GM has announced it will be investing $336 Million into the Detroit-Hamtramck plant for the purpose of retooling and preparing the plant to build the Chevrolet Volt electric car next year.
“We expect the Detroit-Hamtramck plant will be the first facility in the U.S. owned by a major automaker to produce an electric car. It is the hub for the wheel that we began rolling in 2007 when the Volt debuted at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit,” said Jon Lauckner, GM vice president of global product planning. “Since then, the field of challengers and partners has grown significantly. This competition will expedite the development of electric vehicle technology and infrastructure.”
So far GM has invested nearly $700 million in Volt related needs in eight facilities. In addition to today’s announcement the following other money has been spent:
- $37 million in Bay City, Mich. to produce cam shafts and connecting rods for the Volt’s engine generator.
- $23 million in the Flint, Mich. Tool and Die facility to build the dies to stamp metal parts for the Volt.
- $202 million at the Flint Engine South plant — this is where GM will build the 1.4-liter engine generator that provides Volt an extended-range capability of more than 300 miles.
- $1.7 million at the Flint Metal Center, in presses to stamp parts.
- $30 million in the Weld Tool Center, in Grand Blac, Mich., to produce the robotic weld tool cells that were installed in Detroit/Hamtramck plant.
- $27 million in the Alternative Energy Center at the GM Tech Center in Warren, home of the new, state-of-the-art battery lab where GM tests and refines the Volt battery pack.
- $43 million in Brownstown Township, Mich., to open the world’s first OEM-owned, high-volume, lithium-ion battery pack plant. GM expects battery-pack production to begin there early next month.
GM will begin production of the first validation build Chevy Volts in Hamtramck in March of 2010.
This work will gradually shift into regular series production of the car by late next year.
This investment indicates GM’s robust level of commitment to the future of the Chevy Volt and other electric vehicles. It is the first electric car plant GM has operated since the EV-1 plant 13 years ago.
“The race to build a mass-produced electric vehicle – a race that has its roots with the EV1, but began in full with the reveal of the Volt – has been one of the most exciting developments the auto industry has ever seen,” writes Volt vehicle line executive Doug Parks. “Detroit/Hamtramck is the finish line for the race and one we will cross this time next year as Volt begins arriving in dealerships.”
Source (GM)
This entry was posted on Monday, December 7th, 2009 at 2:44 pm and is filed under Financial, Production. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
+10
Dec 7th, 2009 (2:55 pm)Awesome; the final pieces are falling into place!
GO GM, GO!
+12
Dec 7th, 2009 (2:56 pm)They’re putting their money where it should go.
+2
Dec 7th, 2009 (2:56 pm)This is great news…March 2010 the next major milestone!
+1
Dec 7th, 2009 (3:03 pm)I really think they should make a volt with and without a generator.
Just as an option that way they can quiet Nissan and Tesla
bill
+6
Dec 7th, 2009 (3:09 pm)I can’t wait to see one of these on the road!
+5
Dec 7th, 2009 (3:18 pm)That is a beautiful picture!
+4
Dec 7th, 2009 (3:26 pm)Been a long road – not long to go …
+6
Dec 7th, 2009 (3:28 pm)The other good news I see here is that you can’t justify large capital outlays without having the sales volume to return your investment.
To me this means that GM is anticipating the manufacture of many Volts (and Voltec vehicles) in the years to come.
+10
Dec 7th, 2009 (3:32 pm)My 2004 Cadillac came out of that plant and is the best car I have ever owned.
If that is any indication of how the Volt’s quality will be, it’s going to be a winner.
+6
Dec 7th, 2009 (3:35 pm)Ugh, I want a volt! I fear demand will exceed supply the first few years.
+3
Dec 7th, 2009 (3:36 pm)LJGTVWOTR!!
+5
Dec 7th, 2009 (3:49 pm)“$37 million in Bay City, Mich. to produce cam shafts and connecting rods for the Volt’s engine generator.”
This is very suggestive that the Volt’s version of the 1.4l ICE will be special.. hopefully an aktinson type. Lyle please ask about this next time you get a chance. I believe this is all it takes.
Dec 7th, 2009 (3:54 pm)make it a free option to delete the genset.. it would be crazy to buy a Volt like that but it would not cost GM much and it would really drive the point home that it is a BEV.. I can just see the EPA sticker on the window. Great marketing tool.
+1
Dec 7th, 2009 (3:58 pm)It wouldn’t surprise me that the cam is different than the Cruze cam. Their power curves need to be different for the different applications (drive engine vs generator).
2nd Gen will probably have a totally different ICE which is why I stay away from 1st Gen. (Not my usual way though as I have had plenty of 1st Gen equipment
.
+5
Dec 7th, 2009 (4:04 pm)Tesla, Fisker, Zap, Aptera, Think and a host of other EV car makers and would be carmakers, will have produced around a total of 1000 vehicles, by next November.
I suspect Chevy wil have built near that same number of Volt vehicles before then strictly for the purpose of testing and debugging the design. That is before, the first production quality Volt is deemed ready; and the first Production Volt rolls down the assembly line.
Its the complete difference between garage shop construction with the customer as guinea pig, and genuine mass production..
-16
Dec 7th, 2009 (4:12 pm)(click to show comment)
+2
Dec 7th, 2009 (4:16 pm)My thoughts exactly. *Wonderful* news! Less than a year now and closer to half a year for an Independence Day showing.
Be well,
Tagamet
Let’s Just Get The Volts’ Wheels On The Road!!**********NPNS
+11
Dec 7th, 2009 (4:25 pm)This is a bit trivial, but GM should start calling it a ‘generator’ not an ‘engine generator’. People know what a generator is and it reinforces the fact that this is an electric car, distinctly different from the many flavors of hybrid already out there.
+2
Dec 7th, 2009 (4:53 pm)True that. +1 The others are simple BEVs, so that’s one thing, but GOOD LUCK to the “beta tester” Fisker buyers.
-37
Dec 7th, 2009 (5:08 pm)(click to show comment)
Dec 7th, 2009 (5:17 pm)PDNFTT
Be well,
Tagamet
Let’s Just Get The Volts’ Wheels On The Road!!**********NPNS
+1
Dec 7th, 2009 (5:31 pm)I’ve been saying that too for a while now. It is crucial to marketing the VOLT as to “why” it’s a better system.
+3
Dec 7th, 2009 (5:49 pm)What the heck?
$70 million in battery research and battery assembly but $202 million to build a 4 cylinder engine?
I thought they were using an off-the-shelf engine after they scrapped the 3 cylinder idea? Does it make sense to invest that much money into an engine that isn’t optimized for the task at hand? …which was previously mentioned to be about 69 hp to drive the generator.
What about all the talk about how expensive the batteries and R&D is? Does this seem odd to anyone else?
+1
Dec 7th, 2009 (5:54 pm)Here is a description from one EV1 owner of the issue he had with that GM electric vehicle.
Not-so-good points included dentist-drill whine at most speeds, relays clicking every time the brakes were used, typical cheesy GM switchgear compounded with keypad combination starting (not valet-friendly!), distortion in the windshield, abysmal heating (even a short shot of instant electric heat would have made a big difference), loud fan on the charger unit, and somewhat harsh ride. Mine had 14 service problems large and small over its life, including two breakdowns of the STUPID inductive charger (a “tether” that negated the ability to sip charge from any friendly outlet, and left me unable to charge for some days), one “drop dead” on the freeway, two replaced batteries, mirror falling off, etc. Despite battery maintenance, range diminished from 120-140 miles to about 80 after 30,000 miles. The charging losses of the NiMH batteries required the AC unit to run during charging (which also wore out once), which added 30% to the electric bill.
He didn’t have the wheel problem, thankfully. Bugs aren’t only on windshields I guess. This might serve as a cautionary tale or perhaps solace for all those who won’t be the first on the block (zip code, city, state) to have a Volt. LOL
+2
Dec 7th, 2009 (5:56 pm)1) Good to see continued progress;
2) curious that the largest single investment ($239MM in two parts) is for the ICE…so much investment needed to produce an existing GM powerplant? Wow.
+1
Dec 7th, 2009 (6:01 pm)Herm,
GM also refers to this as late intake valve closure (LIVC). Essentially, by closing the intake valve late, some air/fuel is pushed back into the intake manifold, leaving less in the cylinder.
When this charge is ignited, it expands and the exhaust valves can also be opened late. This allows the compression stroke to produce more power before the exhaust valve opens.
Typically, this is used with a higher compression ratio, but detonation is avoided since the LIVC reduces air flow and thus compression pressures and temperature prior to ignition.
Regarding the Volt’s ICE, I downloaded info on the 2-mode Saturn Vue (before it was cancelled). Here is an except from that info that suggests they are using LIVC.
—————————————-
MATCHED TO 3.6L V6 LCS
The two-mode hybrid is mated to an optimized direct injection gasoline engine, which takes advantage of higher compression ratio enabled by direct injection technology as well as optimized late intake valve closing (LIVC) using dual independent variable valve timing (VVT) to reduce pumping losses.
—————————————
I would expect GM would use this same technique, especially if they use direct injection in the 1.4L engine.
+1
Dec 7th, 2009 (6:04 pm)This begs the question of where did the $$$ go from the DOE grants given to…
# General Motors: $240 million
# Compact Power, on behalf of LG Chem: $151.4 million
From: http://earth2tech.com/2009/08/05/battery-grant-winners-a123systems-rakes-in-249m/
Hmmmmm……
+1
Dec 7th, 2009 (6:11 pm)Thanks for clearing that up Bill.. not sure if the 1.4l will use DI, probably not since it is an expensive option.
Lyle, dont use the word “atkinson” or they wont answer it.. just ask about “Late Intake Valve Closure” (LIVC)
+5
Dec 7th, 2009 (6:19 pm)#24
I don’t expect it to be an unmixed blessing, but I believe that the 1st generataion Volt will be a FAR more developed and refined piece that an EV1. There will probably be more prototype and pre-production Volts built before any are sold to the public than all of the EV1s ever built.
Buying a Volt may be a bit of a risk, but NOTHING compared to a Fisker, which, if it ever actually does come to market, will have skipped about 90% of the Volt’s current painful development cycles and dumped them off to the buyers. Ditto the Tesla, although it has the advantage of being a lot simpler car without the “range extender”. The Think and the Zapp are not much more than glorified NEVs IMHO. And I think that Zapp is in financial distress, according to allcarselectric.com today. And Aptera is circling the drain and is very unlikely to survive, again IMHO.
I have said many times that I would never buy a first year GM car, but I am so entusiastic about being part of this revolutionary change that I am going to ignore my own wise advice, LOL.
+2
Dec 7th, 2009 (6:24 pm)#23
It’s an off the shelf engine in the sense that it exists in the GM system, but it is curently only built in Europe. This plant will also manufacture the same engine for the Cruze, with the addition of a turbo. So the potential production numbers are way higher than just for the Volt.
+5
Dec 7th, 2009 (6:28 pm)I think your fear is well founded.
GM seems to be focusing their Volt marketing only on the green crowd.
Meanwhile, there are a lot of people who will want the Volt just so they don’t have the hassle of going to the gas station every week. And many others that don’t want to fund terrorists. And many more who hate the oil companies and their obscene profits.
In other words, there are many reasons to buy the Volt besides global warming or the environment.
This is the beginning of something much bigger…
Dec 7th, 2009 (6:32 pm)I believe most of the engine is the same, but the timing has been altered to use Atkinson tuning.
+3
Dec 7th, 2009 (6:40 pm)Yes GM it is a race to the next level of automotive transportation. I believe availability to customers will give a definate advantage in several ways. I wouldn’t be concerned about over production. If you build a quality vehicle, they will be bought. You have big competition, but I do like to root for the home team. Go GM!
+1
Dec 7th, 2009 (6:41 pm)GM’s commitment to the Volt is loud and clear, I’m very impressed with what they have done so far.
I know this is a bit early to be talking about, but if Gen II or III extends the range of the Volt from 40 miles to 80 or 100 miles in EV mode, then there is nothing on the planet in any concept form that could come close to the Volt.
+3
Dec 7th, 2009 (6:52 pm)Bill , the engine is critical for the survival of the battery, think of it as your onboard insurance policy for not only range but battery health. Cold mornings, hot days, the engine will condition the battery and keep it at the proper operating temp and charge level. Battery life extension is critical to the success of the volt. Cars without range extenders will suffer early battery death at the expense of their abusive drivers.
No range extender NO SALE!
Dec 7th, 2009 (7:03 pm)Well,
That was in 1997, when the EV1 was forced to be rushed into production by mandate. Probably, the project was started at least 2 years before 1997, or, was a very mandated-hurried project that in no way can be compared to the core-competancies and systemic process refinements of nowadays, just no way in the world. One can not compare the 1997 model to a 2010 model with any credibility, even if for comparison to currently planned BEV’s.
As well, I’d bet that most of us would never have a problem with a “Valet Friendly” starting situation (lol), because a smart and well-off Volt owner (and most certainly, the not-so-well-off Volt owner, (lol) would never have some valet ever get into their Volts for any reason whatsoever, ever ever ever).
When the loan proceeds had to pour into GM, there just happened to be very good things in progress and available to GM previously in this year during re-organization, via an array of outstanding technological advancements that the restructure suddenly had the opportunity to take advantage of.
These changes for the extreme positive in Volt were driven in this positive direction partly because of the adverse situation of the market falling out from underneath GM for the variety of reasons that we all know. Out from the adversity that slammed GM, comes a technology driven-out, and offered up to us as a result of that adversity. Volt is the very best from the very best minds who have determined that electrification was the way to go onward for all the positive reasons we all now clearly know and understand.
Volt is a positive and dedicated **philosophy** we all want.
EV1 was a ***mandated requirement***, and was the best of efforts for its time and tech available to GM way back then. Mandates, (especially with radically different and somewhat untested technologies) often mean you have no choice but to do something “before its’ time”.
Remember that phrase “we will sell no wine before its’ time”?
Exactly the same premise for technologies.
This time, it is a universe of positive philosophical difference all around. It’s just GM at its most very best!
(PS, I was shocked today to see a really poor quality “starting” (a very bad word within the name-label of a car battery) “start” battery with the Toyota name on it!! It was only one year old and was part of the cause of a transmission failure in a Tundra, because it had a bad cell which spewed acid out of it. While that is only a sample of one, still, there are patterns of failure, that, the Toyota datastreams sequester in **not** showing any 12 volt data from Battery within any datagroups which would have presented a chance for a tech to discover that bad Toyota brand “starting” battery a lot sooner before the transmission soleniods had insufficient energy to properly function, and the PCM to properly think.
(The 12 volt datastream is “sequestered” on purpose so that someone will not accidentally replace a good alternator which is just on a 12.5 volt “standby” to save gasoline and to reduce battery water losses.) It looks to me that Toyota is severely cheapening its battery design, although I do not think they knew of the transmission damaging potential (for all makes) of a cheap battery design. The case date tag for its manufacture was 11/08.)
+1
Dec 7th, 2009 (7:06 pm)The EV1 was a revolutionary development – so of course there were many unanticipated ‘bugs’ in it.
– The Volt owes a lot to the EV1 for effectively demonstrating that a modern electric car is possible and in identifying issues that needed to be done better this time.
– The Volt also owes a lot to Tesla for creating an all-electric SPORTS CAR that broke the perception that all electric cars are wimpy.
– The GM Volt takes advantage of all this experience and will be the world’s first practical “Go Anywhere, Anytime” electric car! (IMHO)
+1
Dec 7th, 2009 (7:13 pm)The investment for Volt ought to have one more decimal place.
Instead of 336 million,
Investment ought to be 1336 million at least.
Dec 7th, 2009 (7:42 pm)Tesla has already shipped nealy 1000 production units and will be more than 1K by Jan1. Not saying this is any great shakes for the production automotive industry but give a dog its due. How many Ferraris, Maseratis, Lotuses, etc do you think are sold per year? Tesla is doing just fine for the high end market they are in. The rest of the EV companies mentioned are just vapor at this point.
Dec 7th, 2009 (7:43 pm)Supposedly according to something I read on ABG, the 1.4L is DI and likely atkinson and this will get better mpg than the 3 cylinder turbo they were originally thinking about using.
+5
Dec 7th, 2009 (7:46 pm)HA!
Just tagged NoVolt4U with a -1 and didn’t even have to look at the drivel…OH WHAT A FEELING…
Dec 7th, 2009 (7:54 pm)The 2010 Tesla Roadster is the 3rd iteration of the product. The first gen was certainly not as well flushed out as the Volt will be, but Tesla has continued to refine the model.
+3
Dec 7th, 2009 (7:56 pm)NO! The next major milestone is much sooner. They fire up the battery plant in JANUARY. That will be way outside the box for GM. In fact I believe that the first 300 battery packs that they have were manufactured for them by LG Chem. The January startup will be inside the newly built GM factory south of Detroit. This is worth watching!
Of course also in January is the Detroit auto show. There HAS to be a lot of Volt activity there. Those disgruntled Chevy dealers are going to be steaming. I DO hope that somebody starts to make the connection between leading technology that is in the Volt with similar good technology and quality in conventional GM products.
+1
Dec 7th, 2009 (7:58 pm)I have a stupid question that I’ve often wondered about. How do you actually pronounce “Hamtramck?” I think I’m with it at, “ham” and “tram” then I’m stuck with a “ck” on the end that I’m not sure what to do with.
Dec 7th, 2009 (8:07 pm)It is as you said, ham + tram + “ICK”. (I did not grow up in the Detroit area, but have been here for … uuh (can it be) 35 years.
And I remember when they built that plant – it was controversial because the government had to condemn the last holdouts and take the land and then gave it to GM for a song. The plant at the time was state of the art modern technology, but then isn’t every new plant?
Dec 7th, 2009 (8:55 pm)If you include everything that went into the EV1 and the other electric powered/assisted cars GM has worked on, and the Volt has inherited from, then you are probably close to that $1336M.
+1
Dec 7th, 2009 (9:45 pm)Climategate Climategate! Look it up awesome. Wake up people. Believe in it or not. Chevy Volt still a great idea and can’t wait to see them on the road
Dec 7th, 2009 (10:24 pm)Is that each producder with a thousand or all producers combined with a thousand? For a year of manufacturing or for all years combined?
Dec 7th, 2009 (10:32 pm)Good point – and all are roads that lead back to Alan Cocconi of AC Propulsion.
+7
Dec 7th, 2009 (10:45 pm)There’s an article in the New York Times stating that GM’s going to throw another $100 million into the Volt in an attempt to move up the production schedule. Apparently, they want to build some for consumers to test drive before actual production begins? Regardless, it looks like the new CEO isn’t going to sideline the Volt.
Also, they’ve decided they no longer want to buy the lowest cost parts. They’re willing to pay top dollar in exchange for getting “the most advanced technology before other automakers.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/08/business/08auto.html?_r=1&ref=automobiles
+1
Dec 7th, 2009 (11:03 pm)I haven’t been here as long as some of y’all, but, Volt news is sure picking up lately.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. This is one of my favorite daily visit sites. Y’all make my day. Every day.
Dec 7th, 2009 (11:18 pm)That’s a great line. I’ll probably be with you. The thing is, I may say I expect problems, and I sort of do (some people seem to think there won’t be any), but I’ve been so spoiled over the years by vehicles that rarely needed work that I know I’ll be irritated by it, even if I say now that I won’t.
+1
Dec 7th, 2009 (11:26 pm)The article cited by Laura at #50 has some interesting tidbits. The NY Times article also says the Board was willing to spend an extra $100M to move the Volt’s production date up — probably they’ve been talking to Tag about July 4th. Here are the pertinent lines:
At a meeting last month, directors offered to put another $100 million into the Chevrolet Volt if the company could get the battery-powered sedan into production sooner than its current start date in November, according to people with knowledge of the board’s move.
Dedicating more money for the Volt would not necessarily move up its timetable, said Jon Lauckner, G.M’s vice president for global product planning. But it could allow G.M. to build more vehicles for consumers to test-drive before full manufacturing begins.
“We have already reduced the Volt’s development time by about seven months,” Mr. Lauckner said in a recent interview. “Our date with destiny is November of 2010, but it could be useful for us to have the money to get some vehicles to consumers earlier than that.”
So much for worrying that the new Board would kill Volt development. And we can certainly understand that more vehicles in more hands for more testing before real production begins would be a most useful thing. But here’s another suggestion — Make More Already!
Dec 7th, 2009 (11:26 pm)Wow! Great article! Thanks for the heads up.
Dec 7th, 2009 (11:38 pm)I receive the NY Times every day, but missed this informative article —thanks, Laura!
Dec 8th, 2009 (4:12 am)I find the song in someways cute but on the other hand I agree with one of the people that mentioned about that Barney and Friends is cheesy, annoying, and really pathetic and I can see that this song might make someone go apes and bananas by saying something like turn that channel so I don’t hear that stupid, pathetic, song! Just saying so.
Dec 8th, 2009 (4:54 am)OK,
Ive identified that huge gray building that is Hamtramck on Google maps (after an extensive tour of Detroit via street view)
What are those rocket launchers I can see in their back yard carefully concealed behind the hedge?
They seem to be mounted on the railway system for some reason…
Very suspicious..
Dec 8th, 2009 (5:59 am)I haven’t seen that yet, but I hear that there is the remains of an original Nike anti-missle defense system in that area. There is also a prison not too far from the GM plant.
-1
Dec 8th, 2009 (9:39 am)I’m as excited about the volt as everybody else on this web site, but doesn’t anybody else see a potential problem with a company which was bankrupt just a few months ago is spending 700 million dollars on a car they intend to build 10 000 of a year? Assuming they make 2000 profit on each volt (fairly optimistic i would say) that is 35 years just to recover the investment in the production facilities not to mention development. I am aware of the costs of first generation technology and volumes which will increase over time (not fast enough if you ask me) but something seems fishy to me………
Dec 8th, 2009 (10:58 am)Agree! I never noticed it before, but ‘flying’ side mirror looks awesome (reminds me of the ’80s(?) Ferrari Testorossa).
Dec 8th, 2009 (11:10 am)Ditto for me. Never bought an american car so far (30+ years of driving) but I would make an exception for this one. I’m confident they will crush the competition on the EV front.
Dec 8th, 2009 (11:16 am)#50
That’s the most positive article about GM I’ve read in a long time. +1. Thanks. You go, Ed Whitacre and GM Board!
+1
Dec 8th, 2009 (11:20 am)There is still a big question mark about the Tesla and it is the battery cells. How long will they work ? 10 years is doubtful, in my opinion.
In a laptop computer, the battery is always the weakest link (display is a very close second).
-1
Dec 8th, 2009 (12:04 pm)Still looks like the front of the Volt is too low for the bumps it will encounter on our highways and streets. I foresee a lot of damage to the air deflectors.
-1
Dec 8th, 2009 (12:27 pm)I don’t know, maybe these days we are only impressed with “billions” and “trillions” of dollars, but to spend $100 million dollars just to get a few more Volts in the hands of beta testers strikes me as strange. When the Volt finally goes on sale, how many more will they have to sell just to break even on that $100 mil? Just because GM is flush with government money doesn’t mean they should spend it like the government does. It is, after all, OUR MONEY – spend it wisely, please!
+3
Dec 8th, 2009 (1:05 pm)10,000 a year? GM is on record as wanting to get the production costs down and build tens of thousands of Volts a year. Also, in its announcement, GM said that it will build the Opel Ampera (sp?)version at Hamtramck and export them to Germany, at lest initially.
Maybe a black market will develop for those Volt enthusaists who really want the Opel version…..
Dec 8th, 2009 (1:19 pm)#65
Maybe they can send some of them to CA and get some of the money back through the $30+ million grant with PG&E and SCE reported here a few days ago.
Dec 8th, 2009 (2:36 pm)I’d like to pre-order mine in black please for delivery to mid-Michigan in December 2010.
Dec 8th, 2009 (2:44 pm)The Volt engineering and marketing has a lot of related and evolving paradymes. It’s complicated for GM and puts them in conflict with what the dealers need right now.
The dealers are rightfully PO’d because they see a need for investment in the way things are being done right now, because that’s what will pay the power bill that’s due next week, not sometime after the 2nd gen Volts ramps up.
It’s a built in conflict that is full of complications.
Dec 8th, 2009 (2:56 pm)Thanks!
Dec 8th, 2009 (4:44 pm)#70
All the more reason to expedite the introduction of new models ASAP, as Mr. Whitacre and the Board appear to want to do, according to the cool link provided by LauraM above. I seem to remember the CorvetteGuy wishing he had a showroom full of Cruzes, Sparks and Volts to sell.
I also note that they are going to proceed with the next generation of full sized pickups. I only hope that they find a way to extend the 2 mode system down through the model range to some kind of a commercial truck(s) costing substantially less than $50K.
Dec 8th, 2009 (5:48 pm)This is some very good news for a American city for a change. This plant will also be paying millions in local taxes unlike the Japanese Korean and German plants in the south that are not paying US taxes while taking unfair advantage of our OPEN market. JAPAN GERMANY and KOREA are getting away with having closed markets while leaching off the American open market. We are closing 30 plus American plants in the US while Japanese German and Korea plants operate paying no US taxes and sucking billions OUT of our economy…
Like I said … the CHEVY VOLT is good news for a AMERICAN city for a change.
Dec 8th, 2009 (6:03 pm)That makes sense… but it kills the “Volt related spending” point doesn’t it?
Dec 8th, 2009 (9:10 pm)OK, I’ve spent some time with Google (you got my curiosity up) and I am pretty sure I know what you are talking about. That appears to be bridge type scaffolding to support piping for things like water/utilities, maybe cryogenic lines like liquid nitrogen, etc. I think one of the reasons they are up in the air is so that they can cross over the railroad tracks. Notice too that there are also structures that go from one building to another. These are probably conveyor belts or tracks, possibly for carrying parts from one area to another. I wonder if plant tours are a possibility or could be in the future? Ford does have plant tours of the Dearborn assembly plant. Quite enjoyable.
Dec 8th, 2009 (10:17 pm)Found this picture of Michigan governor, Gennifer Grandholm, at today’s announcment festivities at the Hamtramck plant. She drove a Volt up to the presentation area (not this one, but one with the black bumpers).
Thanks to the Detroit Free Press.
Dec 17th, 2009 (3:30 pm)Wow, nice to see so much money being spent here in Mich., makes me tempted to buy a Volt. I like the techiness of it. However the battery life issue makes me nervous. I fly electric model airplanes and after 4 years or so the lithium batteries have had it, regardless of usage. That 300,000 mile claim thrown around is *simulated*, probably done over 6 months of testing.
Similarly, a new Tesla could perhaps barely make it to my Mom’s house (250 miles give or take), but as the years go by the car’s range will get less and less. I don’t forsee rest areas giving out electricity for free as very likely, at least not long-term.
I go past the GM Tech center every day (Mound) but still haven’t seen a Volt! I remember seeing EV-1s running around here back in the day.