AND 
Chevy Volt Will be Able to Hit 104 MPH
The Chevy Volt is no slouch.
A Volt ride and handling engineer named Mark Popilek said “I got it up to 107 on the test track, but we’re planning on limiting the speed around 104.”
At this point in development the integration vehicles have become highly refined. In fact, GM has just started to allow journalists test drives in charge sustaining mode.
According to powertrain engineer Alex Cattelan, “we’ve been through three levels of hardware in two years.”
She also notes “the groups working on the second generation and third generation versions are still providing more information to us.” Cattelan is confident GM will meet the November 2010 deadline.
GM vice chairman Bob Lutz spearheaded and conceived the Volt project back in 2006. He admits though he displayed a lot of early bravado it was a bit of a long-shot, and that people even within GM were skeptical.
“I did place a lot of faith in the battery companies, who said they could have them ready,” said Lutz.
Lutz wanted the Volt to leapfrog the successful Toyota Prius.
“Three years ago, it was Toyota this and Toyota that, everyone thought only good things about them, and it was because of the Prius,” Lutz told reporters. “I wanted to overcome the incredible reputation Toyota had with the Prius, and we knew we couldn’t do it with just another hybrid.”
“The bar was certainly set high,” admitted Cattelan. “But there’s no way you can reach that goal if you don’t have it.”
Source (Detroit News)
95 Responses to “Chevy Volt Will be Able to Hit 104 MPH”
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November 19th, 2009 at 9:34 am
Well most of the time 104 will be fast enough for me
In truth, I’ve never gone that fast, because I’ve wished to say alive and out of jail.
November 19th, 2009 at 9:34 am
From the article:
“The bar was certainly set high,” admitted Cattelan. “But there’s no way you can reach that goal if you don’t have it.”
Ah so true. We can’t achieve it until someone dreams it.
November 19th, 2009 at 9:34 am
Wait, I want to go no less than 155mph but still have 40 miles of AER..
I guess no Volt for me
November 19th, 2009 at 9:39 am
Good Morning,
They really need to get this right. I see this vehicle as one giant computer and it is imperative that they get right the first time.
Go VOLT
God Bless America.
November 19th, 2009 at 9:40 am
From the article:
“Three years ago, it was Toyota this and Toyota that, everyone thought only good things about them, and it was because of the Prius,”
It still is, “Toyota this and Toyota that:.
This is why the Volt has to be “spot-on” when it is released to the general public.
November 19th, 2009 at 9:40 am
I’m not terribly impressed that the car can go 100+mph but I am definitely looking forward to honest journalism about the charge sustaining mode!
November 19th, 2009 at 9:41 am
I’m looking forward to Lyle’s test drive review!
November 19th, 2009 at 9:49 am
” In fact, GM has just started to allow journalists test drives in charge sustaining mode.”
Anybody found an article yet?
November 19th, 2009 at 9:54 am
Such an odd number – 104. Why not 100 or 105?
November 19th, 2009 at 9:58 am
Hmm, interesting about the speed. he says “planning on limiting the speed around 104″, so it’s not got a limiter on it yet? if he was in CS mode then no biggie, as only 53kw is avaialble. but if in CD mode he should be able to go faster (112kw motor would top out at 145mph), unless there is some limit on power use (thinking that although rated at 112kw GM cap power going to the motor at some lower level – my calculations say 107mph requires 60kw). so if the power to the motor is capped, the converj upgrade is pretty straightforward, uncap the motor. you’d get a slightly higher (and unsustainable) top speed of 145, and better acceleration. you could balance the top speed, call it 115 and you could run (while depleting a full battery) for 30 minutes.
Has anyone posted a CS review yet?
November 19th, 2009 at 10:02 am
When will it be Lyle’s turn?
November 19th, 2009 at 10:03 am
It was said that about 80% of Americans drive 40 miles or less each day and that’s why VOLT batteries are designed to provide 40 miles of range.
I wonder what percent of Americans have EVER driven over 100 miles per hour.
I guess it will be good to know you can do that in a Volt if you ever want or need to.
November 19th, 2009 at 10:04 am
Because it’s 167.74 KPH, duh! I would expect the final limit to be 102.52mph (165kph)
November 19th, 2009 at 10:12 am
The MPH + CS mode are all great to hear.
Now it’s time to see if the proof is in the pudding…
Get enough cars out so the Volt doesn’t just look like a PR thing. I know it’s real, I trust it will do what it should, now I just want to give GM my money so I can stop burning oil and start driving by hydro
B.C. is mostly hydpo electric. If I charge at night there is tons of “extra” power just going to waste durring the night.
Plug me in!
P.S. it will be fun doing 104 MPH on nothing but water/solar/wind!
November 19th, 2009 at 10:12 am
It’s cool that the Volt will go 100+ mph but what will impress people more is the way it will handle. I had a converted Chevy S-10 PU with a 1000 pounds of lead acid batteries under the bed and it cornered like it was on rails! For everyone that has never driven an electric vehicle, a real thrill awaits them. Go Volt!
November 19th, 2009 at 10:12 am
The (Detroit) Free Press has a similar article today *AND* a new video:
http://www.freep.com/article/20091119/COL14/911190474/1319/Evolution-of-the-Chevy-Volt
November 19th, 2009 at 10:21 am
I would expect a high % have done it at least once. only a small amount would go that fast regularly though. I have to say i’d like a slightly higher top speed, but the use of anything above ~120mph is pretty limited, except on the track – which the Volt isn’t really suited for.
November 19th, 2009 at 10:28 am
I’d say Toyota has angered the “green” crowd by dissing EVs. Once EVs are available I bet the green crowd will ditch prius … everyone knows prius is a stop gap.
November 19th, 2009 at 10:31 am
With only a 104 MPH top speed the Stig will not be happy!
November 19th, 2009 at 10:45 am
Tried it once a very long time ago when I was young, foolish and invincible. Those days are long gone. But, I’m still impressed the Volt gen 1 is capable of those speeds, even if it is for short bursts.
My priorities today are range (400+ miles), comfort and capacity (5-passengers), in that order. It will likely be a very long time before I have an opportunity to purchase a Volt. Perhaps Volt gen 2 or 3 will be out by that time and it will have all those capabilities. One can dream!
November 19th, 2009 at 10:55 am
17 yrs old — 120 in a 55MPH – BIG Ticket, car taken away….
27 yrs old — never drive more than 10 over – 104 will be fine for me.
November 19th, 2009 at 11:02 am
90 knots rounds to 104 mph. Obviously the decision was made by a sailor. Or maybe a surveyor set the limit at 20,000 furlongs per day. That works too.
November 19th, 2009 at 11:03 am
I’ve never driven 104 mph. At least, not intentionally. But it’s good to know the capacity is there.
November 19th, 2009 at 11:14 am
104 MPH isn’t a practical feature, but it does reinforce the idea that electric cars don’t have to be golf carts. They can be Tesla-like. Also, it provides a connection to the American heritage of muscle cars. Being able to go 100+ will get people into the show rooms who otherwise would have never considered an electric car. Anybody know the top speed of a Prius?
November 19th, 2009 at 11:21 am
more from the DET news
http://www.detnews.com/article/20091119/AUTO01/911190374/1148/rss25/Engineers-sweat-Chevy-Volt-details
November 19th, 2009 at 11:22 am
No, not short bursts. the genset can sustain the vehicle at it’s top speed until it runs out of petrol.
Prius top speed is 115mph (limited).
November 19th, 2009 at 11:25 am
Or 88mph.. that’s all you need to travel back in time.
November 19th, 2009 at 11:26 am
Acceleration and handling will be more relevant points of judgment than top speed ever will. For the plain vanilla model, 0-60mph in around seven seconds would be real attractive; rapid 30-50mph and 50-70mph acceleration stages will really top things off; light, nimble, and responsive handling should absolutely seal the deal.
November 19th, 2009 at 11:26 am
Why 104 MPH? If I recall correctly, that was the exact speed for which a Prius driver got a speeding ticket. The ticket made front page news, was on drudge, etc etc because no one thought a Prius could go that fast.
I have not found any CS evaluations yet either. Sounds like a claim that should have the name of the journalist or his publication mentioned.
I believe the acceleration design goal was zero to 60 in less than 9 seconds – 1 second faster than the current Prius.
In Texas there is a stretch of I-10 that is posted at 85 MPH. So a top speed near 90 would seem to be sufficient, and reduce the risk from folks who put their fun before the safety of others.
November 19th, 2009 at 11:27 am
Many cars have governed top speeds, the most likely reason the Volt is set to 104mph is that the lo-resistant tires are probably have a speed rating of R that allows up to 106mph
November 19th, 2009 at 11:29 am
I think is one of those stats people use to measure cars. One of the common questions is “how fast will it go?”. Wether anyone actually drives at those speeds is irrelevant. Its more of a bragging rights thing, or just a good feeling knowing you have it.
November 19th, 2009 at 11:30 am
Real muscle when you need it and real economy when you don’t. An ideal combination, plus the ability to thumb your nose at OPEC.
November 19th, 2009 at 11:33 am
Is everybody recording the Today show? The Volt with the range extender is supposed to be featured today.
November 19th, 2009 at 11:35 am
““But there’s no way you can reach that goal if you don’t have it.””
# # # # #
Man has a dream, and that’s the start;
He follows his dream with mind and heart.
And when it becomes a reality,
It’s a dream come true, for you and me.
So, there’s a great big beutiful tomorrow, shining at the end of every day.
There’s a great big beautiful tomorrow, and tomorrow is just a dream away.
# # # #
Our dream comes true November 2010.
Thanks to the Chevy Volt team.
November 19th, 2009 at 11:35 am
104 mph is way faster than my geo can go.
November 19th, 2009 at 11:39 am
This is off topic, but here’s a pretty good article from the Detroit Free Press that references the scene pictured at the top of this post (i.e. of engineers at a coney on a Monday morning, with their Volts parked outside). There are some quotes from Andrew Farah and other insiders. Enjoy!
http://www.freep.com/article/20091119/COL14/911190474/1318/Evolution-of-the-Chevy-Volt
November 19th, 2009 at 11:42 am
The EV GEM I drive is governed to 25 mph. The most weight I’ve hauled in passengers and carry bags it is about 900 pounds. It still touches 26 mph then settles back to 25 mph.
I can see a top speed of 90 mph being a concern to freeway commuters. But 104 mph with a load is just fine.
=D~
November 19th, 2009 at 11:45 am
Many echo this sentiment, but embedded software is really a whole different thing. And there are a lot of distinct processor sub-systems all communicating with one another. So maybe a better software analogy would be a network of microwave ovens, cell phones, and programmable thermostats.
November 19th, 2009 at 12:02 pm
I have, but of course that was on a visit to Germany
November 19th, 2009 at 12:02 pm
An electric motor can generate three or four times its rated output for short periods, so realistically the top speed of the Volt will be limited by the controller rather than the motor.
The top speed allowed by the controller, in turn, will probably be established by the rated top speed of the tires. If I remember correctly the top speed was originally said to be 88 mph or so. That may have been the guess as to the what the rated speed of the tires would be, and the new tires that Frank Weber is so high on may be higher than that. A “R” rated tire is good for 106 mph and GM may want to stay on the “safe” side of this number. (An “N” rated tire is rated for a top speed of 87 mph).
November 19th, 2009 at 12:06 pm
Lutz is exactly right about what was required to steal the green mantle from Toyota, which is why Watanabe was screaming bloody murder about the Chevy Volt. He’s gone, and the Volt is heading for an on-time launch.
November 19th, 2009 at 12:16 pm
My truck is limited to around 100. I have hit this several times. Feels like the brakes are engaged when that throttle backs down. I usually test the limits of any car I own.
Top speed I have ever gone (on the ground) is red-line on a ‘70 ‘Vette. It’s around 140mph. At speeds near the speedo limit, mechanical speedometers are very inaccurate. It said 160, but, I know that’s not right.
Gotta love states like Texas and Indiana with straight vanishing-point roads.
Nick, BTW, I am double your 27 kid.
Gumball!
November 19th, 2009 at 12:29 pm
Off topic:
Hollywood is filming a remake of the movie Red Dawn all over Michigan right now (even now as I type this they are just outside my office). The plot is basically the same, Russia/China invade a small town. There are plenty of Hummers in the shots (so far that i’ve seen). Hummer is now owned by a Chinese company (maybe it ties into the movie), so this is not such good publicity for GM. It seems like this would be a great opportunity to get the Volt into another movie. Especially when the movie release date is Nov 2010. People would watch the Chevy Volt in the movie theater, ask “what was that car?”, then go out & buy one.
November 19th, 2009 at 12:31 pm
Probably because 104 is the point where the generator set can no longer supply enough power to maintain that speed on level ground without dipping into the battery.
November 19th, 2009 at 12:46 pm
I think it was a matter of balancing performance and efficiency. 104 mph is plenty fast for the majority of Americans. Most people rarely if ever go over 90 mph. In fact, a lot of new pickups are governed to around 98 or 100 for top speed.
I think the more important question is how fast it can accelerate up to its top speed. I would suspect with 273 lb./ft. at near zero RPM, pretty quickly. I’ve been faster than 104 on public roads. I got it out of my system.
November 19th, 2009 at 12:47 pm
When the Prius was released to the public, I remember it being derided as “underpowered” and “not cost effective” back when gasoline was $1 or $1.50 per gallon. American auto journalists had a field day making fun of the car, and predicting that Americans would have no interest in this “weird little science project”.
Ah, what a difference a decade makes.
Similarly, it doesn’t matter if by chance and recession gasoline is $2.5/gallon in 2010, and auto journalists pan the Volt as “not cost effective” , “underpowered”, or a “weird little science project”. The Volt only needs to sell its projected 60,000/year the first few years to the visionary early adopters, until the 2nd generation Volt in 2015 or 2016 becomes a blockbuster success. It’s important to be ‘good enough’ until it is possible to be ‘fantastic’.
November 19th, 2009 at 12:47 pm
That’s actually very dissapointing that they are going to artificially “limit” the speed. Why not let the car do what the car will do? If I am paying $40k for a car, I want every bit of performance I can get.
I hope there’s a way to easily bypass whatever programming they put on their to limit the speed.
November 19th, 2009 at 12:51 pm
A greater than 100 mph top speed is necessary for any highway going vehicle to be taken seriously. Being able to achieve 100, implies certain other performance attributes and also takes into account aerodynamic efficiency. i.e. if it can go 100 mph, then acceleration from 60-80 mph should be adequate.
Many of us “car guys” and those who live out west see 100 mph fairly often. I’ve slowed down a bit, now that I’m in my 30’s, but still enjoy sustained driving at speeds over 80 mph on occasion. Just like those who have range anxiety…having an artificially low top speed gives some of us velocity anxiety.
November 19th, 2009 at 12:51 pm
@250K each, i count 1.75 million sitting in that parking lot. Royal Oak is not too bad, but it would be scary to park in downtown Detroit. I could imagine the aftermath of someone stealing a Volt. I wonder if there have been any crashes/fender benders yet? Good thing Michigan is a no-fault state.
November 19th, 2009 at 12:57 pm
Then with a small headwind, it would dip into the battery.
With a small tailwind, it could reach 108 mph without using battery power.
Maybe it is related to the wear and heat on the traction motor ? It is connected directly to the wheels, so the faster the car, the faster the rotor is going… maybe the coolant system has some limit.
November 19th, 2009 at 12:59 pm
Drive downhill w/a tailwind and you’ll go over 104.
Seriously though, the limits are for the car’s protection/longevity. Remember GM has a warranty to uphold. Would you be willing to waive your warranty?
November 19th, 2009 at 1:03 pm
+1
Also, off topic, but relevent, an article in ScienceDaily, Nov 19, 2009: “Harnessing Waste Heat from Laptop Computers, Cell Phones May Double Battery Time”.
November 19th, 2009 at 1:04 pm
Me. On a very quiet desert road between Las Vegas and Los Angeles. 115 mph because that was the fastest the car would go before some safety feature shut it off.
November 19th, 2009 at 1:10 pm
I’ve got to say what’s finally happening is GM’s PR is alive. Exactly what’s needed. Real progress reports and policy resolutions. That GM decided on a 104 cap tells something about its tires. Of course hardware needs to be shaken down – but knowing that’s a 7/24 engineering team effort stands tall.
My tops (in the stone age) was passing 120 on the speedometer in a Barracuda – nowhere near its top speed. Today’s supercharged Vette ZR1 with its 600+ hp ICE breaks 200. When it comes to racing speeds GM knows how.
November 19th, 2009 at 1:15 pm
#12
Every chance I get, LOL.
November 19th, 2009 at 1:16 pm
My guess is that Lyle has already had his turn but is not allowed to post his review yet.
I’m looking forward to reading it.
November 19th, 2009 at 1:27 pm
Nope not yet…
November 19th, 2009 at 1:36 pm
Pretty much every vehicle sold in the last 15 years or so have had speed governors on them. Usually they are limited to the speed rating of the tires on the car, which in most cases is 100mph.
November 19th, 2009 at 1:37 pm
My 2003 GMC Envoy XL with the V-8 has a limiter on it as well. It won’t go faster than 100 mph…even though I know it has the power to go faster. Like one of the previous posters said, it feels like the brakes are being applied… So, I don’t have a problem with 104 mph.
LJGTVWOTR
November 19th, 2009 at 1:38 pm
sustained speeds over 80 mph are common on Rt 95 in the mid atlantic region on some stretches. I have found myself doing over 80 in the minivan for significant stretches of road (and I am just keeping up with traffic in the left lane).
November 19th, 2009 at 1:40 pm
Good point.
I read the Volt will be using Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max tires:
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2009/02/chevy-volt-to-r.html
These tires are all speed-rated R in all sizes:
http://www.goodyeartires.com/goodyeartireselector/display_tire.jsp?prodline=Assurance+Fuel+Max&mrktarea=Passenger#warranty
That is a speed rating of 106 mph, although many family sedans have tires with speed ratings of S and T (112 and 118 mph).
These fuel saving tires sound like a good match for the Volt.
November 19th, 2009 at 1:50 pm
To leapfrog the Prius that gets 50+MPG at half the price with a car that gets less than 50mpg and over $40K is a pipe dream.
What’s the big deal about going 104mph anyway? It makes everything less efficient therefore wastes energy. 65-85mph is the general speed, any faster is just a waste. Seems like a common theme here, to go in excess. That’s the problem with the US SUV market and why the US is so bound to the SUV.
November 19th, 2009 at 1:52 pm
Pretty much anyone living or driving the freeways in L.A.
Respectfully,
Dr. Ibringdoh
November 19th, 2009 at 2:05 pm
I’ve driven in LA freeways. There is no place to drive faster than 65mph. You’re lucky if you can reach that speed for longer than 2 minutes.
November 19th, 2009 at 2:10 pm
I respectfully disagree.
Toyota was in a totally different class than GM when the Prius came out. Remember that today, most people think GM makes garbage. Whether this is true or not, is unimportant. The perception makes it true when it comes to sales. GM has put a lot into the Volt. Just making it good enough is not good enough. It has to be “spot-on” or the public prejudice against GM will remain. GM is a new company now. They had better start earning awesome reviews for the vehicles, or they are sunk. They must concentrate on making very good, very reliable, and honestly priced vehicles. The dealers need it, GM needs it, and our country needs it (in the form of jobs).
November 19th, 2009 at 2:11 pm
I think the V6 Camaro has to beat it by at least 20 miles per hour.
November 19th, 2009 at 2:12 pm
I agree.
November 19th, 2009 at 2:26 pm
So the speed limit at 104 is to stay under the tire limit at 106. Otherwise Volt would have to have more expensive tires.
November 19th, 2009 at 2:30 pm
November 19th, 2009 at 2:31 pm
From Detroit News The daily test drives have led to changes in everything from how owners will recharge the Volt to an eleventh-hour redesign of the door for its charging port after it fell off in car washes.
That door falling off in the car wash is just the kind of problem that has made gm cars infamous. It is wonderful that Volt is getting enough testing to get rid of such “little” defects. It really is essential.
November 19th, 2009 at 2:34 pm
If you dont drive a min of 80mph in the metro Detroit area, you will get run off the road. Well, that is until you hit the orange barrels or major connections. Then you can count on 30minutes to an hour of 5mph driving.
November 19th, 2009 at 2:39 pm
People didn’t really care about fuel efficiency back then. Gasoline was rediculously cheap for years. No one talked about peak oil or worried about the price of gasoline. This was pre-9/11, so no one worried about where oil money was going. The economy, in general, was much stronger fundamentally. We had an overall trade deficit, but it was managable. No one was worried about the value of the dollar going off a cliff. And the general attitude towards the environment was very different.
Now? It’s a completely different story.
November 19th, 2009 at 6:44 pm
Japan EV Club just set a new world record: 345 miles on a single charge.
Maybe GM should be thinking about efficiency a little more and speed a little less.
November 19th, 2009 at 7:40 pm
Actually, it is an even number.
November 19th, 2009 at 7:43 pm
My fastest ride. About 125 mph, Suzuki 1100 Katana.
Not sure exactly, since looking at the speedometer was not on the top of my list of things to do.
I was young (early 20’s), and would never try it again. But, it is quiet an experience to be moving through the air at that speed.
BTW: The bike still had some left, but I did not.
November 19th, 2009 at 7:56 pm
I know a guy who had a Yamaha crotch rocket. He told me at 110 mph it felt good, but at its top speed of 138 mph, it was like you were holding the front wheel by its axle, and your back feet were on the axle of the rear wheel.
Pretty scary, apparently.
November 20th, 2009 at 12:37 am
1.0L three banger, yep 90 MPHish is it. The 1.3L 4 banger will do 100+.
November 20th, 2009 at 12:45 am
Off Topic:
It looks like bad news for Aptera:
http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/18/apteras-high-flying-plans-temporarily-grounded/
November 20th, 2009 at 12:50 am
The volt is a single gear ratio between the motor and wheels, right?
I suspect the 104 MPH is where the motor limits out for maximum rotor RPM. The optimum ratio of gearing is the ratio that just barely gives the car the ability to slip the wheels on dry pavement. Any lower ratio (higher starting torque) is of no benefit and limits top speed. A higher ratio lowers the acceleration and gives a higher top speed. If the car already is capable of 104 MPH, that’s high enough so no need to up the ratio and limit acceleration
November 20th, 2009 at 8:14 am
I can tell you that Consumers Report can not wait to get their hands on the Volt so they can give it a bad rating like they always do with GM cars. They don’t want any car, no matter how good, to displaced the great great Toyota Prius. Wait and see.
November 20th, 2009 at 8:41 am
Just looked today at new Equinox Review on Consumers. I own one and they do not rate it properly IMHO.
For instance. From Consumers.
Mazda Tribute 4 cyl 175 HP AWD mileage 19/25 This gets above average fuel economy rating (Half red circle)
Chevy Equinox 4 cyl 180 HP AWD mileage 20/29 This gets an average rating under fuel econ (Open circle)
WTF????
November 20th, 2009 at 8:50 am
Just for fun, I logged on to my consumers reports account and compared my new Equinox to the TOYO Rav4. In the comparison, they boosted the EPA ratings of the RAV4 by 2 mpg over what Toyota has on their site for the same car today. I would think Toyota would have this right. This makes it closer to the Equinox Mileage. Of course the RAV4 is reccomended.
November 20th, 2009 at 9:08 am
LOL…Logged in after deaprting yesterday. My last post was around 4:30 and there were a bunch of trolls starting at 4pm.
my post ” its 4 oclock, do you know where your troll is?”
I see this morning that Lyle deleted all posts from 2:49 pm to 6:34pm..(mine included but no loss nor offence taken..)
Hilarious..thanks Lyle.
go get em.
November 20th, 2009 at 9:24 am
All these messages on 100+ MPH driving……!
I’m wondering how peppy the car is, and how sustainable its cruising is on occasional long trips, which includes hills, while driving at 70mph? The gasoline motor is for generating energy to the battery system.
So how would the experience be since the battery would, under the above scenario, be required to rely on the gasoline motor?
The Volt sounds like a winner to me…just wondering about the long journey experience.
November 20th, 2009 at 9:41 am
Today show just announced a volt ride “after the break”. Hopefully this will include cs mode.
November 20th, 2009 at 9:50 am
Just watched the Today Show clip. No mention of CS mode. They did not even explain that it has a range extender. Referring to the car simply as an “electric vehicle”.
Phil Lebeau did the story. Some good shots of the dash displays.
Regards
November 20th, 2009 at 10:07 am
I agree with the observation that most American drivers will not take seriously an electric car which has an internal speed limit under 100mph, however pointless this might be in normal driving.
The performance of a conventional car at normal speeds can be related to it’s absolute top speed. For an electric, it’s pretty meaningless, IMHO. I think many people who buy the Volt with Prius expectations of performance will be astonished.
That’s not to say that I wouldn’t appreciate 100+ mph in the unlikely event of having to escape from a tornado or pyroclastic flow (or hordes of the damned, Elvis in a UFO, etc), but the odds of these are not all that great
.
Where in the Atlanta Metro area is it possible to go that fast? Even SUVs on GA-400 have trouble finding enough open road for that, these days.
November 20th, 2009 at 10:20 am
Silly press. I’m sure the oversight was unintentional.
. . . riiiiiiiiiiiight.
November 20th, 2009 at 10:56 am
Except you’d be dead from the pyroclastic surge. For that you’d need maybe 500+ mph. Maybe a Voltec jet?
November 20th, 2009 at 1:17 pm
To all those concerned about acceleration and maximum speed you are probably looking at the wrong car. It’s purpose isn’t to be a sports car. Its an electric vehicle with one soul purpose. Fuel efficiency. GM has an entire line up of cars and trucks with big engines which are specifically designed for those of you who are horsepower junkies. Infact its exactly why GM got into trouble in the first place. All they were interested in producing was high powered mammoth sized vehicles that went through gas faster than a binge drinker at a wedding reception. They continued doing so even when it was ridiculously clear that this wasn’t what the market wanted anymore as evident by the popularity and overwhelmingly high demand for the Prius and other high MPG vehicles. The Volt is a very welcomed departure from that philosophy.
The irony is, the vast majority of people who buy high horsepower vehicles somehow wind up directly in front of me dragging their behinds down the freeway in the left lane holding everyone up. Never understood that. LOL. This car shouldn’t and doesn’t have to tout high max speeds and muscle to get everyone interested. The Prius didn’t and thats because the market it spoke to wasn’t interested in muscle. There is already a huge population of people out there who don’t care (like me) about it’s top speed so long as it can maintain a respectable freeway velocity while sticking a hot poker in the eye of OPEC. I’m completely aware that I’m not buying a Camero.
November 20th, 2009 at 1:25 pm
Well, what about Elvis in a UFO? Huh? Huh?!~
November 20th, 2009 at 4:26 pm
The top speed of the car is actually limited to 100 mph. I think we gave Scott (from the Detroit News) too many numbers during our breakfast meeting. Sorry Scott
November 20th, 2009 at 8:45 pm
Who cares!
Get the darn thing for sale!
HURRY!!!!!!
I’m going to disable that feature anyway.
November 21st, 2009 at 10:08 am
The question is, how fast does it get to 104 mph?
I hope they have a performance mode that keeps the generator running and gives max performance in bursts.
November 21st, 2009 at 6:31 pm
I would like to know if the back seats fold flat? Has anyone seen them or know this?