Volt at any price, especially if it has the performance of the EV-1. I agree that early sales should be to beta testers (and I volunteer!). Oh, and batteries are no good in cold weather, so the comments about ice and snow around the charging port are moot.

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Michael Robinson Says:
March 17th, 2009 at 1:41 am

Get the Volt down to $30k new without skimping on quality or
range and I’ll be impressed. Until that can happen, forget about
it and fix the Sequel fuel cell vehicle. Toyota is going to market
fuel cell cars in 2015, just 5 years after the Volt is supposed to
hit the market. Fuel cell cars refuel faster than Lithium ION battery
based EV’s and they have better range. I think in the long run that
fuel cell vehicles will be cheaper than battery electric vehicles and
far more reliable.

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john1701a Says:
March 17th, 2009 at 9:36 am

VW was able build a 3 cylinder TDI diesel Lupo that got 99 mpg back in 2001.
_________________________

I wrote about that in great detail, back in 2001. Read my blogs. In fact, that’s what first pushed the need for: SMTD

I had been driving a Prius for a year already then, and Lupo shortcomings had become quite obvious. The car was the ultimate in compromises… which is why it was discontinued.

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J. Muchagrove Says:
March 17th, 2009 at 10:11 am

Dave G Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 7:13 am

Where I live, people have garages, but many of them are filled with stuff, and most cars are parked in driveways. We get a lot of wet snow and freezing rain in the winter. How is that going to work?

——-

Get the carp out of the garage.

Only in America we keep junk worth several hundred of $$ in the garage and a car worth tens of thousands outside.

Reminds me of a time a buddy of mine had his Mercedes ego car egged by neighborhood kids while his daughter’s toy Barbie car sat parked int eh garage. I gave him no sympathy.

Throw the junk out of the garage.

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djtripd Says:
March 17th, 2009 at 10:20 am

With the new VW Polo TDI coming out for the 2010 model year why would I wait for a Volt? Same idea to save on gas but the VW will be higher quality and half the price. This car is not going to change anything. It looks boring, is overpriced and will be built with the same lack luster quality. The US government should just let GM die, they have proven over the past twenty years that they don’t deserve to be in business.

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serra Says:
March 17th, 2009 at 10:57 am

I wrote about that in great detail, back in 2001. Read my blogs. In fact, that’s what first pushed the need for: SMTD

I had been driving a Prius for a year already then, and Lupo shortcomings had become quite obvious. The car was the ultimate in compromises… which is why it was discontinued..

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noel park Says:
March 17th, 2009 at 11:09 am

#140 J. Muchagrove:

Alas, too true, LOL. I have one neighbor with two Lexuses in the driveway, two Nissans on the street, and a garage full of junk. And another with a brand new Cadillac SUV thingy, a Porsche Boxter and two generic Totyotaish things in the driveaway and on the street, and a garage ditto. Only in America!

But look on the bright side. If the balance of payments keeps hemorrahging long enough, nobody will be able to afford to let 4 cars sit out in front of the house any more.

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N Riley Says:
March 17th, 2009 at 11:37 am

#140 J. Muchagrove

“Only in America we keep junk worth several hundred of $$ in the garage and a car worth tens of thousands outside.”
——————————————

We all suffer from the problem of collecting “junk” we no longer need or use but can’t seem to make ourselves get rid of it. So, we place it in the garage or up in the attic. I try to go through my utility room off my carport at least once every couple of years and get rid of “stuff”. One reason I like carports better than garages is it is hard to collect stuff in the “open” carport. If I had a garage, my wife and son would have it filled with junk.

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N Riley Says:
March 17th, 2009 at 11:43 am

#143 Noel Park

“But look on the bright side. If the balance of payments keeps hemorrahging long enough, nobody will be able to afford to let 4 cars sit out in front of the house any more.”
—————————-

Yeah, they may not have a house to live in and will need to live in one of the cars. We Americans are a strange breed when it comes to our “junk” collections. I try to tell my wife to not buy anything we absolutely don’t need, but what does she do. Buys things and it sits in the store bag or in the box for months. I tell her to handle the mail when it comes in and pay the blls daily and throw away all the other junk. But, I come home and there the mail is for me to go through and separate. I separate it, throw away the junk (after shredding it) and give her the bills to pay. Several weeks later she still hasn’t paid the bills. And she is a stay at home wife. Either too much to do at home or around town time or what? Oh well, I have put up with it for over 41 years. What’s a guy gonna do. She is a great cook and mother to my kids. I love the ole gal.

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hkuebitz Says:
March 17th, 2009 at 12:04 pm

Its all well and good that the VOLT will be perfect and very sophisticated etc but all this means that the VOLT will also be very expensive. I read where the Chinese automaker BYD is bring out a pure all electric car next year that seats 5, will travel 200 miles on a single charge and will be very reasonably priced. It will not be supper sophisticated because that computerized pizzazz is not needed. We are talking about recharging, like recharging ones cell phone, a volt and amp meter, accelerator and brake. I rode in the infamous EV-1 and that kind of operation is all that is required for the daily commuter ! GM is going to make the same mistake that they made with the Saturn. That car was to be simple, economical and very affordable. It was to beat the Asian imports at their own game but some agency step in and upgraded its sophistication and cost to where it was just another nice compact and just as expensive as all the others in that class and did not attain its main goal of beating back the competition.. So, don’t let this failure happen again. I am rooting for GM…

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Bailers Says:
March 17th, 2009 at 12:46 pm

I’ll be wowed when they publish the final purchase price of the car.

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Jim Says:
March 17th, 2009 at 1:02 pm

Too little, too late, too expensive to be wowed.

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List of Lemon Law Attorneys/Lawyers in Arkansas « Texas Lemon Law Says:
March 17th, 2009 at 1:12 pm
Murmp - GM Aims to "Wow" Customers With Seamless and Intuitive Chevy Volt Driving Experience Says:
March 17th, 2009 at 1:21 pm
hate 2 pay Says:
March 17th, 2009 at 1:38 pm

40k price estimate is way to much ,,, sad i hoped they had learned. I think if the volt is 40k it will ,if anything, be one more a nail in their coffin ,,,,,,,,,,oh well guess i will have to build my own EV

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Bob G Says:
March 17th, 2009 at 2:04 pm

#141 djtripd Says, “With the new VW Polo TDI coming out for the 2010 model year why would I wait for a Volt? Same idea to save on gas but the VW will be higher quality and half the price.”

My reading indicates that VW doesn’t have a cost or reliability advantage over domestic brands. The diesel makes sense economically (when compared to a hybrid like a Prius) if you drive a lot of highway miles and cannot take advantage of regenerative braking. However, the Volt’s first 40 miles on electric power (unlike Prius) diminishes the diesel’s highway advantage.

And I think letting GM die allows the U.S. government off the hook too easily. GM (and other U.S. manufacturers) has made mistakes, but most of their misery is due to the current banking crisis and the U.S. government’s policy of keeping a wide-open free market here while allowing foreign competitors to have unfair advantages (i.e., currency manipulation, subsidies, import restrictions, weak labor and environmental laws, intellectual property theft, etc.).

BTW, I have no financial interest in GM or the automotive industry.

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diychica - GM Aims to Wow With Chevy Volt Driving Experience Says:
March 17th, 2009 at 2:47 pm
john1701a Says:
March 17th, 2009 at 2:57 pm

The diesel makes sense economically (when compared to a hybrid like a Prius) if you drive a lot of highway miles
____________________________

That’s not true anymore.

greenhuman.net just had a competitive cross-country drive end 13 days ago. 7,800 miles of almost all highway driving to compare a Jetta TDI to a current Prius. MPG results still haven’t posted. That’s highly suspicious.

Bias was clearly for the diesel. But their attempt to squash the hybrid seems to have failed… miserably. And to make matters worse, the 2010 Prius is even more efficient on the highway.

SMTD

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djtripd Says:
March 17th, 2009 at 3:33 pm

#152 Bob G Says: My reading indicates that VW doesn’t have a cost or reliability advantage over domestic brands.

Volt is $40,000K and the VW Polo with be $15-20K. Reliability is tricky but the Polo will be laser welded, use a lot of Audi parts and won’t have the cheap “American” plastics in the interior. I’m sold.

The diesel makes sense economically (when compared to a hybrid like a Prius) if you drive a lot of highway miles and cannot take advantage of regenerative braking. However, the Volt’s first 40 miles on electric power (unlike Prius) diminishes the diesel’s highway advantage.

The fully electric car doesn’t make sense at this point. What are we planning to do with all these batteries when the car reaches end of life? has anyone like GM, Toyota, Honda said anything about waste from batteries? There’s no plan in place. At least diesel gives you more MPG then regular gas and depending on the car can burn somewhat cleaner.

And I think letting GM die allows the U.S. government off the hook too easily.

Why does the U.S. Government (or foreign ie: Canada and Europe) have to be on the hook for a privately own corporation? They have been producing nothing but crap for the last fifteen or twenty years. As I stated before, they deserve to be put out of business and there current situation shouldn’t be a surprise to the American people or Government.

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Douglas Felsenthal Says:
March 17th, 2009 at 3:36 pm

I’m already wowed. Give me mine…..

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Don Scott Says:
March 17th, 2009 at 4:25 pm

Lets hope they do a better job then the Camaro….I waited so long for this car hoping maybe to buy one and when I get to see it at the auto show……well…what were they thinking??? dont buy a camaro if you golf, play hockey or like to travel with your wife! You cant fit anything into the trunk opening!!! And if you are over six feet tall forget it…you will hit your head and knees getting in…I have been a GM man all my life…they need to use their heads!!

I hope they do a perfect job on the Volt cause if they do I will buy it…but if the camaro is any indication, dont waste our time any more…At least Ford is getting it right!

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The House has 4 walls - GM Aims to Wow With Chevy Volt Driving Experience Says:
March 17th, 2009 at 4:55 pm
FRANC Says:
March 17th, 2009 at 5:16 pm

Does anyone know GM has made any commitment to use that we signed up to purchase the Volt?

Franc

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Chris2 Says:
March 17th, 2009 at 6:06 pm

Does anybody know what programming language they are using to build the vehicle’s software?

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defbrett Says:
March 17th, 2009 at 6:38 pm

Hey GM how about making the car have two modes of operation. A basic driver setting where only required information is given to the driver, for people who don’t care what their car does and an Advanced mode where drivers can actually get more information and be able to set the cars performance parameters, within limits of course (”performance tweaks”).

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Bob G Says:
March 17th, 2009 at 8:16 pm

“Lets hope they do a better job then the Camaro….I waited so long for this car hoping maybe to buy one and when I get to see it at the auto show……well…what were they thinking??? dont buy a camaro if you golf, play hockey or like to travel with your wife! You cant fit anything into the trunk opening!!! And if you are over six feet tall forget it…you will hit your head and knees getting in…I have been a GM man all my life…they need to use their heads!!
I hope they do a perfect job on the Volt cause if they do I will buy it…but if the camaro is any indication, dont waste our time any more…At least Ford is getting it right!”
_________________________________________________________________________
A Camaro is a subcompact. Always was, always will be! It’s not for hauling giants around with their kiddies, groceries, golf clubs and hockey sticks. That’s what that abomination of a car, the Volt is for! Me, I’ll be getting the Camaro (SS please!). Don’t need to be driving around in a pregnant roller skate.
Thank God Chevy didn’t uglify it like they did with the Volt! Maybe there is hope for GM after all!
Next you’ll be putting down the Corvette for the lack of back seat room! :-S

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Peter Says:
March 17th, 2009 at 8:54 pm

It’s unfortunate the concepts always look so cool and then the final design comes out with steel wheels with cheap looking wheel covers, etc. Well… maybe not that bad, but damnnnnnnnnn those alloy wheels on the concept looked cool. Camaro-esk in design.

It doesn’t look a whole lot better than the Prius. The Prius looks like an old man’s car. Whatever happened to styling?? At the car shows people were “oooooo…. ahhhhhh” over the Avalanche, Honda Element, Scion xB, Ford Gorilla concept, etc. What the hell…. fugly. Anybody can put 4 wheels under a square box.

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Mike O'Rourke Says:
March 18th, 2009 at 2:05 am

I have been waiting for the Volt for 30 years, I talked about an EV at Ford R&D in 74 we started taking out the weight. Yes we HAVE to make this car SO right for the people that thinks the U. S. ONLY PUTS OUT JUNK SO THEY CANNOT COMPLAIN. GM, Ford and Chrysler’s life depends on hybreds, the US life depends on EV’s. Why don’t you put in a small diesel with the lithium ion battery? (better mileage with a diesel) and If people are talking about the plug-in port now maybe it will be a huge problem if not done correctly.
I now own 4 Fords and one Sky the Siri radio is better and Ford’s Sync phone ablity are better than On Star, I do like On Star for if you have a problem they will answer and call for help, also I like how it downloads on my computer to see what’s going on with the car.
I would love the have a test drive in the Volt before it comes out.

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Robert Allen V. Says:
March 18th, 2009 at 2:44 am

ARE YOU IN??? OR ARE YOU OUT???

“You Just Have To Love The Drama Involved With American Business”

“You Take The Good, You Take The Bad…”
But we’re not here to talk about eighties sit-coms.

One of the hardest things (I think) for anyone to do is to “commit” long-term to anything,,, but there are some “who come off the fence” who plunge head-long into the great unknown “whether…good, bad, or really bad” to take those unforeseeable risks.

Is that a good thing??? I’m not sure,,, but it definitely looks to me that I will be one of those poor committed souls who will be going head-long and straight-forward to buy one of those GM “Next-Generation” cars…

I guess all of us shall see… “when the next generation gets here” if this was
“A Big Hoo-Rah!”
“A Big Hype”
OR… “Industry Shenanigans At Its Finest!”

This whole economy is,,, was,,, and will always be (until they change the rules) about “Taking Risks”. But how can we be better, smarter, safer consumers and take out all of those mind-numbing risks???

Especially when considering a new concept like the “VOLT”…

Those who comment about the “good” and the “bad” about the Chevy Volt do a great “armchair-service” in that they make everyone “THINK” a great deal about those pesky variables in committing to a $40,000 dollar car.

What I do think is that if this car is going to be “marketed” as a revolution then it needs to “be” in every respect that revolution.

The Design,,, The Cost,,, The Buying,,, The Maintenance,,, The Customer Support,,, The Recycling,,, The Repair Process,,,

And The Upgrading (Yes, I said upgrading… Wouldn’t it be a crazy miracle if you could cost-effectively upgrade certain aspects of a “short-sighted car design” modular-ly and keep that little bugger running on the road “perfectly” indefinitely… I mean just as easy as changing your tires!!!

“For Example: old batteries out,,, new batteries in… 100 miles per charge!!!” HOORAY!!!” Now that just could be “A Real Revolution!”

It would be nice to be a part of some fabled “American Tradition” of investing in ourselves “not only” because it’s the right thing to do,,, but because of the “truly inspired and believable promises of every facet of this GM project…

From the thousands of parts, making those thousands of cars, being represented by all of the thousands of GM employees.

I truly believe you cannot do this using…
The Same Sales Strategy
(using the same “smarmy” sales people for that matter)
The Same Showroom Visuals
The Same Maintenance Tactics (That’s a Shameless Money Pit!)
The Same Extended Warranty Harassment at the end of the sale (HECK! Why Not Standardize The Whole Warranty Process!)

…and the list goes on… In my mind… and in yours I’m certain…

But we, as an industrial society may not be ready for that… we may only be ready for a partial revolution… sort-of like a much needed hip replacement…

A good car may not a long term answer,,, but I’m certain that “A Great Car” is…

The Volt “may at the least” put GM back on its own two feet again.

“Keep The Faith… Better Yet, Share The Faith”

R.A.V.

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Greg S Says:
March 18th, 2009 at 12:24 pm

Quit dragging your feet! I believe you are putting this off untill insolvency becomes more apparant and use the research as a write off! Good going GM! Another AIG in the works. We need more money, again! Get it done now! Stop beating around the bush!
As Nike Says ‘JUst Do It!”

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Ben Says:
August 12th, 2009 at 4:01 pm

MediaCurves.com just conducted a study with 300 viewers of a news clip featuring General Motors’ new Chevy Volt. The results showed that 55% of respondents who reported that they were likely to purchase a car in the next year indicated that they would consider the Chevy Volt. For more in-depth results, please visit http://www.mediacurves.com/NationalMediaFocus/J7493-ChevyVolt/Index.cfm.
Thanks,
Ben

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