The recent report that GM has cancelled the Cadillac Converj program, has led to some speculation that GM has revised its thinking of the value of the extended range electric or Voltec propulsion system. The report stated that GM could not find a value proposition in putting Voltec propulsion into a Cadillac.
As a Cadillac the car would have to be smoother, faster, and heavier than the Volt. This would necessitate more battery and cost, and thus GM has opted to use the 2-mode plugin parallel drivetrain for the brand. That system uses less battery, has less electric range, and uses the combustion engine whenever power demands are high.
Though this makes sense for the Cadillac brand, GM spokesperson Brain Corbett denies GM is moving away from Voltec.
“First of all we never announced the Converj was a production program ” he said.
“We’ve consistently said we’re going to increase our offering of electrified vehicles,” said Corbett. “We continue to develop the technology…Voltec is an active program.”
“There will be future plugin applications though we haven’t identified the vehicles or brands yet,” he added. “You’ll see multiple hybrids, plugin hybrids, and EREVs.”
He admitted that, “plugins are a little cheaper and the vehicles can be more capable,” than for Voltec.
But confirmed, “we’re not pulling back on Voltec.”
“We see both lineages evolving in parallel,” he added.















