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GM-Volt.com Exclusive: Video Interview with GM CEO Fritz Henderson

June 11th, 2009 | Posted in: Feedback to GM, Original GM-Volt Interviews

While in Detroit for the Battery Lab opening, I had the chance for a brief interview with GM’s CEO Fritz Henderson. I could only ask a few questions and took them from reader suggestions on this site. The video is below the post.

First I asked whether he thought the primary reason for GM’s failure was bad management, economic collapse, or insurmountable debt.

He said the amount of leverage on the balance sheet was unsustainable, noting $103 billion was spent over a 15 year period on healthcare and pension through 2007. The auto market collapse was a factor he said, and he admitted “GM made mistakes too.”

Next I asked him how confident he was the new post-bankruptcy GM would be successful or whether it too could have a problem achieving profitability. He said the risk and breakeven point of the business were substantially lowered, and thus GM would “not bleed’ even if the market stayed at 10 million units. He was confident that the market would improve and there would thus be a “tremendous upside” He was confident GM cuold succeed in the future and said “we’re not interested in doing this twice, we’re doing this once.”

Third I asked him what he felt were the limitations to large production volumes of the Volt. He said “the primary challenge to the vehilce was cost.” He admits the warranty provision on the car is “fairly large” because GM doesn’t know what it will be and admits “there are a lot of uncertainties with the vehicle.” He says GM has “capacity for much more than 10,000″ Volts, and that GM could capacitize and tool for 50,000 or 60,000 but will start up slow and ramp up.

He explains even more effort will go into developing generations two and three of the car in parallel to gets costs down and make it more affordable, while the first generation cars will be aimed at satisfying customers.

He said he intends the Volt to be “the finest GM can do.”

I asked him what percentage of GM’s vehicles he expects to be electric in 10 years and if he is fully committed to electrification of the automobile and getting this country off of oil.

He replied that GM is “committed to being a part of the solution.” The commitment he advised is broad beyond purely electrics but also improving gas car fuel efficiency. He said that even in 10 years “the lion’s share” of GM vehicles will use the internal combustion engine, yet they will be “far more efficient.”

Finally I asked him if the Volt will be his own personal car and he said “Yes”, but that GM would satisfy all customers first before he got one, and that he would be “last on the line.”

Check out the video, and note sound quality improves dramatically after 1:13.

Posted by: Lyle

165 Responses to “GM-Volt.com Exclusive: Video Interview with GM CEO Fritz Henderson”

Guy Incognito Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 5:56 am

Although Fritz is nothing more than a mouthpiece for the Obama Administration, thus Wall Street, he was at least able to speak the truth.

GM’s failure comes from nothing more than bad management, plain & simple.

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Alex S Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 5:58 am

Lyle, tell him to start making pretty cars, cars that get you laid. They shouldn’t look at Toyota when it comes to the design part, cause the Toyota cars don’t look that great. They need to look at the german cars as a model for design. Or look at the american startups, Fisker Karma, Telas Model S. The cars need to outstand. Pontiac Solstice was a nice looking car, but they didn’t advertise it properly. In rest all cars done by GM don’t look that great (even the Volt doesn’t, sorry to dissapoint).

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Guy Incognito Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 6:00 am

=D~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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Texas Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 6:11 am

Lyle, nice new duds and haircut. Now just hit lasik and get a few power ties and you are ready for the media circus that will hit next year. Great job!

P.S. I thought you were going to scream, “Shut up!” at those other people.

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Rashiid Amul Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 6:14 am

Good questions Lyle.
I hope they succeed. Did you get a sense of whether or not Fritz was telliing the truth?

I am a disappointed, but not surprised that he sees the ICE alive and well in 10 years. I was really hoping they would have Voltec in their entire lineup by then.

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FME III Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 6:14 am

I was glad to hear that GM is working on Gen 2 and Gen 3 in parallel.

As for his answer to the final question (when will he get a Volt) I admire the sentiment, but the reality is, if he were stay the last in line, he would never get one, at least not during the first year of production. I believe that GM will sell every Volt it can make, as fast as it can deliver them.

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jdsv Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 6:14 am

Fritz will be last in line, eh? That’s pretty noble of him, but that’s years away! If it helps to spread word about the Volt, I guess it’s ok if we cede one two him after a couple thousand are in our garages.

I was impressed by his answers. In 10 years, it’s expected that gas cars will still dominate the roads. I’d like to hear what GM expects the automotive landscape to look like 15 years from now – you know, 5 years before every car is suddenly powered by hydrogen.

NPNS!! =D~~~~

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Steve Martin Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 6:17 am

Nice post. Thoughtful questions and answers.

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StevePA Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 6:33 am

Regarding Fritz Henderson’s comments on mix of GM’s fleet 10 years from now…to still include a range of ICE powered (though more efficient) vehicles as well as “electric vehicles and other technologies”. Would guess most of the major auto manufacturers would respond alike at this point in time. The market and the cost / availability of fuels will have a lot to do with what that mix looks like for any auto manufacturer still in business 10 years from now.

Appreciated his emphasis on GM getting it right, “the finest GM can offer” with the gen 1 Volt. They’ll have to – on Volt and other models they introduce – in order to succeed in that long-haul march of winning back the confidence of the buying public. It is the only way we taxpayers stand a chance of getting any return on our investment.

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statik Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 6:38 am

I just wanted to say congrats to Lyle. It would appear the ‘new GM’ includes a lot more access for him, and by extension us.

Sometimes, corporations don’t like it when the ‘tip of the spear’ of a movement is not controlled by them, which is the case when it comes to where the ‘public’ goes for their ‘Volt news’…and colorful commentary.

/hopefully this trend continues, and we can continue to minimize Mark LaNeve’s presence as much as possible in this corner of GM’s world

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FME III Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 6:42 am

Off topic but of more than passing interest to all die-hard Volt fans. Here’s an excerpt from John McElroy’s Autoline blog after his Volt test drive. It talks about the ICE transition issue. Frankly, it’s the most plausible explanation yet and fleshes out the “noise” issue reported earlier:

“GM did not have the regenerative engines hooked up to these mules, because they’re still having issues with the calibration. If you’re driving up a long grade or traveling down the highway at 70 miles an hour and you run out of battery power the engine comes on at 4,500 rpm. So instead of tooling down the road in a whisper quiet EV, you’re suddenly assaulted by the sound of a roaring engine. The easy solution, of course, would be to bring the engine on at low rpm well before the batteries are drained. But the EPA frowns on this idea, the GM people say. If they want to get a spectacular fuel economy rating for this car, the EPA doesn’t want to see it spending a lot of its time converting gasoline into electricity. So GM is still playing around with calibration strategies and that’s why no one in the media has had a chance to drive one of these mules with the engine hooked up.

“I’m still skeptical that we’re going to see the Volt in Chevy show rooms by the end of next year. Not in any big numbers. GM freely admits it’s not going to make any money on the first generation of this car. It’s already well into the development of the second generation, and the R&D labs have already started work on a third-generation. My guess is that this car will not enter mass production until at least the second generation, and maybe not even until the third. As important as this car is for GM, it truly cannot afford to build cars that can’t turn a profit.

“Even so, I’m a convert. I’d really like to see this car succeed, to the point that I’m ready to buy one. I just hope my chance comes sooner rather than later.”

Here’s the link to his full report:

http://www.autolinedetroit.tv/journal/?p=4393#more-4393

:

Her;s an

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Gsned57 Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 6:43 am

He’ll be last in line! haha, what a clever way of saying “no, my chauffeur will continue to drive me in my stretched Hummer! The only way I’ll drive one of these cars is if we can’t even give them away” Oh well, If I were him I’d be driving nothing but concept cars and cool stuff coming out of the lab.

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RyRock Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 6:43 am

Good Post Lyle. Thanks for the timely info.

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Jim I Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 6:54 am

Lyle: Really good work!

I still truly believe that all 10K units will be sold as soon as they are available. There is only one real reason why production is being limited the fist year, and Fritz said it himself:

He admits the warranty provision on the car is “fairly large” because GM doesn’t know what it will be and admits “there are a lot of uncertainties with the vehicle.”

It will be interesting to see how all of this plays out…..

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-1 Tim Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 6:58 am

Government Motors is now a politically controlled, union owned Works Program.

Talk is nice but we’ll just have to wait and see if the unions can run a company that makes high quality products that the GENERAL public wants to buy at costs low enough to compete in a global market.

My guess is that the politicians will force GM to make cars that nobody wants and the unions will spend the taxpayer’s money on them selves (Christmas all year round) while they kill the company after wasting over $100 Billion in taxpayer funds, but we’ll see.

What was business is now POLITICS…

(only time will tell)

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statik Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 6:59 am

As to the interview itself, I thought it was pretty good. This guy was (and still is) the reason I wanted Wagoner out for so long. Fritz really puts some thought into his answers and ’shoots’ about as straight as he can. He is the right guy for the job…right now. Once GM is turning a profit, not so much…but I’m happy he is the guy in the lead today.

He clearly is up to speed on the talking points and the right wording for the Volt.

Warranty provision is “fairly large”- he is careful not to say double pack costing, but puts it out there as a reasonable place where the price could come down in the future…which is very true, once they have confidence/more returns on pack life.

Sidenote: For a split second I thought you were checking out a text message while you were talking to him at 1:15, until I realized that was how you were fixing the sound…it would have been awesome if you would have said, ‘Can you hold on for a second” and texted someone back right there.

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RB Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 7:00 am

Thanks Lyle for the outstanding interview and post. I thought the most titillating response was when he said
He explains even more effort will go into developing generations two and three of the car in parallel to gets costs down and make it more affordable, while the first generation cars will be aimed at satisfying customers.

Trying to interpret that, I think it means that gen 1 will be a low volume specialty car sold mainly in CA. That geographically localized test will indicate customer acceptance of the car and see how it does on the road They are working hard on a cheaper gen 2 and gen 3. Perhaps one of those will become a higher volume car sold nationally. That is, I think he thinks gen 1 is not going to make it but could prove valuable as a precursor for a later cheaper version

(Although he did not say so, gen 2 and gen 3 are probably cars with a lower electric range, as that can help with cost, weight, and size of the battery).

I think this view is consistent with the views quoted in #11 by FME III.

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Jean-Charles Jacquemin Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 7:02 am

Thanks Lyle, great questions, some good answers, perhaps I’ll be able to buy my Ampera (or Volt) before the New GM ex-CEO will get its own.

Regards,

JC NPNS

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ziv Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 7:04 am

I have to echo Alex, GM needs to build cars that guys want to be seen in. Outside of the Corvette, the CTS, the long awaited Camaro and the Silverado, there isn’t much there. And most of us won’t be able to afford a Corvette or a CTS. I loved my ‘78 Silverado, but since I sold my motocross bikes, it isn’t exactly the vehicle for me. I wish GM would get the IV’ers on the road and splash their pictures all over Car & Driver. Bring back a little more of the edgieness of the concept while keeping as much of the improved cD as possible. Use a bit of the battery improvements to fit 17 or 18 kWh in the battery pack space and get a true 40+ mile AER, not around 40 miles if you don’t use the stereo or the heater and keep the speed under 60 mph. I wish Fritz would come out and say that they have Equinox and short bed Colorado mules out there testing with intent IV’ers on the way. GM has spent a ton of what is now our money on Voltec, use it wisely. While I am on my wish parade, I wish he would tell us what price LG is going to get for the packs per kWh. And how has that number evolved.
And did a couple of “firsts” get disappeared? If so, good on you, Lyle!

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RB Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 7:09 am

#19 ziv says
I have to echo Alex, GM needs to build cars that guys want to be seen in.
————————————————–

The reality is that well over half of car-buying decisions are made by women. Today there are many women with the income to buy one, and many others with great influence over family decisions. It may be that the Volt finds its strongest market among female customers. If the car has the right colors and trim, and if dealers can find female sales people who can present it well, Volt can readily be an upscale choice, neat, trim, quiet. Even better, trips to gas stations can be largely avoided.

That is, Volt will be a woman’s car, not a man’s, for the majority of buyers.

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statik Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 7:12 am

#11 FME III

Thanks for the ditty on the regen-mode, I think we all assumed it was the noise of engine when the car was being ’stressed’ I don’t know if the ‘EPA’ is involved/wants to be involved with the way GM makes it’s product (sounds odd), but 4,500 RPM from nothing would be quite a shock nonetheless.

As a corollary to that, if at 70 MPH or going up grades the engine needs to be constantly running at 4,500RPM (which is what I infer from that piece) that is way too high/noisy. Nobody drives on the highway (or anywhere) with their engine at 4,500 RPM, and I don’t see anyway that can be construed as being efficient operation. To be hitting 50MPG and decent quietness, I would think it needs to be down in the 2,000-2,500 range…maybe the engine that is available isn’t the right one for the job.

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old man Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 7:24 am

4500 seems a bit much to me. I would hate to have to design an ICE that could run at that rpm quietly and hold together for 10-15 years. I don’t remember the last time I put an engine to 4500 rpm. [but sure I did in my youth]

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ziv Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 7:26 am

RB, that would explain why cars have gotten so boring lately.
I am with you on the idea that trips to the gas station would be largely avoided! Last year I would have had to go to the gas station about every 2 months for another whopping 5 gallons of gas, based on my tax records for my mileage. That is a very nice thought!
I remember all the articles gushing about how women had been brought in to the design process for the 199x Ford Taurus and it was even more abysmally boring than its predecessor. I think that GM and to some extent Ford have mistaken what people want. VW is hugely popular with women and their cars tend to be blocky and muscular, rather than vaguely teardrop shaped generics that american sedans have become. Most of the interesting cars lately have been retro-look cars like the Mustang, the Camaro, even the Soltice & Skys. And they are attractive to both men and women. I live in Northern VA and every once in a while I drive down my street noticing how few american cars there are. It is because the Japanese cars were more reliable for a long time, and the European cars are sportier. You can see a divide, young & fun vs. middle of the road and reliable, but both groups have been buying european and japanese/korean cars, respectively, instead of American cars. GM has to build cars that guys want to be seen in, and that are as reliable as a Buick, or the guys will buy european cars when they are young and japanese cars when they are married.
I don’t know about the Volt being a womans’ car, it can look good, as we have seen in the late photos of the black volt, but I wish they had kept a bit more of the muscular look the concept had.

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Jim in PA Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 7:39 am

On the issue of car “masculinity”, I think a car needs to convey power and strength, but not necessarily masculinity. You don’t want to turn off women, since they are half the market. For example, I think much of Chrysler’s product line looks a little too aggressive (many of the SUV/crossover lineup) the way they do their front ends. But I do love the look of the Charger, which is a little more refined and less cartoonishly macho. In fact, I didn’t like the concept version of the Volt for the same reason. It was Road Warrior meets Speed Racer. I think most women would have shunned that car.

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nuclearboy Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 7:41 am

“running at 4,500RPM”

Absolutely ridiculous. There is no way in hell the engine should start up and run at 4500 rpms.

Forget the EPA and there tests. Make the car run smoothly and ramp up RPMs at a smooth and gradual pace.

It also does not make sence that the engine would ever need to run this fast. I can’t imagine that the average power needed by the car would exceed the average power put out at 3000 rpms (or less).

Why do we need to supply more than average power when we have the big capacity of the battery to use as an energy bank?

How often do you drive around in a 1.5 liter engine at 4500 rpms for sustained periods of time? Maybe if you are travelling at 100 mph.

I hope this is just a reporters ignorance on the issue.

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ron Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 7:50 am

Anyone who thinks we could be completely converted to electric drive vehicles in 10 years and never see another ICE is a goofy rabid fanatical lunatic living in a dream world. The practical reality is that electric drive is a good thing, not the only thing. We’ll continue needing ICE drive systems for several decades, especially for heavy hauling and long trips. This little dose of reality will not stop me from buying a Volt though.

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Herm Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 7:53 am

“But the EPA frowns on this idea, the GM people say. If they want to get a spectacular fuel economy rating for this car, the EPA doesn’t want to see it spending a lot of its time converting gasoline into electricity.”

It is disturbing that the EPA has this much power over design decisions.. there goes the “Pikes Peak” switch.

Good job Lyle.

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maharguitar Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 7:58 am

The last few messages from GM execs has been very consistent. The 1st gen Volt is there to get us to the 2nd and 3rd generation Volts. The goal of the 2nd and 3rd gen is to reduce costs. They don’t talk about gens 2 & 3 having better performance in any other parameter. From my, albeit, limited understanding of the Voltec technology, the overwhelming cost issue is the battery. If you can cut the cost of the battery by $5000, you can reduce the cost of the vehicle.

One way to reduce the cost of the battery is to have a better idea on how reliable it is. Once they have 2-3 years experience with it, they may be able to cut the price without changing anything because they know what the warranty costs will be.

Knowing that a large part of the battery cost is warranty makes me optimistic about Voltec’s future. I think that the batteries will turn out to be more reliable than they currently estimate. Plus, next gen batteries will be even more reliable as well as cheaper.

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KUDou guyat ther s are forgeting th Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 8:00 am

You guys are forgeting that there is no Transmission, put your current car in first gear and head on down the highway. I would be interested in the NOISE LEVELS you achieve.

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RB Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 8:07 am

#25 Herm said
It is disturbing that the EPA has this much power over design decisions..
————————————————–

Keep in mind that the automakers were lavish in their praise of President Obama at their presser because he unified all the standards into one. It turns that the one standard is an EPA standard, and that the CAFE numbers are not a part of the standard but instead are the guesses at CAFEs that might be achieved when meeting the EPA numbers. So, yes, the EPA has absolute power over what can and cannot be built in terms of autos.

An interesting question is how exactly the EPA standards will work. Apparently they will not be vehicle by vehicle but will average over all vehicles having the same “footprint”, the area in the rectangle connecting the points where the tires touch the ground. All vehicles with the same footprint can emit no more than an EPA allowed amount of CO2 (and other limits) for that size vehicle, it seems. (These standards are confusing to me and seem to be evolving, so I may not have the details right, but I think the big picture is correct.)

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Bearclaw Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 8:30 am

I’m not sure “the EPA frowns on this” is the right way of looking at it. GM does not want the Volt to get less then 50mpg (that’s what they have consistently claimed it would get). Also they know the public is going to compare it to the insight and prius in mpg and if it’s not very close or better they might still be loosing sales to them. Plug or no plug.

About the engine noise. It would make sense to me to have the engine turn on at a low RPM to warm up for a minute or longer in the cold to protect the engine and then rev up to the engine’s optimal efficiency RPM.

Any new news on the solar roof option for the Volt? The latest Prius commercial was touting theirs.

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BillR Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 8:33 am

Great interview, Lyle!

Regarding cost, I think we all know the batteries are a major expense, but I saw an interview with Denise Gray and she also stated that there is a lot of support equipment that comes with the batteries, like an active cooling system.

This is another reason for the battery lab. By testing numerous battery chemistries and configurations, GM will likely be able to produce a battery pack that will be smaller, use a higher percentage of its capacity, and yet not require a liquid cooling system (perhaps air cooled/heated).

As far as the EPA requirements are concerned, I would venture that the Volt will be rated in an entirely different category than ICE cars and conventional hybrids, and will likely have a partial ZEV (zero emissions vehicle) classification. There are probably more stringent rules that apply, but GM wants to have the Volt classified in this category.

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CDAVIS Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 8:43 am

______________________________________________________
Lyle’s interview of Mr. Henderson:
“He said that even in 10 years “the lion’s share” of GM vehicles will use the internal combustion engine, yet they will be “far more efficient.”

#24 ron Said:
“Anyone who thinks we could be completely converted to electric drive vehicles in 10 years and never see another ICE is a goofy rabid fanatical lunatic living in a dream world.”
———-

Here is CDAVIS’s goofy rabid fanatical lunatic prediction:

10 years from now the most successful car makers will have their “lion’s share” of vehicles using an electric power train.

Before the end of 2010, a major automaker (not GM) will publicly proclaim that their corporate goal is to within 10 years convert all their vehicles to run on an electric power train.

GM will end up going down in automotive history as a major catalyst in igniting the Electric Car Revolution through the initial production release of the Voltec Program but GM’s organizational legacy will prove not able to keep up with the industry hyper innovation and shift towards Electric Cars.
______________________________________________________

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CorvetteGuy Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 8:45 am

The continued hammering on Fritz about GM’s past is getting old. Let’s pretend that the economy did not collapse, and everyone’s home values are still double what they are today… The path for GM would still be the same: Use the BK Courts to restructure, renegotiate and “re:invent” itself to be cost competitive.

But the economy did collapse. It is affecting more than just GM. ALL carmakers are losing billions. And it’s not just the carmakers: Fleetwood Enterprises, (the #2 maker of RV’s in the USA and my wife’s current employer) has also gone BK and is up for sale too.

It’s time to lay off Fritz about the past. What’s done is done. Let’s start asking more questions about the future! I’m sure after all that has happened, GM will not screw up this last chance for “re:invention”.

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CDAVIS Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 8:51 am

______________________________________________________
From Lyle’s interview of Mr. Henderson:
Finally I asked him if the Volt will be his own personal car and he said “Yes”, but that GM would satisfy all customers first before he got one, and that he would be “last on the line.”
—–

Houston, we have a problem…..
______________________________________________________

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Marty McFly Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 8:52 am

Scientists at the University of Waterloo have designed a lithium-sulfur battery that is capable of 3 times the power of lithium-ion batteries with equal volume while remaining both lighter and cheaper to produce.

Using this new technology the Tesla Roadster would have a 730+ mile range.

Did somebody say ‘Range Anxiety’ ? (I didn’t think so)

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Bryan Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 9:02 am

I would like the option of having the battery warranty be separate from the warranty on the other vehicle components. That way I can assume the risk of paying full price for a battery pack replacement should it fail and reduce my initial cost. Even if the batteries fail completely, my Volt will still function properly due to the range extender and achieve around 50 miles to the gallon. This would leave me with the choice of when to replace the battery pack, if ever. Notice how I like consumer choice?

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Powershell Jedi Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 9:05 am

GM = $$Get Money$$!
Tesla = The Future!

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Jim F. Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 9:07 am

Re #16 RB says

Regarding Gen II battery range, Frank Weber says in a FastLane blog:

Frank Weber: The concept in Generation II is not going to change, up to 40 miles pure electric plus extended-range for total of more than 300 miles. You can expect, however, that it will be achieved at a much lower cost level, and therefore, at a much lower price to the consumer. Wre are already working on the second generation battery and getting the same 40 miles out of a battery pack that is half the size, half the price is ambitious, but not impossible.

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k-dawg Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 9:09 am

16 RB
(Although he did not say so, gen 2 and gen 3 are probably cars with a lower electric range, as that can help with cost, weight, and size of the battery).

——————-
I’m pretty sure the engineers & Weber said that 40 miles is the goal and will remain the goal, even on future generations. I should be able to find a link on this.

EDIT – THanks 37 Jim F

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Rashiid Amul Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 9:10 am

From article, Fritz says,
“there are a lot of uncertainties with the vehicle.”

This scares me. I hope this doesn’t translate into a “piece of junk” car. GM needs to be spot on with this car.

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Disgustipated Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 9:12 am

Hey, tell Fritz that their irresponsible wasting of our tax bailout (which would have been better spent on keeping my business floating) has lost them generations of my family buying a Gubment Motors vehicles. The Obama administration may say they’re not going to exercise their majority stock ownership vote by telling them what to do but by the time they force their new standards down their throat, we’re going to be looking at nothing less than 1970’s Chrysler K series vehicles. As always, I will never buy another GM product. My wife and 3 adult children are of the same mindset. I lobby everyone I know to avoid GM products. I want them to fail and I will do my part as long as I’m breathing. Why do I stay on this email list you ask? To remind everyone on here that we’ve been screwed and you better stretch your sphincters because more’s coming.

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kent beuchert Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 9:15 am

I note that Fritz carefully avoided mentioning the UAw. Chicken as always, although that was never in doubt. Now that GM has raped and screwed those shareholders and bondholders in order that their exorbitantyl overpaid UAW unkilled worker retain their $125K salaries and full health benefits … We all rememebr that GM made their non-union workers pay for half og their health care costs years ago, while the union that we all know destroyed GM, got full benefits and even full benefits when they retired, Apparently Medicare isn’t good enough for the UAW. Henderson seems about as honest as he is competent. So stay tuned for GM bankruptcy Number 2, second in a series of govt bailouts. Coming to your local dealer soon. Henderson and his precious UAW can go you know where.

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Schmeltz Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 9:15 am

Nice catch on scoring this interview Lyle! I’m very happy to see Fritz being as open and transparent with GM’s situation as he is being. So far he seems to be a straight shooter about things, doesn’t sugar glaze stuff as others have done in the past. Good questions asked and a good interview again Lyle.

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catbert Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 9:24 am

The Volt is not the answer to GM’s problems, let alone the auto industry. There are a number of problems that face the industry in general, and GM in particular…like what is the sustainable production/sales rate for the next 5 years. GM won’t make it on the Volt, and has to shore up the ICE lineup in the short term. The cornerstone of a GM turnaround will be the Cruze, not the Volt. Lot’s of us are excited about the Volt, and the possibilities it signals, but the Corporation has to survive until the Volt can add to the bottom line instead of costing more than it brings in.

Ford seems to be ahead of GM with the introduction of the 41mpg city midsize sedan. GM’s failure to be all over that current market signals that someone is still asleep at the switch.

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Starcast Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 9:25 am

As much as I like the Volt, it is good to hear they are working on improving the ICE in trucks. This is were we can save the most oil. Most Americans would like to drive a SUV or PU and do.

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Tagamet Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 9:31 am

CDAVIS@31 said:
“Here is CDAVIS’s goofy rabid fanatical lunatic prediction:

10 years from now the most successful car makers will have their “lion’s share” of vehicles using an electric power train.

Before the end of 2010, a major automaker (not GM) will publicly proclaim that their corporate goal is to within 10 years convert all their vehicles to run on an electric power train.

GM will end up going down in automotive history as a major catalyst in igniting the Electric Car Revolution through the initial production release of the Voltec Program but GM’s organizational legacy will prove not able to keep up with the industry hyper innovation and shift towards Electric Cars.”
__________________________________

Hey, I thought that I was the resident optimist!
Even if the car makers shift to ALL electrics, the life cycle of the current vehicles on the road is still another 15 years or so. If electric turns out to not be as popular as we both hope it will, the remaining ICE vehicles will just be around even longer. Of course, our govt may confiscate the remaining ICE vehicles, but even that will take at least another election cycle.
Sorry, I guess I got out if the wrong side of bed today.
Be well,
Tagamet
LJGTVWOTR

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Herm Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 9:31 am

#35 Bryan Says:
I would like the option of having the battery warranty be separate from the warranty on the other vehicle components.
……………………………..

Me too, actually I would prefer to lease the battery, buy the car.. this would help the resale value of the car by taking the uncertainty of the battery life away.

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k-dawg Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 9:32 am

31 CDAVIS Says:
.______________________________________________________
Lyle’s interview of Mr. Henderson:
“He said that even in 10 years “the lion’s share” of GM vehicles will use the internal combustion engine, yet they will be “far more efficient.”

#24 ron Said:
“Anyone who thinks we could be completely converted to electric drive vehicles in 10 years and never see another ICE is a goofy rabid fanatical lunatic living in a dream world.”
———-

Here is CDAVIS’s goofy rabid fanatical lunatic prediction:

10 years from now the most successful car makers will have their “lion’s share” of vehicles using an electric power train.

Before the end of 2010, a major automaker (not GM) will publicly proclaim that their corporate goal is to within 10 years convert all their vehicles to run on an electric power train.

GM will end up going down in automotive history as a major catalyst in igniting the Electric Car Revolution through the initial production release of the Voltec Program but GM’s organizational legacy will prove not able to keep up with the industry hyper innovation and shift towards Electric Cars.
______________________________________________________

CDavis, you know the Volt still uses an ICE. And 10 years isnt that far away. Realize its almost 2010, the year 2000 was a decade ago, how much has changed since then? Also, trucks are still 1/2 the market. Lots of things keeping ICE’s in the loop. I’m all for making them more efficient. Ideally though, we’d all be driving pure BEV’s with 300+ mile ranges, 1/2 hour quick charges, for $20K. The day that comes will be great, but it wont happen in 10 years.

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nasaman Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 9:33 am

Great interview, Lyle!

It’s clear from his comments that GM will retain their risk-reduction strategy for the gen 1 Volt of allocating very high battery manufacturing costs & warranty costs in cost projections. I’m equally convinced their assembly-line automation experts will be successful in greatly reducing battery pack & full-up battery assembly/testing times (while minimizing the labor content). If I’m right, a 16Kwh battery will cost about HALF what they’ve allocated for it, which should reduce the ACTUAL Volt cost by perhaps $4-6K. Will they ever admit it? Not likely.

PS: A couple of personal notes: 1) Glad to see you adopted the strategy I used at VoltNation of using an MP3 player for close-up, lower-noise recording; 2) It appears Fritz is really somewhat “vertically challenged” by comparison to you!

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DonC Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 9:35 am

Great interview Lyle! From his answer to the question about production numbers, I guess he doesn’t know that production will be limited by a lack of battery production. He needs to hang out here more often.

Going forward it might be interesting to see if you could get an interview with Blum or Rattner and ask them some questions about their take on the Volt and the electrification of transportation.

Blum’s testimony before the Senate Finance Committee yesterday was quite interesting. In some ways it was amusing because the objections seemed to be: (1) taxpayer money was being placed at risk; (2) the Administration was being “heartless” by not making the dealers and others whole by giving them taxpayer money; (3) the government would be running the companies; (4) the Administration wasn’t making the companies do what Senator X wanted because, after all, “we” owned the company. So much for consistency. And oh yeah, unable to control his impulse for political theater, Corker asked what number Barney Frank calls about plant closings. (Must be a talk radio point I’m not aware of).

All in all Blum did a credible job explaining what groups were favored and which were not. Essentially groups the new company needed going forward — the UAW and customers (warranties) got better deals than those not needed — aka bondholders and shareholders. The process will be for the companies at some time in perhaps 2010 to do an IPO and then for the government to sell its stake in an orderly manner so as not to drive down the share price.

Blum’s bottom line was that he was “reasonably confident” that the taxpayer money would be paid back but wouldn’t put a number on it. FWIW he seemed like a very straight shooter, but he’s very numbers and investment oriented for a political arena.

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Adrian Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 9:40 am

You should have asked him the tough question about how are they planning to survive with the large near 30% boycott and a very good % of current owners of GM leaving because of the fascist policy based bailout.
Either that, or ask about the nasty backroom deals with the dictator/czar over the weird dealership closings.

Or the snarky question would be “How does it feel like to be like VW or other German car makers from the 30’s working under fascist policies?”

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DaleMcC Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 9:42 am

For those who think bad management was the problem, one has only to look at the sales units they had versus the profits/losses they made. They sold comparable units to Toyota, however Toyota made a profit and GM didn’t. That should tell you cutting costs is the biggest problem they face. Based on the unions increased involvement, that’s not likely. Be prepared for continued subsidies from here til someone in government has the balls to pull the plug.

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Herm Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 9:51 am

http://www.autobloggreen.com/2009/06/10/noise-cancelling-speakers-help-2010-chevy-equinox-get-1-mpg/#comments

Here is another tool GM can use to quiet the sounds of the genset..

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Shawn Marshall Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 9:52 am

GM’s problems with the UAW are now and always have been due to the government’s absolute support of labor unions. This has gone on for generations and corporations such as GM had no choice except to sign outlandish contracts which finally caused the company to implode. What about the bad products, you say? When your guts are being eaten by a cancer, it is difficult to concentrate on Job 1. What about the good products as well, one might rejoin? Buicks, Caddies and Chevy pick-ups, are they good enough?
What will make GM competitive now? Government management? Or will the debt just start piling up again? If GM can make a Volt, are you gonna bet Toyodor won’t undermine the product with better pricing and features? I’m a fan of the Volt concept but I fear GM is headed for the dust bin.

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N Riley Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 9:54 am

Good going, Lyle. Nice to see Henderson give GM-Volt some time. I hope what he said will come to pass. He sounds definitely positive about the future of the new GM and I guess we should expect him to be positive. But good interview, Lyle. Keep up the good work. It really is appreciated by the vast majority of people on this site.

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DaleMcC Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 10:07 am

This sounds like a newer version of the old change bank commercial on SNL. “How do we make a profit? Volume.” Reducing it in this case (even wackier) given fixed costs.

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Tagamet Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 10:08 am

Lyle,
Great job on snagging (and conducting) the interview. I think it validates the fact that GM has and should continue to give you and the site the credit it deserves.
Be well,
Tagamet
LJGTVWOTR

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DonC Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 10:08 am

#16 RB says “Although he did not say so, gen 2 and gen 3 are probably cars with a lower electric range, as that can help with cost, weight, and size of the battery”

As Jim F notes, the constant refrain from GM is that neither the basic car design nor the range will change in Gen II or Gen III. Note that Frank Weber keeps saying the range is “up to 40 miles” not “40 miles”.

#28 RB – Yeah, the CAFE numbers come from the EPA numbers but are not the same. For example, the automakers get “credit” if the vehicle is capable of using bio-fuels. (Personally I think that’s a good idea since we have a chicken and egg problem with bio-fuels — no fueling stations so no bio-fuel cars so no fueling stations — and this helps move things along).

I think under the rules a car like the Volt will give GM “super credits”. Finally there are some interesting tech things they can do. For example, in addition to the new engine technologies, the noise canceling system on the new Equinox lets it idle at a lower speed which adds fractionally to the mpg. Tires with less rolling resistance can also help.

#45 Tagamet says “Even if the car makers shift to ALL electrics, the life cycle of the current vehicles on the road is still another 15 years or so.”

You’re not being your optimistic self! Keep in mind that number of cars and number of miles driven are not related on a strictly linear basis. For example, most families have more than one car. Given that it’s a lot cheaper to drive an EV, they’d take the EV rather than the ICE to the store or wherever. IOW with two cars the mileage might split 60-40 or even 90-10.

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N Riley Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 10:08 am

#15 Statik

it would have been awesome if you would have said, ‘Can you hold on for a second” and texted someone back right there.
——————————

You were kidding, weren’t you? How inconsiderate would that have been? Here you nail an interview with the guy you been trying to get on record for GM-Volt for months and in the middle of the interview you stop and take the time to text someone? Come on, Statik. Even you would not have done that. Would you?

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MuddyRoverRob Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 10:27 am

Fritz seems to be pretty honest and realistic about Voltec/ICE production numbers. 3 out of 4 cars I own are over 10 years old.

As mentioned the cruise needs to sell in large numbers to make GM solvent. A minivan/crossover (7 person seating) would make sense to me as the next step for the Voltec platform. As much as a Voltec Camaro would be COOL more people would buy the van.

I do want a Volt, and yes my wife (electrical engineer) will drive it most of the time. Much like she drives our newest car day to day currently. (Subaru Impreza)

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wwskinn3 Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 10:28 am

I would still like to see GM do a small 2 seater sports electric. This would make a great commuter car for those that drive alone. It should get good enought mileage that you won’t need the ICE.

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DaleMcC Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 10:28 am

I hear Ford may be heading down this road soon as well. If they are smart, they will not accept bail-out money. Assuming the chosen one doesn’t force it down their throats. They’d be better to emerge from bankruptcy rid of the union contracts (assuming I know what I’m talking about regarding bankruptcy law). Obama probably would never let that happen given the political payback he made to the UAW in the Chrysler deal and future GM deal. Let’s let Obama’s administration control costs. They’ve done a great job so far, right?

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CaptJackSparrow Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 10:31 am

GM to discontinue mild hybrid Malibu, Vue, Aura for 2010 model year

http://www.autobloggreen.com/2009/06/11/gm-to-discontinue-mild-hybrid-malibu-vue-aura-for-2010-model-y/

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CaptJackSparrow Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 10:33 am

If you don’t have a reason to buy a high mileage MPG car, here’s one for you….

REPORT: Kuwaiti Oil Minister says OPEC won’t increase production until prices hit $100/barrel

http://www.autobloggreen.com/2009/06/11/opec-well-let-oil-get-to-100-a-barrel-before-we-increase-prod/

The ICEAge is over, Embrace the VoltAge.

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

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noel park Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 10:33 am

#56 Tagamet:

I agree 100%.

Every day I am amazed that Dr. Dennis finds the energy and the time to keep up this huge effort. I am absolutely from Missouri when it comes to the ifluence of blogs and such, but I have to believe that GM-Volt.com has had a significant positive impact on the progress of the Volt.

Well done Dr. Dennis. More power to you.

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Tagamet Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 10:37 am

RB@57 I definitely agree about the disparate use of vehicles for different purposes. Good point and I’d hope the electric would become SO good at what it does that people might choose one for their second car too.

N. Riley
I’m certain Statik was kidding about the texting (lol)
Be well,
Tagamet
LJGTVWOTR

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ArkansasVolt Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 10:39 am

#63 CJS

“The ICEAge is over, Embrace the VoltAge.”

HAHAHA… you really have me rolling. i love the play on words.

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CorvetteGuy Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 10:42 am

I was still hoping the question about colors would have been snuck in there. I was watching the ‘behind-the-scenes’ video of the VOLT from the next Transformers movie… “JOLT Purple” is going to be a popular color! Right next to “Sideswipe Silver”.

I’ll still take my VOLT in Victory Red.

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Jerry Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 10:42 am

#64

I am amazed too. In fact I’m curious about something. With all the travel, interviews and time he spends on this site, what about his patients? Does he cancel their appointments when special events like this come up? You’d think being a Dr wouldn’t leave time to run a site like this. Maybe he just doesn’t sleep

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statik Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 10:44 am

#58 (or 59..I have a post in moderation) N Riley said:

#15 Statik said: “it would have been awesome if you would have said, ‘Can you hold on for a second” and texted someone back right there.”
——————
You were kidding, weren’t you? How inconsiderate would that have been? Here you nail an interview with the guy you been trying to get on record for GM-Volt for months and in the middle of the interview you stop and take the time to text someone? Come on, Statik. Even you would not have done that. Would you?
============================
============================
Lol, yeah I was just kidding.

I snickered when it looked like he was reading a text in that video, for just the reasons you mentioned he wouldn’t…here is Lyle finally talking to the big cheese or ‘grande fromage’ (if you will) at GM and he stops the interview to text with the wife about getting the kids some ‘ice pops’ and how hot it is? Comedy gold.

/my kind of humoUr (note Canadian ‘U’)

(Sidenote to Lyle: Yes, I am a elephant, I don’t forget, lol)

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noel park Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 10:46 am

#62 CaptjackSparrow:

As to the Malibu “mild hybrid”, good riddance. As embarrassing a bit of greenwashing as I ever hope to see. Ditto for the Vue and Aura “mild hybrids”, although I guess that’s Roger’s problem now.

#63 CaptJackSparrow:

Amen. It $4 gas is what it takes to make the Volt sell, no problem. Wait for it.

BTW, is the waiting list meter stuck, or have people quit signing up? It sems to have been at 48K+ for days (weeks?).

Oh well, maybe that means that we will get ours in some reasonable time frame, LOL. Unless the dreaded $4 hits, of course. Which it will. Trust the Kuwaiti Oil Minister.

Wait a second, didn’t we spend a few $billion rescuing them from Saddam a few years ago? So soon they forget, eh?

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Dave K. Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 10:48 am

Mr. Henderson’s answers sound straight forward. Honest without being overly specific.

The one thing that caught my attention is the mention of gen 2 & 3 being front burner goals. Bob Lutz has previously stated that the gen 1 Volt is what the public will get for at least 5 years. Fritz Henderson sounds like we may see gen 2 in three years. With gen 3 being released 3 years after. I agree that this is the way to go. GM must not play to survive, they must play to win.

=D~

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Frank D Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 10:51 am

Great post Lyle. I am disappointed that GM is not fully committed to the electrification of the automobile. While I understand they need do hedge their bets, companies need to show leadership in providing the best source of energy, then design around that. having too many technologies available is as bad as having to many brands…

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omnimoeish Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 10:55 am

I thought he was turning his mic on.

I liked how Fritz said “OBVIOUSLY we made some mistakes”. That means that he is well aware that they botched on more than one occasion.

I don’t think 50-60,000 a year is going to be enough. Globally speaking, there are AT LEAST 1 million people who would pay top dollar for a car that doesn’t use oil. I don’t know if Fritz realizes how much people pay for gas in Europe. People are going to be trying to export these to Holland and all over if they can’t get Amperas. As long as they don’t force people to lease the battery or something, they’ll sell a ton.

Even in the US, the high price probably won’t be an issue with oil going up and up all the time and federal AND state tax rebates (like here in Oregon). If the final after tax price gets down to $30,000 or so (the average new car is $27,000), these will be selling in the hundreds of thousands easily, no question.

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Lee Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 10:59 am

“the finest GM can do” ….hmmm I thought GM has always been doing that???

(Quote)
Steve Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 11:00 am

You know, I watched the video 3 times now. What the heck does an ICE running at 4500 rpm have to do with anything said during the interview?

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Lwesson Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 11:02 am

Static #10 is dead on about controlling the tip of the spear per the Volt program and the special situation that Lyle has created with this site and it’s followers and that includes the many who do not write but just read. GM management want to control the joy stick right up to when the prop hits the ground… but… now, Das Stat has, via the crafty cash “bailout” ensured that it will have a go at it despite the sputtering, smoking Wright Whirlwind.

Did anyone notice the defensive body language of crossed arms, that olde Fritz displayed??? Surely he was required to take some course about how to present ones physical self before the media. Dad had to take courses to occasionally represent OIL and GAS before the courts or media. I guess that GM need not be concerned with such trivial things.

Cheers!———–Higgins

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Drake Nichols Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 11:02 am

While Lyle’s questions certainly address important issues and Mr. Henderson provided some positive answers, I would like to point out the fact that there is one person at GM who could be counteracting this CEO’s efforts as well as the outstanding achievements the Volt will provide for GM.

I’m talking about the man who championed the Volt itself, Bob Lutz.

While there are millions of us out there who are grateful for the inception of this pioneering car and will line up to get one as soon as they’re available, many of us are also proud that it should come from an American automaker, and believe purchasing a Volt is also a vote of confidence on behalf of GM. We believe the Volt is proof that GM will change its current ways to become a viable, leading company.

Unfortunately, Bob Lutz’s comments in his tour of television shows are raising a red flag. For more information on this issue, check out MSNBC’s article on Bob Lutz (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31146562/).

In that interview, Mr Lutz discusses the results the Prius had on the automobile industry, particularly on GM and Toyota. As we all know, Toyota has become the biggest car brand in the world (according to the article) thanks to the Prius, a phenomenon Mr. Lutz refers to as the “halo effect” of said vehicle. In short, his inception of the Volt was motivated by this effect, in the hopes that the car’s “halo” will make people notice GM’s other cars and make the brand successful once again, without necessarily making them more environmentally minded and fuel efficient.

If GM’s vision and plans don’t align with those of Bob Lutz, which is what one could gather from Lyle’s interview with Mr. Henderson, perhaps the latter should consider appointing someone else to be responsible for the Volt’s PR. After Rick Wagoner’s tactless moves, GM should by now know better than to have someone so out of touch with today’s trends speaking on behalf of the company.

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StevePA Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 11:11 am

#40 Disgustipated….

If as you wish GM does fail, you most certainly will “get screwed” as any chance of the taxpayers recovering any money at all will evaporate.

And while you go about prosyletizing against GM for accepting government money, consider that in the current depressed sales environment, Toyota and other major auto manufacturers have also been suckling at the teat of their respective governments.

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RB Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 11:17 am

#37 Jim –> quotes Weber thinking about a battery of same capacity but half the size and cost.
—————————————————

Thanks — good news, hope they can do it.

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Noah Nehm Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 11:22 am

He [Henderson] said he intends the Volt to be “the finest GM can do.”

This is good, particularly if his intentions become reality. I, and others, have contended that GM is only going to get one shot at this, and if it’s not right, they’ll be written off as a company that is unable to execute on its innovations.

Lyle, I appreciate your attention to detail when you’ve test drove the mules. Keep it coming. What I’m interested in knowing is the extent to which the Volt is indeed “the finest GM can do.”

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Mike-o-Matic Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 11:23 am

@ #29 Bearclaw,
>> The latest Prius commercial was touting theirs. [solar roof]

Yeah, nice of them to mention the cabin ventilation feature in their ads.

Maybe not so nice of them to fail to mention the ~$3k cost of the option. Ouch!!

(Quote)
RB Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 11:23 am

#49 DonC said “Corker asked what number Barney Frank calls about plant closings. (Must be a talk radio point I’m not aware of).”
————————————————————————

The question references an item in the WSJ a few days ago that said that the closing of a plant or distribution center in Frank’s district was reversed when Frank called Fritz directly about it.

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Jim in PA Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 11:28 am

Hey! Here’s a fascinating article over at autobloggreen:
http://www.autobloggreen.com/2009/06/10/noise-cancelling-speakers-help-2010-chevy-equinox-get-1-mpg/
about how GM is using noise cancelling technology (like thos fancy Bose headphones) to eliminate noise on Equinox engines. This exactly the apporach some of us were dicussing a while back when it became apparent that the Volt engine was having some noise issues. GM is full of some pretty smart folks (translation – they agreed with me).

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statik Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 11:32 am

#75 Lwesson said:

Static #10 is dead on about controlling the tip of the spear per the Volt program and the special situation that Lyle has created with this site and it’s followers and that includes the many who do not write but just read. GM management want to control the joy stick right up to when the prop hits the ground… but… now, Das Stat has, via the crafty cash “bailout” ensured that it will have a go at it despite the sputtering, smoking Wright Whirlwind.

Did anyone notice the defensive body language of crossed arms, that olde Fritz displayed??? Surely he was required to take some course about how to present ones physical self before the media. Dad had to take courses to occasionally represent OIL and GAS before the courts or media. I guess that GM need not be concerned with such trivial things.

Cheers!———–Higgins
=====================

Wow, you peaked way too early in that post, like 4 or 5 words in I’d say…but I still enjoyed it.

Side note, that is the 197th time, my name has been misspelled (thank you google search), why didn’t I go with something like ‘RB’ or ‘L33TV01TF4N’?

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Mike-o-Matic Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 11:34 am

@ #63 Noel Park,

>> [...snip...] … I have to believe that GM-Volt.com has had a significant
>> positive impact on the progress of the Volt.

Lyle Dennis, doing his part to save the world! Someday, I’ll bet he’ll get a statue for this.

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RB Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 11:35 am

#57 DonC said
Yeah, the CAFE numbers come from the EPA numbers but are not the same. For example, the automakers get “credit” if the vehicle is capable of using bio-fuels. (Personally I think that’s a good idea since we have a chicken and egg problem with bio-fuels — no fueling stations so no bio-fuel cars so no fueling stations — and this helps move things along).
——————————————————————–

Thanks for pointing out the bio-fuel credit. I heard that there is also some kind of air-conditioner credit.

(Quote)
Anthony BC Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 11:37 am

“He explains even more effort will go into developing generations two and three of the car in parallel to gets costs down and make it more affordable, while the first generation cars will be aimed at satisfying customers.”

Way to go Fritz!

GO EV !!!

(Quote)
RB Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 11:38 am

#82 statik, static, statick… could we just call you Excellency?

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RB Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 11:41 am

#46 Herm said
…actually I would prefer to lease the battery, buy the car.. this would help the resale value of the car by taking the uncertainty of the battery life away
—————————————–

Used to think a leased battery was a terrible idea, but I am coming around. The resale issue is a big one. Otherwise a Volt may be a one-owner car.

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Mike-o-Matic Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 11:44 am

@ #82 Statik,

>> Side note, that is the 197th time, my name has been misspelled
>> (thank you google search), why didn’t I go with something like ‘RB’
>> or ‘L33TV01TF4N’?

I COMMEND YOU SIR, on having kept your powder dry this long! It reminds me of the legendary level of patience exhibited by this fellow:

http://www.lepawsbakery.com/images/dog_with_bone_on_nose.jpg

Anyway – glad you let it out finally. Cathartic, ain’t it?

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TM Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 11:46 am

I just hope this technology becomes more affordable.

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CaptJackSparrow Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 11:51 am

@Mike-o-Matic 81

Is the solar package really an option or is it part of a “Trim” level? I can’t remember. Or do you have to have the high trim level for it to be an option?

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k-dawg Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 11:53 am

60 wwskinn3 Says:
I would still like to see GM do a small 2 seater sports electric. This would make a great commuter car for those that drive alone. It should get good enought mileage that you won’t need the ICE.
====================

Would a Puma work for you, or not fast enough?
I think a 45~55mph speed would help sell a lot more of these types of vehicles.
http://www.autoweek.com/article/20090406/CARNEWS/904079997

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Energy Independence Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 11:55 am

His comments on the ICE still being the workhorse for GM 10 years down the road tells me GM still does not get it. If it looks like a dinosaur, talks like a dinosaur, and acts like a dinosaur, well it must be a dinosaur. Enjoy riding your 20% efficient ICE, our country, and our planet right into the ground…

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statik Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 12:09 pm

#87 RB said: “#82 statik, static, statick… could we just call you Excellency? ”
—
Lyle…are you looking for any new thread topics?
==========================
==========================
#89 Mike-o-Matic said:

I COMMEND YOU SIR, on having kept your powder dry this long! It reminds me of the legendary level of patience exhibited by this fellow:
http://www.lepawsbakery.com/images/dog_with_bone_on_nose.jpg

Anyway – glad you let it out finally. Cathartic, ain’t it?
—-
I sense a tsunami of misspellings are now headed my way…at least I didn’t go with a handle that rhymes with something disparaging, like Pitch or Hackass.

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nuclearboy Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 12:13 pm

#92. Energy Independence

Unfortunately, I have to agree with him on this. The ICE will be around for many years to come. They will continue to tweek it and refine it and squeeze more out of it and it will continue to be one of the cheapest and most effective means to power a car.

It is easy to forget how powerful gasoline is. When you are pumping gas, you are putting power into your car at a rate that is currently not practical with other energy sources.

Think about all of the hoopla surrounding the Volt. The big expensive battery, remembering to plug in, the extra weight, the questions about battery life… All of these issues just to save a single gallon of gas per day that I can buy for less than ten dollars.

Many will still want to choose the gasoline option. It is easier and cheaper.

I personally want electric cars because I think our country needs to be energy independent. But, unless our Govt raises the tax on gas to make electric cars much more attractive, gasoline cars will be around for alot longer than 10 years.

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MuddyRoverRob Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 12:17 pm

#92 Energy Independence
You are completely missing the point.
Most of us on this list including yourself could be called activists and are much more likely to early adopt Voltec. Most people will need to see it working for a few years before they jump in. The Prius sells well now but did not for several years.

Fritz is correct about the ICE still being the bigger sales number in 10 years whether you like it or not.

If 20% of sales in 10 years are Voltec/EV then that would be 2 million cars a year. (Using the 10 million baseline number quoted) This would be no small accomplishment!

Change takes time my friend. The Volt is the first real chance for electric drive to take a foothold in suburbia. I have not and would not consider a pure BEV. I believe most people would agree, in time this may change but not yet.

As for the plugging in, well I’m a Canadian… we plug in 6 months of the year anyway!

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David K (CT) Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 12:22 pm

Steve @ 74:

The 4500 rpm for the ICW refers to an article that was previously posted (not sure by whom) and was later removed.

I read the post and passed by the link in order read the following post and after refreshing my browser went back to get the link to read the actual article…it was gone.

Maybe it will be the subject of a following thread?

(Quote)
David K (CT) Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 12:29 pm

Edit 96…ICW should have been ICE.

(Quote)
MuddyRoverRob Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 12:30 pm

Stahtic…

(Quote)
statik Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 12:30 pm

#97 David K (CT) said:

Steve @ 74:

The 4500 rpm for the ICW refers to an article that was previously posted (not sure by whom) and was later removed.

I read the post and passed by the link in order read the following post and after refreshing my browser went back to get the link to read the actual article…it was gone.

Maybe it will be the subject of a following thread?
==============

Yeah, I have a post in moderation commenting on it (#20) from FME III originally (#11)….(vive le back-up cache app)

It came pretty early in the life of this thread…so at the very least Lyle is trying to keep focus on this subject and not get sidetracked from his excellent ‘get’ on the Fritz interview. (I don’t blame him at all)…it has good potential for a new thread though, so we probably see it soon-ish….but likely should not talk about on this one, lol.

#98 MuddyRoverRob: hehe, and so it begins (…or continues)

(Quote)
David K (CT) Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 12:33 pm

statik @ 99…

nufsaid.

p.s. I’ll try not mispelling your name again. I’m positive I have in the past. Sorry for that.

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statik Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 12:40 pm

#100 David K (CT) said

statik @ 99…

nufsaid.

p.s. I’ll try not mispelling your name again. I’m positive I have in the past. Sorry for that.
============

I should have put a happy face, or a ‘lol’ when I commented about it…it really doesn’t bother me at all, it happnes a lot, lol. I was just curious, so I google searched it and thought it was amusing, so I posted on it.

/you can call me whatever you like my friend

(=

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Ted Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 12:40 pm

Sorry. I was really interested in the Volt. After this political circus, GM has ceased to exist as a company I can even consider as truthful and reliable. What the government pays for, the government controls. Lot’s of luck with that! Amtrak, anyone? Chrysler won’t be around for long. If I did need a car, I would go to the Ford dealership.

(Quote)
Mike-o-Matic Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 12:55 pm

@ #90 Capt. Jack,

>> Is the solar package really an option or is it part of a “Trim” level?
>> I can’t remember. Or do you have to have the high trim level for it
>> to be an option?

I was pulling it from memory too, but if I recall rightly, it’s a separate option even on top of the “Prius IV” trim level, and only available with certain trim levels.

… checking some more… brb …

OK, I just re-Googled on this subject (prompted by your response) and according to some sources (see ABG link below, for one) it’s listed as “N/A” on the top “Prius V” trim level, so maybe it’s included with that. Otherwise it’s $3,600 (double ouchie!!).

Here’s some links describing the pricing that was released.
** http://jalopnik.com/5221417/
** http://www.autobloggreen.com/2009/04/21/2010-prius-starts-at-21-000-one-with-everything-costs-32-500/

You can also go to Toyota’s website and “build my Prius” or whatever they call it, if you want a closer overall cost estimate.

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old man Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 12:56 pm

#82 L33TV01TF4N

Thats to hard to type and at my age I have even forgot what smart azz remark I was going to make so you need to leave it as is Stakic or, [dang got to go to your post to spell it right] Statik.

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k-dawg Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 1:05 pm

lots of repetitive, dead-horse, politcal rants today.
where’s that legend at…

Lyle, were you taller than Fritz? Aren’t you like 5′8″? Maybe it was just seeing you stand next to Big Bob Lutz that threw me off on your height. Hopefully 6′2″ people can fit in the Volt. I’m sure its designed for the 95th percentile.

Speaking of legends for repetitive phrases, they should just post Fritz Hendersons answers with a legend. I know you have to ask those questions, but how many times does he have to answer the same ones? By now everyone should know the responses. There were a few morsels of new information, thank you. We’ll take what we can get.

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CaptJackSparrow Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 1:09 pm

statik
batik
fofatik
banana fana bobaatik…..

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!!!!!

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N Riley Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 1:14 pm

Statik, Static, Statick or however it is spelled. Everyone knows who you are when they see something that looks like your blog name. I added Statik to my Firefox dictionary so that it tells me if I am spelling it incorrectly. It is an easy word to spell, but sometimes my fingers don’t cooperate properly and the spell checker alerts me. Pretty handy Firefox feature.

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CDAVIS Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 1:14 pm

_____________________________________________________

IBM Invests in Battery Research…
“…a lightweight 500-mile battery for a family car…”

——
Source:
http://www.technologyreview.com/energy/22780/page1/
______________________________________________________

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N Riley Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 1:15 pm

#105 CaptJackSparrow

Hey! That was what I was going to say. Talk about stealing a guy’s thunder!

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Shock Me Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 1:17 pm

test….was going to say something but my posts don’t show up

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CaptJackSparrow Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 1:19 pm

@Shock Me

Change your email address…..then try it.

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k-dawg Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 1:20 pm

Sorry couldn’t resist this, i’m getting into vacation mode.

For those familiar with the site “Totally looks like”

http://www.gm-volt.com/o/fritz2.jpg

Totally looks like

http://images.icanhascheezburger.com/completestore/2009/4/21/128848296550838051.jpg

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CaptJackSparrow Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 1:24 pm

Hey, not to get off track or anything but this morning, after making a deposit to the OPEC fund, I went to the grocery store and there was a coffee sho in there so I decided to try one of those fru fru dring mocha things. While in line I noticed they make blnded drinks and the menu had a buch of names, can’t remember them. But one sounded pretty good, then I had a thought. Maybe I can bring with me a couple of shots of Rum or Cuervo and put in one of those fru fru mixed/blended drinks. Wow, I had a bartender here all along? Gonna go try it at lunch now…..lol
I’ll stagger back with my blended something with Rum or Cuervo.

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MuddyRoverRob Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 1:34 pm

#112 Cap’n Morgan
A blended lemonade with a shot of extra old RUM would be brilliant!

/Staatic…

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Shock Me Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 1:35 pm

didn’t work before but here goes….

92 Energy Independence

His comments on the ICE still being the workhorse for GM 10 years down the road tells me GM still does not get it. If it looks like a dinosaur, talks like a dinosaur, and acts like a dinosaur, well it must be a dinosaur. Enjoy riding your 20% efficient ICE, our country, and our planet right into the ground…

_________________________________________________

Even if GM started today to extend VOLTEC to 100% of their lineup, that would still mean an ICE turning a generator.

Some believe that avians descended from dinosaurs….

I say bring on the velociraptors and someday we might get hummingbirds.

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noel park Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 1:49 pm

#90 CaptJackSparrow:

I didn’t see anybody answer, so I’ll take a shot at it. From what I remember, the solar panel option is combined with a sunroof (a non-starter for me) and maybe a couple of other little foo-foo things, but it’s not a part of one of the “packages”. And I think you may be right that it only comes with the top “package”, which gets the MSRP somewhere up around $27.5K, if memory serves. It’s probably all laid out on the Toyota website by now, but I don’t want to see the Toyota website.

BTW, there is a bar near us that served something called “Calypso Coffee” for many years. Coffee, whipped cream, rum and Tia Maria. Maybe a little foo-foo (fufu?) for a real pirate, but pretty tasty all the same. Alas, I can’t drink it any more because it pegs my blood sugar meter, but I can still remember………….. Now that I think about it, I remember the headache the next morning too, but what the h**l, right?

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Dave Yawitz Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 2:24 pm

I hope GM can borrow an idea from the way browser software goes to market.
Come out with Volt version 1.0 with a clear understanding that additional versions can be easily incorporated when they are available – whether they be capacitors, better Lion batteries or something we are not aware of as yet.
In other words they do not warranty the batteries at all, but incorporate a controller that can be adjusted to use and charge different batteries.
This means I can buy the initial car with one or two miles of storage and upgrade when battery technology improves and/or when I can afford a larger battery pack.
Until then I can get my 50 miles/gal. plus the rebates and benefits accorded to electric vehicles.

(Quote)
RB Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 2:46 pm

Listening to the interview again, I recall Fritz’s statement that the financial purpose of gen 1 is to get to gen 2. I liked that, insofar as showing commitment. Understanding finances to be very important, I thought the model lifetime of gen 1 would be short. Sounds like gen 1 buyers will have a great car, and relatively few of them will be made.

(Quote)
Alex Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 2:51 pm

I was hoping GM could dump the UAW altogether. I am not sure I could keep buying GM cars knowing the UAW now owns the company.

(Quote)
JV Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 3:37 pm

In case anyone would like to read an article from someone in the media who manages to have a fairly positive take on GM’s chances of survival, here’s a link.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/05/AR2009060502143.html

(Quote)
MuddyRoverRob Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 3:38 pm

#118 RB
That’s my take on it too.
It works exactly the same way in the electronics world, the first model has redundancy like crazy and follow up models are cost reduced without (hopefully) losing functionality.

(Quote)
MuddyRoverRob Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 3:40 pm

If I were GM I’d stick to my guns on the 40 mile range until 80 or 100 miles range is easy (assuming at least one of the advanced battery technolgies sees the light of day) and then flip to the upgraded battery pack when it makes $$ sense to do so.

Right now there are lots of promises and possibilities of ’super’ batteries but until the electrons hit the road they remain vapourware.

(Quote)
Timaaayyy!!! Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 3:45 pm

Off-Immediate Topic:

T Bone to Pickens just might be right about the potential for natural gas.

http://beta.technologyreview.com/energy/22756/page1/

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Lwesson Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 3:49 pm

So sorry, Statick olde bean. And peaked at 5 words! Posh! Rather liked the word image painted of the sputtering Wright Whirlwind and Uncle Sam controlling the joy stick of GM right into the ground. Prop plane you know, not a jet. ie: ICE for GM 10 years from now… .

Best Regards Statik!—–Higginz

(Quote)
David Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 4:28 pm

Three cheers for Comment #2!

(Quote)
Randy Righteous Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 4:41 pm

Latest poll shows that 58 percent of voters say they disapprove of the government takeover and majority ownership stake in General Motors.

This socialist bailout is outrageous. I will not allow anyone in my family to ever buy a GM vehicle from a failed company that continues to this day to waste taxpayers dollars on a grand scale.

Those liberal pansies in D.C. are going to pay a heavy price for their actions.

(Quote)
CaptJackSparrow Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 4:59 pm

@David 126

“Three cheers for Comment #2!”

Aw man, if you need a $40,000.00 car to get laid then you probably couldn’t get Pu$$y even if it came in a can.

fyi, try Craigs list……oh yeah, I forgot, they took those off listing.

(Quote)
Nelson Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 5:05 pm

I and several other people I know will not buy or lease any new car that does not come with a plug, regardless of the MPG they get. We want NEW technology in our cars. We want our Cars, SUV’s and Trucks to have some form of Pug-in technology. Until that happens GM and others will continue to feel the pain of zero sales. I wonder which automotive company will be the first to accommodate us?

NPNS!

(Quote)
Ron Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 5:14 pm

I just can’t wait to get one of these babies. Come on GM, lead the way in the electric car race. Your were the first on the block with production electric vehicles, you can do it again and be a leader!

(Quote)
Luke Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 5:47 pm

Tim

What was business is now POLITICS…

It’s been this way for my entire lifetime — you just weren’t paying attention.

The only difference now is that it’s out in the open. I guess it’s also possible that it’s more of a 2-way street, now that the government is the one with the cash.

(Quote)
ThombDbhomb Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 5:49 pm

Hey Government,

Angry man is angry.

We’ve got some riled up people here. They are getting lathered into a frenzy by crazies. Watch them.

(Quote)
Chia Fritz Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 6:09 pm

As long as everyone’s off-topic: I’m too sexy for my Volt, so I’m going to be driving this instead:

http://www.energyefficiencynews.com/i/2165/

Time for another thread Lyle. PLEASE

Thank you,
Chia Fritz

(Quote)
Tim Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 6:27 pm

Chia Fritz (#132)

That car costs over $47K and looks like a tick!

(Quote)
CDAVIS Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 6:32 pm

______________________________________________________
How will your life change if oil reaches $250 a barrel?

http://caffertyfile.blogs.cnn.com/2009/06/11/will-your-life-change-if-oil-reaches-250-a-barrel
______________________________________________________

(Quote)
Dan Petit Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 6:53 pm

#123 Timaaayyy!!!

I’ve looked at the energy-efficiency of natural gas, and, it stinks big time.

First, you have to use 15% of your otherwise Volt plug-in electricity just to compress it up to 3,600 psi in that carbon fiber tank that is brittle-to-impact.

Then, you have to throw-away 85% of that energy within ICE inefficiencies, and, you produce the same 20 pounds of unwanted carbon dioxide per gallon. (Already, we are at a 99 percentile of inefficiency compared to the Volt connected to a 100% green electric power-optioned grid).

Here’s what you could expect for a natural gas powered car advertisement to sound like IF they were to tell us all the truth in the first place.

“Get natural gas powered autos. Have your “gas station in your own garage” “Pay slightly less per mile than gasoline”

“Let us all get off of them foreign oil sources and be true ‘Mercuns”.

(Reality: The tank itself gets very hot and is an air conditioning “second heat load” when you find out that your natural gas compression process has caused your interior temperature of your natural gas vehicle a lot hotter the next morning in the Summer when you expect to take off in a relatively cool car in the morning.)

“But wait, there’s more”

” And, if you order now, you can get a free three-thousand-dollar value natural gas compressor to be installed in your garage at no charge which has a three year warranty.”

(Reality: After that , you pay the 125 dollar an hour service fee plus parts if anything goes wrong with it.)

“But don’t forget, if you need to go more than 120 miles, you can just merely make plans to return home to wait 8 hours for the compressor to refill it.”

(Reality: You are stuck somewhere for 8 hours, and, if you go anywhere else, you are limited to going places where you have to sit there for 8 hours to refill the tank, unless you can find a refill station that likely is not open at night.)

(All of the normal services and breakdowns of running the ICE at full clock hours from the first second you ever start it will apply.)

The more I study the very very bad feasibility in all categories that natural gas interests cram towards the public, the more the public must be warned of it’s dangers.

As well, natural gas is **not** a purified and refined substance.
Many other things can pop up into that tank and cause problems.
If natural gas has a sulfur content, then that can ruin the catalytic converter.

Would Honda America warrant their Catalytic Converter for the entire life of the natural gas fueled Civic if all other services were exactingly performed at the dealer? I do not believe so.

So I sincerely am convinced that natural gas is a sham for the propulsion of autos. Natural Gas usage, however, ought to be accelerated to displace coal fired electrical generation. And, that way, that electricity produced in far more highly efficient electrical generation form for a Voltec vehicle, would not have that same 99 percentile of inefficiency thrown away as in the nearly completely impracticable proposals to fuel ICE autos,

“just so we can get off of foreign oil”, which is a total bs argument, and always was. We would just have had the previous oil collapse a lot sooner, and, we actually would have been in a better situation by now. So, getting off of foreign oil as an argument is absolutely completely false, bogus, and is just a marketing scam.

Natural gas interests will make money had over fist soon enough with the new carbon cap and trade that will financially displace coal.

Here in Austin, Austin Energy produces half its generation from natural gas, which is half as carbon dioxide damaging as is coal.

BTW, my public television stations here in Austin appreciate all that advertising revenue from the Toyota sunroof commercial, and, that natural gas commercial, (not that anyone in Austin is fooled).

Voltec technologies are now on their own course of unstoppable progress no matter who says (or advertises) what.

Now is the time to begin to financially-prepare for getting your Volt.

I would like one in a light green silver. No solar sun roof. A single CD for my Christmas music and occasional other CD.

Dan.

(Quote)
Timaaayyy!!! Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 7:18 pm

135 Dan

“Natural Gas usage, however, ought to be accelerated to displace coal fired electrical generation.”

You read my mind, although in my case it’s a proposal, as I’m not an expert. The executive summary is intriguing–plenty of US and/or world nat gas to help make a bridge to non-carbon energy production, but at a cheap enough cost? Coal to nat gas to non-carbons (nuke, geo, the various sun-powered (thermal, elec, wind, hydro, bio, etc.), eventually fusion).

Any investment ideas in the methane hydrate space?

(Quote)
kdawg Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 7:24 pm

Dan Petit, did you ever live in Michigan?

(Quote)
carcus1 Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 7:48 pm

Meet the New Boss, Same as the Old Boss
______________________

/Even 10 years from now, Lions share internal combustion, can’t make money on Gen One or Gen two, yada yaaa, ad nauseum . . . /

So GM’s only offering with a plug will lose money until generation III? That’s what. . . at least 2015? So that’s you’re real answer. GM’s not planning on doing anything serious with electric cars until at least 2015.

Contrast Fritz’s BS with Mulally’s answer to the same question:

Mulally: “In 10 years, 12 years, you are going to see a major portion of our portfolio move to electric vehicles,”
(Mulally, Ford CEO, at least two BEV’s and 1 plug in hybrid by 2012 not to mention a slew of fuel efficiency improvements ongoing)

Mulally says electric vehicles to dominate Ford’s future lineup
http://www.autonews.com/article/20090305/COPY01/303059938

(Quote)
jeffhre Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 7:59 pm

#136Timaaayyy!!!

#135 Dan

“Natural Gas usage, however, ought to be accelerated to displace coal fired electrical generation.”
_____________
You read my mind, although in my case it’s a proposal, as I’m not an expert.
_________________

My understanding is that coal is cheap as heck and a bear to shut down so it is primarily used for baseline power generation.

And nat. gas is expensive but quick to bring online so is used for when loads peak and for load leveling needs.

Honda was recently reported as pulling the funding for their home nat. gas compressor (named Phil) builder, causing them to go into default and ultimately bankrupt. So long Phil, you had a short good life!

/ I think I’ll install a solar racing stripe on my next vehicle.

(Quote)
jeffhre Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 8:07 pm

#135 Dan Petit

(Already, we are at a 99 percentile of inefficiency compared to the Volt connected to a 100% green electric power-optioned grid).

/side note, that is why there is no Pikes Peak switch planned for the Volt. Going from the high efficiency of the electric motor to only 20% efficiency for the ICE to charge the battery back to full defeats the purpose of having a plug.

(Quote)
RB Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 8:24 pm

At about 3:20 of this excellent post, Fritz says “…we will launch the vehicle by the end of next year …”
——————————————————–

So “by the end” there will be a “launch”. I am sure he is choosing his words carefully. Maybe I’m too sensitive to their linguistic adjustments, but to me a launch by the end of 2010 is weaker than what we have heard up until now.

(Quote)
RB Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 8:31 pm

The Associated Press and others are reporting today that GM has killed the Mailbu hybrid. Not a good omen. Reuters version is
http://www.reuters.com/article/earth2Tech/idUS243003717520090611

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carcus1 Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 8:31 pm

#138 (me) add,

Lyle, if you wanted an allegorical photo to go with the interview, you should have taken a “crossed arm” frame from about 0:24 seconds in.

/as noted by LWessonHiggins

(Quote)
Heh Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 8:32 pm

Nice video. DERP!

(Quote)
Zach Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 8:32 pm

I was disapointed how he appeared to dodge the question regarding how much of their production fleet 10yrs from now will be electric or otherwise alternative renewable fuels.

Good job though, Lyle!

(Quote)
statik Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 8:34 pm

#87 RB said:
“#82 statik, static, statick…”

#99 MuddyRoverRob said:
“Stahtic…”

#105 old man said:
#82 L33TV01TF4N, Thats to hard to type and at my age I have even forgot what smart azz remark I was going to make so you need to leave it as is Stakic or, [dang got to go to your post to spell it right] Statik

#107 CaptJackSparrow said:
statik
batik
fofatik
banana fana bobaatik…..

#108 N Riley said:
Statik, Static, Statick or however it is spelled…

#115 MuddyRoverRob said:
/Staatic…

#124 Lwesson said:
So sorry, Statick olde bean.
——————-

/I hate you all
(=

(Quote)
carcus1 Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 8:55 pm

Old Boss:
“We lose money on every unit sold, but we make it up in volume”

New Boss:
“We lose money on every unit sold, but we now recognize the need to limit production.”

/I suppose you have to give Fritz some credit for that.

(Quote)
Michael C. Robinson Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 9:04 pm

GM is planning to try and commercialize a fuel cell car in 2015,
yet it doesn’t expect major change such as abandoning the
ICE. Well, aside from trucks. fuel cell technology is at a point
where there’s no reason for cars and SUVs to be burning
gasoline anymore.

Platinum has been too expensive, but fuel cells don’t need any
platinum. Carbon can be used, which is cheap and plentiful.

Algae to hydrogen needs to be figured out and scaled up to
produce enough for all the light duty vehicles and SUVs that
are on the road today.

Fuel efficiency is pointless. If people use less gas to go from
point A to point B, they are likely to make more trips. Noone
can break 60 miles per gallon in a reasonably priced gasoline
powered car. Is the Prius reasonably priced? Getting 40 mpg
without drastically changing cars by say using carbon fiber
instead of steel or adding a large battery pack isn’t possible.
Even 35 mpg is hard to achieve with current technology.

If we are serious about global warming, we need to take OIL
away from: cars, trucks, and SUVs. GM should have been
let go of by the government so another company could come
in and lead us in the right direction.

GM has no plans to retire the ICE just as the federal government
has no plans to fix the electrical grid let alone produce the
electricity that will be needed for the next 50 years. Obama
talks about infrastructure needing to be repaired, but he hasn’t
supported a single hydrogen project. We could be running
hydrogen trains now, but that’s not happening. Studies have
found that hydrorail is cheaper than overhead power electric
streetcars.

(Quote)
nataraj Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 9:06 pm

Whats up with all the people asking GM to spend a lot of time / money on great looking cars. GM should get the basics right, first. Adolescents and grown ups who still think like adolescents aren’t a very large % of the market.

(Quote)
Joey Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 9:16 pm

1.Cover your mouth with ur hand
2.Make a wish into it
3.Close your hand (make it into a fist)
4.Hold ur hand (the fist) to your heart 5 seconds
5.Send this to three other videos
6.Tommorow will be the best day of your life

(Quote)
carcus1 Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 9:23 pm

Joey @ 150,

Finally.

Somebody’s finally got a workable plan for GM’s wish of returning to the the days of automotive dominance and cheap gas.

Please send this plan to Fritz Henderson (and two other GM execs) ASAP.

(Quote)
TI Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 9:32 pm

Oil is not going to be a problem in the distant future. Oil will be produced by biological organisms and harvested. In the near future we are going to have to kiss OPECs butt because American Presidents, and members of Congress from both the Democratic Party and Republican Party are short sighted J*CK*SSES.

There should be an intelligence test for those jobs…not based on whether or not you are rich enough to buy the office. American’s are low IQ fools for voting these *SSH*LES into office.

The generation that built the United States in to a manufacturing powerhouse and put a man on the moon are all dead and dying…all we have left now are the greedy fools that got the good seats at the University because they were connected, or had a particular color of skin.

—-
My family primarily owns American cars although we have purchased a Honda, Mazda, Datsun and Subaru. All cars in my family have been bought new. The Datsun we owned caught on fire. Datsun had such a bad image that the company changed the name to Nissan. The Subaru transmission failed within three to six months of purchase and we did not have a car for a full year. The 5.0 liter, ‘87, notch back, Ford Mustang that I owned had a bad module in the distributor and for the first 25,000 miles the car would jerk, stall and not be restartable for sometimes up to an hour or more…until the module cooled off. The Ford dealer screwed me out of more than $500 for unrelated repairs…then when the recall came in replaced the module, but would not return the cash paid for unwarranted repairs. The 2001 Chevrolet Express cargo van that I own requires the use of two completely different sets of keys to get in and out of the vehicle. The car was broken in to and the replacement keys, although we used the VIN….DO NOT match the original keys.

You would think that by 2009, the human race, given more than 6 billion individuals, the ability to place a man on the moon, would be able to mass produce a car that would work for 250,000 miles, was crash worthy, easy and reasonable to maintain and repair, reasonable to insure, and get 40MPG or better.

What I cannot figure out at all is why ALL American manufacturers allowed all the Japanese and Korean manufacturers to take an enormous segment of the automotive market, that of fuel efficient small cars and OWN it. DO NOT tell me that American’s, Europeans and people from all over the globe do NOT want to buy small, efficient, well made cars. That is a straight out lie and a copout. The American manufacturers are lucky they are a going concern in 2010.

At the time of my next purchase, that purchase will be determined on the type of vehicle I need, cost of the vehicle, cost of vehicle insurance and how well made it is….and if the company looks like a going concern. I do not typically buy first year manufactured goods….oh, AND I ABSOLUTELY HATE SOCIALISM that is owned and operated by the Democratic party, AKA the UAW because they give 100% of their support to the Democratic party.

I make no promises to buy American so your product better be UNREAL.

(Quote)
jeffhre Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 10:24 pm

#148
Michael C. Robinson Studies have
found that hydrorail is cheaper than overhead power electric
streetcars.

______________________

Don’t you mean a single study crank “author” who has been shown to have little data and even fewer qualifications. Please show us these studies.

(Quote)
statik Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 10:43 pm

I don’t know if anyone really cares all that much…and the thread is getting long, but GM did ’sell’ Saab today. Much like the HUMMER sale, the name is almost unpronounceable as to whom-Koenigsegg. (They make uber-expensive supercars in Euro-land…and have upwards of 50 employees).

Whereas HUMMER went for around 80 million (still can’t believe they got this, I’m thinking it is a premium paid for a Chinese company to finally break into the US) and 100-200 million-ish for Saturn (reportedly)…I’d wager Saab went for around $1 (no details were given)

http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE55A3Z020090611

(Quote)
Marinko Says:
June 11th, 2009 at 11:18 pm

Hi Lyle,

I wish I had a chance to put the following question for you to ask but was occupied with exams, but better late than never:

QUESTION: Does there need to be cultural change at GM and its subsidiaries (meaning w/s change in mgmt) to overcome cultural resistance to the mass production and hence mass adoption of hybrids and electric vehicles?

This question is in relation to an article title “Plug-in cars a pipe dream, says Holden”:
http://www.drive.com.au/Editorial/ArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=63559&vf=1

Note Holden is GM’s Australian subsidiary.

Some Background to my queston:
==========================
Lyle, I have been doing some research into GM’s Australian subsidiary, Holden. Your readers may be surprised to find out, that Holden (on behalf of GM), teamed up with the CSRIO (Australia’s premier govt scientific body) a decade ago to come with a family car that would reduce fuel consumption by half and emmissions by 90%. The car they modeled the hybrid on was the Holden Commodore (Pontiac G8 for you yanks). The car was built for and used in the torch relay for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. This car was a big family car that could get 800km on a 45L tank. See this link for the technical specifications:

http://www.csiro.au/solutions/ECOmmodore.html

This issue was revisted last year when the Australian govt committed funds (38 million?) to Toyota to build a hybrid Camry here in Australia, and people were asking well what about the hybrid commodore? Just for the record it sits in the Powerhouse museum in Sydney.

What is interesting about this vehicle is that it uses a lead acid battery with an ultracapacitor built in – the CSRIO patented ultrabattery. It has similar performace of NiMH, faster charge/discharge rates, and is a third of the cost of NiMH, and doesn’t have the Chevron patent issue that the NiMH have. Also the battery has already been road tested for 150,000km and counting and so battery warranty issue is covered and a quick rollout is possible (comapre to testing of Li-ion for volt).

Now, Holden didn’t wanted to be outdone with the hybrid Camry announcement last year (Camry due out early next year), so they announced that they would come out with their own hybrid family car – to date neither Ford nor GM holden have a hybrid family sedan. This announcement was a year ago.

However, earlier this week, when Holden’s energy and environment director, Richard Marshall made some ludicrous claims in the article “Plug-in cars a pipe dream, says Holden” which to mean sounds like backing of the committment to build a hybrid Commodore.

Instead, with govt funds, Holden are going to launch the Cruze, a car that gets approx 8L per 100km. However the hybrid Commodore, a large and more powerful vehicle would be using approx 6L per 100km.

Why the constant exuses from GM? Why not just build this hybrid, especially when the technology is much cheaper than the one Toyota use.

Lyle, if you need clarification on anything, please feel free to email me.

Some other links/articles on the Ecommodore:

Wikipedia entry:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holden_ECOmmodore

7:30 Report (current affairs show):
‘Hybrid hype, but who killed the ECommodore?’
http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2007/s2271918.htm
‘New Commodore do or die for the industry’
http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2006/s1696794.htm

‘ECOmmodore is Australia’s first ‘green’ car’:
http://www.fastlane.com.au/News/Holden_ECOmmodore.htm

(Quote)
"Rocky" Says:
June 12th, 2009 at 12:15 am

The answer to the future of cars….

http://aptera.com/

GM is going to dissapoint us all. : ( -

Unlike Apple, they don’t hold back and then surprise with good news. Corp. culture is difficult if not impossible to change.

(Quote)
Jerry Says:
June 12th, 2009 at 5:55 am

Gm volt will suceed,only problem is average person wont be able to afford them . Debt rational of average person is allready obligated by expenses . Taken into account of massive bail out debt banks debt rational made average persons lost there jobs. No jobs no buy cars . really dosent mattter how good of product company makes if demand isnt there product will fail. Just common sense .

(Quote)
teds Says:
June 12th, 2009 at 8:57 am

Fritz Henderson sounds like a breath of fresh air. Where was this guy 10 years ago when GM needed him?

(Quote)
Michael Says:
June 12th, 2009 at 11:32 am

Dude, take some writing lessons- drop the “I.”

(Quote)
Marcus R. (WL #5275) Says:
June 12th, 2009 at 12:30 pm

Am i the only one that reads comments here by Ctrl-F for “statik”? Sorry folks, don’t have time to read them all, just the best ones

(Quote)
larrymcfall Says:
June 13th, 2009 at 1:48 pm

The CEO gave a good interview. I do hope that the CEO is being realistic and if he is not, then who would be?

I am pleased at what he was saying about the generation studies being proactive in that, they are looking at the next generation of VOLTEC application without waiting for the completion of the generation before. That is “Outyear Thinking”.

I believe that the CEO should be driving a model of the Volt right now and show enthusism when asked, if he will be driving a VOLT. I would have liked to hear him say, Damn Right! I’ll be driving one.

Keep up the good work as I believe that GM will be on the top again and, will be employing Americans in a multitude of associated VOLTEC plants.

(Quote)

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