The Nissan LEAF offers up to 100 miles of electric range and will go on sale in selected US markets late next year.  According to Nissan executives the car will priced so that monthly cost of operation is equivalent to that of a fully-loaded Civic (including fuel). Nissan still hasn’t decided whether to lease the battery separately or sell it with the car.

The LEAF began a four day display in Los Angeles marking its first stop on a national viewing tour that ends in New York City next February.  It is a non-functioning car.  A Nissan Versa outfitted with the LEAF powertrain will be around for VIP and media test drives, public drives will not be permitted.

On the same day the LEAF tour began GM decided to put out a viral video.

This short and simple cartoon attempts to illustrate why EVs are cool, EREV’s are cooler and can be seen below.

If you forget to plug in your EV and it’s the only car you got, not cool.  If you have a Volt it won’t matter.

Of course, forgetting to plug one’s car in may not happen very often but needing to drive continuously beyond its electric range will.

May the best car win.

When the Volt concept was first unveiled math models put it at 50 MPG, however since development began in earnest GM has kept silent about what it is actually turning out to be.  The only thing everyone has heard by now is that city drivers could expect an average of 230 miles driven for every gallon of gas used over time, assuming a daily full charge.

However, when going on road trips for distances significantly greater than 40 miles it is still important to know how much gas the Volt will use in that setting.

The last time I asked Volt engineer Andrew Farah this question he said the MPG will “not significantly” differ from 50 MPG.

When we ran a poll on the topic here in August, 58% of 1549 voters predicted it would be less than 50 MPG, with the majority choosing 40 to 50 MPG range.

The question was recently asked of Tony Posawatz, Volt vehicle line director, by a Fox news reporter who actually had a good understanding of the car’s engineering.  The video of this interview at the bottom of the post is well worth viewing.

When asked what the Volt’s MPG will be in charge sustaining mode Posawatz responded:

“We’re still testing that in all honesty, but we can make the following statement. It will be better than any conventional car in the class and we’re trying to figure out how close or if it will be actually better than other hybrids.”

According to fueleconomy.gov, the car with the best fuel economy in the small car class is the Toyota Yaris which gets 29 MPG city and 36 MPG highway for a combined fuel economy of 32 MPG.

Though Fox as a result of the interview reports“Chevy Volt to Get 32 MPG?” Posawatz seems to clearly state it will be more than that.

Originally this vehilce was set to debut under the Saturn brand in 2010 but due to the brand’s sale, that was changed.  It was then slated to appear as a Buick compact crossover, another plan that was recently shelved due to customer feedback.  The car will still launch in late 2011, but the brand and design remain unknown.

The mule I drove remained in the original Saturn VUE skin (shown above).  You can drive along with us in the video below.

It uses an 8 kwh LG lithium-ion pack pack, which is essentially half a Volt pack. The mule car was at this point highly refined, though only about 90% production intent.  I was told the instrumental panel will be slightly changed from what was displayed in the mule.

The final car will have a silent start though the engine went on at start in the mule.  It contained a 3.6 L DI 270 hp engine and two 55 kw electric motors, utilizing a power-split engineering architecture significantly enhanced by the large lithium-ion pack.

The car drove off very silently though a thrust of the accelerator brought on the roar of the gas engine.  It was capable of 40 mph top electric speed but it was tough to get above 25 mph pure EV with acceleration.  In theory, the car could go 10 miles as a pure EV under 35 mph.

Components were changed from the original 2-mode VUE, in particular the engine and inverter were changed and modifications to the transmission and electric motor were made all for the purpose of reducing cost and increasing efficiency.  In fact the Volt’s inverter is used.

GM would not release a target price at this time.

I found the electric acceleration solid and quiet as GM had paid special attention to the noise and vibration of electric motor

Notable was the very smooth transition to engine on, and also well done was the fact that there was no shudder when the engine turns off.

This design and concept is significantly different that found in the Volt.  The PHEV is not an EREV.  Operation is almost always a mixture of gas engine and electric motors to allow generous power and maximum efficiency.  Though like the Volt, GM wants to discharge the battery as much as possible on each trip.  I was told the aim of the car is to try to discharge the battery in about 20 miles.

The car differs from traditional power split hybrids like the Prius.  Here there’s a second mode of operation to gear down the traction motor for bigger vehicles.  It uses a power split architecture and both electric motors are working almost all the time.

Also with two modes it is possible to both have an efficient electric drive and operate the engine efficiently.

In operation, the ICE follows the load and does not only run at certain RPMs and even though the car weighs in at 4500 pounds with its battery, it still has a lot of power.

In the end, the car clearly does what its supposed to do, and does it well.  And for those needing the power and size of an SUV and desiring a plug and double the fuel economy of traditional SUVs, this car may be the answer.  GM expects it to be the first commercially available plug-in hybrid SUV produced by a major automaker.

Boniface explains at this point his team is now looking for fit and finish, gaps and flushness.

He says cars are meant to be seen in motion and this is the first time he can do so with the Volt and thus “its like Christmas morning for me,” he says.

“It looks like a different car to me,” he adds.

He says buying cars is an emotional purchase and that cars are very much a fashion statement.

“We were able to strike a good balance between aerodynamic performance, and those visual cues that excite a buyer,” he says.

He closes by stating the car is “meeting the aerodynamic performance,” that GM had set out for it.

Below the video you can also join in a real time webchat with Bob today at 2PM EDT.

Right now it isn’t really possible to walk into your local dealership and pick up an electric car, although you can get your hands on one with a lot of effort and money.

What we do have at our widespread disposal are state-of-the-art hybrids.  Though GM for example has applied hybrid technologies to its large trucks like the Chevy Tahoe, and that serves its purpose, I feel focusing on the small light sedan and optimizing it for efficiency make the most sense to me.

From my work here on GM-Volt.com not only have I been given and continue to get unrestricted access to GM executives and engineers, but I enjoy access to executives and vehicles from all the automakers.  A particularly fun perk is getting one-week test drives in some of the latest cars.  I took this opportunity to test drive two of the latest mainstream hybrids, the 2010 Prius and the 2010 Insight.  I will have the 2010 Fusion hybrid next week.

I compared the Insight and Prius side by side on several parameters, and offer a video of my impression at the end of the post.

I found the Prius to outperform the Insight in all areas but price.  It is faster, more powerful, more solid and better handling.  It has better interior space and technological nuances.  Mostly importantly it got tremendous fuel economy.  On a 6.5 mile course I was able to achieve 92.5 MPG in the Prius, with reasonable driving style and moving safely with the flow of the traffic.  On another 12 mile course I obtained 81 MPG.  The Insight could only achieve 62.5 MPG on that same course.

The Prius beings at $22,000 and the Insight at $19,800, making price the only parameter the Insight did better.  Recent reports indicate Honda is scrambling to put out a mid-cycle engineering upgrade to the new Insight to address its shortcomings.

At the end of the day however, neither of these cars can be compared to the Volt.  Though I have yet to drive the production model it will clearly be faster, more powerful, quieter, cooler and more high tech.  Most importantly it will drive 40 miles without the use of any gas at all.  Yes it will at first be more expensive, yet after rebates at $32,500 a Volt is only slightly more than a fully loaded Prius which is $31,770.

In this video we see a presentation by Dr. Ramona Ying, a GM battery lab staff researcher who has worked there since the EV-1 days.

She is showing off the cell testing side of GM’s new battery lab in Warren Michigan. Among other things displayed are two Volt LG prismatic cells in a thermal chamber.

She noted GM gets solicitations to test new cells all the time often in the wrong shape for automotive use.

GM uses a 4-phase process to evaluate cells. To date GM has evaluated 155 chemistries from 105 suppliers on paper and more than 60 actual cells from 20 suppliers.  Ying acknowledges GM also tests supercapacitors.

She says that by testing 24 hours 7 days a week GM can simulate 10 years of testing in 2 years, and that the overall goal of the lab is to reduce costs for battery cars and reduce dependence on fossil fuels.

Video:

He writes:

I adjusted the seat and mirrors, pressed the POWER button, moved the shifter to D, and then took it on a few laps around our Technical Center campus in Warren, Mich. This was the moment I’d been looking forward to and it was exhilarating. And when I was done, I pulled it into the garage and charged it with the production intent equipment.

As Andrew says, the preproduction properties “are the Volt” He notes this new era is not the end but the beginning of what he calls “the most important part of the process.”

Farah says the fundamental issues of the car are under control, but at this point his team needs to go into the refining the vehicle and make it something people “want to drive.”

Its the little things he says like “the ways the blinker sounds, the way the door sounds, and the way the steering responds.”

People, he says rightly, expect all of that to be flawless and finish developing.  You can see the new location of the charging port door.

What makes it wonderful is that they are a few weeks ahead of schedule.  And so the next major phase of the Volt coming into begin has occurred, 2 years 5 months, and 8 days after this site began as little more than a hope and a dream.

Source (FastLane)

GALLERY:

This month I became one of the first people outside of GM to visit the pre-production operations (PPO) facility at a time where the first genuine Chevy Volts, called integration vehicles (IVers) were being assembled.

The PPO plant was vast though moderate in size relative to full automotive production plants which can occupy several million square feet. Within it were two assembly lines each likely about 500 feet long along which the cars were being built by hand.

The day I was there was only 12 days after the first car was begun. At that point there were four Volt vehicles in various stages of construction. One was white, one was black, and two were gray. The paint on the surface was primer.

The sheet metal skeletons of the vehicles arrive there from the pre-production body shop, there 1000 or so pieces already welded together with hoods and hatchback in place.

The cars are built from the Volt math models developed by design and engineering. Little fit variations or flaws are detected such as for example the fit of the hood or rear window, and then are hand corrected for the next iteration.

The body shells were unmistakably Volts and seeing them in the flesh drove home more than anything the reality of these cars and this program in a deep and more meaningful way than ever before.

The most advanced or “lead” vehicle was fitted with many components including a high to low voltage converter and electrohydraulic brakes. None had their lithium-ion T-packs yet. In the lead vehicle the interior was nearly complete along with leather seats and the beautiful center console in jet black. White or black will be options. The heated leather seats were two-tone and looked great. I was told cloth seats would also be an potion.

I actually saw the electric motor-generator sitting on a wood table. Within it I was told are two motors. One was to turn the driveshaft and to recapture kinetic energy during deceleration (112 kw), and the other acts a a generator (53 kw) while the engine was running. Together the object was strikingly compact and a testament to the space advantages of electric cars. Volt Chief engineer Andrew Farah noted it was about the size of a conventional transmission, something this car wouldn’t need.

Another black Volt had just been put through a heavy water soaking to check for leaks in the design which could then be corrected.

These cars, unlike the mules before them, also had soundproofing installed onto the frame ensuring a very quiet ride.

There will be some changes from the show car which we have all seen, but these are 100% production intent.

One notable change was the location of the charge port. Now it will have its own door like a fuel tank and site below the front nameplate. The sliding cover design was abandoned due to risks of mechanical failure. The top surface of the center console was somewhat different too with some design tweaks and a storage area with trap door.

In the end, this facility will crank out 5 to 10 cars per week for a final goal of 80 to 100 vehicles. All of the learning here, the fixing of slight errors, and refinement of the assembly plan will lead early next year to the first assembled cars called validation builds on the Detroit-Hamtramck line where the production Volts will finally be built for sale. That plant has the capacity if needed to make up to 200,000 cars per year.

As of now the first fully built Chevy Volt IVers have rolled off this small assembly line and are being lab tested prior to their actual first drives. In the video below you can see Volt chief engineer Andrew Farah giving a tease and sitting in the true Volt about to go for “a shakedown drive.”

And so without any doubt the Volt has truly been born and its arrival into public production for launch in November 2010 appears at this point an absolute certainty.

Bill illustrates the progress of pack engineering since 2007.  There is a process from proof of concept to Malivolts to current mules and soon on to mass production. GM will possess about 100 each lab packs, vehilce packs and manufacturing packs, for a total of about 300 by the third quarter 2009.

He notes over 200 li-ion cells from LG Chem are in each pack.

Bill explains what the packs contain in terms of thermal management structure and microprocessor controls.

He notes the packs are completely sealed to dust and water, and have insulation to maintain temperature when the car is unplugged.

He says the design has changed in every detail from the beginning and is now comprises of 155 unique part numbers of which 147 were designed and engineered by GM itself.

The pack completely supports high volume manufacturing.  At full production volume, all the packs together will exchange over 3 billion kwh of energy in their lifetime.

Attacking Tesla he said “you cannot reliably attach 6000 cells over a large number of batteries,” extolling the virtues of the Volt packs advanced design and engineering with only between 200 and 300 cells each.

He answers my question and tells us that each cell is a little over 3.5 volts. He says he is confident there is no higher energy density cells available than these GM exclusive LG cells.

Finally he admits the battery pack can be safely completely submerged in water.

Now of course Fritz Henderson is at the helm. He has inherited a company that is in bankruptcy, and is charged with the herculean task of restructuring it into a leaner meaner four brand form. The government and bankruptcy court are of course making that job easier.

We here have focused on the Chevy Volt’s development which we have been assured remains on track, in good health, and undeterred.

There may come the day when I get to meet and interview Mr. Henderson. If I did, as always, I’d want to bring all of you with me to ask him any questions you might have.

Please use the comments of this post to write down your one question for him. Please keep it short and concise, and watch out for repeats. If I do get the chance, I’ll pick as many as I can.

Henderson already answered some public questions on GMs Fastlane blog. He told a “Volt skeptic” who wondered if Volts could actually get into the hands of people other than the rich and famous, “this will not be an inexpensive vehicle in its first generation, but it will be extremely affordable relative to a tesla. while we have not made final decisions on pricing, you should be thinking about $40k ish, with a $7500 available tax credit.” He also said it was “not likely” when one commentator asked is we’ll ever see and electric Camaro.

And while your thinking about what question you’d like to ask, watch the new GMreinvention television ad below.

[flash http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0Vcx3cRdi8]