GM to begin testing Volt electric car by spring

[jpak]

http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSN0946978520070809

TRAVERSE CITY, Michigan (Reuters) - General Motors Corp. will begin road testing its Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid in the spring of next year and remains on track to produce the rechargeable car by late 2010, a senior executive said on Thursday.

As the race to bring a mass-market, rechargeable electric vehicle to the market heats up, GM's global product chief Bob Lutz said he expects to have next-generation lithium-ion battery packs ready for the vehicles by October this year.

"We should have the battery packs by October," he said, speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an industry conference. "We'll have some on the road for testing next spring, and we should have the Volt in production by the end of 2010."

GM is the only automaker to have provided a timeline on the production of a plug-in hybrid vehicle, even though other companies, such as Ford Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Corp. are working on similar technology.

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[drbtg1]

1. The Volt is expected to only have a range of 40 miles

While the Tesla Roadster will have a range of 200 miles (and go from 0 to 60 in 4 seconds) and will be out at the end of this year, not 2010.

http://money.cnn.com/2007/08/08/autos/bc.tesla.roadster.reut/index.htm

Unfortunately, the Tesla costs too much, but if this upstart company can do 200 miles, GM should be able to do a hell of a lot better than 40 miles.

[rurallib]

3. Gee - just stumbled on this article

While looking up stuff on altairnano:
http://www.insidegreentech.com/node/677

It may look more like a Porche Cayenne SUV than a Tesla Roadster, but today's announcement of a forthcoming ZAP (BULLETIN BOARD: ZAAP)/Lotus electric car promises to set new standards in range, top speed and charging time.

This won't be the kinder, gentler yet odd-looking electric vehicle the market has come to expect from ZAP. Named the ZAP-X, the new vehicle is to be based on Lotus Engineering's existing APX concept car body structure (pic below.)

The svelte, yet practically-sized new vehicle will be previewed at this weekend's North American Dealers Association (NADA) annual meeting in Las Vegas.

A combination of lightweight aluminum structure, a new efficient drive and an advanced battery system is intended to enable a range of up to 350 miles between charges and a top speed of 150 miles an hour, ZAP said today.
<snip>
Yet the most aggressive claim may be in the APX's charging time. While the Tesla Roadster needs to be plugged in overnight, ZAP claims the ZAP-X will only require 10 minutes for a full recharge of its batteries. That'd be a full "tank", yielding another 350 miles, they company said, in the time it takes for a roadside washroom break.

[Gregorian]

8. This is exactly why I'm not on the hydrogen bandwagon.

A quick charging battery. There is absolutely no need for hydrogen. It's a step that can simply be eliminated.

Good lord! 600 hp. For years I've been saying we could sell electric to the American public by promoting it's super high performance side. I'm a bit torn by it all, since I used to be gung-ho racing. Now I can't stand the stinking automobile. Bikes are where it's at. But still, I'll probably fall victim to one of these cool vehicles.

All in all it's a start. I still contend that it has much more to do with how we generate the electricity than how we use it. But that's next.

[Schema Thing]

9. Yep, it's all about torque

electric motors (or at least hybrids), coming soon: to 18 wheelers and heavy equipment and hotrods near you.

[Gregorian]

11. At zero rpm.

:)

[OKIsItJustMe]

7. That's why the Tesla costs so much more

The batteries for the Tesla are quite expensive.

GM has decreased the capacity/cost of the battery pack, providing an all-electric range which is sufficient for most commuters, at a more affordable price.

[phantom power]

10. Furthermore, the Tesla is not much more than a body wrapped around a pile of those batteries.

[TheWraith]

13. It's not that large of a cost, only a few thousand dollars.

Considering the value in terms of enhanced range, that's a steal. GM's simply being cheap.

And the Tesla Roadster is expensive because it's an incredibly high-end sports car, and because they're making quite a lot of money on it.

[whopis01]

12. GM is just following solid engineering principles

You make the common case efficient and you make the uncommon cases work.

40 miles on a charge will cover the vast majority of daily driving. Certainly not all of it, but the vast majority of it.

Then once you run out of battery power, you start using the 50mpg engine. That is still not too shabby.

And on top of that, people could actually afford the Volt.

When it comes to reducing fossil fuel usage, the Volt has the potential (no pun intended) to to a lot more good than the Tesla ever will.

[rurallib]

2. Anybody know how the altairnano battery test is doing?

I believe they have had a test vehicle out since November - any news.?

[OKIsItJustMe]

4. Interesting

http://www.insidegreentech.com/1555/zap-advanced-battery-in-joint-developm

ZAP, Advanced Battery in joint venture

By David Ehrlich
Published August 2, 2007 - 4:14am

Electric car maker ZAP (BULLETIN BOARD: ZAAP) and lithium-polymer and nanotech battery developer Advanced Battery Technologies (BULLETIN BOARD: ABAT) said today they have opened a joint development office in Beijing.

...

Santa Rosa, Calif.-based ZAP said the batteries will be used in its XEBRA electric cars and trucks as well as in other vehicles and battery systems.

Advanced Battery said its products incorporate nanotechnology to create lithium-polymer batteries with high energy density while improving performance, life expectancy and safety.

...

The companies said today that batteries using nanotechnology can offer electric cars three to five times greater performance in terms of range and speed, as well as faster charge times, in some cases as little as ten minutes.

...

[OKIsItJustMe]

5. GM picks another E-Flex partner, plans Volt road test

http://blogs.motortrend.com/6214061/green/gm-picks-another-e-flex-partner-plans-volt-road-test/

GM picks another E-Flex partner, plans Volt road test

Posted Today 01:09 PM by Kirill Ougarov
Filed under: Green, General Motors, Hybrids

GM has partnered up with Watertown, Ma-based A123Systems to develop cells for lithium-ion batteries to be used in the automaker's E-Flex electric drive system that will power the Chevrolet Volt. A123Systems is one of a number of companies developing nanophosphate battery cells that will reportedly provide higher power output, longer life, and safer operation technology. A123's batteries are used in power tools at present.

These cells will then be used by Continental Automotive Systems based in Frankfurt, Germany, to develop the battery packs that will power the E-Flex architecture as well as future hybrids. GM has awarded a similar contract to Compact Power of Troy Michigan, which will develop batteries using technology supplied by Korea-based parent company LG Chem.

Additionally, Reuters is reporting that GM may begin road tests of the Volt as early as next spring. GM product honcho Bob Lutz believes that batteries from at least one of the two companies will be ready by October, which would give GM engineers ample time to develop working prototypes. Lutz has recently been throwing around 2010 as the year a production GM plug-in electric would hit the road. Seems incredibly optimistic to us at this juncture, but we shall see.

Battery technology has been the main stumbling block in developing an electric vehicle. Existing lithium-ion batteries can overheat, while nickel metal hydride batteries take too long to charge and don't provide enough of a range to be economically feasible.

[OKIsItJustMe]

6. More on A123 deal...

http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/djf500/200708091224DOWJONESDJONLINE000731_FORTUNE5.htm

...

GM already had an existing relationship with A123, but spokesman Rob Peterson said the auto maker is now taking that partnership to the next level by committing to work directly with the supplier on building an affordable, high- power battery.

...

The A123 deal "is a great strategic tie-up for us, and it's going to help us get E-Flex on the road sooner," Lutz said in prepared remarks for a speech he delivered at a conference here.

Lutz's announcement comes as Toyota will delay by as much as two years the launch of new high-mileage hybrids using lithium-ion battery technology, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.

...

[skids]

14. This is a good sign...

...that GM has finally seen the writing on the wall and is moving in earnest.

There's still the possibility they will punk out, but that's a serious, competitive
battery technology and if it does hit volume production it will be a positive step
regardless of the fate of the Volt.

I'm on my second Prius now, but will be looking at the Volt very seriously when the
time comes. If it's a better option than A123's Prius PHEV upgrade kit at the
time, I've owned Fords before so why not a Chevy. In my usage pattern I can well
afford to slow-charge at night and for 8 hours while at work, as long as I can work
out an outlet with my employer which is likely.

[Kolesar]

15. A123 is privately-held, so you cannot touch this action.

http://www.a123systems.com/newsite/index.php#/company/