GM-VOLT : Chevy Volt Electric Car Site

I haven’t done one of these in awhile, but since things really seem to be at a turning point and with all the new visitors we are getting, it seemed like a good idea.

If you look at what videos get to the millions of views level on YouTube, you often find they are more about entertainment than subjects of importance.

Anyway, spread the word if you can. Here is the video:

[flash http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E25Ktu0mvNw]

If you can’t see the video, the YouTube link is here.

Sam Abuelsamid of AutoBlogGreen and Green Fuels Forecast had the awesome opportunity to interview GM vice chairman and Volt leader Bob Lutz after his Chevy Volt Prototype test drive. The video appears below.

Mr. Lutz described rapid and great acceleration getting the car up to 75-80 mph. He marveled at the eerie silence of the car off the gun, and mentioned how it handles well due to the low century of gravity of the battery pack.

He confirmed that there are 3 or four prototype vehicles now running with the battery packs installed and he said “that (number is) going to increase very quickly.”

He also said the prototypes are running not only on the test track but the public roads as well.

He said the first cars to look like the “real Volt” will appear at the end of this year, and that by spring and summer of 2009 there will be “several hundred” of these and thats when the final integration vehicles will appear. Those will be used for crash and safety, and he notes public early drives and media events will commence.

In a bombshell, Lutz stated that there are only one of the two suppliers packs in the current mules, and that they are now concentrating on only one of the suppliers but he refrained from saying which one. He says at this point GM is very close to one of the two suppliers because of a lower risk with that one. Any guesses?

He also said at their most recent E-Flex senior leadership meeting, they reviewed the HMI or human-machine interface and noted the interior of the car will be “super-cool” and apparently quite customizable.

He confirms supreme confidence that “we’re good for November 2010″ and that there are “zero problems” with the batteries and that in fact “they are exceeding their expectations”, although they have had some minor inner-cell mechanical welding issues, there have been no electrochemical ones.

He declined to comment of the cars cost but admits the first version will be more expensive than GM would like it be.

Lutz never got to experience the ICE coming on, because him and his team only drove it for 20 miles.

Very Cool Sam!

Source (Green Fuels Forecast)

[flash http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A17JrjXYcxs]

I had the experience of being interviewed by Degan McDowell on the Fox Business Network on Monday.

I continue to be amazed at how much exposure this site is getting, and the opportunity to discuss the Volt on mainstream national media was quite exciting.

After all, one of the main objectives of this site is to spread the word. A lot of people still haven’t heard about the Volt or know what it represents. I believe that once somebody truly considers being able to drive normally without gasoline they will definitely wish to do so.

Thanks to the reader who uploaded the video to YouTube.

Also, I just completed an interview for NBC Nightly News New York. I’ll let you know when it will go on the air.

[flash http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6yW4-feUnA]

One of the top questions people ask is, "When will the final production Volt design be shown?"

I just toured GM’s Chevy Volt E-Flex Design studio. First let me be clear, GM is not showing anyone what the final production vehicle fully looks like yet.

I also spent considerable time talking to Bob Boniface, the director of Chevy Volt/ E-Flex design. I questioned him about the timing of appearance releases.

He explained to me that final car designs generally make their public appearance roughly two years before the car reaches production. He noted as an example that the Camaro design was actually revealed in December 2005, and will hit showrooms this fall. That’s a nearly 3 year interval which he felt was a too long. Bob says, "You want to time it so that the public and the media maintain their interest in the car, but you don’t want to show it too early because you don’t want to tip your hand to the competition."

Noting that the Volt is slated for production in 2 years and 7 months, he said "if you do the math, expect to see the car sooner rather than later"

He also said GM normally ties design releases to large public events. Some upcoming events to might be the media mule drives slated for July, or GM’s centennial celebration in the fall.

For those who have raised the concern here, Bob said "it can’t be a Cobalt with a battery..over my dead body."

About the design freeze, he said at this moment, "We’re tweaking some areas trying to get some last counts of drag out of it"…"we don’t have to start shipping data for feasibility just yet, so we’re going to keep working on it until the last minute, but if I showed you the car tomorrow, that’s what its going to look like."

In the design center Bob demonstrated the new front quarter panel, which we’ve seen before, but he also revealed a rear quarter panel. The rear has a harder edge than the show car.

What can be summarized about the production design compared to the show car is the following:

-it will look unmistakably like the Volt
-overall proportions have changed
-front end is much more rounded
-roof height has gone up
-low rear overhang stays
-dropped belt line is still there
-length is identical
-very sporty and athletic
-has a nice stance and rake

Bob said this about body color, "the car will be available in a lot of colors. Our color and trim studio has done lots of research on color and trim style. We have a board that shows a bunch of side views of the production car in different colors. In black it is wonderful. "

Regarding the show car’s transparent roof, "I wont comment on the appearance of the roof right now, there are still content decisions that have not yet been made."

I studied in person the 1/3 camouflage model seen in the picture above and I can say the theme is clearly futuristic and the car will make an electric statement and look like nothing else on the road.

Enjoy the high-def video below to see that same scene. And if you get a chance, check out my live interview Monday April 7th at 12:30 PM on the Fox Business News Network.

Production Chevy Volt Design from Lyle Dennis on Vimeo .

[flash http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_8uF8QKfeI]

There’s no bigger a fan of the Volt than me, and I’m happy Chevy is advertising a car that doesn’t exist yet, but couldn’t GM spend their money better than on this commercial?

There certainly have been better ones before (see post).

[UPDATE - GM sources have confirmed that this is indeed an official Chevy Volt commercial.  The above picture is a still from the video.  If you do not see the YouTube video below, go to this link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBXK4EE7Lg8]

[flash http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBXK4EE7Lg8]